Three wins in six days for busy Hawks
Sun Mar 9 2014, 17:47
The Hawks completed the first of several busy weeks yesterday with a 1-0 win at Eastbourne, extending their unbeaten run in the league to eight games. The victory was made more impressive by the fact that the side had already beaten Borehamwood away on Thurday night 2-0, and secured a place in the final of the Hamsphire Senior Cup on Monday night by beating AFC Porchester 4-0.
The Cup win, which pits the Hawks against Basingstoke Town at Fratton Park in May, saw Christian Nanetti open the scoring early on with a penalty before Denis Oli doubled the lead in the dying seconds of the fist half. Alex Prezpolewski then scored twice in the second half to give the Hawks their first Senior Cup Final appearance since losing to Aldershot Town in 2002.
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Then on Thursday the Hawks began a run of no less than four away games to be played in the space of eight days with a goal at the end of each half at Borehamwood. Perry Ryan struck first just before the break, and then Daniel Blanchett scored the Hawks’ second with an audacious lob from the centre circle on the edge of injury time.
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Then yesterday at Eastbourne Nigel Atangana’s 31st minute strike was the only goal of the game, giving the Hawks a further three points that now sees them 12th in the table and just three further wins behind the playoff places.
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Hawks begin the long haul with win against Hayes
Sun Mar 2 2014, 11:20
The Hawks started what will become an incredible run of 12 games in March with a 1-0 victory away against Hayes and Yeading yesterday. The hosts, who still play their matches at Woking’s Kingfield Stadium, were eventually beaten by a Ryan Woodford goal in the 82nd minute.
The game, incredibly only the second league match for the Hawks this year, went ahead after an early pitch inspection and both sides saw chances throughout on a heavy pitch.
The Hawks secured the points though when a Perry Ryan corner was flicked on by Christian Nanetti and the ball dropped neatly in front of the goal for Woodford to angle home from eight yards.
The win raises the Hawks to 13th in the table as their unusual season enters its final two months. While the side have enough games in hand to comfortably reach the play-off positions, the gruelling three-match-a-week schedule they now face to achieve that is a daunting task. The Hawks now face four away games in the next fortnight, as well as Monday night’s Senior Cup semi-final tie with Porchester at Westleigh Park.
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Gosport triumph in Trophy semi-final
Sun Feb 23 2014, 18:10
The Hawks’ hopes of a dream trip to Wembley were dashed yesterday at Privett Park, where Gosport Borough inflicted a 2-0 defeat on the side in the second leg of the FA Trophy semi-final.
It was striker Tim Sills who secured Gosport’s passage to the final with a goal either side of half time. The first came just before the break when he connected with a Mike Gosney corner to send a header into the net, and the second on the hour mark when he found the net again with another headed finish.
Despite holding a one man advantage for the last half hour of the match after Brett Poate was sent off with a straight red card for kicking out at Perry Ryan, the Hawks were unable to force their way back into the game.
The side now return to league matters, starting with a home game on Monday night against Whitehawk. After this weekend’s league matches the Hawks are still clinging on to 14th place in the league, 15 points off the playoffs, but with anywhere ranging from three to ten games in hand in the sides above them.
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All even after first leg
Thu Feb 20 2014, 12:26
The Hawks’ FA Trophy semi-final battle with local rivals Gosport Borough is poised on a knife edge after the sides drew 1-1 at Westleigh Park on Monday night. On a very heavy pitch both sides kept their sights on a Wembley final against either Cambridge United or Grimsby Town.
It was the visitors who broke the deadlock after a tense first half. Tim Sills ran through onto a long ball from the back sent upfield by former Hawk Sam Pearce, and ex-pro Sills slotted his shot across Scott Bevan into the bottom of the far corner.
The hosts were not to be outdone on their own turf though, and a minute from the hour Nic Ciardini equalised when he took on a short corner and brought it to the edge of the box before firing a low shot through Danny Smith’s legs and under Borough keeper Nathan Ashmore’s dive.
With semi-final ties settled by extra time and penalties, and not rules about away goals, both sides enter this Saturday’s second leg level-pegging, with Borough now taking home advantage.
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Trophy game now Monday
Sat Feb 15 2014, 10:04
Today’s FA Trophy semi-final against Gosport has been postponed until Monday night due to the weather.
