Hitchin are forced to dig deep

HITCHIN TOWN 1 STRATFORD TN 0

HITCHIN Town pulled level on points with Leamington at the top of the table as they overcame a stubborn Stratford side, but were made to work hard for the points and the victory.

The Canaries put the Alfie Barker controversy behind them in the fourth minute after Niall Cooper had tipped a stinging Ben Walster shot over for a corner.

However, Robbie Burns was on hand from the setpiece to nod Hitchin into the lead – it proved to be the turning point of the game for a determined and tough Hitchin team.

Hitchin applied plenty of pressure but could not find the vital second goal.

Matt Lench had an effort cleared off the line by Guy Clark and brought a save out of Cooper.

His best chance before the interval came when Callum Donnelly nodded a Kane Smith cross into his path but he fired wide of the goal when well placed.

Stratford had their own chances as Michael Taylor and Edwin Ahenkorah worked hard up front.

Dan Webb headed an Ahenkorah shot clear and Lucas Kirkpatrick cleared a Clark header off the line when it looked goalbound.

The second half saw Hitchin continue to push forward.

Burns and Lench both had opportunities to add to the scoreline but were off target when well placed.

Lench also tested Cooper with a snapshot from the edge of the area.

It was not one-way traffic though, as Ahenkorah shot wide for Stratford before forcing Michael Johnson into a good low save as the visitors poured forward in search of an equalising strike.

However, Hitchin held on to maintain their formidable record at Top Field as Stratford stuttered to a narrow defeat.