The Pitmen's impressive recent upturn in form continued this afternoon as Danny Glover's men recorded their first home win of the year with a single-goal victory over struggling Hitchin Town at Keys Park

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Having been cruelly denied a point at Royston Town two weeks ago due to Luke Jackson's red card, the Pitmen returned home looking to pick up where they had left off with three unbeaten games prior to their last game. Jackson, Mark Derricott and Max Brogan had all returned to their parent clubs at the end of their respective loans, with Ben Kaninda, Jordan Graham and Lucas Yeomans having their loans extended further. Birmingham City goalkeeper Oliver Basey had returned to Keys Park in midweek to replace Jackson, rejoining the club for a third loan spell between the sticks as the first of four changes to the side that had started against Royston as he came straight into the side. Harvey Portman also returned to the side as he came in for Kaninda, whilst James McQuilkin replaced Tom Thorley and Glover started in place of the departed Brogan. Leamington's young midfielder Jack Sang - signed on dual registration from the Brakes earlier today - had to be content with a place amongst the substitutes. Director of Football Graham Deakin made a surprise return to the touchline as he replaced assistant manager Guy Hadland, who was unavailable

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Hitchin made the long trip up from Hertfordshire in poor form, having not recorded a league victory since 14th January when they beat Mickleover. Manager Mark Burke made three changes to his Canaries side from the one that had been beaten 1-0 by Tamworth last weekend as Toby Syme, Jack Morrell and Josh Allen came in for Stan Georgiou, Kye Tearle and Diogo Freitas-Gouveia respectively

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The recent spell of showery and unsettled weather continued throughout the afternoon's proceedings, with regular cloudbursts dumping large amounts of rain on the heavy Keys Park pitch throughout the game and making conditions tough to play football in for both sides. Basey made a simple early stop for the hosts in the fourth minute as Fin Wilkinson did well to cut inside from the right and take the ball into the box before attempting a curling shot from sixteen yards out that was claimed by the on-loan stopper

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A minute later, the Pitmen won a free-kick to the left-hand side of the Hitchin penalty area after Chay Tilt had been pulled down by Bradley Bell. Steph Morley and Agustien lined up the resultant kick, with the former Swansea City midfielder striking a weak effort at goal that was easily fielded by Charlie Horlock in the Hitchin goal

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With the first corner kick of the game on seven minutes, Wilkinson worked the ball out to Josh Coldicott-Stevens, who lifted his effort from twenty yards out high over Basey's crossbar and into the Heath Hayes terrace, much to the delight of the home supporters

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From Basey's resultant goal kick, the Pitmen broke quickly down the right as Todd Parker fed McQuilkin, whose low, driven shot from the edge of the penalty area flew just wide of Horlock's left-hand post

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Hitchin should have made Basey work on twelve minutes with a great chance presented to them by Wilkinson, who made a driving run down the right to get the better of Morley and sent over a teasing low cross into the six-yard box that no one in purple could turn home from close-range

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At the other end of the pitch, the returning Portman forced Horlock into a parry in the sixteenth minute of the game as he flicked a Morley free-kick towards goal, prompting the former Wycombe Wanderers stopper to push the ball behind for a Hednesford corner kick

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Three successive corners from the visitors midway through the first period failed to find a way through the stubborn and organised Hednesford defence, which has found a new lease of life in recent weeks and was looking for its third clean sheet in the past five games. Good play from the on-loan Luton Town man Daniel Idiakhoa saw the midfielder play Eadie into space with a fine through ball on twenty-three minutes, only for Yeomans to snuff out the danger as he hacked the ball clear from his own penalty area and out for a throw-in to the Canaries

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One moment of quality from the excellent McQuilkin was to prove to be the defining moment of the afternoon on twenty-six minutes as he played a simply breathtaking through ball into the path of Graham, who timed his run to perfection to seize upon the peach of a pass in between the full-back and centre-back, firing past the advancing Horlock from sixteen yards out to give the Pitmen the lead with this second goal since his return to the club on loan from Kettering Town

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In a bid to get themselves back into the game quickly, Hitchin won a free-kick out on the right two minutes later that was taken by Wilkinson and found Lewis Barker on the edge of the penalty area, only for the experienced midfielder to see his shot blocked by Ethan Patterson

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Down came the rain once more on the half-hour mark, with its intensity ramped up considerably as it hammered down on the two sets of players. Glover should have put his side two goals to the good on thirty-one minutes as he got the goal side of Morrell to pick up Parker's pass but struck his venomous low shot a matter of inches wide of Horlock's right-hand post. So close from the Pitmen's gaffer

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A slalom-like run from Idiakhoa tested the Pitmen's resolve on thirty-three minutes, turning and twisting past Yeomans before pulling the ball back from the byeline into the box but seeing his cross cleared by Patterson once more

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The conditions had turned monsoon-like for a few moments, although there was to be no benefit for the visitors on thirty-seven minutes as they struck the woodwork through Ashley Hay; good, patient play saw Hitchin work the ball from the left into the box, where the former Biggleswade Town man seized upon the ball and clattered the base of the post with his low driven shot from fifteen yards out before Portman cleared the danger

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Basey caused a momentary concern for the home supporters as he went down off the ball inside his own penalty area on forty-one minutes, prompting a lengthy spell of treatment for the stopper and a quick warm-up for Rhys Williams, who made his debut for the club at Royston last time out after Jackson's red card

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Hitchin had the ball in the net with two minutes of the first half remaining as a corner kick was turned home at the second attempt by Barker, only for an earlier foul on Basey in the build-up to scrub the goal off for the away side

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In the second of three added minutes at the end of the first period, Allen got on the end of a pass from Coldicott-Stevens but skewed his rushed effort from twenty yards out high and wide of goal as Portman closed him down

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Another solid forty-five minutes of football for the Pitmen, once again following the recent template of performances with a solid and determined display in defence but struggling to create many openings in the game. However, Graham's goal had given them something to defend in the second half against a Hitchin side that had looked desperately short of confidence in the final third and had switched off for the Hednesford goal

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Hitchin started the second half as brightly as the rainbow that had appeared over the Wimblebury terrace, with Hay making an early run into the Hednesford penalty area but seeing his shot blocked by Portman after a good pass from Allen

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Two minutes later, Basey came out of his six-yard box to claim a deep free-kick from Coldicott-Stevens as Morrell looked to beat the stopper to the inswinging ball

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Barker picked up the game's first booking on fifty-two minutes as he brought down Graham thirty yards from goal, earning him a yellow card from referee Mr Swift. Elder statesmen Glover, Morley and Agustien all stood over the resultant free-kick before the Pitmen's manager fizzed in a long-range effort that was well-held by Horlock on his goal line

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Glover provided solid defensive cover for his team as he dropped into the defence to protect the Pitmen's lead with a fine clearing header on fifty-seven minutes, heading away a Wilkinson cross as he aimed to pick Allen out inside the six-yard box

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Hitchin were the first to blink when it came to substitutions, making their first change of the afternoon shortly before the hour mark as Jack Snelus replaced Allen

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Graham was presented with another superb chance to add to his tally a minute later by more fine work from McQuilkin as the midfielder's incisive pass across the face of the Hitchin goal found the striker unmarked, only for the on-loan Graham to screw his low shot wide of the target when he really should have made Horlock work from twelve yards out

 

Snelus was straight into the game as he raced onto a through ball from Bell down the right-hand side of the Hednesford penalty area two minutes later built struck his angled shot well wide of Basey's near post

 

The Pitmen were handed a free-kick out on the right on sixty-four minutes after a foul on McQuilkin by Wilkinson had led to a bout of pushing and shoving from both sets of players. Agustien lifted the resultant kick into the penalty area where Glover rose highest to meet the ball but could only head over the crossbar from eight yards out

 

Former AFC Rushden & Diamonds man Snelus was off-target again for the visitors midway through the second half as he got goal side of Patterson to reach Idiakhoa's pass, but once again drive his shot well wide of goal without testing Basey

 

The Canaries made their second substitution of the game on sixty-seven minutes as Josh Coldicott-Stevens was taken off by Burke in favour of former Luton Town midfield man Kavan Cotter

 

Cotter's first touch of the ball saw him force Yeomans into conceding a corner kick to the away side as he managed to get a toe on the ball and divert it behind, thus denying Cotter the opportunity to pick out the incoming Hay in the penalty area

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From the resultant Wilkinson corner kick, Basey did well to claim the ball at the second attempt after spilling the initial cross, scooping the rebound up before Hay could pounce on the loose ball

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The heavy pitch was doing neither side any favours in the second half, with long balls forward running out of play as they bounced off the saturated surface and ran away from their intended targets. Eadie made a good run down the left for Hitchin on seventy minutes and stood up a cross to the far post for Hay that was claimed once more by Basey ahead of the striker, with Patterson doing enough to put him off his stride

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Agustien picked up the Pitmen's first booking of the afternoon with fifteen minutes remaining as he brought down Wilkinson in midfield as was shown a yellow card by Mr Swift for his mistimed challenge on the greasy turf

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Graham was the latest player to require treatment from therapist Shannon Kincade on eighty minutes as he clashed with Morrell and was left in a heap on the floor just outside the Hitchin penalty area

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The Pitmen had waited until nine minutes from the end to make their first change of the afternoon as a soaking wet Agustien was replaced by Zac Hartley, forcing a reshuffle in midfield as McQuilkin moved into the centre of the park to allow for Hartley to play down the right. At the same time, Hitchin made an attacking change of their own as veteran striker Steve Cawley came on for Syme to add his physical presence to the Canaries' attack

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Cawley's experience and hold-up play for Hitchin saw him set up a chance for striker partner Hay on eighty-two minutes, chesting the ball down and holding off Portman before laying the ball off to Hay, whose shot was blocked once more by the legs of Patterson, who was once again having a fine game at centre-back for the Pitmen

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Gliver had done everything but score a goal for his side, leading the line brilliantly and winning countless battles in the air against the Hitchin defence. A Morley free-kick on eighty-three minutes was met firmly by the player/manager, only for his header to drift wide of the far post with Horlock beaten

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Bell was also off-target with another angled drive from the edge of the penalty area on eighty-five minutes drilling in a shot at goal that Basey watched wide of his left-hand post

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With three minutes remaining, the hosts made their second change of the afternoon as player/manager Glover elected to take himself off and bring on the more defensively-minded Kaninda to protect his side's slender lead and go with three centre-backs

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Tilt followed Agustien into the referee's notepad as the clock hit ninety minutes, picking up a booking for a push on Eadie. He was immediately replaced by Stanley Asomugha on the left flank

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Asomugha's only contribution to proceedings came in the third minute of added time as he chased down a long punt forward from Patterson that ran out of play and booted the ball out of the ground to stop Hitchin from restarting play quickly, picking up a yellow card for time-wasting in the process

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And yet, there was still time for Hitchin to scuff a golden opportunity to take a share of the points deep into added time as they worked the ball down the left and into the feet of Idiakhoa, whose low cross into the penalty area found Wilkinson completely unmarked at the far post; however, with the goal at his mercy, the young midfielder horribly scuffed his shot wide of goal when it seemed easier to slot the ball home, prompting howls of derision from the relieved home crowd

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A morale-boosting and well-deserved first home win of 2023 for the Pitmen, who had once again shown excellent team spirit and togetherness to grind out a result that makes it four unbeaten games out of the last five. However, it will most likely be all too little too late after today's round of games, with the Pitmen likely to have relegation confirmed either after next week's trip to Barwell or the home game against Needham Market on April Fool's Day

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Hednesford Town: Basey, Yeomans, Morley ©, Agustien ▆ (Hartley 81), Patterson, Portman, McQuilkin, Parker, Glover (Kaninda 87), Graham, Tilt ▆ (Asomugha 90 ▆ )    Sub Unused: Sang, Williams

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Hitchin Town: Horlock ©, Bell, Eadie, Syme (Cawley 81), Morrell, Barker ▆, Wilkinson, Coldicott-Stevens (Cotter 67), Hay, Idiakhoa, Allen (Snelus 59)     Subs Unused: Tearle, Miller

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