A Harrowing Misadventure

[Faramir]

3.1.05

Weymouth (0) Harrow Hill (2)

It seems my 2nd unit took my criticism of their play against Redbridge to heart. We marched into Wessex Stadium to face 2nd place Weymouth and played our best match of the season as we improbably beat them 2-0 with virtually the same patchwork lineup that faced Redbridge. The difference in the match was Steven Fraser- as he scored both of our goals in the first half. Peter Griffiths started the first one with a nice interception. He sent a quick pass ahead for Michael Husbands. Husbands showed his good vision by laying the ball off to Fraser who had space on the left side. Steve Tully couldn't get over to close Fraser down and he smashed a ball inside the near left post past Ben Steward. Steve Clark and James Tevendale played a bump-and-run passing sequence before Tevendale's good pass allowed Fraser to fire a shot inside the far right post for his 2nd of the game and 5th of the season. We played much more defensively in the second half and Weymouth pushed forward, but wasted their best chances missing wide and high.

[Faramir]

8.1.05

Harrow Hill (0) Weston-super-Mare (3)

We failed to build on our win at Weymouth as we played a terrible match and fell to last place Weston-super-Mare 3-0. They struck early in the first half with a long cross that found Lewis Hogg alone and he had an easy time pushing it past Michael Jago. We tried to rally, but their backline was playing well and keeper Tony Malessa was sharp. Early in the second half Danny O'Hagen scored a fluke goal off the post and we went down 2-0. We don't have the kind of offense that does well trying to come back and we yielded a 3rd goal late when they caught us pressing forward. It was a poor performance for our backline players and the press second-guessed my decision to rest Franklin Simek in the match.

[Faramir]

11.1.05

Hayes (1) Harrow Hill (1)

Jason Hallett scored on a terrific play to give us an early lead, but that was the last time we could solve MOM Nicholas Baker in the Hayes net. We held sway over the early play, but midway through the first half Hayes started rallying and I could sense the changing momentum. We dodged several close calls through the first half and in the early moments of the second half, but they finally got Clement James free and he was able to fire it past Daniel Austen for the equalizer. We seemed to gain a second wind and again pressured them the rest of the match- but for naught as we just couldn't seem to get the goal we needed. The 1-1 draw was a fair result for the closely played match.

[Faramir]

15.1.05

St.Albans (0) Harrow Hill (2)

Once more we came to play in a road match and wound up edging St.Albans 2-0 at Clarence Park. The first half featured uneven play from both sides and the scoreless draw well represented the inconsistent play of both sides. Early in the second half Steven Fraser and Adam Parker played a neat 1-2 and defender Corey Campbell upended Fraser in the area. Kieron Gradwell showed he is maturing quickly as he slammed home the penalty kick for his 1st ever senior goal. We kept up the tempo of play as we continued pressuring the home side. They had a couple good chances, but we had much the better of play. We finally clinched the match when MOM Mark Berry made a superb through ball that found Danny Singh beyond his marker. Singh made a quick move and then took the ball around James Robinson when he dove- which allowed him to easily shove the ball into the open net to help round out an important win.

***

15.1.05

After the afternoon match, the press was surprised when I announced that we had completed a transfer on free from AFC Wimbledon that would bring 21 yr old AMC Gavin Bolger to Harrow Hill. It cost a larger contract than I wanted, but Bolger is one of the best looking midfielders we had found scouting that was willing to come and play for us. Once he has had some practice time, he should be a regular contributor in our lineup.

[Faramir]

19.1.05

Things are coming to a head in the dressing room. Peter Griffiths missed practice for the 2nd time this season- after being publicly admonished about it and gracefully submitting he was wrong. With him doing it again- well if a player isn't going to work hard, they aren't going to be here. Griffiths is an amazing dribbler, but he is going on the transfer list. Also on the transfer list today- at his request- is Wes Hammond. Wes has a bright future, but he has seen Mark Berry earn the lion's share of play at right back- and has observed that Mark has been one of the bright spots this season.

***

22.1.05

Harrow Hill (1) Bishop's Stortford (1)

This was a closely played match as our visitor's grabbed the early lead when Victor Boyle-Renner made a deft pass that found Alistair Heselton alone in front of Daniel Austen and he was able to snap a shot by him. Trailing in the opening moments to a club who seems to play well against you is not a recipe for success, but after pressuring them closely we managed to equalize just before half when Carl Laurie dumped a pass into the area for Matthew McGowan. McGowan blasted away and the shot hit Daniel Foot. The misdirection was enough to send the ball past John Ruddy to make it 1-1. Ruddy was called on for two fantastic saves in the second half and had good support from timely tackling by their backline as we fought to a 1-1 draw that both sides deserved.

[Faramir]

23.1.05

Gravesend made an offer for Peter Griffiths and I promptly accepted it. 1K isn't much, but it is better for both the club and him that we part ways at this point.

***

24.1.05

As the transfer deadline approached we added three more signings on free. I am sure the Board wasn't too happy that we kept signing players- but the only way to improve the club was to take some chances and have a few of the players work out. We added 17 yr old AMC Matty Hendra, 21 yr old DC Callum Fox and 18 yr old SC Kyle Allcock. Hendra, who had never played professionally was very well rounded for his young age and my thoughts were if he developed at all- he would really be a solid midfielder. Fox was definately unpolished with his defensive skills, but seemed to be a natural team leader- and those were hard to find. Allcock had the reputation as a gunner in the Bristol City system and it was worth finding out if he could help us up front. I had soured on Nathaniel Griffiths- who had played well to start, but then completely quit contributing and was proving a royal pain in the behind in the dressing room and I hoped Allcock might be able to step up and take his place.

***

27.1.05

One more free signing to note. 20 yr old D/MC Matt Hill was released by Sheffield Wednesday and both of my scouts were admonishing me to sign him if I could. Given their vehemence, I did make an offer and he accepted and will become part of our backline contingent.

[Faramir]

29.1.05

Harrow Hill (0) Maidenhead (1)

An immensely frustrating match for both myself and the players. We played a very good match and limited them to two shots on goal. Unfortunately, one was a 25 yard free kick by Mark Boyce with only moments left in first half injury time and it turned out to be the one that added another loss in our column. We had excellent passing and good chances, but Danny Singh, Steven Fraser and later Arron Davies just couldn't finish off the plays. We had two loose balls hacked off their line at the last moment by desperate defenders and saw their keeper Nick Hart earn MOM honours for the excellent saves he made to keep their clean sheet. It was discouraging to see us play so well and only wind up with another close loss.

[Faramir]

1.2.05

Suttons United (1) Harrow Hill (1)

We continue to demonstrate Jekyll and Hyde-like qualities as a club. Suttons United is in first place and hadn't lost in their last 7 matches, but came very close to losing to us. Tony Quinton outleaped Paul Moss to deflect a cross from Joss Vansittart past surprise starter Michael Jago to give them the lead. Jago quickly settled down and made a pair of sensational one-on-one saves after our backline was caught moving forward. It looked like our last match all over again though as we generated good scoring chances- only to see Phil Wilson ruin Kyle Allcock's debut by tipping his close in shot just over the bar. A brilliant through ball by Paul Moss sprung Adam Parker down the pitch and, unlike his first good chance that went into the side netting, this slipped inside the left post for Parker's 5th goal of the season. We started playing with much more confidence and were doing an excellent job of both defending and moving back to get chances. Wilson made a good stop on Ryan Ashington, just back from injury for the match, but he was matched by Jago coming up with another great one-on-one save against Quinton to preserve the 1-1 score in the waning moments of the match. I would have loved to have beaten them, but was happy with our hard-earned draw.

[Faramir]

5.2.05

Harrow Hill (0) Grays (2)

I can't explain why we have so much trouble at home, but poor finishing was again our bane as we fell to 5th place Grays 2-0. We controlled more of the play, had the same quality chances as them- but they finished off their chances and we came up short- again. Their first goal had to be attributed to Michael Jago. Jago botched the handling of an easy shot and it rolled right to Danny Hayzelden who had an easy time depositing it in the net. That was a huge letdown for us as well fell behind again despite having some good chances and hitting the post squarely behind Carl Emberson. Emberson would go on to earn MOM honours as he stopped a nice chance by Arron Davies and also parried away a good hard shot from Adam Parker. They pretty much clinched the match with their 2nd goal as our backline failed to cover and Vill Powell made no mistakes from the six yard box.

***

7.2.05

We completed the transfer sale of unhappy Paul Bonar to Cierencester Town for the princely sum of 2K. Upon the announcement of his signing, I heard the fans of Cierencester were slightly unhappy because they thought Paul might wreck the harmony of the club. Having seen his unhappiness, I tended to agree with the fan's assessment of the addition. For our club, this was addition by subtraction.

[Faramir]

11.2.05

A player we could ill afford to lose was Carl Laurie, but a training injury claimed him for the next three weeks. At the advice of Paul Caton, I decided he needed to go for rehabilitation to try and prevent a recurrance of the injury this season.

We head into an important road match at 20th place Welling tomorrow. We are currently in a pack of clubs, but holding 13th place due to our small goal differential (-4). They trail us by 7 points in the last relegation slot and dearly need a win- while we just as dearly need to beat them to keep out of the back end mire in ECS. Our lineup going into this important match will be:

GK- Daniel Austen

DL- Lea Jones

DR- Mark Berry

DC- Franklin Simek

DC- Paul Moss

DMC- Jordan Fowler

MC- Jamie McGowan

MC- Adam Parker

MC- Gavin Bolger

SC- Danny Singh

SC- Kyle Allcock

[Spav]

Enjoyable as ever, Faramir.

It's a pity your home form is so scratchy or you would be much higher than 13th at the moment.

[Faramir]

Spav- Yes, too true in that regard. Injuries haven't helped either...

Thanks for the comments

***

12.2.05

Welling (1) Harrow Hill (2)

It was with a sense of relief that I celebrated the final whistle and an important win. We were our own worst enemies in the match and we could easily have won the match by a 5-0 score if not for our own failings. We struck early to take the lead as Jordan Fowler picked a great time to score his 1st goal for us. Martin Brennan made a brilliant reaction save on Adam Parker following a corner, but Fowler drilled the rebound into the net to give us the lead in the 2nd minute. We played a great first half and had two more good chances to score, but Danny Singh missed over the net when in alone twice. Just before halftime we gave the lead back when Lea Jones headed a Welling corner past Daniel Austen for an own goal. It was extremely frustrating to see us play so well, but only go to half even at 1-1. Welling gained momentum with that goal and came out playing much stronger in the second half. Austen had to be sharp to deny Tom Phillips as he pushed his shot past the post after he was able to walk in alone. We missed two more good chances to retake the lead- again missing high as both Parker and Singh had the shots. Shortly after Singh's last miss, I brought on Jason Hallett for him. That turned out to be a well timed choice as Ryan Ashington (on for a tiring Gavin Bolger) zinged a sizzling through ball that put Hallett away. Hallett took the ball around the diving Brennan and tapped it into the net for our 2-1 lead. We still had to survive our continuing mistake riddled play and I was screaming at Mark Berry when he decided a 60 yard back pass to Austen- which he sent well wide to give them a corner in the last five minutes- was a good idea. We managed to scramble and survived with the 2-1 win.

[Faramir]

14.2.05

The win at Welling left us in 13th place and I was proud that it was our 10th win of the season. We now had 10 points between us and 20th place Welling, and just because of that it was our most important match of the season.

***

19.2.05

Harrow Hill (2) Cambridge City (0)

We finally left our Larksfield Road faithful feeling pleased, as we put together a strong second half to see off visiting Cambridge City 2-0. The first half saw Cambridge controlling much of the play, with us only able to stage an occasional counter attack. The fans were buzzing as it seemed we were just hanging on until halftime. We did manage to rejuvanate our attack in the second half. Jason Hallett sent what seemed like an errant pass over everyone's heads from the left side. Duncan Roberts was going to grab it when he suddenly realized that Matthew McGowan had snuck in from the right wing and as Roberts tried to steady himself to stop the shot- McGowan smashed a hard-angle shot that hit the inside of the left post and trickled in. With the lead, we started to play a more conservative tactic. It worked well at first, but a spate of early yellow cards came back to haunt us as Ryan Ashington received his 2nd yellow at 57 minutes. We really tried to clamp down in our end and send Hallett out on occasional tears. Hallett took advantage of one to stop and launch a centering pass for Gavin Bolger. Instead of reaching Bolger, the ball looped over Roberts and into the net for the crucial 2nd goal of the match. We were content to close out the 2-0 win and send our fans home happy for a change. The win stretches our margin over the relegation kaboodle to 12 points as we remain in 13th place in the ECS.

[Faramir]

20.2.05

It was gratifying to see the reaction of the press after our win over Cambridge City. Most were willing to acknowledge that they had seen us as 'certain' relegation candidates, but we now appeared to be firmly placed above the frenetic fray at the bottom of ECS. The biggest problem I saw with the articles was that I must convince our young side that deeds are accomplished on the pitch, not granted in the press reports.

***

20.2.05

We received another boost when we were able to secure the 3 month loan of promising Irish midfielder Steven O'Donnell from Arsenal. O'Donnell is a 20 yr old MLC who already has more talent than any of our midfielders. He will be seeing action soon in our starting lineup- at least spelling Jamie McGowan as Lewis Baillie hasn't really shown us anything yet and is a disappointment in my book.

***

21.2.05

On the eve of our Tuesday evening trip to Thurrock, I heard they had added another loanee (Darren Craddock from Hartlepool) and signed another veteran (Steve Warren). It will be interesting to see if they are in the lineup against us. I don't plan on using O'Donnell yet- he has virtually no practice time with us yet.

[Faramir]

22.2.05

Thurrock (1) Harrow Hill (1)

We started fast in our visit to face Thurrock, but we wound up with another draw due to our lack of finishing. We stunned the home side- and fans- when a pass from Steve Clark found Adam Parker just inside the area and his hard shot deflected slightly off Mike Basham and past Paul Gothard to give us the lead in the opening moments of play. We had problems with Filipe Morais running their right wing all match and that resulted in the equalizer in the early stages of the first half. Morais glided past Lea Jones and his hard cross found Steve Heffer unmarked in the area. Heffer hit a rising shot that Daniel Austen was slow to react to and the match was square at 1-1. We had the better of play for the remainder of the match, but wasted good chances galore. Michael Husbands missed just over the bar, Jamie McGowan missed just wide of the post twice, Gothard parried away Kyle Allcock's midlevel shot and Steven Fraser's scorching low blast bounced back off the post. They also had a couple good chances to score and Austen did well in smothering one and punching away the other. The 1-1 result was fair in the sense we gained another road point, but it was another match we had good chances to achieve a better result in.

***

25.2.05

Though we really didn't need another defender, I couldn't resist inking Simon Mallard to a contract after Blackpool released him. Mallard had been heavily scouted by both our scouts and they both thought highly of the 20 yr old DRC.

[Faramir]

26.2.05

Basingstoke (1) Harrow Hill (3)

For much of our match at The Camrose, it was the same old refrain- we were our own worst enemy. We handed them the lead early in the first half when Michael Jago bobbled an easy shot into the net for an own-goal and a devastatingly easy lead for struggling Basingstoke. We showed nothing in the first half as they outshot us 6-2 and we didn't show any ball movement or passing. Desperate for a change, I brought on Ryan Ashington for Gavin Bolger and Arron Davies on for Danny Singh to start the second half. The changes helped as we showed some life, but Basingstoke was doing a good job of clamping down on us anytime we were in their area, so the chances we had weren't all that great. We shifted tactics slightly to try and let Ashington pressure their backline more and all the sudden we were earning better chances. Ashington made the tactical move pay off when he fired the equalizer past Scott Tarr at 73 minutes after Jordan Fowler made a good through ball to spring him free. We kept the vise-like pressure on them at that point, after all they were 18th place for a reason, and they cracked again. This time Arron Davies made a good run and at the last moment chipped a short pass across and Ashington knocked the ball into the net for a 2-1 lead and his 2nd goal of the match. With the lead, I didn't want to press our luck and we played a more defensive outlook. Our fresher legs were the difference as we clinched the match. With them pressing everyone forward, we made a nice counter attack and it was four of our players against their back 2. Leke Odunsi smashed a shot that Tarr managed to block away, but Jason Hallett had been trailing the play and drove the rebound into the net to clinch the 3-1 comeback win. Steven O'Donnell played very well in his debut for us. The win moved us up to 12th place, 14 points clear of 20th place Redbridge and also moved our goal differential to the positive side for the first time since early in the season.

[Spav]

Sell your home ground Faramir and play all your games away - you seem to do much better on the road. KUGTW

[Faramir]

Thanks Spav- I do think the good folks would just prefer that we play better at Larksfield Road

***

5.3.05

Harrow Hill (3) Havant & W (0)

The Larksfield Road faithful have been patient with us and today we rewarded them with our finest performance of the season as we rolled over 2nd place Havant & W 3-0 thanks to the first hat-trick in Harrow Hill's professional time. Jason Hallett missed close twice over Gareth Howells in the early going as we had constant pressure on the visitors. He didn't miss when Howells couldn't hang on to a shot from Steven O'Donnell and Hallett whisked in the rebound to give us the lead. Minutes later that scene would repeat itself as Howells again couldn't hang on- this time on a hard shot from Jamie McGowan- and Hallett pushed in the rebound for his 2nd of the match and 10th of the season. He finished off the hat-trick in the 2nd half as a superb through ball from Jordan Fowler put him away and he blistered a shot inside the left post past Howells. Hallett could easily have added a 4th or 5th goal, but he missed the net wide- once to each side- on decent chances. Havant & W played a bit better in the second half, but Daniel Austen made three excellent saves to preserve the clean sheet in the 3-0 win. It was a stellar performance by the boys and I was right proud of them. The win moved us past Thurrock into 11th place and marked the first time we had been in the top half of the table since the opening matches of the season.

***

6.3.05

In another example of a loan working out well, Arsenal agreed to let Steven O'Donnell go to us on free transfer and we were able to sign him. The Board has loosened up on our overall payroll- we are still over, but not badly over- and that helped them to OK the pricey contract I had to offer O'Donnell. Getting players of this caliber- O'Donnell- Jordan Fowler- Franklin Simek are what will help us build the foundation for lasting success here at Harrow Hill.

[Faramir]

12.3.05

Newport Co (0) Harrow Hill (3)

The score may have been 3-0, but this was a match where we were clinging to the lead late into the match and then struck for a pair of goals in a 3-minute span to clinch a hard earned win. The first half featured plenty of good play by both sides. Newport's Scott Morgan ran afoul of both the referee and his own temper when he earned a pair of yellow cards at 22 minutes to send the home side down to 10 men. They didn't seem fazed by being short-handed though and quickly forced Daniel Austen to make a couple good stops. Roger Freestone played great in the first half- until injury time. Freestone muffed an easy shot into the net for an own-goal and we were plenty relieved to head to half with the lead. Despite only having 10 men, Newport took control in the second half of play and Harrow Hill spent the large majority of the second half coming up with saving tackles. I finally switched to a more defensive tactical approach and while it helped- it didn't figure in either of our last two goals. Arron Davies struck for our 2nd goal when we worked a nice play on a throw-in and Gavin Bolger made an excellent interior pass to set up Davies to rifle past Freestone. We capped off 3-0 win when Jason Hallett was able to slightly deflect a long free kick from Paul Moss and it went past Freestone.

[Faramir]

19.3.05

Harrow Hill (1) Margate (2)

Another match of missed opportunities for us as we fell to 3rd place Margate 2-1. Michael Husbands gave us the lead in the first half when he took an excellent cross from Steven O'Donnell and hammered it home past Allan Marsh for the lead. We wasted some very good scoring chances the rest of the first half. Margate started playing better in the second half and made us rue our missed opportunities. A good pass put Che Stadhart through clean and he fired a shot past Michael Jago inside the right post to equalize. They missed a couple other good chances to take the lead, but then grabbed a late match winner when Aaron Barnett deflected a corner past Jago to give them the close 2-1 win. We hadn't played badly, but neither did we play well enough to earn a better result. It also reinforced my impression that Daniel Austen seemed to come up with the big saves to earn us a few wins, but Jago didn't seem able to do the same.

[Brian of Nazareth]

well given the expectations not too bad eh, though it must be a little frustrating at the moment. A play-off push possible? Enjoying this as per usual

[Faramir]

BoN- thanks for the comments, playoffs a bit out of reach but was certainly glad to be beyond relegation territory.

***

20.3.05

We suffered another significant injury loss as Lea Jones will miss the next 4 weeks with a broken ankle. It was disappointing for Lea, as he had been our steady veteran player all season, but at least we are well set to finish midtable and out of the relegation zone at this point and still have a chance at finishing in 10th place- which would be a great achievement in my book. We did sign 23 yr old SC Lee Flanagan, who had been released by Hull early in the season. With trying to sell off Nathaniel Griffiths, it was a good addition at a very modest salary.

22.3.05

A surprise it was to be offered the job managing York (5th in ECN). They are a worthy club and it would have been a good situation, but I felt the need and the calling to stay with Harrow Hill.

23.3.05

With 5 matches remaining and relegation avoided- time to evaluate the club with an eye toward next season. It is time to start seeing if youngsters like Matty Hendra have as much talent as I and my scouts thought.

28.3.05

The transfer deadline was looming and we were selling. Liam Parrington went on free to Ashton United, Steve Clark garnered 2k to go to Forest Green and Leke Odunsi's price was 6K to Macclesfield. I really hope to trim down some of the players that I either was wrong about my evaluation, or that don't really fit into the system we are playing here.

30.3.05

Even more suprising than the York offer was when MK Dons offered me their open managerial position. They aren't in a good situation at all and the rumors of them falling into bankruptcy were enough for me to politely decline the offer.

[Faramir]

2.4.05

Hornchurch (0) Harrow Hill (1)

We have had some nice wins over this season, but I don't think I have ever been prouder of the boys effort that earned us a win than in this one. A win would have kept 5th place Hornchurch running with the pack of clubs for 2nd place behind top of the table Suttons United, so they had plenty to play for in the match. They got off to a quick start, but weren't able to convert a couple good scoring chances early in the first half. Darren Caskey was bitterly disappointed when Daniel Austen saved his penalty kick after Wes Erskine was called for pushing Danny Schofield in the area. We didn't have many good chances in the first half, but started playing better in the second half. Ashley Bayes came up with a good stop on Jason Hallett to keep things 0-0. We broke through for an unlikely goal when Jordan Fowler's 30 yard free kick slightly deflected off defender Steve West and past Bayes. With the lead, we tried to play a more defensive outlook, but Wayne Purser was intent on making us pay. His pace caused us problems and Austen was called on to make two very good saves. They swarmed us at the end, but our backline played good team coverage and Austen was on hand to scoop up the few shots we allowed. Late in the half, we missed a golden chance to put the match on ice as Michael Husbands drilled a shot off the post. The final whistle found a tired, but proud Harrow Hill club heading home to Mitcheldean with a 1-0 win.

[Faramir]

9.4.05

Harrow Hill (1) Carshalton (1)

The chances were there for us to win this match, but we fell prey to inconsistent finishing again and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with visiting Carshalton. The first 20 minutes of the match saw us on our backheels with enough pressure that we had difficulty moving the play out of our end. We finally started moving and it was a dazzling through ball from Jamie McGowan that allowed Jason Hallett to break in free and fire a low shot past Stuart Searle. Later in the first half we wasted a brilliant chance as both Hallett and Danny Singh hit the post in a single sequence of pressure. The second half saw Carshalton rallying and we switched to a more defensive approach. Our efforts failed us when Kevin Lock made a left side run and then launched a long looping pass that Ellis Hooper was able to deflect past Daniel Austen for a late equalizer. Our last chance to win the match saw Jason Hallett get free in close, but Mark Smith (who had come on for injured Searle) was able to block away Hallett's low shot to preserve the 1-1 draw.

***

9.4.05

After the match I was forced to discuss the opening at Southend. The press had made me the favorite to take over their open position. I wound up issuing a statement that the news I was interested in the Southend job was incorrect and that I was quite happy at Harrow Hill. The Harrow Hill Board expressed a lot of pleasure at my loyalty for publicly stating I was happy to stay at Harrow Hill.

[Faramir]

16.4.05

Lewes (2) Harrow Hill (1)

This match was a perfect example of what can go wrong when you make mistakes. We only made two of them, but they were both costly as Lewes converted them into goals. The first was Daniel Austen's as he just plain missed stopping a free kick from Michael Armstrong in first half injury time. Though we trailed, we came out strong in the second half and Ademola Bankole began earning his MOM with good saves against Steven O'Donnell and Jason Hallett. Our second mistake was a disastrous decision by Franklin Simek that saw a goal kick sail over his head to Marc Whiteman. Dave King tried to come over and close Whiteman down, but couldn't and Whiteman fired it past Austen for a 2-0 lead for Lewes. Bankole was called on to preserve the lead and he made two more excellent saves against Hallett and Adam Parker to keep us off the board. We finally scored just after the beginning of second half injury time when Hallett outworked his marker and was able to push the loose ball home after Bankole mishandled a centering pass from Kyle Allcock. It was a disappointing loss, but a reminder to the club that we can't afford mistakes- we just aren't a strong enough club yet to overcome these type.

[Faramir]

23.4.05

Harrow Hill (3) Dorchester (0)

We celebrated with our Larksfield Road fans after the final whistle in our 3-0 win. It was great to win our last match at home and we played very well in earning the win. There were many groans early on for us as Jason Hallett hit the crossbar when he had a wide open net after Craig Bradshaw made an initial save on Michael Husbands hard shot. Hallett was truly star crossed in this match as he hit the post twice shortly after and was left shaking his head. Our pressure finally paid off when Gavin Bolger made a deft short pass to spring Husbands in the area and he slid a shot inside the far right post for his 5th goal of the season. We kept pouring on the pressure and Dorchester's backline cracked again. Matty Hendra's booming free kick was blocked away by Bradshaw, but MOM Steven O'Donnell whipped a centering pass that Gavin Bolger was able to volley home for his 1st goal at Harrow Hill. We then added another for good measure as Paul Moss blasted a 30 yard kick past everyone for his 1st goal and a 3-0 halftime lead. Neither side managed many good chances in the desultory second half, but we missed a good one when Arron Davies, on for a tiring Husbands, fired over the net after a brilliant cross from Ryan Ashington (on for Hendra) set him up alone in front. The win clinched us a top half table 11th position, with still a chance to catch Maidenhead for 10th in our final match.

[Faramir]

30.4.05

Redbridge (0) Harrow Hill (2)

Our initial season in ECS closed on a great note as we played another fine match and won 2-0 at Oakside over host Redbridge. Both of our goals came in the first half of the match. Matty Hendra keyed the first one with a nice one-touch pass that found Gavin Bolger unmarked in the middle of the area. Bolger struck a scorching low shot that Jack Norton couldn't block and it slid past him into the net. Danny Singh finally scored his 10th goal of the season when he showed exquisite timing in deflecting a free kick from Jordan Fowler past Norton. With the 2-0 lead we played a more cautious second half and were content to blunt the rally attempts of the home side in closing out the 2-0 win. The win, coupled with Maidenhead's scoreless draw at Hayes, meant that we finished in 10th place in ECS.

***

1- Sutton United 86 pts (+37)

2- Margate 82 pts (+22)

3- Hornchurch 76 pts (+34)

4- Weymouth 74 pts (+23)

5- Havant & W 73 pts (+23)

6- Grays 69 pts (+9)

7- Carshalton 67 pts (+5)

8- Bishop's Stort 62 pts (+10)

9- Newport Co 62 pts (+3)

10-Harrow Hill 61 pts (+11)

11-Maidenhead 61 pts (+3)

Selected Harrow Hill Highlights

Daniel Austen (GK) 32 apps 7.13 10 CS 1 MOM

Michael Jago (GK) 16 apps 6.88 3 CS 2 MOM

Mark Berry (DR) 35 apps 7.60 2 Asts 6 MOM

Carl Laurie (D/DMRLC) 35 apps 7.17 2 Gls 4 Asts 2 MOM

Lea Jones (DL) 31 apps 7.29 2 Asts 1 MOM

Franklin Simek (DC) 26 apps 7.50 1 Ast

Paul Moss (DC) 28 apps 7.21 2 Gls 2 Asts 1 MOM

Kieron Gradwell (DC) 22 apps 7.20 1 Gl 1 Ast

Liam Eves (DC) 10 apps 7.20 1 Gl

Jamie McGowan (AML) 30 apps 7.57 1 Gl 3 Asts 3 MOM

Matthew McGowan (AMR) 24 apps 7.46 3 Gls 5 Asts 1 MOM

Adam Parker (AM/FC) 24 apps 7.42 6 Gls 2 Asts 1 MOM

Jordan Fowler (DMC) 24 apps 7.42 2 Gls 2 Asts 1 MOM

Ryan Ashington (AMC) 24 apps 7.14 4 Gls 4 Asts 1 MOM

James Tevendale (AM/FRC) 16 apps 7.06 1 Ast

Steven O'Donnell (AMLC) 7 apps 7.57 2 Asts 1 MOM

Gavin Bolger (AMC) 12 apps 7.25 2 Gls 2 Asts

Matty Hendra (AMC) 6 apps 7.17

Jason Hallett (SC) 19 apps 7.46 13 Gls 2 Asts 2 MOM

Danny Singh (SC) 30 apps 7.23 10 Gls 5 Asts 1 MOM

Michael Husbands 18 apps 7.17 5 Gls 3 Asts 1 MOM

Steven Fraser 17 apps 6.94 6 Gls 1 Ast

Nathaniel Griffiths 15 apps 6.94 4 Gls 4 Asts

Arron Davies (FRLC) 19 apps 7.06 3 Gls 1 Ast

Kyle Allcock (SC) 5 apps 7.00

Financial Summary- 97,000 in RED

[Faramir]

14.5.05

Staff Shuffling at Harrow Hill

There is a shuffling of the staff as they begin the summer at Harrow Hill. Bob Pearson has decided to move back as a Coach, instead of the Assistant Manager position he held last season at the club. Joining the club is George Wilson, who will take over coaching the keepers on a full-time basis. The newly minted Assistant Manager is 40 year old Dane Arne Kjaersgaard. Manager Jack Winston pronounced himself happy with the moves as, 'they will gave us a better ability to teach our young club.'

***

15.6.05

Besides restructuring the coaching staff, there actually was little to do for the summer. I was still pursuing trying to get rid of excess players, but with no transfer funds I wasn't looking hard at adding players. I was keeping my eye on previously shortlisted players- in case some of them wound up out of contract, but that was the main focus of my efforts. It was a passive outlook, but I felt we had developed a solid core club last season and we just needed to add a few better players if we could actually entice them to come to play at Harrow Hill.

***

19.6.05

Jamie McGowan was selected as Harrow Hill Fans Player of the Year. I was a bit surprised, as I thought Mark Berry was more deserving, but Jamie did have an excellent season for us so I can't quibble too much with the choice.

***

28.6.05

Despite repeated attempts, no clubs want our dross (can't say as I blame them). Our reserve side will be populated by those players. On the good side we made a free transfer purchase of Yiadom Yaboah from Hayes. The 27 yr old DC is a left footer- something we lacked in our central defense and may well end up paired with Franklin Simek. On season long loan we managed to attract promising young Patrick Cregg. Cregg is a 21 yr old DMC from Arsenal and I harbor the wish that we might be able to get him on transfer sometime during the season.

[Faramir]

1.7.05

With the spate of released players from the top sides (Arsenal, ManU, etc...) I was hoping to convince at least a few of the released players that Harrow Hill might be a good destination for them. Unfortunately, our reputation is still minimal and most ignored my contract offers. A couple of them didn't and we were able to add Adrian Nevins and Justin Bowler. Nevins is a 19 yr old DL out of the Manchester United youth program and someone I had been following with scouts for most of the season. Bowler is a 19 yr old AMLC out of the Leeds youth program and rated well by both my scouts. Nevins is more likely to see significant playing time this season, but Bowler will help a lot with our midfield depth.

***

10.7.05

Our first friendly hosting Leek Town was uneventful. We won 1-0 when Kieron Gradwell converted a penalty kick in the second half. Yiadom Yeboah was the only player who really played poorly for us in the match. We missed some chances, but so did they- a typical first match out.

***

11.7.05

I have to admit I did a little private celebrating when Arsenal decided to let Patrick Cregg come to us on free- if I could work out a contract. It took some negotiating, but Cregg did finally sign on the dotted line and it was a great addition to our club to add him permanently. He is one of the more talented midfielders I have seen at his age- and though nominally a DMC- I think he has a lot of offensive potential and won't hesitate to use him that way.

***

15.7.05

We lost our home friendly to rival Cinderford. Their keeper- Jack Delo- was the difference in the match. We weren't sharp at all on offense, which I attribute to my revolving lineups as I experiment during the friendlies.

***

19.7.05

Our road ready at Wakefield and Emley was fruitful as we parlayed a pair of first half goals from Franklin Simek and Yiadom Yeboah into a strong lead. They scored a consolation goal late in the match, but overall we played a bit better than they did.

[Faramir]

20.7.05

As we head into the 2005-06 season I like our squad better than what I had at the beginning of last season, but there is still room for improvement.

GK- Daniel Austen keeps showing pretty well. He occasionally gets caught out of position, but I am pleased with him overall. Michael Jago seems to run very hot and cold- either great or terrible. I have to admit that though Austen is fine- I still am on the lookout for another keeper.

Defense- I really think we are set at both fullback spots. Mark Berry, Carl Laurie (who may also see time at other positions), Lea Jones, Adrian Nevins and Dave King seem a solid set for both sides. Franklin Simek is our best overall defender, but I really wish I had a better partner for him. Absent a strong pairing, Yiadom Yeboah, Paul Moss, Kieron Gradwell, and Liam Eves will be the others in the initial mix.

Midfield- Strongest and deepest part of our lineup. This is a difficult choice, but I think we have to try and develop the trio of Steven O'Donnell, Gavin Bolger and Matty Hendra this season- I think they could turn into a really good combination. Besides them we have last season's Fans Player of the Year- Jamie McGowan, Adam Parker, Matthew McGowan, James Tevendale, Justin Bowler, and Ryan Ashington- all of who have proven they can contribute. In our holder role we will feature new arrival Patrick Cregg and Jordan Fowler, with Laurie making an occasional start as needed.

Forwards- Our weakest area by far. Jason Hallett proved he could score given a starting role last season and we will have to hope he continues to contribute. Danny Singh has promise, but not a consistent goal scorer yet. Michael Husbands should be a better scorer than he has shown so far. Kyle Allcock and Lee Flanagan round out our meagre crew. I am searching hard to find another solid forward.

[Spav]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Faramir:

1- Sutton United 86 pts (+37)

2- Margate 82 pts (+22)

3- Hornchurch 76 pts (+34)

4- Weymouth 74 pts (+23)

5- Havant & W 73 pts (+23)

6- Grays 69 pts (+9)

7- Carshalton 67 pts (+5)

8- Bishop's Stort 62 pts (+10)

9- Newport Co 62 pts (+3)

10-Harrow Hill 61 pts (+11)

11-Maidenhead 61 pts (+3)

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Faramir, quite a decent effort seeing as you built the team from scratch. I'll be following your second season efforts and I hope that you can get the club up into the realms of promotion-chasing. Good luck.

[Faramir]

Spav- Thanks, the goal this season is to move upwards Harrow Hill will remain a work in progress as I try to fine tune the club.

***

24.7.05

Our friendly against Rochdale at Spotland didn't go well. They beat us 3-0 through a combination of poor defending and poor positional play. We showed some offense, but couldn't score in the match.

***

29.7.05

We showed some good and bad in our friendly against Droylsden. The 1-1 draw was a solid result, but had we taken better advantage of our chances- it would have been a win.

***

4.8.05

Frustration at most every turn as very few freely available players or loan available players are interested in playing at Harrow Hill. I can see if we could just sign one or two it might tip the balance of play this season.

We did manage a youth signing as promising 16 yr old SC Mark Gray signed a youth contract with us. For how young he is, he has quite a few traits which should make him a good addition.

***

5.8.05

We played a bit better in winning our last friendly before the season as we beat Fleet Town 3-1. The first half featured some good execution offesively and that was the most encouraging aspect of the match.

***

6.8.05

Finally, a bit of welcome news. Millwall has allowed 22 yr old SC Kevin Braniff to come to us on loan for the season. Braniff has already had 10 Caps on the Northern Ireland Under-21 side and is exactly what I was looking for to help up front. He will pair with Jason Hallett on the left side and should give us a solid 1-2 punch.

***

13.8.05

On the eve of our first match of the season, we signed a very promising 15 yr old MC named Mark Phillips. My scouts both liked him a lot and some of his skills are already nicely developed- despite his young age. I don't expect to feature him on the senior side this season.

[Faramir]

13.8.05

Welling (0) Harrow Hill (1)

There was little doubt who the MOM of this match was as Martin Brennan had played brilliantly to keep Welling with a chance to gain at least a point out of the match. Kevin Braniff had a terrific debut for Harrow Hill as he scored the lone goal of the match. Daniel Austen had picked Braniff out with a long goal kick and he drove the ball under Brennan to score in his debut. Brennan had the best of the rest of the matchups though as good passing from Harrow Hill got Braniff free on Brennan four more times, but each time Brennan was up to the task. Patrick Cregg also had a dynamic debut for Harrow Hill who looked very sharp for their first match of the season. Austen was called on to preserve the win when he made a great save on Tommy Tyne in a one-on-one in the last moments of second half extra time.

***

15.8.05

We were able to sign another promising schoolboy player as we landed 17 yr old DC Michael Hayward. Hayward has the look of a future solid player on the backline and with my Yeboah addition an apparently worthless one- it was good to add someone who might help in the future.

***

17.8.05

The injury bug keeps coming back to Michael Husbands. Husbands injured his leg in practice and will miss the next month recovering.

[Faramir]

17.8.05

Minnesota came calling- asking about Franklin Simek. I threw out the outrageous price of 1.5 Million, expecting them to turn me down straight away. They haven't gotten back with me yet, so maybe it wasn't so outlandish. If they were willing to pay that much- then it would get us on a firm financial footing. I don't really expect them to want to pay that much though and Franklin is easily our best defender.

***

20.8.05

Harrow Hill (7) Redbridge (0)

By the time the final whistle blew, Redbridge keeper Ray Newland had seen all he wanted too of the swirling blue passing attack of Harrow Hill. It was a seemingly effortless dissection of the Redbridge midfield and backline by Harrow Hill as the sharp passes, crisp crosses and good shots added up to a 7-0 pasting of the visiting side. Though the scoreboard won't show it- the score could easily have been 10-0 as Adam Parker, Patrick Cregg and Danny Singh all ripped shots off the posts or crossbars. As it was Harrow Hill received a two-spot from Kevin Braniff and single markers from Parker, Gavin Bolger, Jason Hallett, Steven O'Donnell (1st at Harrow Hill) and Danny Singh on their way to the record win. O'Donnell deserves special mention for his wicked crosses that several times devastated the Redbridge backline. The Harrow Hill backline also played error free football- time and again stepping up and cutting out Redbridge passes in support of Daniel Austen's clean sheet.

[Faramir]

27.8.05

Kingstonian (0) Harrow Hill (3)

We continued our fine start to the new season by welcoming Kingstonian to ECS with a 3-0 loss in front of their fans at Kingsmeadow. We didn't connect very well in the early going, but Jason Hallett gave us the first half lead when Steven O'Donnell blazed a through ball that allowed Hallett to get in close and drive a low shot past Barry Marchena. We broke the match open early in the second half when Hallett made an excellent chip pass to Kevin Braniff. Braniff took the ball on the dribble past a defender before slotting home a shot inside the left post. Minutes later it was James Tevendale's turn to thread a through ball that put Hallett away again and he didn't miss inside the right post for his 2nd goal of the match. We played more conservatively with the 3-0 lead and finished out the match with the score intact.

***

29.8.05

In what might be another piece of the puzzle for the club, we signed 17 yr old GK Lewis Anderson to a contract. Anderson was praised highly by both my scouts and could well be the 3rd keeper that I want to develop behind Daniel Austen and Michael Jago. I tried to sign several veteran keepers, and also some prospects that were floating on free- but were turned down cold by most of them.

[Faramir]

31.8.05

With a dearth of players willing to come to Harrow Hill, I continued to sign promising unattached youngsters. Peter Morris an 18 yr old DC was another example of that. With no youth program to speak of, I was hoping at least a couple of these youngsters would be 'diamonds in the rough' so that we could keep building the club from within.

***

10.9.05

Harrow Hill (1) Maidenhead (1)

I was thoroughly disappointed with both our play- and the officiating in this 1-1 draw. We just could not pass the ball to save our life today. We sent at least a dozen balls over the end lines just trying to make simple passes into space. We weren't helped by the fact that they were winning most of the tackles *because* we were whistled for a foul everytime a tackle was close. For the match we had 13 fouls to their 3 and 3 yellow cards on top of that. They took the lead when they completed a good passing sequence and Jamie Cook blasted a shot that Daniel Austen would usually stop- but it went past him to put us behind early. It was a struggle to try and come back with how poorly we were playing, but we managed to even the match when Danny Singh (on for an ineffective Kevin Braniff) pounced on a loose ball in the area and fired it past Nick Hart. We were forced to battle on with only 10 players after Patrick Cregg went off and I had already used our 3 substituions. Despite having only 10 men, the boys did show a lot of heart and determination and we played excellent coverage on Maidenhead. Jason Hallett was completely lost out there today- not making good decisions up front and that (and Braniff's play) were big reasons why we struggled so. No matter the problems, we still managed to earn the draw and I guess we can be content with it. Cregg's injury was another dreaded groin pull and he will now miss the next 6 months due to surgery.

[Faramir]

13.9.05

Another bothersome injury in practice today. Paul Moss with miss the next 4 weeks with a badly sprained ankle. He hadn't played yet, but I had been planning on rotating him into the lineup in the next few matches, so the loss was disappointing.

***

14.9.05

I continue to sign promising youngsters and 18 yr old DMC David Marshall fits the bill. Because of the lengthy injury to Patrick Cregg and with Jordan Fowler also struggling with injuries so far- I may have to test him early.

***

16.9.05

Injuries continue to pile up as we are now without Danny Singh for the next couple weeks due to a strained knee.

***

17.9.05

Hornchurch (1) Harrow Hill (2)

This was an important early season test for us against a club that gave us problems last season. It wasn't our best performance, but we did manage to score the two goals we needed to edge them 2-1 in a closely played match. The first half was scoreless and they were doing an excellent job in clamping down on our forwards. We lost Kevin Braniff to injury (he will miss a week due a strained knee) midway through the half and Kyle Allcock came on. We finally broke through to take the lead when Steven O'Donnell sent a perfectly timed cross that Adam Parker was able to deflect past Mark Westhead. Both sides were working hard for each loose ball, but Hornchurch seemed thrown slightly out of whack when we switched to more defensive tactic and began counterattacking. That paid dividends when Parker slid a ball to Jason Hallett down the middle. Hallett was able to split Lee Mathews and Damon Searle and fire a low shot past Westhead. Despite playing defensively, we were caught up the pitch a bit and Franklin Simek couldn't close down quickly enough on Carl Rook. Rook made us pay by scoring his 1st ever goal past Daniel Austen to give the home side hope. We came close to clinching the match three times, but in each case Kyle Allcock wasn't equal to the task. I admit I had high hopes for Allcock, but I despair of him achieving anything for us- he has contributed little to this point. Despite Allcock's troubling misses, we managed to hold on and capture the match by the 2-1 margin.

[Faramir]

24.9.05

Harrow Hill (1) Forest Green (0)

We took advantage of their mistake as Forest Green's Tim Clancy scored an own-goal in the first half and that wound up being the margin of victory in a close, rough match. Nine yellow cards were handed out, along with numerous foul calls, as both clubs sought to assert themselves physically. With the midweek injury to Michael Jago, I handed young Lewis Anderson his first start in net and he earned his clean sheet with a couple brilliant saves in the late going to preserve our win. We had several chances to clinch the match in the second half, but their keeper Steve Perrin earned the MOM honours by coming up with the big stops to give his club a chance. Clancy scored his goal when he was trying to knock away a ball on a rebound with Steven Fraser closing down on him and instead put it into his own net.

[Faramir]

27.9.05

Newport County (1) Harrow Hill (0)

We suffered our first ECS loss of the season in a bitterly contested match at Newport. The injuries at forward (Braniff, Husbands, Singh all out) really left us in a bind for this match and I was forced to call up Shaun Smith and Lee Flanagan from the reserves, with Smith getting his first start. With Jason Hallett not playing well, we had little punch up front in the match. Still, if the referee hadn't made a questionable call and given them a penalty kick for Mark Berry bumping into Shaun Wray in the area- I think it would have been a scoreless draw as we were putting more pressure on them than they were on us. To be sure we had some excellent chances to even the match, but weren't proficient at taking advantage of them.

[OMDave]

Looks like this could be a very good year for Harrow Hill. Still enjoying the read

[binny]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OMDave:

Looks like this could be a very good year for Harrow Hill. Still enjoying the read </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Couldn't have said it better myself. KUTGW

[Faramir]

Thanks Dave- Binny glad to know that you are still enjoying the story. I hope this is the season that we can take the step up, but long way to go yet...

***

1.10.05

Wingate & Finchley (1) Harrow Hill (5) FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round

I do believe our players were perturbed that Wingate & Finchley was actually favored in the match, because they came out and showed some flawless execution as we rolled over them 5-1. Kevin Braniff returned from injury in fine style scoring a hat-trick to lead us to the win. Braniff had both goals as we took a 2-0 halftime lead and was a thorn in the home club's side all day as they simply couldn't contain him. We also got second half goals from Lee Flanagan (1st for us) and Gavin Bolger as we only allowed them a consolation goal in the second half. If we can build on how well we played today...

***

10.10.05

Another massive injury that certainly won't help us. Matty Hendra, who I had planned to start in our next match, suffered a badly broken leg in training and will miss 8 months recovering and rehabbing from having pins placed in it. I hope this won't affect Matty's long-term potential- which seemed very promising to me.

[Brian of Nazareth]

Excellent start to the season - goal scoring not proving to be a problem so far *touch wood*, and good luck shaping the team up

[binny]

You thrashed the Jewish team

But at least they got that far

[Faramir]

We didn't last much longer Binny....

***

15.10.05

Harrow Hill (0) Barking & East Ham (1) FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round

Once again we fell short in FA Cup Qualifying rounds and we had no to blame but ourselves. They only had two scoring chances in the match, but David Cartwright flicked a header over Daniel Austen as Yiadom Yeboah had lost track of him on the free kick. We had the better of play and of chances, but our shooting was abysmal. Lee Flanagan missed the net four different times on great chances. Chris Harvey managed to turn Michael Husbands shot around the post and also stopped Gavin Bolger on another chance. It was a disappointment to both the club and the substantial crowd at Larksfield Road.

***

16.10.05

It was with a bit of a heavy heart that I felt forced to start offering Franklin Simek to upper level and American clubs. With our debt growing to close to 300K and no way of relieving even a portion of it- unless I could sell Simek, who is our only player that any of these clubs have interest in, we could well drown in debt before the end of the season. Simek is one of the main reasons we are in 1st place in ECS, but football is a business after all...

[Faramir]

18.10.05

Harrow Hill (3) Havant & W (0)

We recovered nicely from the loss to Barking & East Ham as we played a superb first half in defeating them 3-0 at Larksfield Road. Adam Parker knocked home a rebound in the 2nd minute to send us off on a flyer and then Kevin Braniff continued his fine play with a pair of precision goals to boost us to a 3-0 halftime margin. We could have had more as Jason Hallett shot over the net 4 times on good chances. The second half saw the momentum swing to the visitors and Gavin Holligan's pace was difficult for us to cope with. We battened down the hatches about midway through the half and just tried to play a solid defensive match. Daniel Austen was called on for several good saves, but in the end he preserved the clean sheet as we closed out a strong 3-0 win.

***

20.10.05

It didn't surprise me overly much that after Franklin Simek's MOM performance against Havant & W that we received a bid on him. I had been hoping for 1.5 Million, but was forced to consider Division 1 Hull's offer of 800K up front with another 240K over 12 months. Though I hated doing it, I accepted the offer and let them begin negotiations with Franklin on a contract.

[Faramir]

22.10.05

Harrow Hill (2) Dorchester (1)

After struggling against Dorchester's determined midfield for most of the match, we struck for two goals in a four minute span and that was enough to survive a late rally to hang on for the 2-1 win. We just couldn't get our passing going in the first half as we had plenty of possession, but most wound up thrown away on a bad pass. Dorchester really didn't press us in the first half, but came close to grabbing the lead to open the second half. Fortunately, Lewis Anderson made a couple solid stops and kept things scoreless. We finally broke through in the late stages of the half. Gavin Bolger didn't get the MOM honours, but he earned us the win as his slick passing set up both goals. The first came when Bolger sent a soft pass up the middle and Danny Singh ran it down first and fired inside the right post past Craig Bradshaw. Bolger's 2nd good assist came from the right sideline as he showed superb timing in getting the ball in to an unmarked Michael Husbands. Husbands scorched a low shot past Bradshaw to give us the 2-0 lead. We allowed them to rally when young Peter Morris- making his debut in place of Franklin Simek- fell asleep and allowed Justin Georcelin in close to fire past Anderson. We held them off to finish out the 2-1 win. Hull had asked me to hold Simek out for the match with their ongoing negotiations not complete and I honoured that request. Morris had played a solid match before his failure, so I can't say I was too unhappy with his effort- just his lack of concentration.

***

24.10.05

I was happy for Franklin Simek. During the press conference to announce the transfer purchase and his signing he was very happy. He talked about a 'dream come true' to have a club such as Hull seeking his services for their first team. For myself, it was a big loss as we don't really have a solid defender to replace him (until Paul Moss is closer to full fitness), but our bottom line is now assured and the Board is happy with me. We are now one of the better funded ECS clubs with 500K in the black. I hope that our sudden tipping to the black side of the balance book helps make us more attractive for those on the free list or maybe another loanee.

[Faramir]

2.11.05

St.Albans (0) Harrow Hill (1)

Leaving the pitch following the match, you could tell our players were dog tired. We had played almost the entire second half with only 10 men- after Danny Singh's 2nd yellow card in the opening moments of the second half. Fortunately we had a 1-0 lead at that point thanks to an own goal by St.Albans' keeper James Robinson. Robinson was under pressure from Singh and Jason Hallett on a free kick and pushed the ball into his own net. We had numerous other good chances in the first half that we couldn't convert on and I was rueing them after Singh's departure. We made a good defensive stand and managed to survive what appeared to be the equalizer in the closing moments of 2nd half injury time as Graeme Butler was ruled offside and the goal he scored was waived off for us to hold on to the closely played 1-0 win.

[Faramir]

5.11.05

Harrow Hill (4) Leighton (1) FA Trophy 1st Round

It was a close match in the first half and the only reason we were leading 2-1 was that Michael Jago had saved Ian Ryan's penalty kick in injury time. We had staked ourselves to an early 2-0 lead on Ryan Ashington's first goal of the season and one from Michael Husbands. They had started clawing back when James Foster was left unmarked and beat Jago inside the far left post. Our superior fitness began to tell in the second half and two nice passing sequences set up first time goal scorers (for us at least) James Tevendale and Wesley Erskine. Leighton had some late chances, especially after young defender Peter Morris drew his 2nd yellow card for us, but Jago managed to keep them at bay and we won our way into the 2nd round with a 4-1 win.

***

6.11.05

It wasn't a major acquisition, but my scouts liked Justin Marsden and he came very cheaply (free transfer, very modest contract) from Rugby United. Marsden is a 21 yr old FRLC and though he lacks stamina he should be able to offer cover at forward for us. I will likely use him as a gameday sub off the bench because of his low stamina and ability to fill the bill at any forward location.

[Faramir]

8.11.05

Harrow Hill (1) Bishop's Stortford (1)

I have no earthly reason why Jordan Fowler was named MOM for the match. It was his stupid play of unnecessarily tripping Ross Mitchell in the area that gave them the second half penalty that allowed them to leave here with a very unearned 1-1 draw. We played an excellent match and Kevin Braniff had put us in the lead with his 10th goal of the season in the first half. We missed some very good chances to add to that lead, and that wastefulness caught up to us. Then Fowler made an idiotic mistake- the ball was going out of bounds anyways and he didn't have to do anything- and Spencer Knight converted the penalty kick. It was a very rough match, featuring 5 yellow cards to the visitors and one to us. It was a clear waste of a chance for a win against a club we should have beaten.