There doesn’t have to be 90 minutes of goalmouth action for football to absorb the connoisseur, and with the all-important prize of a place in the promotion play-offs at stake, this was certainly an absorbing contest.

 

Anyone who thought it was dull has no feel for the game, the club or for the tension created by end of season matches when there is so much at stake for both teams, albeit for different reasons.

 

A couple of hundred County fans travelled along the M4 to give Hayes easily their highest league crowd of the season, and they made far more noise than the home fans.

 

A playing surface that was not fit for purpose meant good passing movements were for another occasion so this was a game that required concentration, organisation and effort.

 

County started with slickness and purpose exposing a lack of pace at the back with giant defender Jamie Jarvis struggling to cope with Craig Hughes who produced an exemplary performance in terms of effort and pace.

 

In fairness to 36 year-old Jarvis, he came to terms with his task and gave as good as he got from the County forward and organised the home rearguard.

 

The all-important goal came in the 22nd minute when Jason Bowen drew a challenge from a Hayes defender and went down near the corner flag and assistant referee Andrew Stevens flagged for a foul.

 

Bowen took a cheeky free-kick through the legs of a Hayes defender to Steve Jenkins and his cross was turned against the post by Charlie Griffin for SAM O’SULLIVAN to knock in the rebound.

 

Hayes manager Kevin Hill soon lost his cool and was despatched to the stands by referee Stephen Phipps who controlled the game firmly and fairly.

 

The home side found County’s rearguard difficult to break down despite the pace of Josh Scott and the strength of Kieran Knight threatening in the first half.

 

For a time in the second half County struggled to retain possession and were grateful to Damon Searle in particular who had possibly his best game for the club, while his full-back partner Steve Jenkins was as reliable as ever.

 

Ian Hillier and John Brough also held firm and Jacob Giles, though kept busy, was easily able to keep a clean sheet and retain his unbeaten record in league games.

 

Mr Phipps made County endure five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game, but the closest Hayes came to scoring was from a Brough header which flashed across the County six yard box.

 

The victory, County’s first win after defeats in both previous visits to Church Road, gave us a fourth double of the season and sets up Saturday’s home clash with second placed Salisbury very nicely indeed.

 

Line-ups

Hayes:   Davies, Munday, Warner, Jarvis, Collins, Hendry, Dyer (Bartley 79), Ridgway, Scott, Knight, Feeney.  Subs not used: McAuley, Logie, Faal-Thomas, Thomson.

 

County:  Giles, Jenkins, Searle, Davies, Brough, Hillier, Bowen (Leek 80), Simpson, Griffin (Holdsworth 78), Hughes, O’Sullivan.  Subs not used: Evans, Edwards, Ovendale.

 

Scorer:  O’Sullivan (22)

 

Cautions: Hayes: Hendry (74, foul).  County: Holdsworth (81, unsporting behaviour)

 

Referee:   Stephen Phipps (Abingdon).

 

Man of the match:  Hayes: Jarvis

                                   County: Searle

Attendance: 403