HERTS SENIOR COUNTY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
HINTON 0 LONDON LIONS 1

A solitary effort from Max Kyte was enough to give London Lions maximum points at Hinton and move up to sixth in the table.

The last match of February saw Lions travel to Enfield to play against relegation threatened Hinton.

Missing a handful of regulars meant a reshuffle of personnel and a further injection of youth in the Lions squad.

With manager Andy Landesberg demanding consistency in results and performances, Lions started brightly full of confidence on the back of last week’s emphatic cup victory over league leaders Letchworth Eagles.

Making light work of the strong wind, a poor surface and pitch built on the side of a hill, the Lions mounted the first noteworthy attack after five minutes. Austin Lipman saw his low shot fizz past the post after great work from returning skipper Josh Kennet on the left.

Lions had the bulk of the play but with Oli Craig at the heart of the Lions defence alongside Josh Pistol, the pair had to remain alert to the Hinton breaks.

A fabulous run by Lipman, which cut through three tackles, only to see Kyte unable to convert from close range.

With Adam Burchell continuing to impress with his speed and bravery on the right-hand side and supported by the ever willing Zac Rose, Lions always looked dangerous yet it was from the left that the next chance came on the half hour with Will Beresford putting over a great cross only for Harry Hatchwell to see his header go just the wrong side of the crossbar.

It seemed that it was only a matter of time before the Lions scored yet it required two great saves from Ruben Rabstein in the Lions' goal and the linesman’s flag to stop Hinton from taking the leader at the end of the first half.

Whatever was said in the Lions' dressing room at half time seemed to do the trick as only seconds into the second half a great cross by Burchell found KYTE'S head and saw the boys in blue celebrate with many of the following away supporters still sipping their chocolate chaud in the clubhouse.

With Adam Lipman shoring up the centre of the park, Hatchwell was given the freedom to move forward and saw yet another header just miss the target.

Louis Greenham replaced Craig after 60 and it was great to see AntONY Stockman return to the side after a five-month injury layoff. With 20 to go, he replaced the impressive Burchell, and soon he was in the thick of the action.

U16 striker Alex Rose replaced Hatchwell and yet again looked after the ball well and impressed with his first touches.

Lipman went close again just before the end and the Lions defence stayed firm to see out the victory and a deserved clean sheet for Rabstein.

A tough match but a victory and Lions move up to sixth place in the table. With 14 league games to go and still in the cups there is everything to play for.