Kelvedon Hatch travelled to M & B Club on a calm Saturday afternoon, on the back of a win the previous week and with an unchanged side .

The Hatch started well, passing the ball around on a bobbly surface. However, it was M & B who took an early lead after two Hatch defenders had an air shot at defending a free kick from the right hand side of the area that eventually hit the clumsy Lee Walker’s knee and went into the bottom right hand corner, 1-0. The Hatch came straight back scoring 5 minutes later from a Tony Sutton corner, Lee Walker made a darting run and met the ball with a bullet header into the bottom right corner, 1-1. Sutton again caused havoc down the right wing setting up Robbie McCarthy with an open goal for the easiest of tap ins, unfortunately for Hatch, McCarthy’s composure was left in front of goal the weekend before and he smashed the ball over the bar leaving his team-mates in a sense of disbelief. Hatch then gave away a silly free kick 25 yards outside the box which M & B kindly accepted smashing the ball into the top left hand corner leaving the impressive Hatch keeper, Mark Allen, rooted, 2-1 down and the score at half time.

Hatch kicked off the second half exactly as they did the first. Hatch attempted to pass the ball around and created a handful of chances but just couldn’t find the net. On 65 mins the M & B right-sided midfielder cut in and smashed the ball into the top corner again giving Allen no chance, 3-1. Lee Walker then changed it around by bringing on Hickson upfront for the unusually quite Charlie Ryan. Hickson started well, moving the M & B centre half’s around and within 5 minutes of being on the pitch created a fantastic chance for Peter ‘hasn’t got a first touch’ Williams. Hickson’s inch perfect cross found the irregular shaped head of Williams and went wide. Hatches chances kept on coming, Hopwood hit the bar from the edge of the area with a worldly left foot shot. McCarthy then made up from his earlier nightmare tapping in from close range from a rebound off of their keeper, 3-2. Hickson then narrowly struck on overhead kick just inches wide. Hatch kept on chasing but then gave a way a penalty after some woeful Sunday league decisions by their defence. Fortunately the penalty hit the post, so there was still a chance for the Hatch. That chance, the best chance of the second half, fell to Williams just 7 yards out with only their keeper to beat, but due to his lack of quality spawned the chance, shooting into the keeper’s arms. The final whistle blew along with Hatch’s chances of the league title. Although Hatch played well they just didn’t have enough up front to win the game.

Andy G