Langford finished 2006 with a visit to Broxbourne Borough. Games between the sides this season have already produced 14 goals with the majority being scored by the Borough. Today was to produce another goal feast with the points eventually being shared in what was to prove atrocious weather conditions in the second half. The game itself was lucky to go the full distance with many games including Watford’s Premiership encounter at home to Wigan being amongst the casualties of abandonments.

The Reds reserve game had fallen foul of the weather earlier in the morning enabling Manager Roy Boon to bring in Wayne Smith and Jez Wiseman to compensate for players away on seasonal activities. Both players gave their best in the stormy conditions.

With it already raining at the beginning of the half Langford were unlucky not to take a first minute lead when a build up involving L’Honore and Barnes set up Bywater, but he shot wide. It wasn’t long after that the Reds did grab the early advantage with a goal on two minutes. Ben L’Honore hammering home a thirty yard free kick that gave Williamson in the home goal no chance. As the match continued the Reds were in the ascendancy with L’Honore again from a free kick unlucky not to give the Reds a two goal advantage when a sizzling free kick hit several parts of the woodwork before being cleared to safety. Robert Groves then volleyed narrowly over shortly afterwards. For the home side Danny Ward came closest to forcing an equaliser forcing a good save from Eely that he pushed away from a corner. The resulting kick fizzing across the Reds area but nobody could get anything on it. Another Ward effort found the side netting. A free kick for the Reds gave another chance for L’Honore to try his luck, but this time his effort went wide. On the half hour the Reds claimed a second goal in a move fashioned by L’Honore on the right playing the ball into the area only for a defenders clearance to find Lee Pateman who fired in a left footed shot into the far corner of the net. Robert Groves showed his determination as he regained possession of the ball after losing it and set up Jim Bywater but with only the goalkeeper to beat he fired wide from twelve yards. The visitors then put the home side under pressure with three successive corners but couldn’t force a third goal. Recent Broxbourne signing Matt Kearney then fired wide after Emiel Aiken had played him into a good position. Five minutes from the interval Langford opened a three goal advantage as Jim Bywater finally proving what a good finisher he can be after collecting a Groves pass before taking the ball into the and drawing out the goalkeeper Williamson before firing home.

The talk of the interval was that Broxbourne had never taken anything from a three goal disadvantage but circumstances proved that “football can be a funny old game” in the second half.

The second half saw the Reds defending against a more determined home side and against the rain and wind that had considerably strengthened during the interval. Even so had Lee Pateman’s header been more powerful from Jim Bywater’s cross it could have proved too much of a deficit for the home side. On fifty six minutes a cross field ball from left to right saw Aiken do well to keep the ball in play and it was his cross that was met on the volley by Ross Edwards to begin the home fight back. A controversial second goal on sixty eight minutes when Joe Delasalle’s foul tackle on Daryl Mitchell was deemed by the referee’s assistant to have been in the box and not outside as everybody in the ground had seen it. Daryl Mitchell then striking home the spot kick and possibly turning the tide in favour of the home side. Weather conditions were certainly deteriorating with standing water in the centre circle and several other areas of the pitch. The home side were undeterred and now had the “bit between the teeth” to get something out this game that had been out of reach at half time. Despite some determined defending a Broxbourne equaliser arrived with thirteen minutes remaining. The home side forced a corner and with the ball resembling a keg of soap, Eely in the visitors’ goal dropped the ball on the goal line with Emiel Aiken being on hand to push it over the line to complete the comeback. No further goals meant that it had really been a game of two halves and a draw being a fair result as both teams had played the game in good spirit in some appalling weather conditions.