The game started fairly slowly and it took until 19 mins for either team to create a clear chance. Hay won the ball on the right hand side and cut back for Laing who shot narrowly past the post. Just after that Aldridge battled well on the other side and got a cross in which was cleared for a corner. The corner was delivered high to the front post and Hay rose well above the defence to head down into the far corner. 1-0 to Baldock.
Almost right away at the other end Harpur was called into action to make a great save at full stretch.
The goal had given Baldock confidence and they had now picked up the pace quite a bit and were moving the ball around well. On 30 mins this confidence was converted to a goal when White picked up the ball about 30 yards out and launched a rocket which crashed off the underside of the bar, bounced on the line and spun back into the net. A tremendous goal. 2-0 Baldock. In 37 mins Hay was brought down on the edge of the box, Joy took the kick and hit the target but the Colney Keeper saved. Just before the end of the first half Coppin hit a great tackle just inside the opposition half made some ground and shot low and forced the Keeper to save.

2-0 up at half time and the fans were cautiously optimistic that we could win this one. We have played better and been in similar positions many times this season but still managed to lose - hopefully not this time.

Just after the start of the second half Baldock were back at it again with Gaffney getting a cross in from the right which broke for Joy who had a shot, the Keeper fumbled it but it was cleared. In 50 mins Coppin won the ball on half way and sent a very delicate ball over the Colney defence and straight onto Hay’s boot, on the penalty spot, and he slipped it past the Keeper for Baldock’s third goal. 3-0 Baldock. Another nice goal - we need to start videoing the matches so that we can see the highlights later.

Baldock were cruising but then White got sent to the Sin Bin, I didn’t know that this was still a thing. It was a daft thing to do as we should have just kept the ball, slowed it down, took control. Baldock were then forced to reorganise to a 4-4-1 for the duration of the Sin Bin time.
In 60 mins Joy managed to hit the top of the bar from extreme range and just a moment later Hay made a run from half way and shot into the side netting.
In 68 mins Harpur was called upon and made a good save but the change of formation was allowing the opposition a bit more space and there were thinking about having a go.
White, now back on after his spell in the Sin Bin, intercepted a pass on the half way line and went forward at pace, lost the ball, got it back and had a shot which forced the Keeper to save for a corner.
Back up the other end Baldock then managed to lose a soft goal from nowhere. One of their failings in recent times but we needn’t have worried as Baldock got another goal in 82 mins when the ball broke for Gaffney on the edge of the box and he shot low past the Keeper. 4-1 Baldock and that’s how it finished.

London Colney weren’t great but we were happy with the performance and delighted with the result. Everyone in the team battled throughout, Tommy Reynolds coming back looked solid at left back. Other new faces also performed.

That one result took us out of the bottom two and with games in hand over some of the teams above us we have an opportunity to get to safety for this season. London Colney are sitting mid table and they are not in our class at all. I think that we should actually be close to Arlesey and they are in seventh!

We are away to Flackwell Heath (where!) next week and hopefully we can start to put together a winning run. It looked better today - Chairman Kingham was definitely happier.
Team; Harpur, Laing, Reynolds, Turner, Furness, White, Joy, Coppin, Hay, Aldridge, Gaffney. Subs; Mullins, Brooker, Buchanan, Kusorgbor, Skinner