Fresh manager(s), fresh players, fresh fortune. The ten-day break since a 2-0 defeat at home to Ebbsfleet had seen all change at Hampton and Richmond Borough.
Max Kretzschmar and Craig Saunders are now in the dugout, a plethora of new signings are on the books, and a 6-2 victory over Hayes and Yeading United in the John Taylor Senior Cup represents A New Hope for the Beavers. (One for the Star Wars fans).
It’s a competition Kretzschmar himself knows well. After all, he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Wealdstone the last time HRBFC lifted the trophy in 2016/17. And, when Luis Fernandez found the top corner less than five minutes in, they were well on their way again.
Moments later, quick thinking from Widdrington to find Mullins from a free kick and the visitors were in dreamland as the forward slotted beyond Morianne Busse in the Hayes and Yeading net to double the lead.
It wouldn’t be a Hampton and Richmond fixture without any jeopardy, however. Just seconds after Hayden Barrett crashed the crossbar from range, the home side pulled one back. Slipped through on the counter-attack, Kaylen Hinds kept his composure to reduce the deficit. 2-1, inside fifteen minutes.
The next 30 minutes offered an opportunity to catch your breath. Both teams settled into the match, trading jabs as they tried to break one another down. It was the home side, though, that found an equaliser before the break.
A cross from the left-hand side was initially claimed by Marco Underwood, but on his landing, it slipped from his grasp, allowing Brendan Matthew to shovel towards goal. Skipper Will de Havilland made his best effort to clear it off the line, but the linesman declared that it did indeed cross.
Level at half-time in their first match in charge, Kretzschmar and Saunders rang the changes; three in fact. Ash Akpan, Wes Fonguck, and Luca Barrington, on for his debut, entered the fray.
Before long, the Beavers were in the lead once again through Fonguck. The number eight did well to win the ball in the middle of the park, before driving to the edge of the box and finding the bottom corner. Not the cleanest of strikes – Fonguck himself even seemed to signal how much turf he took up with his effort – but they all count.
Hayden Barrett added a fourth in the 78th minute. Busse got a hand to the diminutive midfielder’s long-range effort, but the power was too much as it found the top corner for Barrett’s first goal in HRBFC colours.
The onslaught didn’t finish there either. Jasper Mather in particular was keen to add goals to his tally. He would soon, but not before debutant Bright Siaw converted from the spot. With Hayes and Yeading down to ten for the final five minutes of normal time after Love Island’s Simba Kudyiwa was forced to retire injured, and with only young goalkeeper Callum Dunham, he could not be replaced. Siaw, who was dubbed the ‘next Doku’ by The Sun in 2025, made the most of the additional space and was clipped by Kyle Daniel-Spray in the penalty area. The Barnet loanee made no mistake.
Mather got his goal in the second minute of stoppage time, blasting past Busse to complete the rout.
Hampton and Richmond Borough’s next match is back in the Enterprise National League South against Truro City at Beveree Stadium on Saturday 24th October.
Get your tickets via the link HERE.
UTB.
By Paul Edwards