Crusaders given a finishing lesson

Sheringham helps Hemel to wreck unbeaten start

Hungerford Town 0 Hemel Hempstead Town 2

TEDDY’S boy Charlie Sheringham helped to give Hungerford a finishing lesson that ended their unbeaten start to the Vanarama National League South season.

Sheringham made one and finished one of the visitors’ chances, whereas Hungerford had the openings but lacked real bite in front of goal.

“Take nothing away from Hemel,” said manager Bobby Wilkinson, “they came here with a game plan and it worked and if you don’t take your chances, this is what happens.

“We just don’t look like scoring, and I don’t mean that in any disrespect to the players. We’re trying and making chances, but we’ve got to put them away.”

Neither of Hungerford’s two goals this season have come from strikers, although the build-up play was there on Saturday, especially in the first 45 minutes when Hungerford peppered the Hemel box with crosses and built capably.

Louis Soares set up Stefan Brown early on, only for his hooked shot to go across the goal, and Tom Hamblin blocked another Brown effort.

Hemel had a chance of their own but Sheringham headed wide from eight yards out just before Rhys Tyler flashed a cross over the six yard box but nobody made the ‘killer’ run.

Brown blazed over and then flicked a header across the box before Laurie Walker scrambled out a Paul Stonehouse shot as Hungerford reached the break on top.

It looked as if the pattern would continue after the interval, but on the hour mark Hungerford were caught out in simple, yet spectacular fashion, when Ben Greenhalgh crossed into Sheringham, and he teed up skipper Jordan Parkes to take off and score with an overhead kick.

Five minutes later, deficit became deep do-do when another Greenhalgh free kick was planted perfectly to the far post where Sheringham rose to head home.

Hungerford threw on Warren Bentley, Tom Meechan and Jamal Lawrence in a desperate bid to salvage the game, but Bentley flashed a shot well off target and Walker saved well from John Boardman’s header as Hemel closed out the final 20 minutes in comparative comfort.

Hungerford Town: Ward; Tyler, Partridge, Boardman, Stonehouse; Ngamvouolou, Willmoth, Herring, Williams; Soares, Brown, Subs: Lawrence, Rees, Bentley, Meechasn Clark.

Hemel Hempstead: Walker; Driver, Hamblin, Yakubu, Howe; Kaloczi, Hatton, Parkes, Greenhalgh; Sherringham, Osborne. Subs: Connolly, McNamara, Walsh, Miles, May.

Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis (Coventry). Attendance: 235.

HUNGERFORD had a pre-match blow when skipper Matt Day pulled up with a calf injury during the pre-match warm-up and he now looks set to miss Tuesday night's trip to Oxford City.