About Match
The Hawks left it late when they completed the comeback against promotion chasing Chelmsford City on Saturday.
The Hawks kicked off, but the first ten minutes of the game were uneventful, with the two sides trying to figure each other out. The first chance of the game fell to ex-Hawk Charlie Ruff, who dispossessed Ryan Seager in the midfield and shot from outside the box, but the ball flew over the bar.
The opening stages of the game were extremely cagey, with new signings Ethan Beckford and Alfy Whittingham receiving yellow cards before the twenty-minute mark. Clarets man Dave Winfield also received a yellow card for shoving Ross Worner to the floor in the Hawks box.
Chelmsford came close to taking the lead when Jermaine Francis crossed the ball into Luke Jenkins, whose powerful header flew narrowly past the post. The Hawks responded quickly, with Callum Kealy catching out a Chelmsford defender in the Clarets box and chipping the keeper, with only the cross bar denying the Australian a goal on his Westleigh Park return.
Kealy’s’ effort woke up the Hawks, with James Roberts leading the charge and providing chances for Seager and Beckford. However, it was Chelmsford who were able to take the lead through Ruff. In the 36th minute Francis received the ball wide and crossed the ball to the feet of Ruff, who was unmarked and able to tap the ball in from 3 yards.
Chelmsford were spurred on by Ruffs goal, pilling pressure on the Hawks defence. Ruff was causing havoc on the backline and almost got his second when he disposed Joe McNerney in the Hawks box, but his shot went narrowly wide of the post. McNerny was caught out again soon after this, fouling Francis and giving away a free kick the edge of the Hawks box. Samir Carruthers took the free kick and forced Worner into an impressive acrobatic save, sending the ball wide.
Roberts was leaving his all on the pitch and becoming frustrated at the lack of chances the Hawks were creating. This resulted in the winger receiving a yellow card for stepping on the heel of Ochieng. This with the last act of the half, leaving the Hawks with a lot to do when they came back out for the second spell.
Half time: Havant and Waterlooville 0-1 Chelmsford City
Chelmsford made one change at half time, replacing Freddie Hockey for George Alexader. The Hawks had the first chance of the second half. Roberts dribbled past the Clarets back line crossed the ball into Beckford in the box, but the new Hawk couldn’t get his header on target.
Despite the Hawks having an early chance, the Clarets were the team on top from the referee’s whistle. Alexander and Ruff found their way past the Hawks backline on a few occasions, forcing Worner into some great saves to keep the Hawks in the game.
This was the case until Whittingham was taken off for Roarie Deacon, who brought a new dynamic to the game with his eye for a pass. Beckford was taken off for Jack Jebb in the 70th minute, giving the Hawks more control over the midfield.
The Hawks had wrestled control of the game away from the Clarets at this point, but the new total control over the midfield that Jebb provided allowed the Hawks to focus more on the attack. This proved fruitful when Jebb passed to Seager on the edge of the box. The Hawks forward turned Winfield and buried the ball into the top corner, levelling the score at 1-1 in the 74th minute.
The game became much more hostile after Seager scored, with Harry Jewitt-White, Henry Gray and McNerney receiving yellow cards before the 80th minute.
Ody Alfa came close to regaining the Clarets lead when he drove into the box from wide and took his shot, but Worner quickly got down to the floor and made a great save. Worner passed the ball out to Ben Morgan, who was able to find Deacon in the Clarets half. Deacon was fouled as soon as he received the ball, winning a freekick. Jebb took the set piece and whipped the ball into the box, finding Morgans head. The defender got his shot on target by Gray was able to divert the ball over the bar.
The Clarets had almost every man behind the ball in their box at this point, having to stop wave after wave of attack. This barrage flustered the Clarets defence, allowing mistakes to creep in. This culminated in Jenkins taking down Kealy inside the box, giving the Hawks a penalty in the 88th minute. Roberts stepped up calmly to take the spot kick and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving the Hawks the lead late on.
Six minutes were added on, and the Chelmsford players continued to make mistakes, giving away chances to Seager and Deacon that the attackers couldn’t finish. Donkor came on for Roberts in the 95th minute and this was the last action of the game, making the final score 2-1.
James Roberts deservedly won man of the match due to his late penalty and his overall impact on the entire game. While he did make a few errors in the first half, McNerny was a brick wall at the back in the second and made tackles which kept the Hawks in the game.
Full time Havant and Waterlooville 2-1 Chelmsford City
Attendance: 824
Written by Harry Ince
Havant and Waterlooville:
Starting XI: Worner (GK), Stanley, Innocent, McNerney ( C), Morgan, Seager, Jewitt-White, Kealy, Whittingham (Deacon 62’), Roberts (Donkor 90+5) , Beckford (Jebb 71’)
Unused subs: Spence, Bunga
Goals: Seager (74’), Roberts (P 88’)
Yellow cards: Beckford 13’, Whittingham 21’, Roberts 44’, Jewitt-White 76’, McNerney 80’
Chelmsford City:
Starting XI: Gray (GK), James, Winfield, Francis (Alfa 54’), Carruthers (Jones 81’), Barbrook, Jenkins, Ruff, Hockey (Alexander 46’), Castiglione, Ochieng
Unused subs: Brookes, Watts
Goals: Ruff 36’
Yellow cards: Winfield 16’, Gray 74’, Barbrook 81′, Alfa 89’