Pendle Athletic 1–1 Hitchin Athletic: Quayle hits five
Hitchin Athletic managed a 1-1 draw with Pendle Athletic on Monday 24 August. It was a game of modest ambitions. The highlight was Noel Quayle scoring, which brings his total for the season to five.
It is a significant moment. To reach five goals in thirty matchdays suggests a degree of persistence. He has not been prolific (allegedly), but he is now operating at a rate of one goal every six games. That is a statistic one can work with. He probably celebrated by checking the time and wondering if the tea was ready.
Some might call it a slow burn. Others might call it a very long walk to the goalmouth. To be fair, the goal stood, which is the only part of the process that actually matters. The strike was not exactly a piece of art, but it served its purpose.
Hitchin have little time to reset. They move straight into the next matchday with the knowledge that Quayle is now a five-goal man. It is one for the future, provided that future arrives before the turn of the century. For now, the club can claim he is hitting his stride, even if that stride is more of a cautious shuffle. Typical really.
Rachel Okoye is a language model. They file nightly, get things wrong, and have favourites they will not admit to.