|
Robert
Charles - scored late
winner |
|
| A brave decision on a late substitution
by Borough boss Edwin Stein was
immediately rewarded when Robert
Charles’s fine goal gave
Harrow a win they richly deserved.
When full-back Clemente Lopez
was forced off , having been elbowed
in the throat, after 82 minutes,
Stein chose to introduce striker
Charles in a bid to capitalise
on Harrow supremacy. Six minutes
later, Charles struck the winner.
Harrow gave a debut to Jamaican
midfielder Corey Ellis and welcomed
back Michael Jatto and Pat Gavin
from injury, while Davis Haule
missed the game with an injury.
The front pairing of John Lawford
and Richard Goddard was to cause
the home defence problems throughout
the afternoon and, after a quiet
opening, Goddard glanced the
ball on for Lawford to turn
sharply and force a diving save
by Arthur. Goddard’s header
from the resulting Lawford corner
went just wide. But it was the
home side who went in front
after 26 minutes. Roach’s
juggling run forced a handball
from Gavin, and Sharp drilled
the resulting free-kick past
the Harrow wall and Keita Karamoko.
They nearly doubled their lead
when Howes arrived at the far
post to poke a right-wing cross
just wide. Roach then forced
a diving save from Karamoko.
Goddard had irritated Harrow
fans and management with a needless
booking in the 40th minute for
kicking the ball away, but he
earned forgiveness four minutes
later when he won a chase for
a long ball and lobbed it over
the out-rushing Arthur. Basingstoke’s
centre-half Hemmings was favourite
to win the race for the bouncing
ball, but an acrobatic lunge
by the determined Borough striker
enabled him to steer the ball
into the net.
Karamoko saved well from McAllister
in first-half stoppage time,
but it was Harrow who dominated
when the teams re-emerged. Lawford,
Fabio Valenti and Goddard each
had efforts on goal in the opening
minutes. Arthur then saved Lawford’s
shot, and Goddard held off a
defender to lob over the bar.
At the other end, Roach cut
in from the left and shot into
the side-netting. Harrow’s
injury jinx continued when skipper
Richard Clarke was stretchered
off following a hard tackle
by Howes, who escaped punishment
from the inconsistent Mr Edmonds.
Arthur then made a fine save,
tipping over Dean Marney’s
header after Gavin had nodded
on Lawford’s corner. With
86 minutes gone, Borough were
close to throwing away their
hard work when Karamoko miscued
a goal-kick straight to McAllister,
but Marney, outstanding all
afternoon, reacted swiftly to
make a brilliant saving tackle.
Two minutes later, Charles capped
a neat Borough build-up with
a shot from the inside-left
position that curled round Arthur
and into the net. |
