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Fixtures and Results for the First Team

ASHFORD TOWN (MX) 1,

HARLOW TOWN 0

Ryman Football League, premier division 08/03/08

Match report by BILLY SHAW

Photography by TONY FOWLES

 

ASHFORD Town from Middlesex completed the league double over a depleted Hawks side which was lucky to still be in 15th place in the Saturday night standings.

The 1-0 defeat leaves Harlow now just two points adrift of the relegation zone, although they weren’t helped by a host of absentees, with player/manager Ryan Kirby and Danny Chapman both suspended, Dave Lee and Leo Roget injured and frontman Raphael Sylvester on Leyton Orient duty.

To compensate for this, David Obaze returned to the starting line-up as one of the centre-backs, while Jordan Fowler and James Lindie also started.

There were few chances in a poor first half, with neither side playing much attractive football.

A half-chance fell to James Bunn a quarter of an hour in, but his sharp flick of Scott Curley’s low ball went wide, before the Harlow skipper sent a half-volley over the bar when defender Vinnie O’Sullivan headed out a cross from James Lindie.

Bunn was body-checked by Ashford’s captain Gavin Bamford mid-way through the half, with Jordan Fowler’s header from the resulting Mark Taylor free kick sailing wide.

Just before the break, Scott Curley dispossessed Stuart Bamford and surged forward, but his square-ball failed to run into Bunn’s path and passed behind the attacker.

The visitors finally found an eye for goal, but only after they went behind – an occurrence which happened in the 53rd minute.

Anthony Joseph’s in-swinging cross from the right seemed to be heading wide with the aid of a strong wind blowing towards the Harlow goal, but up popped Gavin Smith to net a free header at the back post.

The Hawks nearly hit back nine minutes later when Bunn smashed into the side netting after turning his man and latching onto a quick Leon Lalite free kick down the right channel.

Playing against the wind, the men from Barrows Farm struggled to mount an attack unless it came from a dead ball situation, like when Mark Taylor produced a low save from Ashford stopper Paul Burgess with a right-footed free kick with 20 minutes left.

A cross from Taylor in the 79th minute wasn’t met by anyone in the box, while at the opposite end, Harlow keeper James Hasell came off his line to save well from Wes Goggin, who shot from six yards after meeting a high cross from Bamford.

The closest the Hawks got to an equalizer was on the 80 minute mark when Lalite’s free kick from the corner of the 18-yard box was met by the sliding James Lindie, whose effort was kept out by a combination of the keeper’s right post and grounded Harlow substitute Dean Williams, who had been introduced shortly beforehand as his side changed to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation.

Hasell made a low save from Bamford on 86 minutes, before Ricky Wellard headed just wide from Adam Logie’s free kick in the last noteworthy chance of the match, with neither side capitalizing on six minutes of added time.

Harlow Tn: James Hasell, Kenny Davis, Mark Taylor, Beckett Hollenbach, David Obaze, Clark Akers (sub: Dean Williams, 77), Leon Lalite, Jordan Fowler, James Bunn, Scott Curley (sub: Shaun Gliddon, 55), James Lindie. Subs not used: Danny Hill, Michael Gliddon, Michael Dumoulin (GK).