When City played this fixture in April earlier this year, it was at the end of a mad month of football. It was the eleventh of twelve games played that month, City having played on the previous Saturday and Tuesday before taking on Hemel on the Thursday in a rescheduled game. No surprises that City weren’t at their best in the final game of the season at home to Hednesford.

Much has changed in the intervening four months. Revenge has been exacted at Hednesford and City are playing some of their best football for many a month. There have been significant developments at Hemel too. Last season’s team has been more or less shipped out, new manager Colin Payne bringing a host of new, youthful signings who have started the season with real intent. In today’s squad were just four players from last season whereas City had ten who featured in both games.

Further continuity was on display in the shape on an unchanged team from Saturday’s victorious side that beat Tiverton so comfortably.

But come the whistle, it was the Tudors who offered the greater threat and could have counted themselves unlucky when Denis Fenemore’s header clipped the top of the cross bar after just two minutes. On ten minutes Danny May and Bruce Wilson worked together well to create an opening for Scott Thomas whose shot from outside the box went over. And when Wayne O’Sullivan evaded four City tackles, it took Zac Barrett to prevent the wide player from opening the scoring after 14 minutes.

The Lilywhites did find the net via Craig Hammond, but had his effort chalked off for offside on 16 minutes. However, this was a sign of better things to come as the Lilywhites gradually played themselves into the game. City’s best three chances came on 25 minutes when John Kennedy received Tony Burkes pass from the right and chipped just wide; on 33 when Ashley Fuller was in the clear but drove his shot straight at Mike McEntergart and on 44 when Burke tried his luck from 25, blasting his shot just over.

In the middle of all this O’Sullivan and May both hesitated and didn’t put a shot away when the ball was begging to be driven home.

The second half began with the reintroduction of James Krause to City colours. The last time he played here he found himself in the unusual situation of playing in central defence and unluckily scoring in his own net.* On this occasion he made amends with seconds of the restart, winning his side a corner on the left which Adrian Cambridge centred. Much confusion in the Hemel penalty area and David Kolodynski was on hand to score from close range after 48 minutes.

It looked as if Cambridge was about to reproduce his chip of two weeks ago when he benefited from some sloppy defending on 50 minutes and lined up a delicate shot that hit the cross bar and bounced back. However, his midfield partner Kennedy found exactly the right pass on 58 minutes that opened up the defence to put in Kolodynski who scored with a screamer to record his second of the match and his fourth in six days. 2-0 to City and with the power to add.

Kolodynski must have thought he had his hat-trick on 70 minutes only to see McEntergart save not only his shot but the follow up from Hammond.

The Lilywhites’ defence held firm once again to record a third consecutive clean sheet, protecting Barrett from much heavy shelling. May threatened briefly in stoppage time but other than that the City number one had a relatively quiet second half.

Four wins and two draws; nine goals in three games; top of the league by a point and at home on Saturday. You’d be mad to miss it.

* Pop quiz time: Name the rest of the City back four that night.