Histon 0 Stafford Rangers 0
ABANDONED IN THE 64TH MINUTE DUE TO THICK FOG
Blue Square Premier at the Glassworld Stadium
Attendance: 473
Stafford Rangers were left frustrated by thick fog at Histon when well on course to following up Saturday's win over Weymouth with another good result.
Mist frequently came and went before the interval and suddenly started getting thicker during the opening stages of the second half. Eventually, the match was abandoned in the 64th minute with the scoreline still goalless when neither assistant referee could see the opposite touchline. Match referee Guy Stretton allowed five or so minutes for the fog to lift and when it didn't he informed both captains of his decision to call a premature end. The teams will try again on Tuesday 26th February with reduced admission for fans who picked up a voucher.
Neil Grayson and Kevin Street named an unchanged startling line-up. Djimi Sangare returned from suspension with a place on the bench and replaced injured Chris Flynn at half-time.
Histon got proceedings under way at the Glassworld Stadium with Rangers attacking the Bridge Road end of the ground.
A long throw from Adrian Cambridge in the second minute set up the game's first chance. The ball wasn't cleared and Antonio Murray headed weakly at Danny Alcock.
Dolapo Olaoye got forward and only a saving tackle by last defender Mat Mitchel-King prevented the Rangers striker getting clear into the area.
Mitchel-King headed over from Cambridge's corner while Damion Jarrett tried his luck from well outside the area and didn't miss by much.
Skipper Wayne Daniel was alert inside the Boro area to prevent Murray getting a shooting chance.
All that action came in the opening 8 minutes before chances became scarce for a while.
John Kennedy drove over the Stafford bar in the 17th minute.
Stafford enjoyed a good spell after the halfway mark of the first half. Grayson got between two defenders but couldn't get on the end of an accurate cross from Jarrett.
Street laid the ball into the path of Seb Arnolin who fired over from fully 30 yards out. Steve Hopkinson got forward to the edge of the Histon area and shot weakly at Danny Naisbitt who gathered up.
The game's first serious scoring opportunity was created just before the half hour. Street went for goal with a 30-yard right-foot shot which looked to be heading for the bottom left corner before Naisbitt got down to make a save.
Grayson got in a back header from Hopkinson's throw and Naisbitt made a routine catch.
In the 33rd minute, Histon were awarded a free-kick just outside the Stafford area for a foul on Kennedy. Gareth Gwillim tapped it short to Cambridge who hit a well-struck drive which Alcock blocked. The ball, which ended up out on the left, was crossed back into the danger zone and Erkan Okay fired over from the edge of the area.
The home side got forward again with Mitchel-king heading over Okay's cross.
Daniel was booked for a clumsy challenge on Murray in the 41st minute. The booking, like the later on received by Jack Midson, isn't wiped from the records.
Just before the break, Cambridge launched another long throw and Alcock blocked a close-range shot from Midson.
Sangare entered the action at the start of the second half in place of the injured Flynn.
Soon after the restart, Midson drove across the face of the Stafford goal from the left and wide of the far post.
Midson received his yellow card in the 52nd minute for a late challenge on Richie Sutton.
In the 54th minute, a left-wing cross (probably) by Nathanial Knight-Percival came over out of the fog into the Rangers area. Midson jumped with Alcock but his header lacked direction.
Rangers were comfortable against a side employing direct tactics and had a chance to take the lead. A poor clearance from Naisbitt fell to Arnolin some 40 yards out. The midfielder hit a first-time lob which didn't miss the unguarded net by much.
Knight-Percival got in a looping header from Okay's cross which ended up in the safe hands of Alcock.
In the 62nd minute, Marco Adaggio replaced Hopkinson, who had received treatment a few minutes before. But before Rangers' three-pronged attack could make an impact, the referee was forced to call a halt 18 minutes and 44 seconds into the second half.
Teams
Histon: 21. Danny Naisbitt, 24. Craig Pope, 30. Patrick Ada, 4. Mat Mitchel-King, 25. Gareth Gwillim, 3. Erkan Okay, 6. Adrian Cambridge (capt), 7. John Kennedy, 18. Nathaniel Knight-Percival, 10. Antonio Murray, 33. Jack Midson. Subs: 1. Lance Key, 17. Robbie Nightingale, 23. Daniel Wright, 5. Matt Langston, 11. Jamie Barker (all not used)
Stafford Rangers: 1. Danny Alcock, 38. Alex Gibson, 5. Wayne Daniel (capt), 2. Richie Sutton, 7. Chris Flynn, 35. Damion Jarrett, 8. Kevin Street, 19. Seb Arnolin, 24. Steve Hopkinson, 11. Dolapo Olaoye, 9. Neil Grayson. Subs: 6. Djoumin Sangare (for Flynn, ht), 20. Marco Adaggio (for Hopkinson, 62), 10. David McNiven, 16. Tom Ingram, 40. Courtney Shaw
Referee: Guy Stretton (Leicester)
Attendance: 473
This match report was originally written for and published on the now defunct www.staffordrangers.co.uk
