Hawks’ set-piece dominance a key factor in entertaining National League South home win over Hungerford

On an emotional day at Westleigh Park, the hosts and third-placed Hungerford Town combined to produce a highly entertaining affair.

Leading 2-0 at the interval, Hawks were pegged back by a brace from their former striker Ryan Seager before once again taking control for a 4-2 success.

It was the club’s sixth league win in 10 days and took them up to sixth, still with a multitude of games in hand on most of the clubs above them.

Hawks’ performance, after the first 15 minutes, belied the fact this was a hastily-cobbled together side due to numerous players having to self-isolate.

That meant Roarie Deacon, normally a winger, having to play at left wing-back just days after his father had sadly passed away due to Covid-19. Initially due to be left out of the squad entirely, he ended up playing the full 90 minutes due to a lack of numbers.

Due to all the late changes - including positional switches and handing two players, Christian Rowe and Moussa Bakayoko, their first starts for the club - it was no surprise that Hungerford started the brighter.

The pacy Craig Fassenmade latched onto a Craig Robson back pass, but luckily for Hawks overran the ball after taking it past Ross Worner.

Matt Partridge then volleyed a Craig Angell cross straight at Worner from about 10 years out and Fassenmade drilled a shot wide from the edge of the penalty area after Moussa Diarra had given the ball away.

The momentum started to turn midway through the first half when Rowe shot wide and Taylor fired over.

A nice move involving Sam Magri, playing at right back, and Josh Taylor ended with Hawks winning their first corner.

They almost scored from it - Diarra at the back post seeing his header hit the top of the bar.

The home side’s dominance at set-pieces was to prove a defining moment of the encounter.

They went ahead when a Taylor corner was cleared back to him, and he curled in a delicious cross which Robson headed in on 31 minutes.

Seven minutes later another Taylor corner, this time from the grandstand side, was nodded in by an unmarked Magri. Though Hungerford had three players on the line, the header was placed to perfection into the top corner.

Within 30 seconds of the restart, Hungerford were back in it as Seager, who spent an injury-plagued loan spell at Westleigh Park last season, grabbed his 11th goal of the NL South season.

Fassenmade ran onto a through ball in the right channel and bore down on Worner’s goal. When it looked as if he would shoot, he squared to Seager who, after the ball had hit a Hawks defender on the heel, turned to fire in.

Just after the hour mark, Seager had his 12th goal - and this one was a beauty, a lovely strike into the top corner from just outside the penalty area.

Doswell responded by taking off Bakayoko, who had only shown glimpses of his talent, and putting on Joe Iaciofano just before Taylor took a free-kick on the right-hand touchline.

From the set-piece, the ball reached Bedsente Gomis who was able to control it before firing in from close range on 66 minutes.

Hawks could easily have had more goals after this as gaps started to appear in the visiting defence.

Town keeper Luke Cairney saved at his near post from Iaciofano, after a lovely Deacon back heel had set him up, and Tommy Wright shot wide.

As Hawks continued to attack, Iaciofano cut inside, before shooting wide when he should have at least hit the target, and Billy Clifford fired a free-kick straight into the wall.

A fourth goal did arrive on 89 minutes, Wright’s shot taking a deflection on its way in for his 12th league and cup strike of 2020/21.

Having played seven league games at home and only three away, Hawks’ next four matches - positive Covid tests notwithstanding - are all away, starting with the return trip to Hungerford on Tuesday.

If it’s anything like this game, the very few people who will be present inside Bulpit Lane are in for another treat.

PS In an sport where the match officials are routinely criticised, a big ‘well done’ to Paul Johnson - easily the best performance from a referee I’ve seen at any non-league game this season.

He showed common sense early on - he could have booked Christian Rowe for a tackle in the first minute - and was always keen to let the play flow if possible.

You didn’t really notice he was there, which is surely the biggest compliment of all.

Hawks: Worner, Deacon, Magri, Robson, Diarra, Poku, Rowe (Clifford, 80), Taylor, Gomis, Bakayoko (Iaciofano, 66), Wright.

Hungerford: Cairney, Angell, Partridge (Jones, 81), Emmerson, Rusby, Willmoth, Bailey (Diaz, 73), Tyler, Seager, Fassenmade, Burley (Harding, 81).