Thurlow Nunn ECL Premier Division
Saturday 19th August 2017
Histon led twice through goals from Lee Smith but were unable to secure the three points as Kirkley came back to share the spoils.
Histon were without Will Lawton and George Darling for this game with Charlie Brown and Lee Smith coming into the side.
Both sides started brightly with the visitors showing first when Joel Haverson went close but soon after that Danny Gould, dangerous all afternoon, showed his intentions firing a low ball across goal that Smith couldn’t convert as the ball was cleared off the line at the far post, twice.
On ten minutes Max York’s free kick into the area was headed down by Evan Key for Smith to shoot first time, forcing Hayden Rogers to tip over the bar.
A couple of minutes later Histon had the lead. York sent a long throw into the Kirkley area where Evan Key headed it on for Smith to nod home at the back stick.
Lee Smith puts Histon ahead.
Histon were enjoying a good spell and when James Carman turned his defender and advanced on goal he was brought down on the edge of the area. Another step and it would have been a penalty but the resulting free kick came to nothing.
The visitors continued to look a threat going forward. With 22 minutes gone Kyle Baker’s free kick was pushed round the post by Ayden Duffy and from the corner Lewis Flower brought another decent save out of Duffy as Histon struggled to clear.
It was all square on 27 minutes. Advancing down the right side, Tarren Grint’s precise cross was headed home by Gary Williams who was free 8 yards out.
Histon seemed to have switched off after going ahead and needed half time to reassess. The team talk at the break seemed to have worked though as Histon came back out with purpose and restored their lead within a minute of the re-start. Gould nicked the ball away from the visitors mid-way inside their half before using his pace to brush past the defence. His cut back into the area was met by the incoming Smith who finished neatly with a left footed volley into the corner.
Smith puts Histon ahead again after fine work by Danny Gould. 2-1.
Histon looked comfortable for a while after re-taking the lead but as the game went on Kirkley gained more and more possession and the game was being played more and more in Histon territory.
With 20 minutes left a nice angled ball found Haverson through but Duffy was out quickly to narrow the angles and block the wide man’s shot.
That was a warning of their intent and three minutes later it was 2-2 when substitute Dylan Blades had time to take a touch, turn and shoot past Duffy from 10 yards out to even things up.
Neither side really threatened to win it in the remaining quarter of an hour and it wasn’t until added time that the game could have been decided either way. First, Baker’s snap shot was only a whisker away for the visitors before, in the third added minute, Max York’s cross found Evan Key at the far post but his header was just wide.
The Stutes remain unbeaten in the league and welcome Long Melford to The Glassworld Stadium on Tuesday evening for their next game, kick off @ 7:45pm.
Histon: Ayden Duffy, Tommy Wright, Brendan Lees, Lee Smith (Joe Sutton 56), Max York, Sheldon Weinman, Pat Bexfield (Taher Ali 76), Evan Key, James Carman, Charlie Brown (Shaun Jenkins 64), Danny Gould.
Histon subs not used: None
Histon yellow cards: None.
Histon goal scorers: Lee Smith (13, 46)
Kirkley & Pakefield: Hayden Rogers, Tarren Grint, Kyle Haylock, Lewis Hammond, Jack Herbert, Lewis Flower, Gary Williams (Mikey Tacon 72), Cain Eagleton, Kyle Baker, Liam Harvey-Cooper (Dylan Blades 45+1), Joel Haverson.
Kirkley & Pakefield subs not used: Harry Creamer.
Kirkley & Pakefield yellow cards: Lewis Flower, Can Eagleton.
Kirkley & Pakefield goal scorers: Gary Williams (27), Dylan Blades (75).
Attendance: 126
