Plymouth Parkway 4-0 Harrow Borough

Harrow once again looked ‘beaten by the better side’, but at a time when there’s no excuse for it and a time where they desperately need to start winning, they slipped even further into the bottom four as they are now three points from safety behind Hendon, who have a huge advantage on goal difference. However, Harrow have two games in hand on Gosport who are just one point further on.

Harrow had a very good chance early on as Anointed Chukwu won the ball very well in midfield, from Crago who slipped and lost his footing. Chukwu then played the ball to Kai Omoko-Brosnan, who found Ben De Lacy-Turner, who tried to go round the keeper, but Duffey smothered the ball in the Plymouth goal.

Play was scrappy early on and both teams took a while to adapt to the tricky surface. In the seventh minute Harrow survived a scare after Plymouth were able to have possession of the ball quite easily again after not enough closing down from the Reds. Williams crossed to Crago who shot over the bar and it landed with a bounce on the top netting, which was quite amusing to watch.

Harrow had another piece of defending to do one minute later, as Lane took a corner and he crossed to Booth, who headed over with another bounce on the top netting. It didn’t reach a Harrow player because Harrow didn’t get underneath it, but luckily for the visitors it was mis-headed by Plymouth. Harrow looked panicky in defence early on and this corner was followed by Lane taking two more successive corners. The second of the three was dealt with by Hamilton Bunga, who like Lacy-Turner was making his first league start.

In the eighth minute Hall had the ball but Chukwu intercepted well and forced Duffey to come forward and kick the ball out. In the 14th minute Chukwu won the ball 30 yards out and found Omoko-Brosnan and in turn he found De Lacy-Turner, but the keeper held again.

The first real controlled passage of play from Parkway was in the 17th minute when Crago, Garside and Rooney linked well along the right with the final cross catching Lane marginally offside. Harrow continued to play long balls and on 19 minutes De Lacy-Turner did well to release George Moore, whose angled shot was bravely blocked by the feet of Duffey with the ball deflected for a corner. Garside’s free kick was then saved by Jacob Knightbridge.

In the 26th minute Parkway made the breakthrough when Samuel Adenola was beaten to the ball in midfield and Garside and Rooney combined well again, Garside winning the ball off Adenola and setting up Rooney for a simple tap in underneath Knightbridge’s legs.

In the 28th minute Harrow had their second clear chance when a great ball by De Lacy-Turner picked out George Moore, but once again the keeper saved. A free kick was given to Borough straight after that, which was knocked out to De Lacy-Turner from Chukwu, and he drove over from 30 yards. Harrow’s last chance before half-time, saw a through ball from Chukwu put Moore through, and he went round the keeper but put the ball into the side netting from a tight angle.

Harrow had a third good chance in the second period at 52 minutes where a good cross from Geroge Moore was just headed over by De Lacy-Turner from 6 yards. Harrow defended well in the 55th minute when Hamilton Bunga intercepted Hall forcing a goal kick.

Moore limped off with what looked like an injured knee in the 66th minute and the away travellers all looked concerned. Shaun Preddie replaced him.

In the 70th minute a quality through ball from Billy Leonard found Chukwu who put it narrowly wide: it was a fantastic chance to equalise, sadly not taken. This chance was followed by a goal to double Parkway’s lead in the 72nd minute. Preddie tried to shepherd the ball out but was intercepted by Lane who won a free kick, which he took, the ball going straight through Knightbridge’s hands.

Three minutes later, Parkway substitute Carter won the ball the in midfield and passed to Crago who returned the ball to him and he hit a low drive which went past Knightbridge’s right hand. That was game over for Harrow, matters merely worsening in the 93rd minute when Billy Leonard was outmuscled in midfield, leading to all the Harrow defenders desperately trying to rush back and Sonny Hart, who seemed to be lacking confidence today with his poorest game in a Boro shirt, panicked and put the ball into his own net.

There was then a huge player brawl at the end with Shaun Preddie seemingly starting it, and then George Moore reacted and very nearly got himself a red card.

Harrow now have a massively important eight games left to finish the season, where I feel they can afford to get a draw in two of the games, but the rest of the 6 games are all must win in my opinion. On Tuesday evening, Bracknell Town travel to The Rogers Family Stadium and then next Saturday, the other Borough, Gosport are the visitors.

Plymouth Parkway: Jordan Duffey, Harrison King, Ryan Lane, Callum Hall, Callum Rose, Austen Booth, Mikey Williams, Dan Rooney, Tom Bath, Rio Garside, Jack Crago.
Subs: Aaron Goulty, Toby Down, Adam Carter

Harrow Borough: Knightbridge, Kandolo, Sharman, Bunga, Hart, Adenola, Moore, leonard, Chukwu, Brosnan, De Lacy-Turner
Subs: Bartley, Allotey, Ikebuasi, Bloom, Preddie