Defending to the Max (Capaldi, that is)

Darren Norman and Ben van Rooyen returned to the side with Greg Page and Alec Short still on the injury list.

In a similar fashion to the previous weekend Hertford struggled to get a foothold in the early stages of the game. The hosts playing long balls to leading forwards and utilising the fast and bouncy conditions offered by the pitch. The visitors were finding outlets via the aerial route, with the three forwards trying to run on to the ball. Norman latched on to one overhead, and beat his man, but couldn’t find a telling strike from the left of the circle.

Max Capaldi in Hertford’s goal turned in a man-of-the match performance for the second week in a row, keeping out a number of struck efforts and getting good distance on his clearances from a succession of Winchmore penalty corners.

The surface looked as though it was against Hertford as firstly Nick Downer, then Archie Akers and Norman all lost their footing when in good positions, and then bouncing / lifted balls struck Oliver de Roeck, Elliot Barling and van Rooyen.

Neither side could make a breakthrough in the attritional battle as the tie reached the halfway stage goalless.

Hertford shuffled their style of play slightly at half time and upped their workrate in the midfield, which quickly paid dividends in the second half. Barling fed Ian Dunnett, who drove at the circle and forced the ball, reverse stick, into the danger area. Van Rooyen latched on to it and despite being pushed away from goal by his marker struck his shot back across the goal and into the bottom corner for his seventh of the season in only six appearances.

The hosts very nearly responded immediately. Excellent interplay thorugh the midfield and first time passing set a forward free. With plenty of space and time to place his shot, the bullet strike looked destined for the top-corner, only for an airborne Capaldi to stretch a left glove to glance the effort over the bar.

The goal had irked the home side, and as Hertford grew in confidence Winchmore resorted to some late tackling and drastic measures to halt progress. Van Rooyen - whose skill, and dialogue - were getting him noticed, was cynically stick tackled inside the circle to win a penalty corner. Downer made no mistake with a precision drag-flick to double the advantage.

Winchmore might have got back in the tie, as a good turn and cross from the right was deflected on target, but once more Capaldi prevented the chance, with his defenders then clearing the ball from the goalline.

With the game becoming stretched, more gaps were opening up. Downer took a quick free-hit with a self-pass in the final third, arcing around the final line of defence on the right hand side and jinking his way along the byline before sliding a pass to Luke Kennedy on the penalty spot. Kennedy switched the angle on the advancing netminder and struck home on his reverse to complete the scoring.

Winchmore remained determined despite the scoreline. A penalty corner on the final whistle looked to have given them a consolation, but the umpire had spotted an attacker’s foot on its way into the goal.

Hertford’s second clean sheet of the season keeps them three points off top in division 3SW, but they will face leaders Berkhamsted at the Simon Balle ground next weekend in a battle for first place.

Hertford: Max Capaldi; Elliot Barling, Jamie O’Sullivan, Simon Halfacre, Oliver de Roeck, Ian Dunnett, Nick Downer, Luke Kennedy; Ben van Rooyen, Darren Norman, Ciaran Begg. Subs: Michael Branford, Archie Akers