Team: Hipple, Cousins, Kuodys, Roberts, Kingston, E.Richards, Pickering, San Emeterio, Fewtrell, Stapleton, Jessavala

Subs: Hunt

Goalscorer: Fewtrell

Saturday evening saw Hartley involved in yet another tough encounter, this time against a determined Leverstock Green.

It was pleasing to field a starting 11 containing 6 players aged 19 or under, who have shown in recent weeks that they are really coming to terms with playing Suburban League football.

There certainly seems to be a common theme in recent weeks, with the opposition starting brightly & Hartley having to soak up the pressure, with the side looking more comfortable in doing so with each game that passes. For large periods the visitors struggled to keep posession for more than a couple of passes & playing up the hill this was always going to be a case of digging in & weathering the storm.

The two banks of four proved to be solid & as with most games of late limited the opposition to long range efforts, which were either off target or well gathered by Hipple in the Hartley goal. Leverstock looked at their most dangerous from set pieces & came close on 2 or 3 occasions with powerful headers at goal, with one effort having to be cleared off the line by Roberts following a goal mouth scramble. Hartley didn't have any chances of note but the game was always going to change in the 2nd half with it being their turn to attack down the slope. HT 0-0.

From the kick off Hartley stepped up the tempo & look very confident attacking Leverstock with balls into channels being particularly dangerous, especially with the pace of Jessavala & Stapleton up front. Stapleton came closest to breaking the deadlock, following a neat passage of play Stapleton drove into the box & will be dissapointed that he didn't score when one on one with the goalie, who in fairness did well to block the shot.

Leverstock briefly threatened but Mindy Kuodys in particular defended with authority winning every header against the John Carew look-a-like.

Hartley took the lead with around 20 minutes to go. Luke Cousins took a free kick on the right side of the pitch just inside the Leverstock half. Everyone was set up for the long ball into the penalty area but with great awareness he played the ball short to right winger Luke Fewtrell who following some good worked whipped the ball into the box, across the face of goal & to everyones surprise the ball flew into the far bottom corner of the goal, leaving the goalie stranded. 1-0.

Although looking comfortable in defence throughout, the lead was nearly cut short when a long ball into the box was chased down by the Leverstock striker & following a strong, slightly mis-timed challenge a penalty was awarded. To everyones relief the resulting spot kick was blasted over the bar.

For the last 15 minutes Leverstock searched for the equaliser, coming close on numerous occasions with shots just missing the target & with a handful of excellent saves being made from Liam Hipple, who is clearly showing he is an excellent prospect for the future, Leverstock just couldn't find the break through.

Looking back at the game Hartley rode their luck at times, dug deep but in my opinion deserved the win for effort alone.

I would just like to say running the reserves has been a great joy & seeing the younger players improve week after week & visibly seeing the team spirit & togetherness grow has been excellent & rewarding. 

If the club are able to keep this bunch of youngsters & attract additional players of this age group then in the next couple of seasons the 1st team will definitely benefit. My aim was for the reserve side to become an under 19 team & we are already half way there, but this will only be worthwhile if the club & most importantly 1st team management are genuinly interested in these players. From what I have witnessed, these guys should be given a chance, they are good enough & I will guarantee they will not let you down. Technically the Suburban League is superior to CCL1, that I am certain & these players deserve a go. Will they get their chance, we'll just have to wait & see, but I won't hold my breath.

Who ever takes the reserve job on for next season, good luck to you. All I ask is to believe in youth, we can all go out & put a side together which is full of experienced players capable of picking up more wins throughout a season but that is not what the reserves is about.

Finally I would like to thank Hunty, my dad, the players, Mick Peters & Jamie Fewtrell for the effort & support that you have all given me & the players throughout the season. It is much appreciated.

Cheers

Robbo.

Team: Hipple, Fuller, Grundy, Roberts, Kingston, Jessavala, Forkan, Peters, Fewtrell, Richards, Hunt

Subs: -

Goalscorer: Forkan

It was one of those very rare occasions when a defeat felt every bit like a victory. I would like to stand here & say that Hartley Wintney played like Brazil but if truth be told we played more like Wimbledon of old & truly captured the Crazy Gang spirit.

The squad went from 5 to 13 & back down to 10 all in the space of the afternoon. The latest player pulled out at 4pm only to be replaced by 16 year old Kieran Fuller who looked like he should be playing in my nephews under 12's team.

We all made it to Leighton which was a positive start. The team had an awkward look about it, not least with Andy Hunt playing centre forward/target man, 16 going on 12 year old Kieran Fuller at right back, slightly out of shape Danny Roberts at centre half, sun tanned Jason Kingston making his 1^st start in 3 weeks at left back, injured Dave Richards up top & Rob Forkan making his 1^st start for the club.

Leighton made all the early running, spraying the ball impressively from wing to wing & playing neat & concise football on the dry but flat playing surface.

It took time to adjust but the visitors just about weathered the early storm. Leighton peppered Liam Hipple's goal from distance & stretched Hartley near enough to breaking point on occasions but we stood firm & briefly threatened ourselves from time to time as a result of long searching balls out of defence.

Midway through the 1^st half Liam Hipple did well when tipping the ball at full stretch onto the face of the cross bar. He had to be alert moments later diving low to his right to keep out a speculative but dangerous shot from distance but saved the best until last when quickly shutting the angle in a one on one situation & with a reaction save somehow managed to palm the ball expertly just past the far post.

Following the solid opening Hartley did concede a fairly soft goal from a throw in, it was placed into the penalty area for the oncoming forward who sharply turned his man & slotted home into the far corner, 0-1.

Although chances were at a premium for Hartley, just prior to half time Luke Fewtrell did force arguably the best save of the game from the home goal keeper. The ball was played into his path on the right wing, he took the ball past the full back & his ferocious shot from all of 20 yards was somehow matched by the onrushing goalie to keep the score at 1-0.

The 2^nd half started much the same as the 1^st with Leighton looking to play open, attacking football, probing the Hartley defence at every opportunity.

The score became 2-0 only 5 minutes into the half. The Leighton centre forward did well to hold the ball up & in one swift move turned & drove the ball home into the bottom corner of the goal from the edge of the penalty area.

Conceding the 2^nd goal so early in the half could have been disastrous but from the re-start the game totally changed & Hartley with their "nothing to lose" attitude began to take the game to Leighton.

Leighton were now on the back foot & chances were now coming Hartley's way with some frequency.

Following an expert block just inside his own half, Andy Hunt created the opening for Rob Forkan to drive with power & pace for all of 50 yards, through the Leighton midfield & beyond the defence, finally drilling the ball into the far corner of the goal. It was a true contender for goal of the season & certainly put Hartley in the ascendency with the opportunity to achieve the most unlikely of comebacks.

Following some neat footwork Forkan came close to claiming his 2^nd goal lifting the ball just over the bar & Lee Peters was most unlucky when the Leighton goalie somehow managed to keep the ball from crossing the line following his powerful header from inside the 6 yard box.

The best opportunity was squandered when Roberts penalty was saved low to the goal keepers left, following a theatrical dive from Andy Hunt when challenged from behind.

Hartley kept attacking & Leighton were now desperately hanging on as chance after chance came Hartley's way.

Steve Grundy was lucky not to give away a penalty & gain himself a red card for a Jonathon Edwards style 2 footed lunge at the Leighton striker who was ideally positioned to put the game beyond Hartley.

Up until the final whistle Hartley continued to battle but just couldn't find the equalising goal.

The 2^nd half performance alone will go down as one of the most spirited & impressive this season & each player should be very proud of their efforts.

It is nights & performances like this that make you realise why you love playing football.

Well done.

Team: Hipple, Grundy, Kuodys, Peters, E.Richards, De Baros, Shipman, Pickering, Cousins, D.Richards, Stapleton

Subs: San Emeterio (Cousins - 65), Loffler (Stapleton - 75)

Goalscorers: Kuodys, Stapleton

Report to Follow.

Team: Hipple, Jessavala, Kuodys, Vallance, E,Richards, Loffler, Shipman, Peters, Pickering, D.Richards, Barnard.

Subs: San Emeterio (Loffler - 60), Forkan (Jessavala - 60), Roberts (Barnard - 75)

Goal Scorers: -

Hartley Wintney certainly worked hard & showed willing on a difficult surface, but from the off it was obvious that the team lacked the edge that saw them grind out a great result against Camberley on Saturday. Maybe that tough encounter took more out of the players than we realised, as the young Harefield side were just that yard ahead of Hartley throughout the game.

The 1st 20 minutes or so were pretty poor for both sides as the hard surface & poor control saw a catalogue of unforced errors & misplaced passes.

Harefield came closest to breaking the deadlock, advancing down the right wing with the resulting cross being narrowly headed over the bar by the centre forward. As the half progressed Hartley began to play the type of football suited to the pitch, playing more of a percentages game & getting the ball into areas behind the Harefield defence. During the 20 minutes prior to the half time interval chances came & went for Hartley Wintney with Dave Richards missing a handful of chances when in good positions to score, although unlucky on one occasion when driving the ball just over the Harefield cross bar from all of 20 yards. Barnard was left frustrated when poised to strike on goal just outside of the 6 yard box when the ball just wouldn't drop & was cleared to safety.

With the scores level at half time the key emphasis was on improving the quality slightly, continuing to play the more direct game as was the case late in the 1st half at the same time as keeping things solid at the back.

Just 10 minutes into the 2nd half Harefield took the lead, one direct ball lifted over the hartley defence resulted in the Harefield striker getting between the Hartley defence & goalie & slotting the ball home from the edge of the area. 0-1.

The game was fairly even but the frustration was increasing as Harefield were vulnerable in defence, but in the attacking 3rd Hartley lacked the quality & killer instinct to take advantage of the chances that came their way.

0-1 became 0-2 when Hartley failed to clear the ball from inside their own penalty area & with the 2nd attempt a soft penalty was awarded when the striker fell to the ground following a clumsy tackle just inside the 6 yard box.

At 2-0 substitutions were made to try & freshen things up & although Hartley weren't really at the races they still had chances to pull a goal back, the best coming during a goal mouth scramble with 3 attempts at goal being blocked on the line & in the 6 yard box.

Harefield continued to attack & had half chances to increase the lead, but to their credit Hartley kept going but just didn't have quite enough to get anything from the game.

We'll draw a line under that one & accept it as an off night. Chesham United up next, we won 2-1 there just a month or so ago. It would be nice to get our 1st double of the season & finish our home campaign off with a win.

Team: Hipple, Jessavala, Kuodys, Roberts, E.Richards, Loffler, San Emeterio, Shipman, Fewtrell, D.Richards, Stapleton.

Subs: Cousins (Loffler - 65)

Goal Scorer: Roberts (Penalty).

With a number of regular players missing & 2 more dropping out only an hour before the game, leaving us with one outfield substitute this was always going to be a challenge, especially considering the weather conditions. This was certainly confirmed when we saw ex Wales international Darren Barnard appear on the teamsheet for Camberley! Again, the Hartley side consisted of 4 of the current youth team & 2 further players aged 19 who each gave a fully committed performance to be proud of.

Camberley started the brighter of the two sides, they effectively kept posession & pegged Hartley back for the 1st 20 minutes, although they were largely limited to speculative long range efforts. Camberley continued to have the upper hand but Hartley continued to battle & briefly threatened when able to get the ball into the last 3rd of the pitch.

Mindy Kuodys marshalled the defence superbly as Hartley continued to frustrate Camberley, with the rest of the side sticking to their jobs & limiting Camberleys attacking options.

Camberley did manage to take the lead midway through the half from a corner. The kick was mis-hit along the ground into the penalty area, but the centre forward 12 yards from goal managed to swing his foot at the ball & somehow caught it perfectly, smashing the ball into the far bottom corner of the goal leaving Liam Hipple with no chance. 0-1.

The half continued to be a battle, with very few chances being created at either end.

The 2nd half was a much more even affair, with Hartley having more joy playing up the slope, keeping posession & beginning to create chances. The wide players came into the game giving better support to the front two who were working tirelessly.

Following a long ball into the Camberley penalty area & with the goalie hesitating Dave Richards had a fantastic opportunity to equalise, from just outside the 6 yard box he had a header that just needed to be lifted over the oncoming goalie but he just couldn't create enough power to do so.

Confidence was growing & for all the hard work alone Hartley deservedly got the equaliser they were looking for. Dave Richards expertly turned the defender on the far right side of the penalty area & was brought down with a clumsy challenge. Danny Roberts slotted the ball home from the spot to make it 1-1.

As expected Camberley upped the tempo & forced 2 or 3 great saves from Liam Hipple in the Hartley goal. Last ditch tackles were being made & Mindy Kuodys was continuing to control the defence. Camberley did almost take the lead when a speculative shot slipped through the legs of Hipple but to the relief of everyone he managed to smother the ball before it crossed the line. Camberley continued to press & for the last 5 to 10 minutes were throwing all but the kitchen sink at Hartley. Barnard was creeping further up the pitch looking to influence the game but Hartley just about held out to the final whilstle to the joy of the 11 exhausted players but to the frustration of 3rd placed Camberley.

The attitude was incredible from each & every player, for that alone Hartley deserved a point. That was a performance that summed up Hartley of old. We had our backs against the wall for large periods but every single player dug deep, battled & stuck up for eachother & ground out a great result. Well done.

Team: Hunt, Shipman, Kuodys, Daniels, E.Richards, Francis, Peters, Pickering, Brunt, Hamilton, Stapleton

Subs: Fisher (Stapleton - 60), Vallance (Pickering - 65), Jessavala (Francis - 70).

Goal Scorers: -

Report to Follow.

Team: Hipple, San Emeterio, Grundy, Kuodys, E. Richards, Francis, Shipman, De Baros, Fewtrell, Stapleton, Richards

Subs: Flanders (Fewtrell - 70), Loffler (Francis 75)

Goal Scorers: Shipman, Own Goal.

Sent Off: Richards, De Baros.

How often do you see it, 2-0 up & looking comfortable only to go & draw or lose the game. Well this was typically one of those days. Although we looked comfortable throughout the 1st 45 minutes & of course you would take a two goal lead at half time, we were slightly dissapointed as excellent chances were missed to realistically go in 4 goals to the good.

There was another debut for a youth team player, this time it was Elliot Richards who was nothing short of outstanding, he slotted in at left back & on 1st impressions is definitely one for the 1st team sometime in the not too distant future & that was the most pleasing aspect of the day. At one point we had 5 current youth team players on the pitch which is excellent, that for me is what reserve team football is all about & has got to be the way forward for this football club.

Tring were lively & the defence was well orchestrated by goalie come centre half Mindy Kuodys who is looking better with every game that passes. At times we played some good football, getting the ball into wide areas & always looking dangerous in attack. Chances came & went with Stapleton & Richards coming close. The deadlock was broken when a great ball was played over the top & into the left channel by Elliot Richards, Dave Richards ran onto the through ball & following a big step over crossed dangerously into the penalty area, Stapleton with great vision laid the ball into the path of Tom Shipman who smashed the ball into the bottom corner. 1-0.

Hartley kept pressing & following a cross into the box the Tring defender headed expertly into the top corner of his own goal. 2-0.

The 2nd half was always going to be a challenge. Tring started brightly & began to come back into the game with good posession, playing neat football. Stapleton excellently jinked his way into the penalty area & will be dissapointed not to make it 3-0 when one on one, credit to the goalie for saving well with his feet.

Tring pulled the game back to 2-1, early in the half in what was quite a bizarre situation. Steve Grundy brought the Tring centre forward down & a penalty was awarded. Sounds straightforward, but not when the linesman on the near side was 100% certain that the foul was committed outside of the penalty area, although this was the case he refused to inform the referee as in his own words "was not his job to do so as he was only the assistant referee" - laughable. The penalty was dispatched with confidence - 2-1.

The tide was clearly turning & things became even more difficult when Dave Richards was sent off for his 2nd yellow card, it was harsh but in the letter of the law delaying the goalie from kicking the ball out of his hands is a bookable offence, it is a shame that the ref didn't consistently keep to the letter of the law throughout. Difficult turned into near on impossible when we were reduced to 9 players, this time it was Pedro de Baros, who was sent off following his decision to question the linesman. Funny how on this occasion the linesman was able to flag the referee & get his attention leading to a red card but couldn't do exactly that for the penalty.

With 11 men I am confident we would have gone onto win the game, with 10 possibly, with 9 almost certainly not. This was because at this point Tring played the correct game keeping posession & taking their time to find openings. Unsurprisingly with only around 10 minutes to go it became  2-2 , posession was kept in the centre of the park & with the central midfielder not being shut down quick enough he picked his spot & smashed an unstoppable shot into the far top corner.

Although at one point it looked like a certain 3 points we were now realistically looking at coming away with none. This was confirmed when in the last couple of minutes the right sided Tring player was not shut down & cutting in from the right wing drove the ball into the far bottom corner from all of 20 yards. 2-3.

Dissapointed doesn't describe the outcome of this game. But when you have 2 players sent off you are not going to win games, that has happened in the last 2 games & simply isn't acceptable.

Although the result was hard to take, the performances of a number of the players was very pleasing, especially the youngsters in the side who continue to impress with the quality that they are showing when playing a very good standard of adult football.

Team: Hipple, Grundy, Kuodys, Reeves, Loffler, Jessavala, Pickering, Shipman, Kingston, Richards, Stapleton

Subs: De Baros (Reeves - HT), Fewtrell (Loffler - 65)

Sent Off: Grundy, Richards

Goalscorers: Richards - 2, Stapleton, Kuodys

Team: Hipple, San Emeterio, Grundy, Kuodys, Kingston, Francis, Cousins, Shipman, De Baros, Fisher, Stapleton

Subs: Loffler (Cousins - 30), Fewtrell (San Emeterio - 45)

Team: Hipple, San Emeterio, Grundy, Kuodys, Kingston, Jessavala, Peters, Cousins, Fewtrell, Sullivan, Stapleton.

Subs: Richards (Jessavala - 65), Grundy (San Emeterio - 70)

Goal Scorers: Stapleton, Kingston.