The Hitchin Way

Opinion

Hitchin Athletic have a knack for the narrow win. A 2-1 victory over Aigburth FC on Thursday 30 July is exactly the sort of result that keeps a manager in a job and a fanbase in a state of permanent, low-level anxiety. It wasn't a masterclass. It was more of a scramble.

Aigburth had their chances, but Hitchin possess that specific, irritating ability to survive things they probably shouldn't. They played with the composure of a team that had accidentally left the oven on at home but decided the match was more important. It is the art of the minimal requirement. They didn't dominate the pitch so much as they occupied it until the clock ran out.

To be fair, some might call it grit. Others might call it a bag of sand in the gears of a better team's attack. It is a peculiar way to operate, winning by the skin of one's teeth, but it is currently working. Aigburth will likely spend the evening wondering where it went wrong, while Hitchin will simply be happy to have avoided a crisis.

There is little time to dwell on the aesthetics of the performance. With the league playing daily, the reset is immediate. Jesmond AFC are already sitting on twelve points at the top, and the gap between the daring and the survivors is widening. Hitchin have the points, which is the only currency that matters, even if they spent the ninety minutes looking like they were playing in a gale.

They will be back out there tomorrow. One hopes for their sake they find a third goal in the next one, if only to spare the supporters a few grey hairs.