| Harrow’s
long-suffering fans will be
hoping, indeed praying, that
the high-point of the new season
was not reached at half-time
on the opening day. At that
point they were outclassing
the hosts, passing them off
the field and leading by two
goals, but the initiative changed
round in the last half-hour
of the game and, with indiscipline
again rearing its head, the
Borough crashed to defeat to
an injury-time goal.
Matthew Ferguson made an early
save from Douglas, before Borough
went ahead with their first
attack after 4 minutes. Pat
Gavin fed debutant Abdulai Yoki,
and his crisp 20-yard shot beat
Robinson and nestled in the
corner of the net.
The lead should immediately
have been doubled. Good pressure
forced a corner, and Gavin rose
above the home defence to head
Ross Fitzsimon’s kick
just over the bar. Fitzsimon
then became the first Harrow
player to be booked this season,
for a combination of a foul
and kicking the ball away.
The home side had a good spell
15 minutes into the game. Stuart
Elliott made a good block at
Dillon’s feet, Nolan shot
wide, and Dillon’s shot
beat Ferguson, hit the post
and was cleared by Elliott.
But Borough were soon dominating
again. Yoki’s cross-shot
was held by Robinson at the
feet of Daniel Dyer, and then
Gavin beat Coll to a dropping
ball and fired a fierce shot
just over the bar. Harrow were
denied a second after 33 minutes,
when Clemente Lopez tapped a
free-kick to Elliott, whose
bullet shot was too hot for
Robinson to handle. Yoki forced
home the loose ball but was
deemed offside, a highly dubious
decision as he would have had
to be offside when Elliott had
his shot and, therefore, standing
at that point within 10 yards
of goal, which he certainly
was not.
Gavin then mis-hit a Dyer cross
from a good position on the
edge of the six-yard box, and
Steve Dogbe stretched to head
a cross wide. Harrow got the
second they deserved on the
stroke of half-time. A Hitchin
corner was cleared, and Fitzsimon
broke quickly from the halfway
line to fire confidently past
Robinson.
The second half started with
a Yoki shot blocked, but it
soon became clear that the home
side had a new spring in their
step. Richard Goddard cleared
up after Elliott and Perry Norman
got in each other’s way,
Nolan’s shot was deflected
over the bar, and Ferguson saved
at Douglas’s feet.
After 57 minutes, both sides
made substitutions, and the
changes had a big effect on
the game. Scott came on for
the home side and started to
influence the game immediately,
while Fitzsimon’s withdrawal
robbed the Harrow midfield of
much of its creativity.
Ferguson tipped over Scott’s
shot, before Hitchin pulled
a goal back after 67 minutes.
Lopez made a bad pass across
his own area, it was intercepted
and the ball fed to Douglas
who fired past Ferguson. Perry
Norman had been injured just
before the goal was scored and
was unable to carry on afterwards.
Probably the game’s key
moment came after 78 minutes.
Yoki set up Dyer, 10 yards out,
for a shooting chance that could
have reinstated Harrow’s
two-goal lead, but his shot
was just off target and whistled
inches wide.
Hitchin levelled after 85 minutes
in controversial circumstances.
Lopez was shoved to the ground
but no free-kick was given by
referee Yeo. A retaliatory tackle
did, however, result in a free-kick.
Scott’s delivery was good,
Ferguson did not claim it, and
Parker bundled in the equaliser.
Harrow have to learn that,
however wrong a referee’s
verdict is, it has to be accepted.
Wayne Walters was booked for
dissent in the aftermath of
the goal, a few hard tackles
started to fly and it was no
great surprise when, three minutes
later, a nasty Dogbe tackle
led to a mass brawl. Three or
four players from each side
could easily have seen red,
but after consulting his assistants,
Yeo chose just to dismiss Dogbe
and book Hitchin’s Scott.
Coll from the home side and
Harrow’s Goddard should
both be reflecting that they
were particularly fortunate
to escape.
The final irony for Borough
was that it was in the additional
time added as a result of these
shenanigans that Dillon was
allowed to beat two challenges
in the centre of the visiting
defence to score a winner that
would have looked quite out
of the question 40 minutes earlier. |
