Hope never really recovered in this game after conceding one of the most comical goals in the club’s history to give their opponents an early lead. 11 years ago the club were facing York House in the Dover Supporters Cup final. After five minutes an early throw out from the usually dependable Andy Smith struck the opposing centre forward squarely on the forehead and ballooned back over the keeper’s head and into the unguarded net. That until now was the most comical goal the Hope have handed on a plate to an opposing team. As it was then, Hope almost knew it was not going to be their day, when Ben Leberl’s harmless back pass was sliced into his own goal by hapless keeper Brave Sir Robert.
In truth, Hope started the better of the two teams and Kev Fielding was unlucky to see his header cleared off the line early on. However all this work was quickly undone when the Hope goal seemed to be temporarily inhabited by David James, as described in the incident above. To their credit, the villagers responded well, with the quicksilver Dane Luchford a constant thorn in the Hare and Hounds side. It was his pace and persistence, which provided the first Hope Inn goal of the season. His powerful run and cross was converted by the evergreen Steve Smith.
At half time Hope looked the team more likely to go on and win the game but an early deflected effort from Hare and Hounds’ influential midfielder Ben Andrews gave the away side the lead barely two minutes into the second half. Hope threw caution to the wind and only a mixture of bad luck and bad finishing prevented them from hauling themselves back into the game. Tom Dodd, Kev Fielding and Steve Smith all spurned decent chances and they were finally undone when a ludicrously offside Glenn Elliott made Hope pay for their profligacy in front of goal with a calm finish for his side’s third goal.
Hope Inn Man of the Match
Dane Luchford
