Those Were The Days; 3rd May 2008

[Les1949]

THOSE WERE THE DAYS
3rd May 2008
Football (Blue Square) Conference (South) Play-Off Semi-Final 2nd leg
HRBFC 0 Fisher Athletic 0 Att; 1,489
(1-1 on aggregate, after extra time; HRBFC won 4-2 on pens)

Matt Lovett; Graham Harper, Ryan Lake, Orlando Jeffrey, Stuart Lake (Barrie Matthews, 65’), Dean Wells, Alan Inns, Elliott Godfrey (Shaun McAuley, 65’), Ian Hodges, Lawrence Yaku, Francis Quarm (Glenn Harris, 119’).
Unused subs; Rob Paris, Marcell Fernandes

After a pulsating 1-1 draw at Fisher in the first leg four days earlier, a tense and nerve wracking 0-0 draw resulted in Hampton booking their place in the play-off final via a penalty shoot-out. In normal time, Fisher perhaps created the better chances, twice Gavin Tomlin and Shaun Batt found themselves in front of goal, but both contrived to miss the ball. The second half saw both sides continue to struggle to make the key final pass. McAuley, Hodges and Matthews all tried their luck from distance, but still no signs of a winner. And so, in the end, penalties would decide it and it was Hampton’s calmness in front of the posts that would decide the issue. Yaku scored the first and Andre McCollin replied for Fisher; McAuley made it 2-1 before Luke Hickie blasted over; Lovett then stunned the visitors by taking – and scoring- the third, only for Wesley Thomas to keep Wayne Burnett’s men in the hunt; Glenn Harris tucked away the fourth and when Batt failed to hit the target, it signalled the end for Fisher.

The Old Historian