TUDOR TALK

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Saturday 13th October
Southern League Premier Division
Brackley Town 0 Hemel Town 3

The Tudors returned to top spot in the division, leap-frogging pre-match leaders Brackley as they blew away their host’s in the second half.
The first half was a cagey affair between two sides who had run into a bad patch of form of late, and both defences showed some good organization to dominate proceedings.
Hemel’s on loan striker Chris Dillon missed just wide with a low shot on eight minutes, and Brackley’s Danny Spencer shot across keeper Ian Brown’s far post on twenty three minutes. But not much else “happened” for the first half hour until Dillon latched onto a botched clearance from Josh Green, and chipped stranded home keeper Richard Knight - only to see his effort sail just a foot wide of the far post.
Shortly after, the Saints should have taken the lead, when Spencer cut into the area from the right wing before pulling a pass across the box to an unmarked Tom Winters. Winters however placed his hard hit shot too close to Brown who reacted fast to save low down & deny the winger.
A further good chance for Lee Tomlin at the far post sailed across Brown wide with five minutes left, but the half ended with on a rather dull note as both sides ran out time.
The second half initially carried on in the same vein as the first. But suddenly it came to life as Hemel picked up the pace.
On fifty seven minutes Hemel were unlucky not to score when Drew Roberts chested down Ollie Burgess’ cross to the middle superbly, but keeper Knight managed to smother the strikers shot from eight yards as the ball ran slightly away from him.
Brown then held onto Spencer’s shot from a tight angle on the hour and within a minute the same player had hit the base of Brown’s near post from almost exactly the same spot.
But in the next attack Hemel finally broke their run of four games without a goal from open play. On sixty three minutes, Roberts chased an apparently lost cause to the by-line before pulling the ball back to Dillon inside him. Dillon then turned inside defender Martin Brown before slipping a pass across the six yard area, where Paul Edgeworth at the far post slid in to fire the ball into the roof of the net.
Cue pandemonium as players and fans celebrated together.
Two minutes later Burgess nearly doubled the lead, when his well hit half volley from all of twenty five yards dipped over Knight, but hit the underside of the bar and away to safety, the lead however was finally increased on seventy one minutes.
Mark Coulson was this time the supplier of a well hit cross from the left wing, which was initially helped on towards the far post by the head of defender Green. Tudor skipper Edgeworth (seeing his angle was too acute) unselfishly stooped low to head the ball back into the middle, and Burgess reached it ahead of Knight to nod it home from five yards out.
Eight minutes later it was three-nil. Substitute Danny Nichols Jnr placed a great little pass into the box ahead of the run of Dillon, who had stolen in behind Green. And although the striker didn’t connect properly with his shot from ten yards, it had enough on it to crawl under the diving Knight and into the net.
Further saves by Knight from Burgess and Dillon again, saved the Saints from a heavier score line, and although both Spencer and Tomlin finally tested Brown before the end, Hemel cruised to an important and emphatic win on the road, with the trip to Dunstable Town next up in the F.A. Trophy.

Hemel Town:
Ian Brown, Simon Sweeney, Mark Coulson, Chris Herron, Nathan Bowden-Haase, Yiadom Yeboah, Ollie Burgess, Robbie Kean, Chris Dillon, Drew Roberts (Danny Nichols Jnr), Paul Edgeworth. Subs (Not Used): Kamaron Abassi, Matt Gearing, Jamie Kearns & Steve Sinclair.

Brackley Town:
Richard Knight, Craig Farley, Michael Love, Guy Hadland, Josh Green, Martin Brown, Ollie Stanbridge (Tony Fontanelle), Martin Reeves (Scott Hadland), Lee Tomlin, Danny Spencer, Tom Winters. Subs (Not Used): Andy Williams, Steve Jackman & Tom Willshire.