Sporting Hackney FC: the season so far
Photo: © Mel Roberts
As some readers will remember, last season Sporting Hackney won Division 1 of the Middlesex County Football League and the club was promoted to the Premier Division, the highest level of football that the club has reached, Step 7 of the national football pyramid.
During pre-season a number of useful additions to the squad were made, when coupled with some good performances in friendly matches everyone at the club was looking ahead to the forward to the season opener.
A difficult start
Unfortunately things did not go according to plan in the first match away against Southall. In what was by all accounts a disappointing performance the yellow and blues went down three nil with barely a whimper.
A week later things improved as a strike from popular Jeff Badu earned Hackney their first point at this level with a one all draw away at Singh Sabha Slough.
So near and yet so Flah
Finally it looked like the Premier League win that Sporting Hackney, heading towards the 25th year of their history were desperately seeking. A spirited performance against the team that finished third in the Premier League last season, Willesden Constantine, resulted in a 1-0 victory for Sporting with the winning goal neatly dispatched by the ever-young Alan McQuade.
Unfortunately, however, an administration oversight led to Hackney playing last season’s league winning hero Stephen O’Flaherty whilst he was suspended. The consequence was that the result of the match was overturned, with the three points going to Willesden and Hackney were docked a further three points.
The disappointment was compounded a week later when the yellows contrived to lose a game that they could, and perhaps should have won. After falling two nil down to at home to Broadfields United early in the first half, Sporting drew level with a brace from Roman Caban by the hour mark, and the game appeared to be there for the taking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and a third goal for the away team meant that a frustrating day ended in a soft defeat.
After four league games Hackney found themselves rooted to the bottom of the table on minus two points.
Comfort in the Cup
In the two previous seasons Hackney had made three cup finals, winning one, and reached a further semi-final.
This season a victory in the Middlesex County Senior Cup helped to kick-start Hackney’s season. Goals from Alan McQuade, Kevin Monahan and Henry Smith gave Sporting an easy 3-1 victory over North Kensington.
Winning becomes a habit
Following the confidence boosting cup victory Sporting travelled to Indian Gymkhanna, a team that is always challenging for honours at the end of the season.
Sporting continued where they left off the week before with another 3 – 1 win.
Gymkhana had started the brighter of the two teams, and spent the first ten minutes pressing the Hackney back onto its own 18 yard line. Lone striker Chris Monahan caused problems for the Gymkhana defence with his movement and on the half hour he opened the scoring for Hackney.
Although on top of the game Hackney conceded a sloppy goal before half time, when the usually dependable Chamberlain could only palm a tame effort into his own net.
Hackney sealed the game within ten minutes of the restart with goals from new signing Emyr Rowlands and Kevin Monhan.
Moving into October Hackney picked up their third win in a row with a hard earned and well-deserved 3 victory over Kodak Harrow. Hackney scored three times for the third successive week, but in the end only won by a single goal in what was, in truth, a much more one sided than either of the two previous wins.
Hackney began at a cracking pace and went into the half time break with a 1-0 lead thanks to a Chris Monahan penalty. Early in the second half Monahan broke the offside trap to double his and Hackney’s tally for the day. It looked like it would be a stroll in Haggerston Park for the yellows. Kodak, however had other ideas and pulled a goal back.
This served as the cue for Emyr Rowlands to stamp his authority on the game. The Welshman hammered into three tackles, coming out with the ball on each occassion, and when he finally reached the penalty area, had the wherewithall to stop, pivot, and curl the ball into the top corner from 20 yards. Those watching were priviledged to see what first team manager, Ben Watson described as “Probably one of the best goals ever scored in a Sporting Hackney shirt.”
There was still time for Kodak to grab a second, but Hackney held on for another important three points.
The unbeaten run continues
With confidence now running high Sporting Hackney travelled to last season’s Premier League winners, Interwood.
The game started ominously for the away side, with Interwood proving their calibre by pressing the Hackney back into defence. Their sophisticated game-plan caused particular problems down the Hackney right.
On the half hour, however, Hackney took the lead. A high ball to the menacing Rowlands was nodded down to Chris Monahan, who shot sharply on the turn. The keeper could only parry, and Roman Caban was on hand to knock in the rebound.
This sparked the home side into life, and the last 10 minutes of the half saw a flurry of attacks, and a sequence of fine saves from keeper Chamberlain.
On the stroke of half time, though, Interwood drew level with a sharp shot from the edge of the penalty area. The game was in the balance right up to the final whistle, but neither side could claim the points. Chamberlain in the Hackney goal made three more fine saves to make before the end, and the game finished with honours even.
Sporting Hackney maintained their recent unbeaten run with a battling draw at home against Singh Sabha Slough. Disappointingly sloppy play from Hackney led to the visitors taking a two goal lead and left Hackney with a mountain to climb.
The yellows, however, are a difficult team to beat and duly fought back, goals from Adam Sturdy and Chris Monahan earned the point, and had the game gone on five minutes longer may have snatched all three.
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Sporting Hackney Reserves
Hackney’s second string have benefited from the additions made to the squad, with strength in depth evident throughout the club.
Like the first team, however, the reserves made a disappointing start to the season. Somehow contriving to lose 2-1 away at last season’s bottom club, CB Hounslow. The skipper, Pat Greene, scored at both ends leaving Hackney to rue a number of missed first half chances.
Six of the best
The second team bounced back from their opening day disappointment with an emphatic six-nil win over Kodak Harrow’s reserves. The goals were shared between Alan McQuade, Jermaine Cunningham and Martin Krivansk. Reserve team manager was naturally delighted with the margin of victory, but it was the clean sheet that gave him the most pleasure, “I’m so proud of the defence today,” he said “it’s a cliché but if we don’t concede we can’t lose.”
Dragons slayers
A week later the manager was delighted again as Sporting put Kensington Dragons to the sword, thanks to two goals from Chris Charalambas and a solitary strike from his brother Barry. For the second week running Sam Chapman kept a clean sheet in the Hackney goal.
If he could keep a third the club statistician may have had to dust off the record books.
It wasn’t to be, however as the Reserves were not able to keep West End at bay as they ventured into the London Junior Cup for the first time. Despite conceding twice, however, Hackney progressed with a batting performance to take victory by the odd goal in five.
A hard earned point
Barry Charalambas struck late to earn a deserved draw away against reigning champions Broadfields United. Sporting started the game slowly and perhaps showed the opposition too much respect in the first half and although the match remained balanced in terms of chances created, Broadfields edged ahead through a generous penalty.
At half-time manager Jamie Duff re-shuffled his pack switching to a 4-4-2 formation, enabling Hackney to press higher up the pitch, and the chances soon began to flow. Veteran goal-machine Alan McQuade went close on two occasions as did Tony Aqua with a towering header, but the opposition goalkeeper’s handling was sound.
When two superb efforts Martin Krivansk struck the woodwork in quick succession. It seemed that the equaliser would never come and that Hackney would go home disappointed.
That was until with five minutes left on the clock Henry Smith broke into the penalty area from the left and fizzed a ball across which eluded several yellow shirts before arriving at the feet of substitute Charalambas who, in what seemed like an eternity for his team-mates, killed the ball before shifting it onto his right and placing it in the corner of the net.