‘Very disappointing result’ – Hawks are held at home by National League South strugglers Cheshunt

Paul Rooney volleys Hawks into an early lead against Cheshunt. Picture by Dave Haines.

Havant & Waterlooville 1-1 Cheshunt
4th March 2023 at Draper Tools Community Stadium PO9 5TH

(Photo credit should read Picture/s by Dave Haines) — Paul Rooney volleys Hawks into an early lead against Cheshunt. Picture by Dave Haines. Havant & Waterlooville 1-1 Cheshunt 4th March 2023 at Draper Tools Community Stadium PO9 5TH (Photo credit should read Picture/s by Dave Haines)

Hawks ended their National League South losing run with a Westleigh Park point against Cheshunt.

But player-coach Jamie Collins described the 1-1 stalemate against a team involved in a relegation scrap as a ‘very disappointing result.’

Hawks have now won just five of their last 16 NLS fixtures, banking 18 points in the process, to end any hopes of a title challenge.

Despite that run of form, though, they remain just six points adrift of second-placed Dartford with a game in hand.

Paul Rooney celebrates his goal. Picture by Dave Haines

Hawks entered the game having suffered three successive away losses - at Bath, Hemel and Dover - without even scoring a goal.

There was another new face in the starting XI with Jack Jebb thrown straight in after joining on loan from Dorking Wanderers.

The former Arsenal youngster had not played since January 7, when he made a late sub appearance in a 5-1 National League loss to Oldham.

Jebb’s inclusion meant that seven of the Hawks starting team have arrived at the club since the campaign started.

Cheshunt's Fraser Alexander fires home his side's equaliser. Picture by Dave Haines

Goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Ethan Burnett (Reading) and Ben Shroll (Aldershot) are also on loan.

Callum Kealy and Tyrell Miller-Rodney were recruited from divisional rivals Worthing and Hampton & Richmond, while Sam Matthews was a free agent.

Hawks rang the changes against Cheshunt, making six in all. Out went the suspended Joe Oastler, Josh Passley, Danny Wright, Jake McCarthy, Oscar Gobern and Wright and in came Joash Nembhard, James Roberts, Paul Rooney, Burnett, Matthews and Jebb.

It was Rooney who gave Hawks the perfect start, volleying the hosts into a fifth minute lead.

But fifth-bottom Cheshunt were level on 21 minutes through Fraser Alexander and that’s how it stayed.

‘It was an improvement on previous away games,’ Collins told the Hawks’ YouTube channel. ‘But it was a very disappointing result, you need to win your home games.

‘We huffed and puffed, there were two or three opportunities where we had to score. We need to be more clinical, we need to be better in the final third.’

Hawks are back at Westleigh Park on Wednesday to face St Albans.

For the second time this season, Gosport Borough came from 0-2 down to snatch a point against Dorchester.

Back in October a Dan Wooden double gave Shaun Gale’s Boro a point at Privett Park.

This time Billie Busari and Wooden again were on target at The Avenue as director of football Mark Molesley saw his side remain four points clear of the Southern League Premier South drop zone.

Charlie Gunson and Shaquille Gwengwe had put Dorchester in control before Busari, on as a sub, reduced the arrears in the 67th minute. And three minutes later Wooden struck an equaliser.