UNDER-16 SIDE

Manager:	Simon Riddle
Asst. Managers:	Andy Cowell Paul Halsey

EJAL - Eastern Junior Alliance League

EJALCC - League's Chairmans Cup

EJALLC - League Cup

Fixtures & Results - Scroll down for reports

All games shown are played on a Sunday morning unless otherwise stated

Date	Comp	Opponents	H/A	K.O.	Result HTFC score first	Scorers
16th Apr	EJAL	ETON MANOR	H	7 45	1-3	Cowell (p)
6th Apr	EJALCC 'A'	Melton St Audrys	A	14 00	0-1A*
30th Mar	EJAL	ETON MANOR	H	10 30	Post.
23rd Mar	EJAL	Eton Manor	A	10 30	Post.
9th Mar	EJAL	SAWBRIDGEWORTH	H	10 30	1-4	McIver
2nd Mar	EJALCC 'A'	WHITTON UTD	H	11 00	1-4	Cowell
24th Feb	EJAL	WARE	H	10 30	Post.
17th Feb	EJAL	St. Margaretsbury	A	10 30	1-3	Reddy
10th Feb	EJAL	SAWBRIDGEWORTH	H	10 30	Post.
3rd Feb	EJALCC 'A'	HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS	H	10 30	0-1
27th Jan	EJAL	Stevenage Borough	A	10 30	Post.
20th Jan	EJAL	ETON MANOR	H	10 30	Post.
13th Jan	EJALCC 'A'	Eton Manor	A	10 30
6th Jan	EJAL	BISHOPS STORTFORD	H	10 30	2-4	Reddy, Carless
16th Dec	U-16 CC	STEVENAGE BOROUGH	H	10 30	0-2
9th Dec	EJAL	SAWBRIDGEWORTH	H	10 30	Post.
2nd Dec	EJALCC 'A'	Melton St Audrys	A	TBA	Post.
25th Nov	EJAL	North Greenford	A	13 00	1-1	Cowell
18th Nov	U-16 CC	London Maccabi	A	13 15	8-2	Cowell (3), Reddy, Coyne, De-Vell, McIver, Ross
11th Nov	EJAL	STEVENAGE BOROUGH	H	10 30	3-2	Coyne (2), Cowell
4th Nov	EJALCC 'A'	Stanway Rovers	A	10 30	1-1	Freeman
28th Oct	EJALLCT	HULLBRIDGE SPORTS	H	10 30	1-2	McIver
21st Oct	EJAL	Stevenage Borough	A	10 30	Post.
14th Oct	EJAL	Sawbridgeworth	A	10 30	2-2	Lewis, McIver
7th Oct	EJALCC 'A'	Sawbridgeworth	A	10 30	Post.
23rd Sept	EJAL	Bishops Stortford	A	10 30	4-2	Reddy, Cowell, Coyne (2)
16th Sept	EJAL	NORTH GREENFORD	H	10 30	1-1	Cowell
9th Sept	EJAL	Ware	A	10 30	2-1	Cowell (2)
*Game abandoned after 75 minutes - snow!

06/4 The snow that had covered Hertfordshire overnight on Saturday hadn't reached East Anglia by Sunday midday as the Under-16s were making their way to Woodbridge to play Audrey St Marys in the Chairman's Cup. After the game got underway the heavy snow started to come down, and during the second half was settling fast and obliterating the lines. The Referee tried his best to keep the game going, but by the 75th minute had no choice but to abandon it. Until that point Hoddesdon had been playing some of their best football of the season, and were desperately trying to claw back a lead that the home side had taken after only five minutes with a great strike against the run of play. Hoddesdon should have been two or three goals to the good by half time, but the home side defended resolutely and were just about hanging on when the premature end came. The home side only had two shots on the Hoddesdon goal in seventy-five minutes, and one of them had gone in! Simon Riddle was delighted with his lads performance and could fault none of them for their commitment and the quality of their football. He was certain that his side would have scored in the fifteen or so minutes of the game that remained, and maybe having scored one they could have gone on to score a couple. The Audrey St Marys manager conceded that Hoddesdon had been the better side on the day, and it now remains to be seen how the League handle this very unfortunate abandonment.

9/3 The League's Chairman's Cup has been a bit of a mystery this season with a mis-match in the number of games being played by the teams in each of the large Groups formed. In Hoddesdon's Group 'A', Heybridge Swifts had played five games and a couple of clubs had played just one! At Lowfield on Sunday, the League Chairman announced that the Groups would be decided by each club playing a maximum of four games, and as Hoddesdon have now already played three, they have one further fixture to complete. The League Tables page shows the current position in Group 'A'.

9/3 The Under-16s disappointing run of results continued on Sunday when they slumped to their second successive 4-1 defeat, against a Sawbridgeworth side that had been bottom of the table. Following a goalless first half at Lowfield, the visitors took the lead five minutes into the second half. Poor defending allowed Sawbridgeworth to double that lead five minutes later, but there was hope for Hoddesdon when JONATHAN McIVER pulled one back just past the hour mark. The young Lilywhites were unable to build on their success and continued to perform poorly, and the visitors took full advantage with further goals in the seventieth minute and on the stroke of full time. There is still a chance the lads could finish as runners-up in the table, but they will have to perform much better in their final five games if they are to make it.

2/3 A poor second half performance against a skilful, well-disciplined and lively Whitton Utd side led to Hoddesdon Town's Under-16 side going down 4-1 at home in a Chairman's Cup tie on Sunday. After a goalless first half, in which Hoddesdon played some good football and were good value for their draw at half time, the visitors took the lead five minutes after the break. Five minutes later they doubled their advantage, and Hoddesdon found themselves with a mountain to climb. TOM COWELL reduced the lead in the sixty-fifth minute, but Hoddesdon were not playing well by now, and Whitton added two further goals in the seventy-fifth and eightieth minutes. No-one seems to know exactly how the Chairman's Cup is going to be organised in the closing stages of the season, there are ten clubs in Group 'A', some clubs have played just couple of games, and others have played four. There is not even enough time for each club to play the other nine just once so, how the League intend to structure the final stages of the competition remains to be seen. Hoddesdon have accumulated only one point from their three games played, so it is unlikely they will feature in any final stage knockout games that may take place. Next week the lads host Sawbridgeworth for a League game, still standing a chance to finish in the top two if they can pick up some maximum-points hauls in their remaining six games.

17/2 With the Southern end of Lowfield in shadow, and the ground hardened by frost, it was decided the ground was unfit for the visit of St. Margaretsbury in Sunday. The game was therefore switched to the Bury's ground and used as their still outstanding home game against Hoddesdon, as the sun was able there to defrost the whole of the pitch. Hoddesdon were happy with the chance to play as they have been out of competitive action for a while, and they took a welcome lead through CONNER REDDY after fifteen minutes. However, St. Margaretsbury were adapting to the conditions a little better, and it was no surprise when they grabbed an equaliser ten minutes before half time. Proving themselves to be the better side on the day, St. Margaretsbury went ahead in the seventieth minutes and made the points safe three minutes from full time. All in all it was a disappointing performance from the Hoddesdon lads, and they will be looking to bounce back in their next game, at home to Ware on 23rd February. Hoddesdon still have to face St. Margaretsbury again, and the next game will be played at Lowfield.

10/2 Hoddesdon Town Under-16s were disappointed to hear at short notice that Sawbridgworth were unable to raise a side for the League game on Sunday 10th February. A hastily arranged friendly against Mid-Herts League Premier Division side Cuffley resulted in a 6-1 win for Hoddesdon, with a number of the goals scored being of particularly high quality. Hopefully the lads will return to League action on Sunday 17th Feb when they entertain St. Margaretsbury at Lowfield.

16/12 Hoddesdon Town's youngest side bowed out of the County Cup against a well drilled and disciplined Stevenage Borough side on Sunday. Hoddesdon had beaten their visitors 3-2 in a fractious League contest in mid-November, but this game turned out to be a more sporting affair. The visitors dominated the first half, hitting a post in only the fifth minute, shooting just wide after ten and over the crossbar midway through the half. All the pressure Stevenage applied had finally told in the twenty-third minute when they went 1-0 ahead thanks to a converted penalty.

The Hoddesdon lads only created a couple of chances in the first half, but it was a much better performance from them after the break. The result was finally sewn up for the visitors in the sixty-fifth minute when a brilliant effort from thirty yards beat the diving Hoddesdon 'keeper and landed in the back of the net. Final score, Hoddesdon Town 0 Stevenage Borough 2.

25/11 Another excellent performance from the Hoddesdon lads as they took a point away from North Greenford on Sunday. The hosts are a good side, and Hoddesdon were the first team to take points off them in two years earlier this season when the sides drew 1-1 at Lowfield. For the first 20 - 25 minutes of this game Hoddesdon were on top, and they thoroughly deserved the 1-0 lead TOM COWELL gave them midway through the half. North Greenford then took the game over and equalised five minutes after the break, but the LiIywhites came back strongly and could have forced a win late in the game. Hoddesdon are still challenging for a top two place in the table and have yet to meet some of the lower sides. Simon Riddle was delighted with the way the lads played and the valuable point they earned. This week it is a long trip out towards Woodbridge where they play Melton St Audrys in a Chairmans Cup Group A game, and they will be hoping to maintain their good form.

18/11 Hoddesdon's Under-16 side rescued what had otherwise been a miserable weekend for the Town club as they overwhelmed London Maccabi 8-2 in their Herts. FA Under-16 County Cup Second Round tie at Arkley on Sunday. Kicking off at 1 15 to suit the Referee's other activities, both sides started brightly, but it was Hoddesdon who got their noses in front with ten minutes gone when TOM COWELL converted. Over the next ten minutes Cowell could have completed his hat-trick as good chances came his way, but then Maccabi made him rue those misses when they equalised in the twentieth minute. The one goal lead was restored just before the half hour when TOM COWELL this time got his radar right and notched his second goal, but for a second time the home side cancelled out the lead with an equaliser from the penalty mark after thirty-seven minutes. Just as it looked as though the two sides were going into the interval all-square, right on the stroke of half time CONNER REDDY popped up to put Hoddesdon in front again for the third time. Needing a two-goal cushion to feel more comfortable in the game, Hoddesdon were duly rewarded five minutes into the second half when TOM COWELL deservedly completed a fine hat-trick to put his side 4-2 ahead. This fourth goal seemed to be the catalyst for the Lilywhites to step up a gear, and they gradually took complete control of the game. BLAINE COYNE notched a fifth goal for Hoddesdon in the fifty-fifth minute, JACK DE-VELL scored the sixth in the sixty-fifth, JONATHAN McIVER got in on the act with a seventh goal in the seventy-fifth minute and CRAIG ROSS finished off the scoring with goal number eight five minutes from the end. Whilst it was an emphatic win for Hoddesdon great credit must go to Maccabi who played a lot of good football, and with a little bit of good fortune could have made Hoddesdon's task a lot more difficult. For Hoddesdon, Tom Cowell took the plaudits for his well-crafted hat-trick, but it was pleasing for Simon Riddle and his management team to have five other players get their name on the scoresheet. Having received a bye in the First Round of this competition, and then gone on to beat London Maccabi today, Hoddesdon now host in the Third Round, Stevenage Borough, with whom they had a ding-dong battle last week. The date of the tie is yet to be agreed.

11/11 2-0 down and seemingly out of the game at half time on Sunday, Hoddesdon's youngsters pulled off a remarkable comeback that left their visitors from Stevenage Borough in disarray. Hoddesdon looked disjointed and ill at ease in the first half and fell behind to goals in the sixth and twenty-second minutes. Stevenage were cruising the game and totally in control, but what ever Simon Riddle put in the half time drinks of his players seemed to work a treat. The second half was only seven minutes old when BLAINE COYNE pulled one back for Hoddesdon and the visitors started to lose their discipline. With sixty-seven minutes gone TOM COWELL equalised for the Lilywhites and suddenly they started to look the more likely side to win. With just seven minutes left on the clock, BLAINE COYNE popped up to notch his second goal of the game, and a goal that determined the destiny of the three points. The visitors were reduced to ten men with a sending off two minutes before the end, and the red card added to a tally for Stevenage of six yellows, the Manager reported for misconduct and the Club Assistant Referee 'severely reprimanded'. Hoddesdon managed to maintain their discipline and recorded just one caution, and by staying calm they were able to force their visitors into giving away what was a comfortable lead. The Under-16 side therefore maintained its unbeaten League record, and next week they go into uncharted territory when they travel to London Maccabi in Arkley for a Herts. County Cup tie.

04/11 The under-16 side started their Group 'A' campaign in the League's Chairman's Cup competition with a disappointing 1-1 draw at Stanway Rovers on Sunday. Hoddesdon played well in the opening spell, and MICHAEL FREEMAN opened the scoring for the Lilywhites after 20 minutes with the best move of the game. Later in the half Hoddesdon were to rue missing a number of good chances when Stanway equalised with a fine headed goal deep into time added on. The second half went very much the way of the first half, with Hoddesdon in control but unable to take their chances. In the end, they had to settle for a share of the points in a Group that also contains Whitton Utd., North Greenford, Long Melford, Melton St. Audrys, Chelmsford City, Maldon Town, Heybridge Swifts and Sawbridgeworth Town. See Group 'A' table to date

28/10 Hoddesdon's Under-16 side slipped out of the League's Challenge Cup competition with a disappointing performance at Lowfield on Sunday. Hullbridge had by far the best of the first twenty minutes and on three occasions the ball was hacked off the Hoddesdon line with the goalkeeper beaten. Whilst it stemmed from a mix-up between a Hoddesdon defender and the goalkeeper midway through the half, it was no surprise when Hullbridge took the lead. Fifteen minutes later, and after giving a better account of themselves for a few minutes, Hoddesdon drew level when Jonathan McIver latched onto a pass chipped over the top of the Hullbridge back four and slotted the ball away. The second half was a very tight affair with chances at both ends at a premium. After thirty-five minutes of good cup football, Hullbridge won a corner on the right and the ball was headed home after the 'keeper failed to get good contact on a punch clear. Hoddesdon had created a couple of half chances during the second half, and they put their visitors under pressure for the final ten minutes, but there was to be no second goal for the Lilywhites and Hullbridge celebrated when the final whistle came.

14/10 Whilst a draw was probably a fair result in this game, on a dreadful pitch behind a pub in Sawbridgeworth, Hoddesdon did twice hold the lead only to be pegged back. Their first goal came from MATT LEWIS in the twentieth minute and the Lilywhites did manage to hang onto that lead until ten minutes from the end when the home side equalised. Hoddesdon thought they had snatched the three points when JONATHAN McIver put them ahead again in the eighty-fifth minute, but Sawbridgeworth had the last say with a second equaliser in the final minute. Still unbeaten after their first four League games, the point gained today temporarily put the lads in second place subject to the other results for the day coming in.

22/9 Hoddesdon's Under-16 side retained their unbeaten start to the season with a deserved 4-2 win at Bishops Stortford on Sunday. CONNER REDDY got his side off the best possible start with a goal scored inside the first minute, and TOM COWELL notched his fourth goal of the season when he put Hoddesdon 2-0 ahead after only ten minutes. Having been under the cosh for most of the time, Bishops Stortford reduced the arrears on the quarter hour, and for much of the rest of the first half were on top. Hoddesdon were happy to hear the half time whistle, but when they came out after the break they looked a much better outfit. Two excellent goals from Hoddesdon's BLAINE COYNE in quick succession early in the second half just about put the result beyond doubt, and despite the home side scoring their second with ten minutes remaining, the Hoddesdon youngsters always looked in control. The home game scheduled for Sunday 30th may now have been postponed as Eton Manor are apparently in County Cup action. Unless the fixtures change, the lads then have at least three consecutive away games at Stanway, North Greenford and Stevenage Borough, and then a gap, before returning to Lowfield on 18th November.

16/9 Making their first ever appearance at Lowfield, Hoddesdon Town's Under-16 side emulated the Club's First Team (See Saturday's result) by pulling off a great result with a 1-1 draw against North Greenford on Sunday. The North Greenford team is effectively a Watford Academy side, and they have not dropped a point in two seasons. Whilst there was an element of good fortune about the final result, the Hoddesdon lads earned a point with a battling display against a very good side. Hoddesdon were slow to get started in this game, and were second best for most of the first half. However, they didn't concede a goal until just before half time when sloppy defending at a corner led to North Greenford taking the lead. The lads bucked up from the start of the second half and could themselves have twice scored in the early exchanges. They gradually clawed their way back into the game, and were kept in it by a brilliant save from their young keeper, Grant Halsey. With just under twenty minutes of the game remaining TOM COWELL made the visitors pay for not turning their pressure into goals when he lashed home a stunning strike from just outside the penalty area. Against a stronger, faster and sharper side Hoddesdon were perhaps fortunate to earn a point from this game, but they battled well and put in a much better second half performance that sent the home supporters away in a happy mood.

09/9 The Under-16s start their League campaign last Sunday at Ware, and pulled off an excellent 2-1 win to get their season off to the best possible start. The lads conceded a penalty early in the first half, but that was well saved by Hoddesdon’s young ‘keeper. Despite playing up the slope in the first half, Ware finally took the lead shortly after missing the penalty. The second half saw a much better performance from Hoddesdon and they finally claimed the points with two excellent goals. The first came through TOM COWELL two thirds of the way through the half to level the scores, but it was overshadowed by the best move of the game and a superb finish from TOM COWELL five minutes before the end. The Under-16s will hoping to build on that fine start when they host North Greenford in a change of fixture this coming Sunday. Why not pop along to Lowfield to see how the lads perform, kick-off is at 10 30 a.m.