Hedge End Town v Horndean 29/08/26 – Fans Blog
As the weather turned and the wind and rain began to pick up, there were a few thoughts of “How is this going to go today?” – but there was certainly nothing to worry about!
Just ten minutes after kick-off, Jay came out of nowhere to fire us into an early lead and make it 1-0 to the Town!
Twenty minutes later, Jay popped up again to grab his second of the afternoon and suddenly we were 2-0 up.
The manager, clearly feeling confident, had apparently told Jay: “score a hat-trick and I’ll pay you!”
Well… that may not have been the wisest decision!
As the wind and rain continued to make their presence felt, Jay used his fast pace to break through once again. One-on-one with the keeper, he finished the job and sent the ball into the back of the net for his hat-trick!
3-0 before half-time!
As the boys headed into the dressing room, there was another sight that caught the eye – the manager checking his wallet with a rather worried look on his face!
We kicked off the second half and, unfortunately, the opposition pulled one back after a bit of a confusion between our goalkeeper and defence.
For the next five minutes or so, things were a little wobbly, but the boys regrouped and the manager made some changes, bringing on Longland, Swifty and Austin. It didn’t take long for the substitutes to make their mark.
Austin delivered a superb cross into the box, and Longland was there to finish it off, sending the keeper back to the net once again! making the score 4-1 to Hedge End Town!
With tired legs beginning to show after playing our second game in just three days, the opposition continued to push and won themselves a corner. The resulting delivery found its way into the back of the net, making it 4-2.
The referee blew the final whistle and Hedge End town had secured another hard-earned victory, finishing 4-2 winners!
There were plenty of smiles and giggles as the boys came away from another entertaining game – but, most importantly, everyone was relieved to hear that the players were okay after Deacs took a boot to the forehead and Jutty took a ball blasted straight to the face. Thankfully, both were given the all-clear.
A fantastic team effort, plenty of goals and another memorable afternoon for Hedge End Town.
Up the mighty Town!
Match Day Write Up – Scott Creese
Man of the Match – Jay Barnes
Goal scorers: Jay Barnes , Andrew Longland
