LONG EATON United is not a name many football fans know too much about. But boomer legacy supporters may recall that Garry Birtles, of Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and England fame (among others), began his career with the Derbyshire club.
Birtles had a mixed career, bursting onto the scene with a goal against Liverpool in the European Cup in 1978 and then moving to Old Trafford for £ 1.25 million in 1980, enduring a barren spell in which he failed to score in 25 league games. Birtles didn’t work out at United and returned to Forest in 1982. His rise from non-league to the top flight was typical of how big clubs used to pick-up heroes from the most unlikely of places.
Long Eaton United have never played at a higher level than they do today, but they are currently bottom of the Southern League Premier Division Central. They arrived at Hitchin’s Top Field with 11 defeats in 12 away trips and had conceded 69 goals in 24 games. Their hosts, Hitchin were on a bad run and had lost 6-0 in midweek in the Herts Senior Cup at St. Albans City. Admittedly, the Saints are playing at a higher level, but six goals are six goals.
Hitchin’s problems are, supposedly, at home, but before facing Long Eaton, they had won twice in 12 games. Their previous home game saw them lost 3-1 against struggling Berkhamsted Town. Underperformance at home doesn’t seem to have affected their crowds – 680 turned up to see Long Eaton roll into town, including a handful of visitors. Fortunately, Hitchin have done enough earlier in the season to avoid any relegation worries, but if the current gloomy run persists, they could slip down the table.
The current form is fairly typical of the past decade at the club, good patches that raise expectation, followed by a near-collapse and then a sudden improvement that paints a very different picture by the time the season ends. It is the usual mix of very young, slight players some of whom have academy backgrounds, with only Irishman Steven Gleeson, a player who seems to collect yellow cards, possessing any great experience in the game.
The first 45 minutes were quite uninspiring, but Long Eaton didn’t look quite as bad as their record suggested. Hitchin’s use of set-pieces was poor, notably a string of corners that were crying out for a tall man in the centre. In the 53rd minute, Long Eaton took the lead when Joseph Nyahwema, the best player on the pitch by some distance, struck the post and the rebound was tapped in by Andy Manjoba. It didn’t take long for Hitchin to equalise, Dan Idiakhoa scoring impressively with a low drive. Shortly afterwards, the Canaries had a goal disallowed, but they were behind again in the 79th minute when George Atwal scored. Again, Hitchin came back with goal from Arnold Matshazi. Finally, Nyahwema, who is on a season-long loan from Burton Albion’s under-18s, netted another goal for Long Eaton, aided an assisted by slack defending.
Defensively, Hitchin were really found wanting and Long Eaton must have thought they had stumbled across some belated Christmas gifts. For the second home game running, the Canaries let down a big crowd – an historic trend at Hitchin – but the second half, at least, was entertaining stuff.
Long Eaton have a lot to do if they want to avoid relegation, but on the evidence of this encouraging win, they have some players who can spring a surprise or two. As for Hitchin, they need surgery at the back, sooner rather than later. It’s now two wins in 13.
GAME OF THE PEOPLE 