HARROW BORO 1 - 2 PURFLEET

On Saturday we made the journey around the M25 and along the M40 to take on Harrow Borough at Earlsmead ground.  A 2-1 victory did not really do justice to our almost ninety minute’s domination of the game.  Before the game a one-minute silence was held in memory of Jim Rogers the President of Harrow Borough Football Club who died earlier in the week.  Jim together with his son Peter, who is Secretary of Harrow and a member of the Ryman League Board of Directors, have been coming here to Ship Lane with the Harrow team over the many years we have been playing them.  Jim will be a sad loss to the Harrow Club. 

We could have taken the lead as early as the first minute.  A Gary Howard free kick was headed across goal by Kris Lee where Cliff Akurang got his head (or was it his face) to the ball for Matthew Ferguson, the Harrow goalkeeper to make a routine save.  Ferguson was again quickly in action saving from Tresor Kandol after a Lee Allen free kick from the left. After only six minutes came our third chance of the game.  Jon Keeling having been put in by Ryan Maxwell saw his shot saved by Ferguson in a one on one situation.  With the strong wind at our back most of the play was in the Harrow half who had to defend well often at the expense of a corner.  A goal had to come and it finally did in the 19th minute.  Kris Lee played the ball down the right to Keeling who collected the ball, turned and from the edge of the box shot into the left hand corner of the net.  On the half hour we had a great opportunity to increase our lead.  Kris Lee played the ball down the middle to Lee Allen but goalkeeper Ferguson managed to get his legs to the ball to prevent us going further ahead.

Just before half time we were forced to make two substitutions when within a minute Gary Howard was replaced by Lee Forbes and Keeling by Terry Bowes following injuries to both players. The injury problems didn't end there as Alex O'Reilly was unable to come out for the second half, being replaces by Kris Harvey who thus made his Purfleet debut.

Despite now facing the strong wind we still continued to push forward and went two up after fifty-seven minutes.  The ball was played down the left hand side from Forbes to Bowes, on to Allen whose centre from the left was met by the head of Kandol and with keeper Ferguson in no man's land the ball sailed into the empty net.  In the 74th minute an Allen corner from the right was only just headed over by Kandol.  Ten minutes later the same player shot just wide of the right hand post after good work by Allen and Bowes.  In the space of three minutes Harvey made three excellent saves.  A James Osborn free kick was turned round the post, a Clemente Lopaz drive was parried and he also saved the Brian Haule follow up.  However, he was unable to stop a Robert Childs drive which pulled one back for the home side in the dying minutes.  With almost the last kick of the game, literally, Dean Marney was sent off after lashing out at Kris Lee.