A
home fixture against the team marooned at the foot of the table was not
expected to prove too tricky for the upwardly mobile Old Harrovian 1st
XI. Consecutive wins against Lancing and Westminster had given the team a much
needed confidence lift and with Spring in the air and the Cobham pitches in
good condition, the Harrovians knew there could be no excuses for dropped
points here.
Much
of the first half was, in truth, a scrappy affair punctuated all too frequently
by unnecessary fouls – at one stage in the opening period there must have been
at least fifteen free-kicks awarded (correctly) by the referee in the space of
under ten minutes. The game’s opening goal merely confirmed the paucity of fayre
on display – Chigwell dithered in defence and Harrow’s veteran ‘utility’ player
Sadly
however, Harrow failed to find inspiration in taking the lead. If anything, it
was Chigwell who began to attain a superior rhythm and the equaliser was not
undeserved when it arrived. A long ball was played down the Chigwell left wing
where pacy, diminutive striker John Mahoney collected the pass and raced into
the Harrow box. His run was abruptly
ended by
The
old sporting maxim about being at your most vulnerable just after you have
scored is obviously not part of the Chigwell curriculum (if such a thing
exists); barely a minute later and the referee was awarding a penalty at the
other end. A neat Harrow move freed
A
two-one half-time lead, but once again the Harrow team failed to stamp their
authority on the game and much of the second-half followed the same pattern as
the first: too many misplaced passes, too many hurried clearances and a lack of
real quality on set-piece deliveries. Although Chigwell too had failed to
improve after the re-start, they found themselves level with twenty minutes
remaining when slack marking at a free-kick allowed one of their defenders a
free header from six yards out. As has happened on several occasions this
season however, it took the threat of lost points for Harrow to suddenly begin
playing to their capabilities.
For
the second time in the match the Harrovians regained the lead almost
immediately after losing it. Again Lederman was the scorer, but this time the
goal was one to treasure – picking the ball up just inside the Chigwell half on
the right wing, he meandered round three statuesque defenders before finishing
with an unerring left-foot shot low into the opposite corner. Having learnt
from past experience, he steered clear of the hapless Molloy during the ensuing
celebrations.
And
this time Harrow did go on to show those present why they were enjoying such a
good run of form in the division. Two minutes later after a spell of accurate
passing,
With
the scent of three points strong in the air, the Harrovians now resembled a
pack of rabid dogs in search of a butcher’s shop. Suddenly it was not just the
midfielders who were fighting to get up in support of the front two, the
defence joined in as well – center-halves Dalton and Umenliyora both made their
now-customary lung-bursting sorties into opposition territory. Sadly the
customary nature of these runs also stipulates they will ultimately prove
completely fruitless, as was again the case on Saturday.
But
another
The
final 5-2 score did not reflect the overall quality of play from both sides,
which was poor. But it did highlight the outstanding ability of this Harrow
team to score goals late on in games –even more remarkable considering the
impoverished numbers present at training each week – and it maintained the
team’s excellent run of form which has seen them pick up 12 points out of 15
since Christmas. Although Foresters appear to be a shoe-in for the
championship, Harrow can push them all the way and at the very least should be
aiming for second place in the Arthurian League – a position the club has not
achieved for a long time indeed.
Harrow
(4-4-2):
Note:
The Old Harrovians next match will be against the Harrow School 1st
XI on Sunday, March 2nd. Kick-off is at 11am at the Bank of England
ground in Roehampton, South-West London.