Hemel Hempstead 2
(Matthews-Lewis 24′, 73′)
United 1
(Palmer 66′)
United suffered defeat on Saturday, as Hemel Hempstead secured a 2-1 victory at Vauxhall Road.
It was Millar Matthews-Lewis who initially broke the deadlock, before Ed Palmer came up with the goods for the second successive weekend make it 1-1. Unfortunately though, Matthews-Lewis re-established the lead shortly after, and that ultimately sealed defeat for United.
Fresh from Monday’s 3-2 home success over Dover, boss Paul Wotton made two changes to the starting eleven, with Dan Hayfield and matchwinner Matt Jay taking the places of Munashe Sundire and Josh Phillips respectively.
A nip-and-tick first quarter of the game failed to produce much in the way of goalmouth action, but when the breakthrough eventually came, it fell the way of the hosts.
After winning their first corner of the game, the rising Matthews-Lewis was afforded too much space, and the Town man duly punished The Gulls by putting Hemel 1-0 up in the 24th minute.
That deficit remained until after the change of ends, and it wasn’t until the midway point of the second period that United got back on level terms.
With Palmer having stayed up following a half-cleared set-piece, it was Cody Cooke’s cross that picked him out, allowing the centre-back to power home an equaliser.
Just as at Hornchurch though, it was swiftly cancelled out as the home side regained the lead.
Matthews-Lewis was again the man who got on the scoresheet, sweeping the ball home inside a packed penalty area.
United – who were hampered further by skipper Matt Worthington leaving the field prematurely with a dead leg – kept plugging away, but despite their best efforts, Hemel’s second goal proved decisive.
The men in yellow do have a swift chance to kick-start their away results on Tuesday evening though, with a trip to Hampton up next on the 2025/26 agenda.
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD TOWN: 1. Michael Johnson, 2. Olatunbosun Adenola, 4. Kyle O’Connor-Ajayi (c), 7. George Williams (Hamza Bin-Semakula, 86′), 8. Jake Gray (3. Darion Dowrich, 68′), 9. Millar Matthews-Lewis (11. Finley Wilkinson, 89′), 10. Joe White, 12. Kyran Wiltshire, 15. Mathew Achuba (16. Isiah Noel-Williams, 80′), 19. Jack Bateson (6. Jordon Thompson, 33′), 22. Devante Stanley.
SUBS NOT USED: 20. Mauro Da Silva Vilhete, 21. Jermaine Anderson.
Yellow Card: Harding 70′, Gravata 90+3′
UNITED: 1. James Hamon, 3 Jay Foulston, 5. Sam Dreyer, 7. Louis Dennis, 8. Jordan Young, 9. Cody Cooke (15. Jadyn Crosbie, 79′), 16. Ed Palmer, 18. Matt Worthington (c) (4. Jordan Dyer, 73′), 20. Dan Hayfield, 26. Jordan Thomas ( 2. Denzel Akyeampong, HT), 27. Matt Jay (12. Josh Phillips, HT).
SUBS NOT USED: 13. Matt Wonnacott (GK), 29. Aidan Edwards.
Yellow Card: Palmer 71′
