HARROW BOROUGH 1 TOOTING & MITCHAM UNITED 1

It is asking a huge amount of any players, let alone part-timers, to play four games in eight days, and Harrow’s exertions over the last week caught up with them as they struggled to a draw against basement battlers Tooting & Mitcham

It was no surprise that Steve Baker selected the same starting eleven as had begun Thursday night’s 6-0 hammering of Lowestoft. But on an excellent playing surface, in warm sunshine, it was the bottom-of-the-table visitors who were much the slicker from the off. Melvin Minter leapt to tip over Morgan-Griffiths’s 25-yarder, Folkes failed to get a clean connection on the ball in a big scramble in the home goalmouth, Minter turned round Folkes’s shot from the left and then made a great save when the same player beat the home offside trap. Wilson shot across goal, all this in a first ten minutes that might have seen Tooting four-up. Then, wouldn’t you know it, Harrow took an eleventh minute lead. Shaun Preddie turned up in the inside-left channel, beat a defender and laid the ball to Kurtis Cumberbatch, who smashed it past Pierson from the edge of the box.

Going a goal down did not quell the Tooting threat. O’Neil made room for himself on the edge of the box and let fly, Minter leaping to his right to turn the ball round. Folkes then set up Wilson who was foiled by Minter. Harrow then finally enjoyed some domination, and Mark McLeod found Cumberbatch who curled the ball narrowly wide. Chinua Cole cut in from the left but skied his shot, and Thursday’s hat-trick hero George Moore shot over from an angle after good work by Michael Bryan. But the half ended with an illustration of what had gone on before, as Minter made a flying save to deny O’Neil.

Spencer headed over as the second half began, with Pierson in action at the other end to bat down a fierce drive from Cumberbatch. Tooting continued to play neat football at odds with their bottom position, and a lovely move concluded with Morgan-Griffiths’s shot deflected wide for a corner. Adam Pepera then made a fine tackle to stop Wilson. Moore was off-target with a 50-yard attempt, before Spencer’s cross went across the Harrow goalmouth without a colleague on hand to convert. The Tooting goal that had been on the cards since 3pm arrived in the 69th minute, as Morgan-Griffiths twisted inside two Harrow defenders and lashed the ball past a flailing Minter from the edge of the box.

Charles Banya pulled a shot across goal from Cumberbatch’s pass, and Pierson saved a Bryan shot at the third attempt. Minter held Wilson’s attempt at the back post, the same players then involved again with the result the same. Minter saved at the feet of Clements but despite the Tooting dominance Harrow might have retaken the lead as Cumberbatch’s curling free-kick came back off the crossbar. Pepera headed wide from a corner, but Tooting nearly snatched the three points as finally Minter was beaten, by Spencer’s shot, but Anthony O’Connor made a wonderful block to stop a certain goal.
Borough’s squad now have a week off before travelling to Needham Market next Saturday.

HARROW BOROUGH: Melvin Minter, George Moore, Chinua Cole, Shaun Preddie, Adam Pepera, Kurtis Cumberbatch, Charles Banya (sub Tarum Dawkins, 76 mins), Mark McLeod (sub Adam Richards, 76 mins), Ryan Moss, Michael Bryan, Ahmed El-Sahib (sub Anthony O’Connor, 53 mins). Unused sub: Favio Merchan Rodriguez.

TOOTING & MITCHAM UNITED: Matte Pierson, Ajani Domingo-Carrington, Peter Wedgeworth, Eddie Dines (sub Reis Stanislaus, 61 mins), Sol Patterson-Bohner, Matt Drage, Juevan Spencer, Dominic Morgan-Griffiths, Omar Folkes, Jordan Wilson, Chace O’Neil (sub Daniel Clements, 78 mins). Unused subs: Ollie Bennett, Quincy Rowe, Dion MacFoy-Johnson.

Referee: Mr G Muge

Att. 198

by Simon Grigor