It’s not been quite the start to the Vanarama National League South season that Hungerford Town had perhaps been expecting but a bit of pressure will have lifted at the weekend with a stirring 3-2 win over Bath City.
The Crusaders had picked up just five points from 11 games with their only win coming in August, a 2-0 win at home to Eastbourne Borough.
The club’s own match report suggested a couple of new signings had ‘perhaps some new life was breathed into the Crusaders’ and the celebrations following Claudio Ofosu’s injury-time winner certainly suggests a weight may have been lifted off of Danny Robinson’s side.
Robinson, speaking to the club’s Twitter account after the game said: “It was fully deserved, especially the first half, I think the chances we created, the saves the goalkeeper made I think it was fully fully deserved.”
Nico Muir had put the Crusaders ahead in the first goal while Ofosu – on his debut – was making a nuisance of himself but Bath equalised in the 26th minute through Jordon Dyer.
In the second half though Hungerford started brightest with George Smith heading home Jake Evans corner and shortly after they had a penalty shout turned down. Again though Bath pegged the Berkshire side back, Scott Wilson scoring to make it 2-2 from a defence-splitting pass.
Hungerford’s other recent signing, Sammy Ompreon, then combined with Ofosu in injury time, crossing in the 92nd minute for the striker to fire home and set up an early ‘six pointer’ with Dulwich Hamlet on the 22nd.
As well as Ofosu and Ompreon, Hungerford have added goalkeeper Tyla Dickinson on a one-month loan from Wycombe Wanderers while Kameron English has joined Bracknell Town for a month. Hungerford will play Combined Counties League Division One Sandhurst Town in the Berks & Bucks County FA Senior Cup on Tuesday 18th October.
