Harrow Borough 1 - 3 Swindon Supermarine
Simon Grigor's match report, as defensive errors helped the 'The Marines' take the three points to continue their push for a play-off place.
Two defensive calamities in the opening 21 minutes, one an unfortunate accident, the other an awful communications and then marking failure, pretty much ended this match as a contest, and despite a degree of Harrow revival the visitors saw things out to take the points back to Wiltshire.
Although George Moore, Billy Leonard and Shaun Preddie, all absent from the starting eleven at Salisbury on Tuesday, were able to return here, there were new absentees: an ill Isiah Noel-Williams, and Ezra Ikebuasi with a groin injury. These two had been outstanding in the draw at Salisbury and their loss was a massive pre-match blow.
Harrow immediately put a nice move together, Johnny Allotey, Leonard and Moore all involved in creating a chance for Kai Omoko Brosnan, but Gould in the Supermarine goal saved his shot. The visitors had a strong wind at their backs in the first half and, with the game only three minutes old when a long punt forward was caught under his own bar by home keeper Jacob Knightbridge, but he crashed into the post in the process of doing so. The ball popped out of his hands and Conor McDonagh gobbled up the loose ball.
Knightbridge atoned slightly minutes later when he made a point-blank save to stop McDonagh grabbing a second from close in. Gould batted away a shot from Anointed Chukwu and saved with his feet from Allotey’s angled drive. Knightbridge saved from Williams, the league’s top scorer, and at the other end Chukwu’s shot was blocked. Sonny Hart blocked Campbell’s effort but, in the 21st minute, Jaden Sharman chased back to, it seemed, shepherd out another punt forward, but with poor communication between him and Knightbridge, he inexplicably chose to head it out for a corner. That was delivered by Spalding to the far post and, as has been an ongoing issue from set pieces, Harrow’s marking was way short of the required level and Mat Liddiard rose pretty much unchallenged to head home.
Brosnan got the ball caught under his feet when Allotey picked him out, and Moore’s shot from 25 yards was saved. Chukwu and Leonard exchanged passes for the former to test Gould, and Samuel Adenola stumbled when Brosnan got to the by-line and picked him out.
Harrow began the second half brightly and pulled a goal back in the 48th minute, Allotey getting to the left-hand by-line - and how good it was to see both he and Brosnan driving to the by-line: I’m a massive believer in this as a method of chance creation - his cross turned in at the far post by Brosnan.
Now just a goal down, could Borough snatch a point? Chukwu, using his strength to better effect this afternoon, turned on the edge of the box to fire a shot just past the post, but Swindon dropped deeper and organised well to minimise Harrow efforts. They then killed off the contest in the 73rd minute when the Borough defence weren’t tight enough on Williams as he collected the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the box. He performed a couple of twists, and a sharp turn and hammered a shot past Knightbridge.
Two substitutions didn't anything for Harrow, with Allotey, the main threat on the afternoon, pushed further back, and they offered little in the last 15 minutes.
Unlike at North Leigh, there was effort all game from every player, but Harrow are still in a precarious position. Once again, other results were kind, meaning they sit one place above the drop line, but only on goal difference and are now below the point-a-game total that has to be the bare minimum requirement in a relegation battle. With the lenghty illness and injury list, the blank midweek ahead is massively welcome, and it’s followed by a pair of away games, at third place Chesham United on Saturday and at Hanwell Town the following Tuesday.
HARROW BOROUGH: Jacob Knightbridge, Samuel Adenola, Jaden Sharman (sub Maxxime Ndambi, 74 mins), Shaun Preddie, Sonny Hart, Billy Leonard, George Moore (booked, 84 mins), Johnny Allotey, Anointed Chukwu, Kai Omoko Brosnan, Kamon-Sherell Assidjo (sub Hami Berchiche, 64 mins). Unused subs: Charles Taylor, Marc Charles-Smith.
SWINDON SUPERMARINE: Josh Gould, Sam Turl, Will Tunnicliff (sub Bradley Hooper, 52 mins), James Edge, Malik Sesay, Mat Liddiard, Henry Spalding (sub James Harding, 90 mins), Joe Tumelty (booked, 34 mins), Harry Williams, Conor McDonagh (sub Zack Kotwica, 52 mins), Ryan Campbell. Unused subs: Leon Morrison, Tom Sharpe.
Referee: Mr V Bakulin
Attendance. 213