So, Harrow Borough reached the halfway point of a season billed as a push for the play-offs. Forget that. In the second half of the campaign they face a desperate struggle to avoid the drop, in which they’ll probably need to take 30 points from the 63 available to have a chance. As they have only taken nine of the last 48 on offer, there aren’t too many optimistic faces around their long-suffering fans. Indeed, some of the longest suffering are now openly wondering if this constant grief and depression, now continued (after one brief happy season) into Southern League life after years of it in the Isthmian, really is the way they want to spend their leisure time. Here at Gosport, it was a better afternoon for the usually brittle defence, but going forward Harrow offered very little until a formation change, probably made too late, caused the first scares of the afternoon for the home rearguard.

With Josh Andrew and Thomas Scott suspended and Shaun Preddie injured, there was a welcome return to the ranks for Ryan Haugh, while a second Fulham youngster had arrived on loan, with Ben Tricker lining up at centre-back alongside George Fenton and Adam Pepera.

Gosport were first to threaten, Woodford winning a free-kick delivery in the air to set up Flood to shoot, on the turn, over the bar. Harrow responded with some Michael Bryan trickery on the right wing, his cross glanced over at the near post by Marc Charles-Smith. Flood headed over from a Williams free-kick, before Tricker must have had his heart in his mouth as he sliced Williams’s cross narrowly over his own crossbar. Robinson then drew a save from Harrow’s other Fulham loanee, keeper Luca Ashby-Hammond. Harrow’s best move of the half ended with Bryan, now on the left, crossing to the near post where Charles-Smith just got to the ball in front of a defender but directed the ball wide. Gosport went back on the attack with Robinson shooting narrowly wide and Tricker making a fine interception of a right-wing cross to take it off the toe of a forward. Woodford headed a corner over and Tricker survived loud claims for a penalty when the ball seemed to strike his arm. Might this have a been a piece of luck to indicate a change in Harrow fortunes? They reached half-time level, with the travelling fans, some of whom had ferried over from Portsmouth, encouraged by a more organised-looking defence, but concerned at how little threat they were posing at the other end. In particular, Kunle Otudeko was looking hopelessly lost, not seemingly knowing whether he was supposed to be supporting Charles-Smith as a second striker, or playing off him in ‘the hole’. He wasn’t doing either to any effect.

Harrow did start the second half well. George Moore’s driven free-kick drew a fine save from Dudzinski, and the resulting corner led to a scramble in the home box, with George Fenton’s flicked attempt touched onto the post by Dudzinski. Referee Mr Bradley didn’t give him any credit for the save, however, as he awarded a goal-kick. Although for the first time of the afternoon they were not dominating, it was now that Gosport took the lead, after 53 minutes to be exact, as Ashby-Hammond spilled Flood’s shot into the six-yard box, and Lewis was on hand to convert.

It was only now that Harrow put serious resource into going forward. Anyone who has watched Charles-Smith over the years knows that he is a forward who holds the ball up and brings others into play, but only now was another forward brought on to play up-front with him, Excellence Muhemba. Harrow did start to better keep possession, and a Moore header from a Haugh free-kick was saved by Dudzinski. Ashby-Hammond saved from Robinson, Moore shooting into the side-netting at the other end, before Leo Donnellan drove another effort over the bar. A fine Jordan Ireland run ended with Lewis Cole poking a shot wide.

Moore then made a buccaneering run into the box on the right, crossing to the far post where Dylan Ive seemed certain to score but was stopped by a fantastic interception by Davis, diverting the ball over the bar from almost underneath it. But, aside from a Moore free-kick blasted way off target when other options were available, that was it from Harrow as they sunk to yet another defeat, on an afternoon when Beaconsfield and Walton Casuals both picked up away wins. The last week had seen two more of their relegation rivals, Yate and Dorchester, pick up a point from their respective visits to Gosport, but of course Harrow weren’t able to. Dark days indeed.

GOSPORT BOROUGH: Ben Dudzinski, Dan Strugnell, Rory Williams, Mike Carter, Ryan Woodford, Sam Roberts, Liam Robinson (sub Charlie Davis, 82 mins), Theo Lewis, Mat Paterson (sub Sam Argent, 90 mins), Josh Huggins (sub Charlie Kennedy, 38 mins), Chris Flood. Unused subs: George Barker, Alex John.

HARROW BOROUGH: Luca Ashby-Hammond, George Moore, Ryan Haugh, Ben Tricker (booked, 90 mins), Adam Pepera (sub Leo Donnellan, 60 mins), George Fenton, Kunle Otudeko (sub Excellence Muhemba, 60 mins), Jordan Ireland, Marc Charles-Smith, Michael Bryan, Lewis Cole (sub Dylan Ive, 82 mins). Unused subs: Hafed Al-Droubi, Juwon Akintunde.

Referee: Mr A Bradley

Att. n/k

By Simon Grigor