League Play-Off

Hitchin Stadium
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Dale Lane started the match with the kick off. With a little luck, Truro's John-Paul Carey-Bertram got control of the ball when Ash Picker tried to sneak it across the goal line. 7 minutes into the game, Jim Stockton was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Hitchin's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Truro the free kick. After a rather tough play, Hitchin's Jim Stockton got a free kick in the 7th minute. Danny Parkin recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 11th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Russ Strong made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Fitz Stonehouse in the 13th minute of play. After having played for 21 minutes, Dale Lane managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Hitchin's supporters crossed their fingers, but Dale Lane was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Ash Picker could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 27th minute of the match, but John-Paul Carey-Bertram made a huge save. After 27 played minutes Truro got a freekick which was hit by Lewis Gamble. Fitz Stonehouse's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Russ Strong read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 31st minute of play. If Fitz Stonehouse had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 33rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Danny Parkin received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 36th minute. Russ Strong tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Lenny Thorn charged in rather forcefully in the 39th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Lenny Thorn the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. 41 minutes into the game, Jez Addison was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Hitchin's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Truro the free kick. With his leg John-Paul Carey-Bertram managed to avoid a goal in the 45thth minute, when Hitchin's Ash Picker fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 0-0 after a close first half.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Danny Parkin to make the kick off. Danny Parkin fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 53rd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Russ Strong having to interfere. Truro's Terry Davies got a good chance for a goal in the 55th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. 57 minutes into the match, Hitchin's goalkeeper Russ Strong had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Danny Parkin. A collision led to Hitchin getting a freekick after 66 minutes play. Jim Stockton hit a great ball. An unexpectedly hard shot by Fitz Stonehouse in the 67th minute of play forced Hitchin's goalkeeper Russ Strong to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. If Danny Parkin had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 85th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. Ash Picker fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 89th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without John-Paul Carey-Bertram having to interfere. After 90 played minutes Truro got a freekick which was hit by Lewis Gamble. 93 minutes into the match, Hitchin's goalkeeper Russ Strong had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Danny Parkin. When Ash Picker came up free with the goalie in the 95th minute, the Hitchin fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Ash Picker couldn't finish the play. The away crowd were delighted with the way their team had played and cheered loudly when the final whistle sounded. Truro walked away with the win, even though the match was close until the end.