Chippenham 3 Hitchin Town 0 NEIL JENSEN reports Hitchin Town manager Darren Salton has signed two players in a bid to revitalise his ailing team. Defender Matt Childs has rejoined the Canaries from Bedford Town. Childs, a product of Hitchin s PASE scheme,

Chippenham 3 Hitchin Town 0

NEIL JENSEN reports

Hitchin Town manager Darren Salton has signed two players in a bid to revitalise his ailing team.

Defender Matt Childs has rejoined the Canaries from Bedford Town.

Childs, a product of Hitchin's PASE scheme, left the club in 2003-4 season during the Kerry Dixon era.

Salton is pleased to welcome him back and said: "Matt has matured as a player over the past couple of years and he is a versatile defender who will help to bolster our back line."

Also returning to Hitchin, although only on a temporary basis, is Adam Parker. It will be Parker's fifth spell with the club.

"Adam has excellent qualities and the experience we need to get through our current spell," insisted Salton.

Both players go into the squad for Saturday's home game with Corby Town.

P Hitchin Town's season took another blow when the Canaries lost to crisis-torn Chippenham Town, conceding their 11th goal in three games, on Saturday.

They have now lost three consecutive games and their promotion hopes are diminishing by the week.

Furthermore, Darren Salton's side have failed to keep a clean sheet in 22 league games this season, a worrying statistic for a team hoping to secure a play-off place come April.

Salton knows he has problems but for most of the first half at least Hitchin matched the home side.

Early on, Carl Williams cleared Kye Holly's effort off the line.

Liam Folds had Hitchin's best chance but Chippenham defender Ian Herring was on hand to clear the ball from danger.

In the 42nd minute, David Gilroy opened the scoring for Chippenham, receiving a neat pass from Sean Seavill and rounding Rob Beckwith before slotting home.

Chippenham had the upper hand in the second half, and four minutes after the break, Hitchin lost Daniel French who had been injured in the opening 45 minutes.

In the 55th minute, Ryan Frater slipped up in the area and Gilroy took advantage, rolling the ball to Seavill who had the easy task of scoring.

Two minutes later, Chippenham scored again, a quick free-kick by Holly catching Beckwith off his line and finding the back of the net.

Hitchin attempted a comeback of sorts after the third goal and Josh Sozzo had one effort that went over the bar and then home goalkeeper Chris Snoddy saved from Folds.

The Canaries' best effort came from Gavin Jaggard who had a one-on-one chance that was thwarted by Snoddy.

This was another below-par Canaries performance, with confidence now becoming a problem for a team that looks a shadow of the one that won at Bath and Yate before Christmas.

Canaries: Beckwith, Gentle-King (Jaggard 66), Ducket, Frater, Folds, Deeney, Williams, Miller (Lamacraft 62), Dillon, Sozzo, French (Mills 47).