BEACONSFIELD TOWN 4 HARROW BORO 1

For the first time this campaign, Harrow have lost successive league games. And this was arguably the worst performance of the season, full of poor passing, bad decisions, defensive errors and with a decreased threat up-front.

Ryan Moss’s wife had given birth last night, so he missed the game, as did an unwell Shaun Preddie. Nathaniel Oseni was the latest player to be tried out in the problem right-back berth and he found it as problematic as Preddie had last Tuesday. George Moore was on the bench, albeit unused, and hopefully that is a sign that he is close to a return.

However, Harrow began well enough. Michael Bryan’s fine corner was met by a powerful header from Mitchal Gough, but the ball was cleared off the line. Bryan then curled a free-kick over the bar after Dylan Kearney had been dragged back by Neville. But the first step in Harrow’s suicide came after 14 minutes. Three times the Harrow defence had the chance to hack away the ball, but each time the players involved chose to attempt a shorter pass, and found the ball intercepted and coming back at them. On the third occasion, Losasso took the ball, went in on the left side and squared it to Morgan, who had a simple job to net.

Hafed Al-Droubi then had to go full-length to turn round Stead’s shot. A nice move by Bryan, Oseni and Anthony O’Connor ended with a cross just in front of Kearney, Gough made a great tackle to stop Morgan, and Bryan found Jordan Ireland whose side-foot shot was held by Constable. Harrow levelled after 36 minutes. Ryan Haugh found Lewis Cole on the left, and his sweet cross was turned into his own net by Neville, under pressure from O’Connor, for an own goal.

Ireland made a good defensive interception, and Losasso’s free-kick went just over, before a catalogue of errors gave Beaconsfield back the lead after 42 minutes. Again a chance to clear the ball wasn’t taken, as The Rams got into the box on the right. Al-Droubi dived at Morgan’s feet but couldn’t grasp the ball, and Morgan got it away from him, crossing for ex-Harrow man Bajram Pashaj to walk in.

Constable made a good save to turn away an Ireland shot, as Harrow went in a goal down at the break. The hosts started the second period the stronger, with Gough blocking Morgan’s shot, the ball rebounding to Brown whose cross was headed wide by Losasso. Al-Droubi then saved at Morgan’s feet as the home striker went through the middle of the Harrow defence far too easily. Borough were millimetres away from an equaliser when Osemi and Ireland got the ball to Bryan, and he beat a defender before hitting a left-foot curler that beat Constable and came off the inside of the far post. But Beaconsfield doubled their lead in the 63rd minute, when Losasso swung in a pacey free-kick from the left and Yorke headed it in.

Three Harrow substitutions, including a debut for Andre Odetola and a return for the fit-again Frank Keita, didn’t do anything for Harrow, and it looked more likely that The Rams would increase their lead than that Borough would reduce the deficit. And so it proved. Losasso whipped in an 81st minute corner, Al-Droubi missed it, and Morgan headed in at the far post.

Harrow look totally deflated and when Gough lost the ball, Hunte set up another ex-Harrow player, Bates, who shot wide, With three minutes to go, Constable took out Kearney with a challenge outside his area and was pretty lucky that Mr Begley’s card was yellow, not red. But anyone who thinks that, if the home keeper had been dismissed with three minutes to go, Harrow might have clawed back three goals, is fooling themselves.

After this performance, Harrow need a game other than a league match, to attempt to regroup, and Tuesday night’s Middlesex Senior Cup Quarter-Final at Staines will give them that opportunity.

BEACONSFIELD TOWN: Ravan Constable (booked, 87 mins), Omar Vassell, Mayowa Balogun, Reece Yorke, Luke Neville (booked, 8 mins), Wes Daly (booked, 19 mins), Louis Stead (sub Connor Hunte, 67 mins), Daniel Brown, Marvin Morgan (sub Jon-Jo Bates, 82 mins), Bajram Pashaj (sub Callum Webb, 86 mins), Charlie Losasso. Unused subs: Jordan Ajanlekoko, Brendan Matthew.

HARROW BOROUGH: Hafed Al-Droubi, Nathaniel Oseni (booked, 63 mins), Ryan Haugh, Mitchal Gough, George Fenton (sub Andre Odetola, 61 mins), Jordan Ireland, Dylan Kearney (booked, 79 mins), Mark McLeod, Anthony O’Connor (sub Frank Keita, 74 mins), Michael Bryan, Lewis Cole (sub Max Holland, 61 mins). Unused subs: Lee Pearce, George Moore.

Referee: Mr M Begley

Att. 145

By Simon Grigor