CHIPPENHAM TOWN 0-0 HAWKS; VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH MATCH REPORT

Havant and Waterlooville have failed to stop the rot of a record which now stands at 1 win in the last 13 opening days as they were held to a goalless draw at Hardenhuish Park. Injuries played a key bearing on Lee Bradbury’s team line-up with injured players having to fill the bench for the season opener.

The season as always would start with the usual nerves and adrenaline and straight from kick-off on the opening day Theo Widdrington put our hearts in mouths as from the half way line he made an audacious opening effort which went just wide of the mark. But it would take 8 minutes for the first major chance of note as Chippenham’s Jake Andrews’ free kick is whipped into the penalty area with a Chippenham player heading the ball but Ryan Young was there to collect.

The 10 minutes that would follow would see chances being created for both sides as firstly Jason Prior plays a ball back into Alfie Rutherford and his shot is saved by Jared Thompson in the Bluebirds goal. Then a matter of moments later David Pratt had a go with his shot going wide.

At this point the Southern League champions were looking deadly. After 22 minutes Pratt once more had a chance on goal and with the Chippenham fans ready to cheer their opening goal of the season Rory Williams came with a superb last ditch tackle to keep the scores level.

Three minutes later came the key talking point of the game, the disallowed Chippenham Town goal. As Chippenham take a free-kick, it hits the wall but Pratt gets the ball and slots home impressively but only for him to be deemed offside. The goal chalked off and the Hawks given a reprieve.

But that would be as far as major chances on goal was concerned in the first half as the game turned into a fiery and physical encounter with the odd half chance here and there. At the interval, nothing could separate the sides at 0-0.

HALF-TIME: CHIPPENHAM 0-0 HAWKS

The second half would get underway amid a beautiful afternoon at Hardenhuish Park and the unfurling of the Hawks supporters flags for the new season with 40-50 fans making the trip from Hampshire.

It would take 5 minutes into the second period when David Pratt for Chippenham Town sprinted his way into the penalty but as he tried to cross the ball across the face of the goal it would be blocked by the Hawks defence.

And just like the first period it would be dominated by the physicality of the encounter. With the pitch and the length of the grass disrupting any efforts from either side to play ant kind of Football. The physicality would lead to Mike Carter going into the book on the hour mark after he slid in from behind on David Pratt.

The closest the Hawks came to scoring in the second half came 20 minutes from time when Rory Williams put a free kick into the penalty area and it would only be Jared Thompson in the goal that would stop last year’s player of the season open up the new campaign with a goal. A matter of moments later Chippenham had another opportunity to break the deadlock as a ball is put into the penalty area but it would elude Sandell and would come to nothing.

With the stoppage board reading four minutes at the end of the encounter, the finger nails which had been growing over the past few months were being given it’s first of a number of battering’s this season. The Hawks were determined up until the bitter end as George Barker with his electrifying pace trying get the ball into the penalty area to no avail.

FULL-TIME: CHIPPENHAM 0-0 HAWKS

Post-match the gaffer Lee Bradbury said that “I think it’s a point gained, it was very tough, big, strong and direct side that keep chucking it into your box, literally from throw ins and corners and you can see how they won the Southern prem last year. They’re organised with the slope and the grass along with the hill and wind. It was hard in the second half today, we had to defend for our lives and I think we’ve come away with a good point.”

Next up for his side is the opening league game of the season as Jamie Howell, fresh from leaving promoted Bognor Regis Town sends his Eastbourne Borough side to Westleigh Park looking to pick up 3 points after they squandered a 2-goal lead at home to Braintree to lose 3-2.

Henry Deacon

Bradbury: “I want to be in the play-offs”.

The Hawks kick-off their Vanarama National League South season on Saturday as the Hawks face Chippenham Town at Hardenhuish Park, whom themselves celebrated promotion as they ran away with the Southern Premier League last term.

We caught up with manager Lee Bradbury after last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Moneyfields in the last friendly of 2017. I started of by asking him about his expectations for the new season which he replied:

“We would like to come in the top half, now it’s down to 7^th I’d like to push for the play-offs, whether it’s realistic or not will remain to be seen. Not seen the Conference South last year but one of favourites in Ebbsfleet getting out of it and Maidenhead. People will look at it and say it’s an open league this year and it probably will be but there’s always surprises, always teams with more investment, so if we can come top half and around the play-offs that would be a decent season for us after just being promoted but me being me I want to be in the play-offs.”

Then I asked about the game between the Ryman and Southern League champions at Hardenhuish Park on Saturday:

“I’d rather it be at home, at the end of the day we got to go home and away all the time. We have a tough start, the first 6/7 games are against teams that are fancied to be there or thereabouts with the likes of Dartford, Chelmsford with Hampton and Richmond etc. We have got some good teams to play, but we have got to play them all at some point. After 6/8 games we will see roughly where we are.”

Lee was then asked about the preparations for the game:

“We trained Monday, looked at the DVD and see where we can improve and work on that through training this week. And when we’re not in, watch some games, get out and about and prepare ourselves for Saturday. We look forward to it, I’m not really a big fan of pre-season and I don’t like the game being honest, but it’s needed to get the lads sharp and fit and to leave them mentally and physically in the right frame of mind and I think we’re nearing that now and come Saturday we will be 100%.”

Henry Deacon

Havant and Waterlooville kick-off their new Vanarama National League South season as they head to Wiltshire to face Southern League champions Chippenham Town. We want to see as many Hawks fans make the opening day trip as possible and so here is my guide to getting to Saturday’s game:

The address:

Chippenham Town FC: Hardenhuish Park Bristol Road, Chippenham, SN14 6LR

By Car:

With the ground situated on Bristol Road, there will be limited car parking space within the ground otherwise fans are advised to park on the roads around the ground. The journey from Westleigh Park lasts 1 hour and 54 Minutes.

Here’s some directions:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Havant+%26+Waterlooville+Football+Club,+Havant/Chippenham+Town+Football+Club,+Hardenhuish+Park,+Bristol+Rd,+Chippenham+SN14+6LR/@51.1966434,-1.5548228,9z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x487444e1f2d3aa37:0x73690175e8e3381b!1m2!1m1!1s0x48717ac2be6e050b:0x8ccc4b18a44deb80!3e0?hl=en

By Train:

Train times tend to vary, we have links below towards train times and how to book train tickets to the game by the Trainline. If you leave Havant the main change would be at Reading station with that leadimg you to Chippenham station via Weston-Super-Mere. From the station the ground is a 0.8 mile 15 minute walk.

Book train tickets here: https://www.thetrainline.com/buytickets/combinedmatrix.aspx?Command=TimeTable#Journey/HAVANT/CHIPPENHAM/05/08/17/08/00/Leave%20After//////Leave%20After/2/0///OR

Fans Travel:

Once again this season Matt Cane will be taking his 8 seater bus to matches up and down the land. Send Hawks Radio a DM and should their be space we will give you a time to arrive at WLP for.

Should any other fan travel become available we will inform you.

We hope to see as many Hawks this Saturday and hope this guide helps.

Henry Deacon

Martyn White: Rory Williams in action

HAWKS 0-1 Moneyfields; full match report

Moneyfields left Westleigh Park stunned claiming a 1-0 victory and a scalp that will fill them with brimming optimism ahead of their first season in the Southern Football League. The Money’s would bring former Hawks Brett Poate and Sam Pearce with Hawks loanee Marley Ridge in their starting line-up. New signing Theo Widdrington also featured for Lee Bradbury’s side from the get-go.

The Hawks would have the better of the opening chances in the first quarter-hour of the game as first off Rory Williams would play the ball into Jason Prior and when in the penalty area the first touch would prove too heavy. Within the space of a minute later Andreas Robinson played a diagonal ball into Theo Lewis who plays the ball along to Jason Prior but his effort would find itself going wide.

As the half grew and the rain at a wet and grey skied Westleigh Park the Hawks would give Moneyfields more scares in the penalty area as after 20 minutes of the tie the ball would move forward, reaching Theo Lewis whose effort goes wide of the mark. But a matter of minutes later Andreas Robinson who was the standout Hawks player in the first half played the ball out to Wes Fogden who then played the ball across the penalty area into Jason Prior with his initial effort saved on the line by the impressive Moneyfields ‘keeper Mowthorpe and then with Prior trying to unleash a second effort Curtis de Costa would get the ball away for Moneyfields.

Then after 35 minutes Westleigh Park almost saw a moment that only David Beckham could replicate as former Hawk Sam Pearce on his former ground from 55 yards out saw Ryan Young off his line and decided to unbridle an audacious attempt on goal with Young ensuring the effort stayed clear from the back of the net.

Before the half was out the Hawks were looking once more to break the deadlock Theo Lewis played the ball into Matt Tubbs but once more Mowthorpe would be the Money’s hero.

HALF-TIME: HAWKS 0-0 MONEYFIELDS

The second half would begin amidst another hurling shower with the rain becoming heavier as the second half went on the patters becoming thuds on the roof of the main stand at Westleigh Park.

It was a quiet opening to the period as well as both sides were seemingly sparring with each other out but after 5 minutes of feeding each other the Hawks would have the opening opportunity of the second half as the ball is placed into Matt Tubbs but his effort would go over the bar.

But it would be the visitors who would have the next best chance as on loan Hawk Marley Ridge would play the ball into Ryan Pennery with the former Baffins Milton Rovers man turned but his shot would go wide of the mark.

But it wouldn’t take long before the Hawks would have another opportunity as Andreas Robinson’s ball is deflected and by luck would find Theo Lewis, Lewis in front of goal on the edge of the penalty area gave it a go but the best he could do is fire wide. Moments later the Hawks would be in again as Rory Williams played the ball across the penalty area to Theo Lewis but the shot saved once more by Mowthorpe. The former Chelsea scholar coming close twice in quick succession.

65 minutes in the deadlock would be broken with Westleigh Park reduced to near silence as a slip by the Hawks defence would let Ryan Pennery in and with the goal gaping at his mercy he would slot the ball into the right hand corner to give Moneyfields a shock lead at Westleigh Park with the ground being stunned and realising that a shock maybe in the making on a wet afternoon.

The introduction of Brian Stock following the Moneyfields goal would give the Hawks the reigniting in which they needed in the search of an equaliser. After 5 minutes on the field of play he found himself 30 yards out, in plenty of space and the goal at his mercy, decided to take a shot in which only the slightest of deflections from the Moneyfields defence would stop from going in the back of the net. Then moments later he would have a second effort blocked by the automatic thinking of Jamie Ford.

But following the goal, it would be the lighting of the Money’s blue touch paper as they grew in confidence as the final stages grew nearer and nearer, giving them the opportunity to pull of the tremoring shock. But before time was up the Hawks would have one more effort on goal as Alfie Rutherford darted from the half way line into the penalty area and despite having options in the area felt he earnt the right to shoot and when the opportunity arose he would only find his effort blocked by the Moneyfields defence.

FULL-TIME: HAWKS 0-1 MONEYFIELDS

Next up for the Hawks is the opening game of the Vanarama National League South season as they face a trip to Chippenham Town who ran out winners themselves of the Southern Premier League. But the Hawks will be looking to spoil their party as the return to the sixth tier for what will busy business as usual.

Henry Deacon

Hawks boss previews the visit of Money’s!

We welcome you back into the Manager’s office ahead of the Hawks’ final pre-season game against Moneyfields at Westleigh Park. After the game against Horndean on Tuesday evening we spoke to Lee Bradbury about the game against Dave Carter’s side.
I asked him what did he expect from the game in which he said “a tough game. They will be physical and hardworking, a lot of ex Gosport players that will want to knock Havant and Waterlooville off their perch. They will come and give it a real good go and hopefully it’s competitive but not over the top and I though it was right on the line tonight (VS Horndean), it was very competitive and done in the right way and a good pre-season game for us.”