First Team
Matches
Tue 03 Mar 2015  ·  Ryman Premier
Harrow Borough Football Club
First Team
B Long (5'), L Driver (10'), M Charles-Smith (33' Pen), D Taylor (69'), R Hope (83')
5
1
Wingate & Finchley
HARROW BORO 5  WINGATE & FINCHLEY  1

HARROW BORO 5 WINGATE & FINCHLEY 1

Harrow Borough4 Mar 2015 - 10:44
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One month into his regime, there are clear indication that Steve Baker’s methods are starting to pay dividends. Harrow’s best performance of the season, by a distance, saw them record their first ever league victory over their North London neighbours

There was a very welcome sight in the return of Ben Long to the Harrow side, the midfielder having been out since getting injured on New Year’s Day. David Taylor came in at right-back with Josh Webb switching to the left, as George McCluskey had a knock and was fit only for a seat on the bench.

But when the game began, it looked like the usual story against Wingate was going to unfold, as the visitors went ahead in the third minute. And it was a dire goal for Harrow to concede, as Wingate played a short corner routine and when the ball came into the box, there was a man unmarked at the far post, and he nodded it across goal for an equally unmarked Knight to head home from close in.

Before any despair could set in, however, Harrow equalised in the fifth minute. Michael Bryan, who was to have a superb game, back-heeled the ball to Webb, charging down the left. The Harrow faithful wondered how the man hitherto employed on the right might get on crossing with his left foot, but they needn’t have worried, as his superb delivery was met with a firm header from the inrushing Long, the ball going in off the underside of the bar.

And five minutes later, Harrow were ahead. Webb’s firm challenge won the ball 30 yards out, and Marc Charles-Smith helped it on with a clever overhead kick. It was a 50/50 between Lewis Driver and keeper Smith, and Driver’s determination and bravery saw him get there first, just, to loop the ball up and over him, into the net.

Driver nearly got a second when the Bryan-Webb combination saw the ball played across the six-yard box to him, a slight deflection as it came across stopping Driver getting the best connection on the ball, which squirmed past the far post. Webb was then in action at the other end, making a fine tackle on Oliyide to stop a dangerous attack. Wingate were threatening an equaliser with Weatherstone’s header going over and Tejan-Sie first forcing Nick Jupp to save his deflected shot, and then putting another effort narrowly wide. But Harrow extended their lead in the 32nd minute. Ryan Hope laid the ball to Driver, ten yards out, and the striker was flattened from behind by Goodman as he went to shoot. The red card for the Wingate right-back was inevitable, and Charles-Smith drove home the penalty.

Anthony Page got in the way of Knight’s fierce drive, and Laney, once of Harrow, saw his shot deflected past the post and then had Jupp grab his angled chip. Knight shot past Jupp but Webb was on hand to clear the ball off the line. Webb ended a fine half with a 20-yard fizzing shot that Smith saved well.

Over the years Harrow have rarely looked comfortable playing against ten men but things were very different here. Hope and Spencer McCall were building neatly in midfield, despite the glue-pot surface, and Bryan was keeping possession excellently and Long working tirelessly, as the midfield looked a far more balanced unit. And Baker was encouraging them from the dugout, asking for quicker movement of the ball. Here is a man more interested in getting the best of his players than ranting at officialdom!

Harrow were at their visitors’ throats as the second half began, and from more good work from Bryan, Driver’s flick was turned away by Smith, with Hope’s follow-up blocked. Oliyide was close to turning in Marsh-Brown’s cross, but Wingate threats were becoming rarer as Harrow continued to dominate possession and press forward. Charles-Smith cut back inside from the right to fire a left-footer past the near post, and Long headed wide from Bryan’s cross. When a free-kick was cleared to the edge of the box, Bryan cleverly tried to steer the ball home but it went just over. Webb then drove down the left wing, finding Driver whose cut back was steered past the near post by Charles-Smith.

Smith then saved Driver’s side-footer, and made a super save to tip Charles-Smith’s low bending shot onto the post. Rifat got in the way of Hope’s shot. A Harrow fourth looked like it was coming, and it arrived in the 69th minute. Taylor made a storming run forward, exchanged passes with Driver and slammed a 20-yard thunderbolt that left Smith clawing the air as it hit the back of the net.

Taylor came forward again, finding Long, whose exquisite chipped pass played in Driver, whose shot was turned away by an overworked Smith. Charles-Smith got clear of the Wingate offside trap but tried to walk the ball round the keeper, who got a hand to the ball to turn it away. Smith then saved Driver’s 30-yarder. Borough’s pocket-battleship striker then left the field to sumptuous applause after a man-of-the-match performance: his return from his self-imposed retirement just might be the key to unlocking a ‘get out of jail’ card for Harrow.

There was time for a fifth Harrow goal, and a fifth scorer on the night, in the 83rd minute. Bryan made yet another incisive run on the left, and his ball inside was laid back by Charles-Smith into the path of Hope, who struck the ball across Smith into the far corner.

The win at least put Harrow back into the group of four clubs battling not to be in the top three of the relegation spots (assuming that Bury, now nine points adrift, are likely to be the fourth club going down). They’ve played more games than their rivals so the position is still bleak, but more performances like this will change that. Next up is a massive test, the visit from league leaders Maidstone United this Saturday.

HARROW BOROUGH: Nick Jupp, Josh Webb, David Taylor (sub John Sonuga, 81 mins), Anthony Page, Michael Peacock, Spencer McCall (booked, 60 mins), Michael Bryan, Ryan Hope, Marc Charles-Smith, Lewis Driver (sub Raheem Sterling-Parker, 79 mins; booked, 90 mins), Ben Long (sub Kamaron English, 75 mins). Unused subs: George McCluskey, Carl McCluskey.

WINGATE & FINCHLEY: Bobby Smith, Mark Goodman (sent off, 32 mins), Ronayne Marsh-Brown, Stuart Lake (sub Bradley Hewitt, h-t), Marc Weatherstone, Ahmet Rifat (booked, 32 mins), David Knight, Richard Graham (sub Scott Shulton, h-t), Rob Laney, Tommy Tejan-Sie, Karl Oliyde (sub Gavin Suddell, 79 mins). Unused subs: Jack Read, Joe Sharpe.

Referee: Mr P Johnson

Att. 145

Match details

Match date

Tue 03 Mar 2015

Kickoff

19:45

Attendance

145

Competition

Ryman Premier
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