Hitchin back to earth!

Evesham United 2 Hitchin Town 0

NEIL JENSEN reports

After the euphoria of reaching the Errea Cup final, the Canaries were brought firmly down to earth by relegation threatened Evesham on Saturday.

Hitchin put in one of their worst displays of the season and scarcely looked like scoring against a team that had not won for 10 games.

Evesham were in desperate need of points and it showed as they pressured Darren Salton's men from the start.

There were warning signs for Hitchin in the opening minutes when the swashbuckling Richard Ball shot across the face of goal.

Ball and his partner Leon Blake were a constant menace to the Canaries defence and Blake went close with a far post header from Ball's cross.

The two players combined again in the 12th minute to create Evesham's first goal. Blake sent over a high cross and the unmarked Ball side-footed a tame volley past Richard Wilmot from six yards.

Hitchin failed to test the Evesham defence in the first half but there was a scare for the home side when goalkeeper Nathan Vaughan handled outside his area. He escaped with just a yellow card.

The Canaries started better in the second period but finishing was not their strong point.

Parys Okai set up Thomas Hayes but his shot was too weak and easily gathered by Vaughan.

Evesham continued to be dangerous, however, and Wilmot twice had to save at the feet of Shane Benjamin.

Hitchin's response lacked the necessary cutting edge and it was not until the 76th minute that Daniel French produced their first real chance, a hard shot that was saved by Vaughan.

In the 81st minute, it was all over for Hitchin, though, as a shot by Blake, although partially blocked, found its way past Wilmot for Evesham's second goal.

Canaries: Wilmot, Pugh, Okai (Ayres 70), Hammonds, Folds, Hicks (Phelan 81), French, Lamacraft, Hayes (Jaggard 57), Sozzo, Ducket.