| What a transformation
at Earlsmead! A simple switch
in formation, moving from a
failing wing-back system to
a solid 4-4-2, has paid immediate
dividends. This second successive
win, against a Bedford Town
side lying fifth in the table,
lifts Harrow off the foot of
the Ryman table.
Edwin Stein was forced to change
the team that won for the first
time since April at Billericay
on Saturday, as Stuart Elliott
and match-winner David Ocquaye
were both injured. In came Ross
Fitzsimon and Robert Charles,
and both were to play an important
part in the win.
Borough opened with a bang
and might have scored four times
in the first ten minutes. Charles’s
back-heel from Clemente Lopez’s
cross was cleared off the line,
before Fabio Valenti beat his
full-back on the left and set
up Charles for a golden chance,
only for the young striker to
scuff his shot. A build up between
Fitzsimon and Steve Dogbe led
to a Valenti shot that brought
a fine save from Brown, and
then Charles was off target
again when he might have done
better with another Valenti
cross.
Bedford were also lively early
on. Roberts turned and shot
past the post, and then Keita
Karamoko was off his line very
quickly to save at the same
player’s feet. A clever
free-kick saw the ball played
to Folds, whose 25-yard drive
was turned round the post by
Borough’s Malian custodian.
After 39 minutes, Richard Goddard
rose to head Danny Moore’s
free-kick across the goal. If
Charles had stooped to head
the ball it would surely have
gone in, but he tried to chest
the ball down and the chance
was gone. But the miss was quickly
forgotten when, a minute later,
Lopez retrieved a loose ball
and teed up Valenti, whose cross
went beyond a crowd of players
in the centre of the goal and
was met by an unstoppable Goddard
half-volley that Brown would
not have seen as it whistled
into the net. On the stroke
of half time, Lopez played a
fine one-two with Dogbe but
steered his shot too near the
keeper.
The worry at half-time was
that Harrow had not converted
more of their chances, but they
began the second period in similar
style to the first. A neat right-wing
move ended with Charles feeding
Valenti at the near post but,
under pressure, he fired wide.
The two players then reversed
roles, Valenti dazzling on the
left-wing to cross for Charles
to shoot wide. Charles deserves
huge credit for continuing to
show for the ball after missing
a number of chances, and in
the 55th minute he set up Fitzsimon
who forced Brown to save with
his feet. The resulting corner
saw Goddard soar above the visiting
defence to flash a header wide.
Two minutes later, Charles again
broke on the right. Valenti,
having perhaps the best game
of his 2½-year Harrow
career, surprised the Bedford
defenders with a late run into
the box and a twisting shot
that Brown saved.
Still the lead was just one
goal and it was worrying when
Bedford introduced Capone who
began to wrest some control
of the midfield hitherto dominated
by Dogbe an Kevin McKenna. He
put a free-kick wide in the
70th minute before Lynch turned
and shot wide. But Borough came
back. Fitzsimon’s shot
was saved and Valenti screwed
a shot across the goal when
set up by the tireless McKenna’s
header. The overdue second goal
finally came in the 86th minute
when Charles sent Fitzsimon
clear of the Bedford offside
trap, and he rounded Brown and
walked the ball into the net.
Alas, Borough could not hold
on to the two-goal lead that
was the minimum their performance
deserved. Three minutes into
stoppage-time, Moore misdirected
a header and Lynch ran through
to thump the ball past Karamoko.
But it was too little, too late
for Bedford and Borough got
their first home win of the
campaign.
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