Play-off hopes are left hanging in the balance
Defeat at Winchester leaves Hungerford with a mountain to climb
IT was a game played in horrible conditions and it was an equally horrible performance from Hungerford Town at Winchester City.
The Crusaders lost 1-0 and saw their Southern League Premier South play-off hopes suffer a near-terminal blow.
They had won their last two competitive fixtures on Winchester’s ground, including an FA Trophy match earlier in the season.
Hungerford had recently won three league matches in a row to move close to the playoffs, but a defeat at the hands of fifth-placed Merthyr Town on Easter Monday and then at Winchester means it is unlikely they will achieve this.
Hungerford were without Joe Shepherd and some of his energy was lacking in midfield
It was a bright enough start though from the visiting side and it looked like only a matter of time before they took the lead. Josiah Bridgeman should have indeed done so after quarter-of-an-hour, but exHungerford
keeper Luke Cairney in goal for the home side produced a good double save to stop him, although it did look easier to score than to hit it straight at the keeper.
Winchester’s Trevor Caborn forced a good save out of Town keeper Ryan Clarke five minutes later with Jack Stanley doing some alert defending to prevent any follow-up chance.
After that both teams struggled to make a clear-cut chance with both the wind and the pitch stopping any freeflowing football.
In the second half Hungerford had the wind in their favour and it was Bridgeman who forced Cairney to tip the ball over the bar five minutes in.
This was ultimately Hungerford’s only real effort in anger in a poor second-half showing.
Winchester gradually gained control and you felt a goal for the home side was coming.
It did in the mid point of the half when Ik Hill’s cross was converted by Ollie Griggs for his first goal of the season.
Sadly this goal didn’t inspire the away team into producing anything of more quality even in front of an impressive away support.
It was Clarke who was the busier keeper and Crusaders’ misery deepened late on when Elliott Dugan was sent off late on to really finish off Hungerford’s day and probably their play-off hopes.
Hungerford : Clarke, Stanley, Medford-Smith, Jarra, Berry-Hargreaves, Hooper, De St Croix (Dugan), Lopes (Gardiner-Smith), Watts, McDonagh, Bridgeman (Paget) Subs (not used): Softley, Harvey