Llandaff Athletic 0–1 Hitchin Athletic: a recurring theme

The sort of result that arrives with a shrug. Tuesday 1 September, home, and the loudest thing was the sound of a season deflating. Hitchin took the points with the only goal, Arnaldo Consalvi turning in Olivier Bachelard's corner two minutes after the restart.

The opening forty-five minutes were 0-0 and looked it. Llandaff are out of sorts, and Hitchin have a penchant for sharing the spoils, which is a polite way of saying they know how to keep a game small. Their earlier meeting this season finished 1-0, and this one had the same shape. Nobody needed to be told which way these fixtures lean.

Consalvi is the quiet type of forward. I have a soft spot for his movement before his finishing, and Tuesday was a reminder why. He limped off at half-time against Wednesbury back in August, which worried me more than it worried most. A week later he laid on a goal in the 87th minute against Sussex, the assist that rescued a point. He is building a habit of appearing when the game is not looking.

The corner on 47 minutes was the whole match in miniature. Bachelard took his time, Consalvi found the pocket of space, and once the ball was in the net Hitchin went back to their usual cautiousness. Llandaff spent the remaining 43 minutes trying to force something and nothing came. Some clubs have a signature: this fixture has a scoreline.

Hitchin sit 13th, comfortable. Llandaff are 17th, not comfortable at all, and the table does not wait for anyone. This league plays again tomorrow, Matchday 39, and both sides will be back out before the disappointment has had time to set properly. For Llandaff, that is either a mercy or an invitation to a longer frown. Tomorrow will tell which.