Seven successive defeats. But, like last Saturday at St Alban’s, there were signs here that Harrow may be about to emerge from their mid-winter slump. A poor first-half performance was followed by a brave second-half fight-back that nearly took the game with the high-flying Division One South opponents into extra-time.

Dean Marney had not recovered from the injury that saw him leave the field at Clarence Park on Saturday, while Richard Goddard missed the game with flu. Clemente Lopez and Richard Clarke made their first starts since their autumn injuries.

Harrow opened well enough, with Adam Everitt’s shot from Lopez’s corner blocked, and Fabio Valenti sending Mekel Hackett through to drive wildly over the bar. Hackett was then clear of the visiting defence again but, lacking confidence after the earlier effort, chose to pass to Valenti and the pass was blocked.

The Sussex side then began to get into the game and, after Allen and Davis had shots saved, a quick 20th minute left-wing break ended with the ball being played across the box for overlapping right-back Harper to slam inside Keita Karamoko at his near post.

The goal hit Harrow hard, and they sank into their shells for the rest of the half. Reid’s effort for the visitors was blocked onto the post, and Everitt made an acrobatic clearance from under his own bar.

When Lewes went two-up ten minutes into the second half, that seemed to be it for Harrow. Allen broke on the left, his cross led to a scramble, and Davis turned to fire the ball across Karamoko and into the far corner. Karamoko then saved at Allen’s feet, but Ross Fitzsimon offered some hope for Harrow with a shot across the goalmouth.

Harrow pulled a goal back after 60 minutes. Fitzsimon found Hackett on the right wing with a lovely pass out of defence. He clipped the ball inside for Andy Aransbia to run onto and beat Tanner from 15 yards.

The goal was Harrow’s first since Boxing Day and gave the hosts some confidence. Two minutes later, Lopez bobbed up in the inside left position and hit a beautiful 20-yard curling shot over Tanner and into the top corner for the equaliser.

But in the 68th minute, Lewes went back in front. The ball came in from the left, Karamoko made a great save to parry away a header, but Reid followed in to score.

It was nearly 2-4 after 80 minutes when Karamoko mis-hit a clearance to Davis who chipped the ball back over his head but just wide. But the last ten minutes saw concerted Harrow pressure as they looked to equalise again. A scramble ended with an acrobatic shot by substitute Chris Jones that brought a fabulous save from Tanner. Jones then danced past three defenders inside the box and set up for a shot blocked on the line. Jones’s effort from the rebound was deflected wide. Darty Brown’s header from the resultant corner dipped over the bar.

Jones then took a clever free-kick that allowed Valenti to play in Hackett for a shot that Tanner turned round the post for a corner. Kevin McKenna shot wildly over before, with the final effort of the game, Hackett teed up Aransibia for a shot that Tanner saved.

Edwin Stein and David Howell somehow need to bottle the tempo shown by Harrow in the last half-hour here, and send the team out in that frame of mind for Saturday’s league game with mid-table Boreham Wood. If that can be done, the losing streak just might come to an end.

  1 - Keita Karamoko
  2 - Richard Clarke (c)
   (sub Andy Aransibia 45)
  3 - Clemente Lopez
   (sub Chris Jones 72)
  4 - Perry Norman
  5 - Pat Gavin
  6 - Adam Everitt
  7 - Wayne Walters
  8 - Kevin McKenna
  9 - Fabio Valenti
10 - Mekel Hackett
11 - Ross Fitzsimon
   (sub Darty Brown 69)