Next up – Hitchin Town
Saturday, 14th February at Top Field, Fishponds Road, Hitchin, Herts. SG5 1NU
Pitching in Southern League, Divison One (Central); kick off 3pm.
Admission
Adults – £13, Concession – £9, Youth (13-19) – £4, Under 13 (accompanied by an adult) – £2, Over 80 free.
Tickets can be bought in advance at Match Tickets | Hitchin Town Tickets
Please note that tickets on the day of the match can only be purchased from the ticket office at the ground not at the turnstiles. The ticket office does not accept cash. Transactions are card only.
Our opponents
The north Herts club was resurrected almost 100 years ago after the earlier Hitchin FC folded. We met them in their first season playing in the Spartan League but they didn’t stay long, gaining promotion in their first season. In the years since then they have plied their trade one or more steps above us in the amateur and non-league game until relegation last season brought them within our orbit again. Beyond league football Hitchin Town have made numerous apperances in the competition proper of the FA Cup and reached the semi-final of the FA Amateur Cup in 1961 (see the image above) and 1963. They’ve also won the Herts Senior Cup on 14 occasions.
Of course several players have turned out for both clubs over the years. Amongst their number is John Frendo (196 appearances and 149 goals) who will be remembered by Ware fans from the Glen Alzapiedi managerial period before he moved to Hitchin Town in 2010. You’ll have to be a bit older to remember Brian Stockwell (265 and 77) and Nick Whitehead (36 appearances) both players from the 1960s. We are expecting to see Nick at the match on Saturday.
Form guide
When we met earlier in the season we were second in the table and Hitchin fifth. Their 4-2 victory in that game was the start of our injury strewn downturn whilst the Canaries moved in the opposite direction. They currently lie second in the table and whilst our dip in form was eventually arrested the new year hasn’t been kind. It finds us in eighth place and still searching for our first win of 2026. Hitchin lost to Biggleswade in their last home game but that was their first league defeat since late September. They are in good form and the sensible money is on a home win. We are though stronger than when we last met. There’s no longer a wholesale injury problem and the goalkeeper position has been resolved. We look much more capable of making a contest of this game which will be necessary after collecting just one point in a run of four games.
Previous Meetings
That first league meeting was in 1928 and there have been another 33 since then. Okay, actually there were two more at Top Field in the East Anglian Cup of 1969/70 but both those games were abandoned through fog on one occasion and snow (it seemed quite the blizzard to me) on the other. We were losing in both matches before winning the tie when it was eventually completed. There’s not been much success overall however. Of the 34 completed games between us we’ve won just five with that recent 4-2 defeat bringing the goals against to exactly one hundred.
Commentary
Symon and Pete will be at the game. You can hear their commentary from 2.55pm at https://90minuteslivefootball.mixlr.com/events/4805111
Match Officials
To Be advised.
Complete your weekend football with Sunday’s youth games
Entry is free and the club room and tea bar are open throughout the Eastern Junior Alliance games we have at the Park on Sunday. Some future first teamers might well be playing. At 10am the under-14s meet Woodford Town, followed at midday by the under-16s against Ryan FC and then at 2pm the under-18s face Hackney Wick.
