HARROW BOROUGH 1 VCD ATHLETIC 2

An excellent all round performance from the Vickers saw them deservedly take the points against a side that struggled to cope with the attacking pace of the visitors, and it was not until the last ten minutes that they produced any real threat on the VCD goal. It has to be said that if VCD had taken all their chances in the first half they could have gone into the break at least four goals to the good. On a bitterly cold day and a soft pitch, they made their mark in just the first minute when Nigel Neita’s pace took him down the left flank and his low ball across the box was only parried by keeper Conor Hudnutt, and Richard Avery reacted quickly to send his left foot effort into the net. It was just the start VCD needed and they took the game to Harrow with Mathias Bakare and Neita both testing the busy keeper. Borough responded with a counter where a deep ball from the left reached Josh Webb who cushioned the ball back across goal, but Lewis Driver was wayward with his header. Then, when Webb brought down Neita, Ashley Probets’ free kick was parried off the line by Hudnutt and cleared to safety. The pace of Neita and Bakare was causing constant problems for the home defence and when Ritchie Graham was fouled, his quick free kick released Neita who outpaced Webb to get clear on goal, but he sent his shot wide of a post with Hudnutt stranded. Harrow were playing some neat attacking play but Driver headed wide when well placed, and then from on the edge of the area he fired over the bar. Avery again tested Hudnutt with a firm header, and as the half ended Harrow had a narrow escape when Bakare raced past George McCluskey and crossed low and hard, only for a defender to deflect the ball against the post with Hudnutt gratefully smothering the rebound on the line.
Harrow began the second half on the attack and came close to an equaliser when Ashley Probets had to scramble a corner off the goal-line, and when the ball came in again Marcus Charles-Smith’s overhead kick just cleared the angle. On the hour, Mathias Bakare had a great chance to extend the lead when he raced through the home defence and took the ball round the advancing Hudnutt, but with the goal at his mercy his shot came back off a post. Then substitute Kojo Awotwi got free down the right and cut inside where his low driven shot was skewed along the cross bar before being cleared. Then it was Borough’s turn as David Taylor controlled a ball into the box where he turned and fired low across Budd, but the keeper got down to make a superb full length save and turn the ball behind. He then again showed his class, touching a header over from under the bar. The game was still on a knife edge until VCD doubled their lead with ten minutes remaining when Probets clipped a ball down the line to Kojo Awotwi, who burst clear and shot for goal, and although Hudnutt got his hand to the ball he couldn’t prevent it from entering the net. The game looked to now be over but minutes later a break down the right saw the ball crossed low across the six yard box where the stretching Joe Bruce could only turn the ball past Budd into the corner. Harrow now really went in search of an equaliser but with Avery and Graham strong in midfield, and Tchonang, Joseph, Bruce and Probets in determined mood at the back, they were unable to claim what would have been a very fortunate point.

VCD Athletic: Budd, Tchonang, Probets, Avery, Bruce, Joseph, Graham, Tejaiye (Wickham 30), Neita,
Simmonds (Menga 85), Bakare (Awotwi 70)

Subs not used: Nwokeji, Palmer

Attendance: 121