(no subject)
Nov. 15th, 2008 06:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eiffel_71
Met the 'Geordie Hawks' - a couple of guys from Tyneside who follow Havant & Waterlooville from afar and had made the long journey south to see them in the flesh today - in the clubhouse before today's match with struggling Newport County. One of them said how he was missing Newcastle's home match with Wigan to see the Hawks.
For the first 86 minutes of the game they must have wished they'd had a long lie-in instead. We were hoping Robbie Matthews would add the firepower up front that Hawks have been sorely lacking this season, but although he had a few chances during the first half neither he nor any of his team-mates looked like scoring. Meanwhile Newport took the lead just before the half hour mark.
The hardcore behind the goal never stopped their vocal support all through the second half, and amid the moaners some of us in the stand, me included, kept up shouts of encouragement, but many of the Hawks seemed to be playing with no fire in their bellies - though Charlie Henry never stopped trying right up until he was subbed, Jamie Collins played a decent game and Craig Watkins had two open goals but hit the post the first time and delivered a bullet header just behind the goalnet the second. As the time ticked by everyone was resigned to defeat. Around me a few people got up and left from the 75-minute mark onwards. I began to believe relegation was a serious danger.
Then with four minutes to go sub Paul Booth headed home an equaliser.
Celebrations all round. Hawks resisted a couple of injury-time Newport corners. I was happy enough with a point having been resigned to none for most of the afternoon, and further cheered by the Shire beating Dumbarton 5-2, and I'm allowing myself to believe that the worst is over now and Hawks can build on this to create a radical change in form and start climbing the table. We shall see...
For the first 86 minutes of the game they must have wished they'd had a long lie-in instead. We were hoping Robbie Matthews would add the firepower up front that Hawks have been sorely lacking this season, but although he had a few chances during the first half neither he nor any of his team-mates looked like scoring. Meanwhile Newport took the lead just before the half hour mark.
The hardcore behind the goal never stopped their vocal support all through the second half, and amid the moaners some of us in the stand, me included, kept up shouts of encouragement, but many of the Hawks seemed to be playing with no fire in their bellies - though Charlie Henry never stopped trying right up until he was subbed, Jamie Collins played a decent game and Craig Watkins had two open goals but hit the post the first time and delivered a bullet header just behind the goalnet the second. As the time ticked by everyone was resigned to defeat. Around me a few people got up and left from the 75-minute mark onwards. I began to believe relegation was a serious danger.
Then with four minutes to go sub Paul Booth headed home an equaliser.
Celebrations all round. Hawks resisted a couple of injury-time Newport corners. I was happy enough with a point having been resigned to none for most of the afternoon, and further cheered by the Shire beating Dumbarton 5-2, and I'm allowing myself to believe that the worst is over now and Hawks can build on this to create a radical change in form and start climbing the table. We shall see...
