Those Were The Days; 21st August 2001
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 9:09 am
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
21st August 2001
Isthmian (Ryman) League Premier Division
HRBFC 6 (Green 5’ 48’; Manuella 15’, Holloway, 40’, O’Connor,65’, Maskell, 71’) Hitchin Town 3 (Allpress,35,’ Marshall, 47’, Deegan og, 68’) Att; 217
HRBFC;-
Stuart McKenzie; Antony Howard, Tony Houghton (Darren Deegan, 55’), Nick Burton, Matt Flitter, Fiston Manuella, Gary Holloway, Dean Green (Danny Alleyne, 76’), Richard O’Connor, Craig Maskell, Martin Carter.
Unused Sub; Steve French.
Hitchin Town;-
Nick Webb; Jon Bone, Nick Grime, Jim Allpress, Cliff Akurang, Ian Scott, Darren Sarll, Stuart Beevor, Shaun Marshall, Adam Barker, Matt Nolan.
Subs; Robert Kean, Louie Evans, Jon Barnett.
What a start to a season. Two wins in the opening games, 9 goals for, 4 against, top of the table! Holloway put Green through for the opening goal. Manuella rammed in a header from a Maskell corner for the second. Tim Allpress took advantage of some slack defending to get Hitchin on the scoresheet, however, Holloway ensured a 3-1 interval lead when he brushed off the challenge of two defenders. Goals flew in from all angles in the second half. Shau Marshall scored in the 47th minute to give Hitchin hope of a recovery. Almost immediately Carter made a second goal for Green. O’Connor got into the act in the 65th minute when hammered home goal number 5. Hitchin’s third goal was an own goal by Deegan, who chested the ball into his own net. The final goal of the afternoon scored with still some twenty minutes to go, scored by the elegant Maskell who clipped the ball in from close range.
Hampton supporters may not have realised it, but that was the high point of the league season. It would be another eight games until the next win and the season would see a steady slide down the table to 20th place.
The Old Historian
21st August 2001
Isthmian (Ryman) League Premier Division
HRBFC 6 (Green 5’ 48’; Manuella 15’, Holloway, 40’, O’Connor,65’, Maskell, 71’) Hitchin Town 3 (Allpress,35,’ Marshall, 47’, Deegan og, 68’) Att; 217
HRBFC;-
Stuart McKenzie; Antony Howard, Tony Houghton (Darren Deegan, 55’), Nick Burton, Matt Flitter, Fiston Manuella, Gary Holloway, Dean Green (Danny Alleyne, 76’), Richard O’Connor, Craig Maskell, Martin Carter.
Unused Sub; Steve French.
Hitchin Town;-
Nick Webb; Jon Bone, Nick Grime, Jim Allpress, Cliff Akurang, Ian Scott, Darren Sarll, Stuart Beevor, Shaun Marshall, Adam Barker, Matt Nolan.
Subs; Robert Kean, Louie Evans, Jon Barnett.
What a start to a season. Two wins in the opening games, 9 goals for, 4 against, top of the table! Holloway put Green through for the opening goal. Manuella rammed in a header from a Maskell corner for the second. Tim Allpress took advantage of some slack defending to get Hitchin on the scoresheet, however, Holloway ensured a 3-1 interval lead when he brushed off the challenge of two defenders. Goals flew in from all angles in the second half. Shau Marshall scored in the 47th minute to give Hitchin hope of a recovery. Almost immediately Carter made a second goal for Green. O’Connor got into the act in the 65th minute when hammered home goal number 5. Hitchin’s third goal was an own goal by Deegan, who chested the ball into his own net. The final goal of the afternoon scored with still some twenty minutes to go, scored by the elegant Maskell who clipped the ball in from close range.
Hampton supporters may not have realised it, but that was the high point of the league season. It would be another eight games until the next win and the season would see a steady slide down the table to 20th place.
The Old Historian