After seven straight losses in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central, Hitchin Town got their first points on the board in fine style at the weekend as they went to Halesowen Town and came home with a 4-0 victory.
Playing a key role in the win was Rio Deall, who not only got his name on the scoresheet but also tormented the home side all afternoon.
“There is no escaping the fact that it’s been a tough start to the season for us,” Deall admitted. “But we’ve stuck together and have been improving game-by-game, and it showed through in this performance and result.
“We went into the game believing that we could get our first points on the board. We worked harder than our opponents and got our reward at what is never an easy place to go to. To win 4-0, though, was excellent and a massive confidence boost.
“The performance shows that we can compete at this level; we need to build on it now and start climbing the table.
“My own start to the season has been up-and-down. I scored on my debut but then got injured in the same game and missed a few weeks.
“Since recovering from the injury, I’ve had a good couple of games with a few assists and Saturday’s goal, so now I want to find a level of consistency and help the team in what is a strong and physical League.
“There are some big clubs with big support at this level, including Halesowen Town, so it’s tough, but we have a real togetherness here amongst the group and we have to be able to use that to our advantage.
“We’ve come through tough times, but now there is a chance for us to really kick-on and get things moving in the right direction.”
Another away assignment, this time to Royston Town, awaits on Tuesday evening.
IMAGE: Peter Else
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