Those Were The Days; 7th November 1998

[Les1949]

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

7th November 1998

Isthmian (Ryman) League; Premier Division

Hampton 2 (Barnsby 22’, James 57’) Bromley 1 (Woolf 37’) Att; 324

Hampton-
Mark Russell; Peter Wood, Nick Burton, Steve Croxford, Jon Reilly, Dave Stephenson, Hakan Altinok (Johnson Hippolyte.73’), Otis Hutchins, Robin Lewis (Jason Brown, 87’), Chris James, Peter Barnsby.
Unused Sub; Matt Miller.

Bromley;-
Phil Smith; Ian Rawlings, Matt Woolf, Frank Coles, Dean Francis, Oli Adedeji, Dave Gray, Dean Wordsworth, Danny Carroll, Landry Zahana-Oni, Jamie Kyte.
Subs; Bobby Dennington, Keith Sharman, Mark Loveday.

Hampton, after a dozen league matches, were still finding life in the Isthmian Premier Division hard. It was after all their first season at this elevated level. The three points earned against Bromley were most welcome. The team were still in 18th place but, as Manager Chick Botley was quick to point out, they were only a win away from a mid-table position. The team responded to the manager’s confidence, with the luxury of a goal in the 22nd minute. Wood whipped in an excellent corner and Barnsby climbed high above keeper, Phil Smith, to head home. The visitors drew level in the 37th minute when a rare handling error by Russell was pounced upon by Matthew Woolf who bundled the ball in from close range. Early in the second half Hutchins had a header come back of the crossbar. In the 57th minute Wood made the second goal with another of his accurate corners, it was James who roared in with a bullet header. At the finale, Russell atoned for his earlier error when he made a superb reflex save from Danny Carroll. Later ex-Crystal Palace Dean Wordsworth was unlucky with a shot that hit the upright, but James almost had a second when his header drifted the wrong side of an upright. Botley expressed confidence that the Beavers would stay up – and he was proved right as they finished 19th.

The Old Historian