Codicote 2 Buntingford Town 3 TOWN finished the year on a high note with a good victory at mid-table Codicote to leave them with in the top five places going into the New Year. The visitors carried on from their positive performance against Hertford Heath

Codicote 2 Buntingford Town 3

TOWN finished the year on a high note with a good victory at mid-table Codicote to leave them with in the top five places going into the New Year.

The visitors carried on from their positive performance against Hertford Heath the previous week by gaining immediate control of this fixture and created chances from the off set.

Within the first three minutes Mark Wright had narrowly missed from close range and had an effort turned aside by the home keeper.

Another blocked shot in the fifth minute resulted in the corner that led to Town opening the scoring. Luke Robin's delivered corner was only half cleared to Mark Smith just outside the box. Smith's shot was probably going wide but Chris Hardy diverted the effort into the net from eight yards.

This woke the home team up and within two minutes they had created two great opportunities with one volley flashing just wide and another striking the left hand post but generally Town continued to look good going forward and themselves created chances to increase their advantage.

Wright headed a Lewis Endacott corner inches wide, Luke Robins had a cross-shot tipped wide and Will Turl lobbed a good move just over the bar as Town applied pressure but good dominance did not pay off and the home side punished them with a leveller four minutes before the break.

Town lost the ball sloppily when in good possession in their own half and an unchallenged right wing cross was dive headed in at the far post.

The second half was largely controlled by the visitors who had more sustained periods of good possession.

Codicote were tidy in possession themselves but created little in terms of scoring chances and Town keeper Damion Williamson was largely untroubled.

Town lost Robins early in the half to a shin injury giving youth team player Josh Bronti his first team debut, and it was the visitors who regained the lead in the 54th minute.

Lewis Endacott delivered the flighted free kick that the keeper attempted to punch but Wright beat him to the ball and headed into the empty net.

Wright went close again minutes later volleying just over the angle of the frame after a fine team move.

Midway through the half, and completely out of the blue the home side equalised for the second time when a right wing cross looked ineffective enough but Hardy sensed danger and in attempting to head off for a corner only succeeded in heading across Williamson and into the far corner for a bizarre own goal.

The determined Town team though were not to be denied and after a good period of attacking football got their deserved winning goal with just four minutes remaining.

Another delivered set play from Endacott was only half cleared. Mark Smith headed the ball back into the danger area where Will Turl beat the offside trap to hammer a half volley towards goal.

The home keeper did tremendously well to block the effort but Mark Wright was on hand to hammer in the loose ball.

Bronti was then unlucky to have a close range volley cleared off the line very late on but the points were wrapped up by this time

Town boss Paul Attfield was pleased with the result: "This was another good performance from us I thought. Our pattern of play was quite similar to last week with the difference being we converted more of our chances.

"To only lose two of our opening 13 league games going into the New Year gives us a solid foundation to realisticly challenge for honours if we can maintain consistency which we have genuinely been good at to date.