Hitchin Town 2 Gloucester City 2 NEIL JENSEN reports Hitchin Town missed out on going top of the BGB Premier Division but they could not begrudge Gloucester City the point they clearly deserved. The Canaries attracted their best home gate of the season, m

Hitchin Town 2 Gloucester City 2

NEIL JENSEN reports

Hitchin Town missed out on going top of the BGB Premier Division but they could not begrudge Gloucester City the point they clearly deserved.

The Canaries attracted their best home gate of the season, many of whom had come in expectation of Darren Salton's side hitting the top of the table for the first time since joining the league in 2004.

They got off to a good start, too, when Chris Dillon bravely headed home Carl Williams' cross in the ninth minute.

Gloucester equalised after 22 minutes, Alex Sykes tapping the ball into the net after Jamie Reid's shot had hit the post.

Shortly afterwards, the game was held up when Stuart Hammonds and Gloucester's Jason Welsh collided. Welsh was carried off with a bad head injury.

Hitchin seemed to lose their way in the latter stages of the half, and it was no surprise when Gloucester took the lead after 43 minutes, Sykes sending a lazy header past Rob Beckwith from a Reid cross.

The home side, who have developed the habit of coming from behind this season, did it again in the 53rd minute.

Dillon scored his second after Mark Ducket's cross had fallen to Josh Sozzo and his mis-kick was turned home by the Canaries' leading scorer.

Gloucester could have regained the lead on the hour when Sykes sent a free-kick - via Beckwith's gloves - on to the crossbar.

Hitchin also had their chances, with a long range effort by David Deeney palmed away from danger by Gloucester goalkeeper Matt Bath.

There were a few long faces at the end of the game but Gloucester's fast-moving style marked them as one of the best teams to visit Hitchin this season.

Canaries: Beckwith, Frater, Gentle-King (Ducket 45), Hammonds, Folds, Deeney, Williams, Miller, Dillon, Sozzo (Lamacraft 85), Jaggard (Orphanou 75).

P Jack Fisher, who played more than 200 games for Hitchin in the 1950s, has died aged 80.

Fisher was a member of the Canaries team that finished runners-up in the Athenian League in the 1953-4 season.

He was also in the Hitchin side that lost 10-1 to Crook Town in the FA Amateur Cup quarter-finals in that same year.

A versatile player, Fisher appeared in every half-back role and also had a few games at inside forward and full back.

Between 1953 and 1955, Fisher captained the Canaries.

In November 1955, he left Hitchin to join his home town club, Letchworth.

Hitchin chairman Terry Barratt said: "It's always sad to hear of the passing of one of our former players.

"Jack Fisher is one of those names that I often hear about when people talk about the 1950s and the team that did so well in 1953-4.