Teddy’s boy too slick for Hampton

The monkey is still firmly on the back – as Tuesday’s defeat to Bishop Stortford now makes it a miserable five home games without victory for Hampton at the Beveree. Goal were expected from this clash against Stortford and goals were what we got - although sadly for the Beavers and the home faithful it was the visitors who prevailed with a 3-1 win.

While Steve Claridge may have made a comeback on Saturday for Weymouth, it was another familiar name to English football on the score sheet here – that of Sheringham. But this wasn’t Teddy making his comeback– it was his boy Charlie who proved to be a chip-of-the-old-block with all three goals for the visitors in a virtuoso performance.

After a disappointing defeat to Woking on Saturday, Dev made four changes to his starting line up – with a first start handed to Michael Lee Charles up front, while in defence captain Dean Wells returned from suspension with Graham Harper and Orlando Jeffrey also returning from injuries.

Hampton started the brighter of the two teams, and would come to regret failing to take the chances they created in the opening ten minutes. The returning Wells failed to test the keeper from a free kick just outside the box, and Charles was unlucky to see one effort go wide after expertly bringing a long ball under control.

The Beavers best chance though came after a Stortford defender mis-kicked in the area allowing Craig Dundas a free run on goal. Instead of pulling the trigger himself, Craig opted to square the ball to Charles with what would have been an open goal gaping. However the pass across goal was behind Charles and a great chance had gone begging.

Within minutes of this wasted opportunity Stortford would punish hesitancy in the home defence to take the lead in the 14th minute. A high hopeful cross from the left was not dealt with by the centre backs, and when the ball broke to Sheringham on the penalty spot, he took one touch before burying a low left footer past Matty Lovett.

Ten minutes later and Sheringham and Stortford were again celebrating with their second of the game. Again attacking down their left hand flank, Danny Harris was able to all-to-easily get to the by-line and his cross was meet by Sheringham to side foot home from close range giving Lovett no chance.

The half ended with a sickening clash of heads between Craig Tanner and Stortford’s Matt Jones, which saw both players substituted. Although Jones could class himself lucky not to have escaped far greater punishment than just a headache for his challenge - a decision that incensed the normal calm Dev.

After a good few minutes stoppage, Craig was thankfully able to walk assisted off the pitch, albeit with a mass of bandages covering his head, and was taken to the dressing rooms and on to casualty with Jon McDonald taking his place.

At the start of the second half, Dev shuffled his pack with Lawrence Yaku introduced at the expense of Marcello Fernandes, although despite this attacking substitution it was still the visitors who looked the likelier to add to their score.

So it came as no surprise when they did this, nor that it was the young Sheringham who completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute. While there may have been some debate about the timing of his run to get past the Beavers back line, there were no questioning his control and composure to turn back inside covering defenders and curl the ball into the corner. Pure class.

Though any thoughts that Sheringham may have had of taking the match ball home were soon distinguished by Eliott Brathwaite who managed to lose it - sending one attempted clearance high into a neighbouring garden. It summed up the Beavers night really.

By this time, Dev had introduced Ashley Smith for Charles, but for all Smith’s energy and prompting, Hampton were unable to string passes together, and never really threatened the visitors goal. All too often balls were misplaced, and the increasing use of the long ball was easily dealt with by the tall defenders.

Stortford thought they had further increased their lead from a well-worked set piece, only for the goal to be chalked off ironically due to an offside flag, before Hampton did manage to pull a consolation goal back in the 77th minute.

From Smith’s right wing cross, Brathwaite managed to get a header on target, and despite the intervention of Nicky Eyre in the away goal the ball squirmed across the line. The assistant referee correctly awarding the goal despite Eyre incessant protests saying otherwise.

Any thoughts of a Hampton comeback were short lived, as they failed to create any meaningful chances thereafter. The match ended with shots off target by Collins and McDonald, as the Beavers failed to get one shot on goal throughout the whole match.

Struggling for home form, perhaps comforting for the Beavers, their next two games are away, although high-flying Dover and Havant & Waterlooville will provide stern tests as Hampton try to push up from a disappointing 14th place.