MATCH REPORT SAT 3 OCTOBER 2026

SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE DIV 1

LETCHWORTH GC EAGLES 4 HUNTINGDON T 3

Despite having some key players absent through injury Eagles looked to be cruising to a comfortable win until a 3 goal lead was wiped out in the last 20 minutes of the game which was changed when both sides made substitutions. Eagles defence became brittle and fresh Huntingdon forwards began to dominate the game until Eagles grasped a winning goal in the last minutes of the game.

After 10 minutes Eagles had their first goal scoring opportunity when a long ball was chased into visitors penalty area, but e defender managed to block the final shot for a corner which was nonproductive. Eagles then hit the crossbar with a header from a corner causing a mad scramble in the Huntingdon goal area. Close range shots rained on goal but were either blocked by the keeper or defenders before the danger was finally cleared.

Eagles continued to search for the opening goal and a shot from outside the penalty area went wide of goal before they finally took the lead after 37 minutes. George Evans dribbled through a flimsy defence in the Huntingdon penalty area before taking a return pass and scoring with a low shot into the corner of the net. 5 minutes later the score was doubled after a corner to the far post was not cleared by the Huntingdon defence, the ball ran loose and after the first shot was charged down Rory Gillham scored with a low shot through a crowd of players from near the edge of the goal area. Huntingdon almost got a goal back just before half time when a free kick mid way inside Eagles half was floated into the penalty area, but the ball was headed wide of goal.

Eagles started the second half well and a slick passing move resulted in a shot on goal from inside the penalty area which was straight at the keeper. Within 10 minutes Eagles did score a third goal when a cross from the right touchline was headed into the net by Gillham. From the kick off Eagles almost scored again after gaining possession mid way inside the Huntingdon half, but Luke Baranowski sent his shot over the cross bar.

As the match entered then last 20 minutes and both sides made substitutions Huntingdon came more into the game. They nearly scored when a forward managed to lift the ball over an advancing Jordan Hudson but  as the ball was floating towards an empty it was headed off the goal line by an Eagles defender before a final shot from the edge of the penalty was straight at Hudson standing on his goal line.

Play switched from end to end and the visiting keeper had to make a great save from a header towards the top corner of the net, managing to fingertip it over the cross bar. Within 5 minutes the ball was in the net at the Eagles end. Huntingdon intercepted a careless pass mid-way inside the Eagles half playing a forward into space just inside the penalty area. His fierce cross shot hit the inside corner of the cross bar and far post and dropped inside the opposite corner of the net.

Eagles defence then came under siege. Three minutes later Huntingdon should have scored when a forward dribbled though a static Eagles defence but the angled shot from a few yards out flashed wide of an open goal. Relief for Letchworth was short-lived because a few minutes later Huntingdon scored again. The ball was headed into the penalty area, and shots were blocked by Hudson and defenders before the ball ran loose to a forward standing all alone facing  an empty goal, leaving him with the simple task of passing the ball into an empty net.

A cross into Eagles penalty area was headed just over the cross bar from near penalty spot before a couple minutes later Huntingdon scored the equalising third in a crazy spell towards the end of the game. A long ball was chased into Eagles penalty area, and a defender was muscled off the ball before it was crossed low towards the penalty spot to an unmarked forward who shot low into the net.

Eagles counter attacked in the final minutes of the game and Gillham blasted his shot wide of goal after pushing forward into the penalty area. At the other end a header hit Eagles cross bar with Hudson beaten but it was Letchworth got the winning goal.  A free kick was sent into the Huntingdon penalty area and caused a mad scramble amongst a crowd of players in the goal area before Schilo Mayiza was set up by Evans and poked the ball into the net from a few yards  to secure a victory that looked very unlikely a few minutes earlier..