Town put five past basement boys

WHEN Peter Maddigan put Stony Stratford Town ahead against the run of play, Harpenden Town boss Ryan Thompson could have been forgiven for thinking ‘here we go again’.

However after weeks of being punished for not taking their chances Harpenden Town came back to beat the basement side 5-1 thanks to goals from Aaron Clarke, captain Andrew Saull and a hat-trick from Will Bates.

“It was really good especially when it was blowing a real gale like that,” boss Thompson told the Herts Advertiser.

“We thought that might be a leveller but all credit to the lads.

“They’ve been playing like that for a few weeks without finding the net and they deserved a win.

“It was definitely a confidence booster, especially after going 1-0 down.”

Bates’ hat-trick came in the last 10 minutes after Thompson had moved the midfielder forward to fill the void left by the substituted Matt Day.

“Will Bates just got behind them three times and two of the goals were almost identical.”

“Craig Knightly was superb too, he was awesome and no one could get near him.”

Town have received a boost with the news that James Hill is set to return from a long lay off this weekend.

The forward, who played under Thompson at Park Street Village, has missed the last seven months with a knee injury but is set to return on the bench for Town on Saturday.

“That’s definitely a big plus,” explained Thompson.

“There is no one more dangerous in the last 20 minutes than James.

“You know he is going to challenge for every header and won’t pull out of any tackles.”

Town travel to Hoddesdon Town on Saturday.