Despite the winter chill, Hitchin Town had their biggest attendance for just over a decade for their last game as an entertaining encounter with Stotfold ended in a 3-2 victory, watched by almost 1,500 spectators.
It was a result that strengthened their position within the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central front-runners and made it just two defeats from 23 League outings so far this term.
Front and centre of the latest success was Taylor Rhiney who bagged a brace as part of an energetic display.
“It was a tough game, particularly with the conditions,” he told us. “The volunteers and people at the club worked their hardest to cover both ends of the pitch and thanks to them we were able to get the game on.
“Personally I didn’t think I had the best game, but just tried to make sure I was a threat in front of goal. We created plenty of chances over the course of the 90 minutes and stuck together as a team to get the win.
“The atmosphere from the fans was unreal. Even during the warm-up, both sets of supporters were going at it with their drums and songs, so it made it a special local derby.
“Our fans are massive for us, to be fair. Their unbelievable backing really helps to spur us on and it gives that extra motivation to be able to put smiles on their faces.”
Having hit 51 goals over the past two seasons for Barton Rovers, including 28 last term as they made the play-offs, Rhiney made the switch to Hitchin Town over the summer as they plotted an instant return to Step 3 following relegation at the end of last season.
He has already been a regular on the scoresheet for his new club.
“I had a slow start to the season,” he admitted. “Being in a new team with a completely different style of football, I knew it would take a little time to get used to my role and that of my team-mates, but at the same time, I knew that things would click into place eventually and so it has proved.
“Everyone understands their role and I am happy with my goalscoring return so far. You always want more, but things are going well as we go into the New Year. We’re all on board with what the Gaffer wants from us and the new signings have settled in.
“It’s a good, competitive League this season where no game is easy. We’ve dropped points against teams lower down the table, so we know that every game we have to be consistent in our performance levels.
“Of course, the ultimate aim is promotion, We set our points target for each month and we’re just taking things step-by-step; to see almost 1,500 people at our last game shows how much potential this club has.
“From a personal point of view, I want to finish top scorer for the club and play my part in us achieving our objectives.”
A trip to MK Irish is scheduled for Saturday, weather permitting, of course!
IMAGE: @peter_else
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