 |
Wayne
Walters - second yellow
card |
|
| Down to ten
men for more than half the game,
Borough produced a splendid
team effort to come home with
all three points from their
trip to Essex with a brilliant
late goal from new signing Eseyas
Yhdego.
Still hard hit by injuries,
Edwin Stein gave a debut to
Yhdego, newly-arrived from Hampton
& Richmond Borough, while
Kevin McKenna returned to midfield
following his summer hernia
operation, Wayne Walters resumed
after a three-week lay-off,
and Gaby Williams, re-signed
from Hertford Town, started
up front in place of John Lawford
who has been released by the
club.
Harrow were inches away from
taking a third-minute lead,
when Godfrey Torto beat home
keeper Banks to Phil Gridelet’s
cross, but saw his header flash
just over the bar. Keita Karamoko
made a diving save to keep out
a 25-yard free-kick by Abrahams,
before Yhdego cropped up on
the Borough left to put a dangerous
cross-shot just past the far
post. Cobb, often a past thorn
in the Harrow defence, forced
a good save from Karamoko with
a 15-yard shot.
Referee Crouch set in motion
a train of events that was to
lead to Harrow’s reduction
to 10 men with a strange decision
in the 23rd minute. A Heybridge
defender charged down a Harrow
free-kick, using his arm and
also well within 10 yards of
the kick, but no further free-kick
was given. With most Harrow
players pausing in expectation
of the whistle, the ball broke
into midfield and when Walters
upended a home player, he was
booked.
A nice Harrow move in the 34th
minute saw Jimmy Aggrey head
on to McKenna, who laid the
ball back for Torto to shoot
past the post. Walters then
committed another bookable foul,
in the 41st minute, and the
referee showed him a second
yellow card, with home players
doing themselves no favours
in the sportsmanship stakes
by waving at him as he departed.
Both they and the officials
departed for half-time to some
choice comments from the Harrow
travelling support. Heybridge
had missed a chance on the stoke
of half-time when Abrahams shot
wide when put through the middle
of the Harrow defence.
Edwin Stein re-organised at
the break, with Adam Everitt
coming on to bolster the defence,
with Yhdego switching further
forward to play behind lone
striker Davis Haule. The tactic
was to prove very successful
with Haule having probably his
best game in a Harrow shirt,
working tirelessly to keep the
home defence occupied. But Harrow
first had a big let-off after
47 minutes, when Budge broke
clear on the left. Torn between
a cross and a shot, his effort
went across the Harrow goal
and past the far post.
Despite their one man disadvantage,
Borough gave as good as they
got. Yhdego’s mazy run
caused some panic in the home
defence, and Haule pulled the
ball back for Darty Brown’s
shot to be blocked. Yhdego then
sent Haule through for a shot
across the goalmouth. At the
other end, the three-man Harrow
central defence of Aggrey, Pat
Gavin and Dean Marney again
showed excellent mutual understanding
and dealt comfortable with any
home pressure, with McKenna
and Gridelet performing well
in front of them to break up
attacks ‘at source’.
Mr Crouch had again incensed
travelling supporters in the
78th minute by booking Haule
for a ‘dive’ when
it looked as if Culverhouse
had upended him as he broke
clear. But feelings of injustice
turned to celebration six minutes
later when Haule held the ball
up and released Yhdego, who
took the ball to the left of
Banks. From no more than two
yards off the by-line, on the
edge of the home penalty area,
with just a tiny area of the
goal to aim at, he played a
perfect left-foot shot into
the goal.
Yhdego then forced a good save
from Banks, before some late
home pressure forced two excellent
saves and a good catch under
pressure from Karamoko.
The win jumps Harrow into the
top half of the table, heady
heights given the struggles
of the last two seasons. Tuesday
night sees Borough travelling
to Canvey Island, a venue that
has always proved fruitless
in the past, but the Earlsmead
contingent will go there with
some confidence.
|
