HARROW BOROUGH 0 DULWICH HAMLET 1

A draw would have been a fair outcome from this terrific evening’s entertainment, but a superb 81st minute free-kick from Dulwich’s Carew meant that the three points headed to South London.

A draw would have been a fair outcome from this terrific evening’s entertainment, but a superb 81st minute free-kick from Dulwich’s Carew meant that the three points headed to South London.

With George Moore continuing in his unfamiliar right-back berth (and again performing well in it), the only change to Saturday’s starting line-up was the return from injury of Kurtis Cumberbatch, with Mark McLeod dropping to the bench. Harrow began with some slick passing, and a lovely move involving Charles Banya, Shaun Preddie, Anthony O’Connor and Reis Stanislaus ended with the ball played to Michael Bryan, in the inside-left channel on the edge of the box, but his careful side-footer went narrowly over. Preddie then turned onto O’Connor’s pass and shot wide. The first action at the other end saw Melvin Minter save at his near post from Beaney’s strike. When Arinse Uade didn’t get tight enough on Clunis, it allowed a cross that Dumaka volleyed over.

God work by Stanislaus and O’Connor set up Bryan to shoot wide, and when Cumberbatch drove forward, it took a fine tackle by ex-Earlsmeader Chambers to stop O’Connor as he moved onto his pass. At the other end, Adam Richards showed his tackling skills in stopping Carew after a neat Hamlet build-up. Dumaka had the ball in the net for the visitors but the assistant’s flag had gone up. Chambers stopped a Stanislaus effort, and Weatherstone arrived at the near post to head over from Carew’s corner. Moore tried his luck from distance with a free-kick, but it was a great shot and went only narrowly wide. When O’Connor was felled on the very edge of the box, Bryan got the free-kick up and over the wall and onto the top of the bar. Banya got briefly clear of Chambers but was denied by an outrushing Edwards, and an exciting half ended with Dumaka heading narrowly wide from Taylor’s cross.

The second half began with Moore rescuing a Curtis Ujah error with a fine tackle. Harrow broke upfield rapidly, and O’Connor fed Banya. Edwards parried his shot but was nonetheless relieved to see the ball screw off the post, and O’Connor couldn’t adjust his feet quickly enough to dispatch the rebound. O’Connor and Preddie were off target with decent efforts, before Kargbo shot wide for Dulwich. The visitors then broke rapidly up the left, Carew turning Moore but dragging his shot just wide of the near post. Moore put a free-kick across the goalmouth that just needed a touch, before Cumberbatch fed Bryan, whose near-post cross was met by O’Connor who was tackled well as he shot. The same player headed wide from the resulting corner. Dulwich again made a pacey break forward, with skipper Beaney ending it with an effort wide of the mark.

In the 80th minute, Cumberbatch, who may have been tiring on his return, needlessly gave the ball away in midfield, and Uade took down the breaking Boakye-Yiadom, picking up the night’s only yellow card. The free-kick was at least 30 yards out, but Carew bent it over the wall and past a flailing Minter, who might look back and think he had positioned himself a couple of yards too far off his line.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead with a Ferguson header wide, and a Clunis break stopped by a brave challenge from Richards. Searching for the equaliser, Banya climbed at the far post to head Bryan’s delivery over, and when Ujah headed on a corner (Harrow won the corner count 13-2), Richards met it with a powerful header that was blocked on the line. Moore’s follow-up shot was blocked too. Dulwich broke upfield and Minter saved from Ferguson, but the final goal attempt was another from the hosts, a terrific Moore free-kick that just eluded his colleagues as Edwards saved.

Harrow have probably only played better once this season, at Wingate, and if they continue like this the win that has eluded them now for seven matches can’t be far away. Next up is the long journey to Lowestoft Town this Saturday.

Finally, after the physicality of the last home game, and the embarrassing ‘handbags’ that were part of it, how good it was to see a full-on competitive game nevertheless played in a sporting manner. When Kargbo caught Stanislaus with an accidental kick to the head in the first half, it was good to see no-one else get involved, and the two players embrace in the follow-up. An excellent performance from referee Mr Donnellan should also get some praise in this regard.

HARROW BOROUGH: Melvin Minter, George Moore, Arinse Uade (booked, 80 mins), Adam Richards, Curtis Ujah, Shaun Preddie, Charles Banya, Kurtis Cumberbatch (sub Richard Pacquette, 85 mins), Reis Stanislaus, Michael Bryan, Anthony O’Connor. Unused subs: Mark McLeod, Alfie Cain, Tayo Davies-Coker, Howard Hall.

DULWICH HAMLET: Preston Edwards, Quade Taylor, Michael Chambers, Ibrahim Kargbo, Rickie Hayles (sub Tanasheh Abrahams, h-t), Mark Weatherstone, Nyren Clunis, Kenny Beaney, Dumebi Dumaka (sub Nana Boakye-Yiadom, 70 mins), Ashley Carew, Muhammadu Faal (sub Nathan Ferguson, 78 mins). Unused subs: Mohamed Mohamed, Michael Onovwigun.

Referee: Mr T Donnellan

Att. 203

by Simon Grigor