HARROW BOROUGH (1) 1 TOOTING & MITCHAM UNITED (0) 1

Five home league games played, and Harrow don’t yet have a home win on the board. They clocked up their fourth draw from those matches in an even encounter at Earlsmead on a mild evening that saw both sides score their goal when the other side was domi

Nick Pope, not allowed to play in the FA Cup by parent club Charlton, returned between the posts. Wayne Walters took over from Quincy Rowe in the starting line-up, while Lee Wootton dropped out in favour of Reggie Savage who partnered Jon-Jo Bates as Harrow reverted to two men up-front.

Lively up front and out wide, it was the visitors who enjoyed the early supremacy. Newman shot across goal and Byatt fired over the bar. Daniel McGonigle had the first strike for Borough, a 20-yarder held comfortably by Giddens. Henry’s header was heading into the corner of the home net before Pope flung himself to his left to make a full-length save. Byatt then dipped a shot just over Pope’s crossbar.

However, after that visiting dominance, it was Harrow who went in front after 34 minutes. Evandro Delgado controlled a ball in the inside right channel, skipped round Giddens, steadied himself and placed it in the net.

That signalled a change in the game and in particular boosted the Portuguese scorer. Giddens saved his header, Savage had a curling shot saved after good work by Sebastian Schoburgh, Delgado’s 20-yarder was well held by the Tooting custodian and then, as the half drew to a close, a brilliant run past three defenders by Delgado ended in a cross just beyond the stretching Savage. Schoburgh picked up the ball and found Bates, whose cross from the other side was just beyond Savage’s reach.

Harrow continued to dominate as the second period opened. Schoburgh drove over, a Garry Jones free-kick was deflected away from the goal, Rob Wolleaston set up McGonigle to shoot wide, and Giddens saved bravely at Bates’s feet. But after 57 minutes, a fine pass by Robinson sent Newman through to take the ball round Pope and equalise, a not-dissimilar goal to Harrow’s.

It was then Tooting’s turn to press. McGonigle made an important hack clear when Pope came through a crowd of players and failed to get a meaningful punch. Henry, with a header, and Newman, with a shot, were then off target.

But Harrow had a late opportunity to take the points when Tooting central defender Palmer brought down debutant Mo Habu in a ‘last man’ situation and was red-carded by referee Evetts. Giddens made a super tip-over from Jones’s resulting free-kick, a good burst to the by-line by Joe Kelly saw his cross hacked away, and a string of Harrow corners came to nought.