Jets Show Spirit After Being Blitzed Early
Jets went down at second place Hertford as yet another long midweek trawl took its toll on the available squad, but what Jets found waiting was a hot championship chasing side that looked every bit title contenders.
The continuous reshuffles and place plugging does not help this side but in fairness to Hertford they were at our throats from kick-off and we were quite pitiful for ten minutes, by which time the match was effectively over, but once we pulled ourselves together we battled and competed with the on form title chasers every inch of the way.
Jets were boats not planes for a while because they were really all at sea as Wade completed a first half hat-trick and it’s difficult to understand why, when you analyse the next eighty minutes. Preparation?, positional movements?, late pull outs? who knows what the root cause was but I know the last eighty was more the Jets that has started to evolve from the rebuild of last season’s ashes.
Personal performances are for the players and coaching staff to deal with, I think the players individually know if they have done well enough tonight or not and honest people will deal with their own conclusions of their contribution to the ten minute horror show, and so will the staff.
Jets go 3-0 down inside 10 minutes
Jets fell a goal down after just 4 minutes, were 2 down in 6, then three in 9 minutes with a diabolical penalty from a defending point of view, not the awarding of it, and also in that time Hertford had hit the post twice, had two disallowed one which earned a yellow as it was sneakily but deliberately handled into the net. Jets were just in absolute disarray and we were dreading a double figure drubbing before the half-time break!
Nathan Pooley strikes one back for Jets
Calm arrived and Jets started to play their own football and after 15 minutes Nathan Pooley fired a 25 yard daisy cutter that, on the hard but wet perfect pitch, the keeper could not hold 3-1 and the game became a contest and now while not having the upper hand as defensively always looking frail Jets caused problems while on the attack and twice they hit the post with the keeper beaten and had near misses and line clearances themselves.
1st half Wade hat-trick makes it 4-1 to Hertford
Hertford were always more powerful up top, that’s reflected in the league position and they added a 4th on 26 minutes to complete Wades hat-trick with a powerful header, the lad was just too powerful tonight for Jets defenders.
Half time Hertford 4 Jets 1
The two substitutes were used and after a rallying half time team talk that reflected the thirty five minutes not the first ten, Jets lads, in credit to them, were buzzing to give it a go, the subs wanted to prove they should have started and the rest that they were on the job and to be fair they were. The Hertford bench were relentless in urging their title chasers to add to their tally but it was Jets offering more in the middle sector whilst obviously unable to turn the game around, and no matter what the home side threw at them they absorbed and countered and in fairness were a credit to us because last season we would have folded and the score tot up needing an abacus to keep count, this season whilst beaten pride and honour was still there to play for and we applaud everyone of them for that.
Jets recovered well and created chances of their own
Jets Man of the match was a two horse race, the industrious Leigh Stevens is always in the frame but tonight it’s going to a player who has been in and out and on a night that needed more grit and bite and bbbb well you know the saying it goes to Gary Warn just for the determined work rate, chasing and challenges that let Hertford and Jets know we didn’t surrender.
Never have we been so positive about a heavy defeat, but league leaders London Colney need to watch over their shoulders because these lads were top draw tonight.
Jets denied by the post
Always 100% from Leigh Stevens
Jets Man of the Match Gary Warn