A Harrowing Misadventure

[Faramir]

17.1.07

With the injury to O'Donnell and Adam Smith still out injured- we really didn't have a left winger left on the roster. I wasn't keen on buying someone to fill in until one of the two of them regains fitness, so I found Neil Johnson on the free list. Johnson is a 19 yr old ML who was released by Macclesfield. Rob Campkin thought he would be a fine signing to add depth to the position, so I took him at his word and signed Johnson. He will likely move directly into the starting lineup.

***

20.1.07

Havant & W (0) Harrow Hill (0)

They may be 22nd place, but Havant & W always give us problems. Their pace is better than ours and they had an extremely good match tackling, which short-ciruited some chances for us. Danny Singh came closest for us after subbing on as he drilled a shot off the left post. They had good chances to win also as Gavin Holligan missed just over the net and Ross Flitney earned his MOM honours with a game saving tip over the bar on George Bates in the waning moments of the match. More injury woes dog us as Ryan Ashington will now miss the next couple weeks.

[hjfh]

Enjoyed the story so far. Its a shame you lost in the playoff fianl in 05/06, Hope you go up to the Conference this time!

[Faramir]

hjfh- Thanks for the kind words and very glad you enjoyed the story. It was disappointing to lose out, but hopefully this year we go up

***

21.1.07

Notts County (10th in League 2) approached me about taking over as Manager. I thanked them for the offer, but told them I am comfortable at Harrow Hill.

***

23.1.07

Another major injury- but one we should be able to survive- as Simon Downer will miss the next month after straining knee ligaments.

***

27.1.07

Our midfielder shortage led me to another free signing. 20 yr old AMC Sean Lynch came out of the Hibs youth program but was released earlier in the season. On a short term basis I think he can help us. We were close to completing a transfer sale of Chris Clark, so the slot was open to add him to the squad.

[Faramir]

27.1.07

Thurrock (2) Harrow Hill (4)

I was hoping we could generate more offense facing Thurrock than we had against Havant & W- and I got my wish. Neil Johnson made a great impression as he struck for 20 yard and a 30 yard blasts past Paul Gothard to help us lead at halftime 2-1. In the second half Gavin Bolger struck for two goals and the late goal they scored was only a consolation, as we cruised to a 4-2 win.

***

27.1.07

We completed the transfer sale of Chris Clark to Hornchurch for 16K. Clark seemed to be a good all-around midfielder, but he didn't fit in well with our style of attack for some reason. At the same time we signed on free Nuno Gourgel. While Nuno likely won't be a star, he does provide some very decent cover for us at forward for a reasonable weekly wage. He came out of the Leyton Orient youth program where my scouts initially saw him.

[Faramir]

30.1.07

Harrow Hill (1) Hendon (0)

Just when it looked like we had wasted another chance to win a match due to our poor shooting around the net, Billy Sharp found a small seam in the defense and after taking an excellent pass from Adrian Nevins he threaded his shot inside the left post for a late match winning goal. Sharp's goal made up for his missed penalty kick earlier in the match. Danny Singh had also missed a stellar chance after their keeper Dave King mishandled a loose ball. Singh had a wide open net, but shot over the bar. We weren't really sharp in this match, as our passing continually was off target and we gave away many passes by trying to either force the play, or not being aggressive enough. It was a badly needed win that was a relief to finally put in the books. Injuries continue to plague us though and we came out of the match with three more as Billy Sharp's twisted knee will cost him a week, Gavin Bolger will be out a week with a strained neck and Neil Johnson continues an injury reign of terror on our leftwingers as he tweaked his hamstring and will be out at least 2 weeks.

***

31.1.07

I tried to address the problem of lack of scoring from our forwards with three additions at the transfer deadline. The longer term addition was that of Jabo Ibhere a promising 24 yr old FC that Leyton Orient had soured on and was willing to let go for 3K. Two other short term additions should help us with our lack of depth in the stretch run- 22 yr old SC Leon Green, who I signed on free for a very modest wage and 35 yr old SC Dale Watkins, who cost 2K from Hemel Hempstead. Adding these to the mix of Dean Morgan, Billy Sharp, Simon Hodgson and Nuno Gourgel will hopefully give us a bit more punch down the stretch. Jason Hallett and Danny Singh just haven't produced many goals this season despite ample playing time and our club is really in dire need of at least some scoring up front- besides what Sharp and Morgan have given us.

[Faramir]

3.2.07

Lewes (0) Harrow Hill (4)

Granted it was against 20th place and struggling Lewes, but it was great to see my new acquistions fit into our lineup so well and contribute to an impressive road win. Dale Watkins proved he still has the 'sniper's' touch when he blasted a 20 yard shot past Carl Emberson to score in his debut and gave us the lead just before halftime. Early in the second half a good passing sequence was finished off when Dean Morgan scored his 10th goal of the season off an excellent pass from the left corner from Watkins. Jabo Ibhere came on for a tiring Leon Green and added a goal in his debut off a long, precise pass from Adam Smith. Morgan then finished off the scoring with his 2nd of the match off a through ball from Jordan Fowler to finish off the 4-0 win.

***

3.2.07

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

ECS TABLE (All with 29 or 30 matches played)

1- Harrow Hill 60 pts (+26)

2- Kingstonian 51 pts (+11)

3- Welling 45 pts (+10)

4- Hornchurch 45 pts (-6)

5- Maidenhead 44 pts (+10)

6- Gravesend 44 pts (+9)

7- Gloucester 44 pts (+9)

8- Hendon 43 pts (+7)

9- Weymouth 42 pts (+4)

10- Thurrock 42 pts (-11)

11- Barnet 41 pts (+3)

12- Redditch 41 pts (-1)

13- Braintree 40 pts (+7)

</pre>

[Faramir]

10.2.07

Harrow Hill (1) Maidenhead (1)

We could have made this match a lot easier on ourselves- except that Mark Berry missed two penalty kicks in the second half that would have given us more margin for error. As it was, we played a strong match and Simon Hodgson gave some very good work up front for us in the 1-0 win. The only goal came when Gavin Bolger deflected a cross from Dale Watkins past Nick Hart early in the second half. Ross Flitney proved to be very active as he continually gobbled up the attempted crosses into our area. We played without Dean Morgan in this one as he is nursing a minor leg injury.

***

16.2.07

Another free transfer signing that I couldn't turn down today- as we signed Danny Williamson.

[Faramir]

17.2.07

Grays (2) Harrow Hill (0)

We played an awful match in losing on the road to the Grays 2-0. The right side of our backline- Mark Berry and Matt Morrell (starting in place of injured Franklin Simek) cost us both goals in the match, though to be fair Lewis Anderson had chances to make the saves on both of them and just didn't. They scored early in the first half with a nice criss-cross passing sequence that saw my entire backline standing around. Their second goal was a direct result of Morrell being stranded up the pitch and leaving an odd-man attack for the rest of the backline to deal with, and they couldn't. We had a few scattered scoring chances in the match, but Bob Farrell played well in their net to keep the clean sheet. This was probably Anderson's last appearance in net for us this season- he played well as a youngster last season, but hasn't been nearly that sharp in the few matches I have played him this season.

[Faramir]

20.2.07

Harrow Hill (0) Braintree (0)

The only thing we did really well in this match was to shoot wide of the net. We forced their keeper- Paul Binder- to make two brilliant saves in the match. One was in the opening moments when he pushed Dean Morgan's blast just past the post and the other was in the late stages when he parried away a sizzling low shot from Jabo Ibhere. They never seriously tested Ross Flitney thanks to solid positional play from our backline. It was a disappointing result for us, as this was a club we should have beaten.

[Spav]

C'mon Harrow Hill, let's see a few more wins.

[Faramir]

spav- I share the sentiment...

***

24.2.07

Weymouth (1) Harrow Hill (1)

Another hugely frustrating performance as we outplayed the home side by a large margin, especially in the first half, but had nothing to show for all our good passing thanks to poor finishing by Dean Morgan, Billy Sharp and Gavin Bolger. Our lone goal came off a corner when Franklin Simek scored his first ever goal for us by deflecting Jordan Fowler's corner past Dean Harris. We immediately gave that goal back when Daniel Morris overpowered Adrian Nevins to head a wicked cross from Adam Wilde past Ross Flitney. We had several more late chances, but timely tackles and poor shooting doomed us to the 1-1 result. We haven't played well of late, but fortunately Kingstonian has also been treading water in second place and hasn't gained any ground on us as we begin the final stretch of the season.

[Faramir]

3.3.07

Harrow Hill (0) Carshalton (0)

Our shooting woes reached new heights as we dominated visiting Carshalton, but didn't put our shots on net and allowed them to split the points with us. Despite earning excellent chances in the match, we made their keeper Stuart Searle only make one save in the match. It is disappointing to see our struggles around the net after how well we have done in reaching the stretch drive. Ross Flitney came up with the one big save needed to keep us locked in the scoreless draw when he tipped Mehmet Mehmet's rising blast over the bar late in the second half.

***

7.3.07

I had to quiet another set of rumors as the press had me taking over the vacancy at Macclesfield. I told them they had been misinformed and that I was content to remain at Harrow Hill.

[Faramir]

10.3.07

Newport County (1) Harrow Hill (0)

The lone goal in our 1-0 loss was on a disputed penalty called when the referee decided Ross Flitney had pushed Nathan Davies in the air during a corner kick. Scott Morgan converted the penalty kick and they held that edge through the remainder of the match. We really didn't deserve a better result though as they held sway over the flow of the match and limited us to a few scattered counterattack chances. All the effort we spent in trying to keep the players fresh for the stretch drive seems wasted as we haven't played very well so far. Kingstonian again missed a chance to gain ground on us, and they seem to be just as inconsistent as us in not gaining any ground on us during our struggles.

[Faramir]

17.3.07

Harrow Hill (2) Cambridge City (0)

We finally gained another win as we scored two goals early and watched Cambridge come afoul of the referee as we played out the 2-0 win. Ryan Ashington took advantage of an early free kick to boost us into the lead when he drilled a 25 yard blast past Duncan Roberts. Gavin Bolger's deft passing gave Dean Morgan enough space to make a quick move past Roberts and slot the ball into the right side of the net for a 2-0 lead. The yellow cards piled up for the visitors and Matt Langston was sent off at 34 minutes. We failed to take advantage of their plight though as they easily blunted our misfiring passing attack. The match was put out of doubt when they lost a second player- Lee Chaffey- to a pair of yellow cards in the second half and both sides were content to finish out the match with the 2-0 margin in place.

***

27.3.07

Another job opening that I was offered, another refusal on the books and in the papers. Colchester offered me their open managerial position, but I politely declined.

[binny]

A win

At last.

Now to hold out until the end of the season

[Faramir]

Thanks Binny, as you will see even with our inconsistent play- we are in good shape

***

31.3.07

Hornchurch (0) Harrow Hill (1)

Ross Flitney saved us in this match and his fine play earned him the MOM, while we held on for a 1-0 win that we really didn't deserve. The lone goal in the match came early when Dean Morgan ran onto a pass from Jordan Fowler into space on the right. Morgan sent a sharp cross that Billy Sharp outleaped Ben Davis and flicked past Mark Westhead for the early lead. That was the extent of our offense in the match as the home side desperately wanted a win. They pressured us and Flitney came up with a pair of big saves to keep us in the lead. Late in the first half, Franklin Simek drew his 2nd yellow card and an early trip to the showers. We tried to regroup at halftime, but were again under siege in the second half. Bertie Braley drilled a shot off the post and it was Flitney again making a great save in the waning moments of the match to preserve the 1-0 win. The win was very important to us as we put ourselves in great shape to capture the ECS Title.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

ECS (4 matches remaining)

1- Harrow Hill 72 pts. (+27)

2- Gloucester 64 pts. (+20)

3- Kingstonian 58 pts. (+10)

</pre>

[Spav]

Wins \o/

Like the look of that table too, Faramir.

[pjtopor]

Just read this start to finish, brilliant concept, great story.

Come on you Harrowers! ^^

[Faramir]

Thanks Spav- pjtopor- all I can say at this point (after the playoff loss last season) is finally...

***

7.4.07

Harrow Hill (2) Welling (1)

All the frustration of losing the playoff for advancement last season was drowned in champagne tears of joy today as we clinched the top spot in ECS with our 2-1 win, coupled with Gloucester's 2-2 draw. We started the match out very crisply and forced Martin Brennan to make two very good saves early on. Jordan Fowler's temper caused both myself and our Larksfield fans much anguish when he received a pair of yellow cards for his verbal rants at the 30 minute mark. We barely missed a beat though and kept squeezing Welling in their own zone. The pressure paid off when Ryan Ashington picked out Billy Sharp on the left sideline and then his excellent pass found Gavin Bolger with enough space for Bolger to snap a shot past Brennan. Welling rallied and drew even at halftime when Mark Rogers outleaped Mark Berry to deflect a corner past Ross Flitney in first half injury time. We regained the lead with the eventual match winner early in the second half as Dean Morgan flicked a ball on to Sharp and he fired a well placed shot inside the left post for his 10th goal of the season. We played a more defensive style with the lead and had to withstand a determined rally from the visitors, but the final whistle blew and touched off a wild celebration by our home faithful and our players.

[URZ- ReAdInG fC]

YAS!

Harrow up at last

Shall be looking forward to the Conference season. kutgw

[Faramir]

Thanks URZ-Reading, I am also looking forward to finally playing in the Conference

***

14.4.07

Kingstonian (2) Harrow Hill (1)

It was nice to have the title clinched going into this match with Kingstonian as they were ready to beat us this time. They stunned us with a goal in the opening minute of play when Martyn Lee curled a cross in and Dean Lodge dove and deflected it past Ross Flitney. The match was a see-saw affair following that initial goal and both sides were gaining good scoring chances. Their keeper Lee Boyle earned MOM honours for several terrific stops late in the first half and early in the second half to keep them with their slim 1-0 lead. It looked like we were going to salvage a 1-1 draw when Danny Singh laid the ball off and Sean Lynch blasted a low shot past Boyle for his 1st goal at Harrow Hill. It wasn't to be though as Greg Ball scampered down the left wing and then when not challenged quickly enough he sent a sizzling cross that Reggie Savage volleyed past Ross Flitney for the late match-winning goal for them.

[Faramir]

21.4.07

Gravesend (1) Harrow Hill (1)

Our last road tilt of the season saw us grab the early lead as Gavin Bolger made a nice touch pass that allowed Billy Sharp to walk in and smash a rising shot past Darren Mathews. We quickly gave the goal back when Ryan Ashington was whistled for tripping James Pinnock in the area. Brian Stock converted the penalty kick to even the match at 1-1. Gravesend took hold of the match at that point and we managed only one more shot on their goal the remainder of the match. We weren't playing particularly well in our end, but we were playing with a lot of heart and determination. That effort and a couple timely saves by Ross Flitney were enough to earn us a 1-1 final score. The win cost us Flitney for the final match of the season as he went out with a twisted knee.

[Spav]

Champione, champione, ole, ole, ole.

[Faramir]

Thanks Spav

***

28.4.07

Harrow Hill (0) Bishop's Stortford (0)

The last match of the season saw us outplayed by Bishop's Stortford as they wanted this meaningless match more than we did. Daniel Austen wanted his clean sheet though and his fine performance was enough to allow us to split the points with a scoreless draw. It wasn't exactly the way I wanted our season to end, but we had already accomplished the thing both the fans and I wanted at the beginning of the season- promotion to the Conference National.

***

Selected 2006-7 Harrow Hill Stats

Ross Flitney 32 apps 7.16 3 MOM 19 Clean sheets

Daniel Austen 10 apps 7.40 1 MOM 5 Clean sheets

Lewis Anderson 6 apps 6.83

Dean Morgan 29 apps 12 goals 6 assists 4 MOM 7.66

Billy Sharp 29 apps 11 goals 7 assists 1 MOM 7.21

Danny Singh 23 apps 3 goals 3 assists 1 MOM 6.91

Jason Hallett 10 apps 2 goals 1 assist 7.10

Chris Williams 13 apps 1 assist 6.92

Jabo Ibhere 11 apps 1 goal 1 assist 6.91

Simon Hodgson 6 apps 1 assist 6.83

Dale Watkins 4 apps 1 goal 2 assists 7.50

Gavin Bolger 27 apps 8 goals 6 assists 2 MOM 7.07

Ryan Ashington 26 apps 4 goals 2 assists 1 MOM 6.77

Adam Smith 17 apps 6 assists 1 MOM 7.29

Steven O'Donnell 19 apps 1 goal 2 assists 1 MOM 7.05

Daniel Flack 10 apps 1 goal 1 assist 7.00

Neil Johnson 8 apps 2 goals 7.13

James Tevendale 12 apps 7.00

Matty Hendra 14 apps 1 assist 6.64

Sean Lynch 5 apps 1 goal 6.80

Jordan Fowler 34 apps 7 assists 3 MOM 7.32

Patrick Cregg 27 apps 2 assists 1 MOM 6.81

Carl Laurie 32 apps 1 MOM 7.09

Adrian Nevins 23 apps 2 assists 1 MOM 7.04

Mark Berry 26 apps 1 assist 7.19

Dave King 10 apps 7.40

Franklin Simek 35 apps 1 goal 1 assist 2 MOM 7.37

Lewis Buxton 37 apps 2 assists 7.16

Simon Downer 12 apps 6.83

Paul Moss 6 apps 7.00

Matt Morrell 8 apps 6.75

Finances- 383K in the Black

[Faramir]

1.5.07

One of the most encouraging signs for us was when I worked out a new contract with Dean Morgan. The contract carries through 2010 and does not contain the dreaded minimum fee release clause that his previous one contained. Other encouraging signs were the ease in which we were able to get Carl Laurie, Gavin Bolger, Ryan Ashington and several other players under new contracts (theirs would have run out in 2008). We are about 4900 over the weekly wage budget set forth by the Board, but I am loath to really sell any of our highest wage players- since they are the key players for us as we move up. I may be forced to look at disposing some of our promising youngsters though.

***

2.5.07

Another encouraging signing was David Poole. Poole, who I had tried unsuccessfully to sign before the season, agreed to come here. It was likely an easier choice given both our promotion and the fact that he had spent this season unemployed. He should be able to help us up front.

[hjfh]

Congratulations on your promotion!

[Faramir]

hjfh- Thanks much

***

28.5.07

The Board informed me that our transfer fund for next season would be 150K. That should be sufficient since I am hesitant about burdening the club with more salary at this point, but I won't rule out the purchase of a few players who might bring us depth we need as we move up to Conference National play.

***

2.6.07

Finally, a minor transfer sail, as Chris Williams moved on to greener pastures at Barrow. We only received 8K from the sale, but it still helps.

***

8.6.07

We added a player I had wanted to add for a long time. David Green is an 18 yr old GK that played substantially for Nottingham Forest last season. I was surprised when they released him, and immediately offered him a contract. We had scouted him heavily over the past season and I am certain he can split time with Ross Flitney. I was very happy when he agreed to our contract and not too surprisingly he suddenly became the highest value player rated on our squad. Hopefully, his signing is an indication that our promotion to Conference National has moved us upward from obscurity. His signing means that Lewis Anderson is odd man out- since he had drawn transfer interest in the past- and I will be placing him on the transfer list.

[Lord Crumb]

You must have received a fair deal of money from transfers to be 350k i the black. Despite wining ht eECS and getting 100k I was only given 35k and I had my wage budget cut!

Anyway I expect a comfy mid table position for Harrow Hill this season.

[Lord Crumb]

Are you on the lookout for more strikers?

None of your players seem to be that prolific, Hallett and Singh especially seem to have reached the end of the road.

[Faramir]

Lord Crumb- well, I didn't spend much on transfers, so was able to keep some saved up from before on the cash.

That is a good observation on my strikers- Dean Morgan seemed the only one I could really count on. Billy Sharp was a favorite of my Board, but his lack of strength meant that he was easily tackled in the area. Hallett and Singh really didn't fit into my future plans, so I was looking to add them...

***

9.6.07

Another signing on free after he was released by Bournemouth was 17 year old (soon to be 18) SC Richard Langley. Langley is a 17 yr old (soon to be 18) SC- a true physical speciman. He automatically becomes the fastest player on the club with his explosive pace/acceleration. Best of all, he is left-footed and has the look of a good finisher.

***

18.6.07

The training is ongoing now, with little happening in the transfer market. Despite the influx of 150K in TV money, just looking at the balance book is enough to give me pause about overspending. We are currently about 4500/wk over the budgeted amount. Comparing that to where we are currently- 400K in the black- leaves me guessing that we may well be under 200K without significant player sales. With that in mind, I will keep perusing the free transfer market and also watch for a bargain signing or two that have been transfer listed.

***

26.6.07

I had transfer listed Lewis Anderson after the signing of David Green. I finally drew an offer of 3K on him from Grantham and that was acceptable. Anderson was pleased to go to a club with a chance to start and the deal was quickly completed.

[Faramir]

6.7.07

Already injuries are a factor. David Poole strained knee ligaments and it is likely he will now miss the start of the season.

***

8.7.07

One coming and one going today. We signed on free transfer rightback Shaun Clohessy. Clohessy is a 20 year old DR who was just released by Arsenal. We had scouted him extensively in the past season and both my scouts thought he would be an excellent signing for us. We also let Tommy Miller go on free to Welling.

***

12.7.07

Though it seems a bit overkill, it was nice to be able to sign talented forward Mark Smyth on free transfer. Smyth, a 22 year old FLC, was released after coming through the Liverpool youth program and he adds another promising presence up front for us.

[Faramir]

11.8.07

Morecambe (1) Harrow Hill (1)

We played so well in this match, we deserved a better fate. Unfortunately, we blew the coverage on one of our throw-ins and they were able to counter-attack to grab a late equalizer. Our goal came on a beautifully setup play on a free kick. Ryan Ashington, on for injured Steven O'Donnell, took the free kick and sent it to Lewis Buxton. Buxton laid the ball back for Ashington and he whistled a 25 yard shot past Adam Sollitt. That was the only thing we got by him though as we had many, many terrific chances- only to see him come up with the big save time and again. Likely none was bigger than an excellent passing sequence in second half injury time that found David Poole, who was on for Gavin Bolger, alone in front. Sollitt managed to tip his shot over the bar to preserve the 1-1 draw. We outshot them 20-11 for the match and though we only managed a draw, it was hard to be displeased with our offensive effort.

***

11.8.07

After the match we announced the signing on free transfer of Victor Anichebe. Anichebe is out of the Everton youth program and was released just before the season started. The 21 year old SC had many suitors, but was willing to sign on with us. He will give us another good presence on the left side of the attack (being leftfooted).

[Lord Crumb]

You have a lot of left sided strikers now, I've had problems attracting such players to Hornchurch.

The only non left footers who do well seem to be players with good dribbling abilities, such as my Ben Woods.

[Faramir]

18.8.07

Harrow Hill (2) Sutton Utd (1)

It looked like we might be heading for another frustrating 1-1 draw when Ryan Ashington continued to stake his claim for a starting role by crushing a 25 yard free kick for a late match winning goal. We took the lead in the first half when Dean Morgan made a nice move with the ball past Stuart Booth and then fired an extremely well placed shot past Conrad Logan inside the far left post. Sutton United struck back immediately when Lewis Buxton missed a header and Ross Flitney couldn't smother the ball- so Andrew Martin pushed it past him to equalize. We were not near as sharp in this match as our season opener, so to get a late win was a blessing for us.

[Faramir]

19.8.07

Just looking at the financial reports turned me a bit grim. This was the right time to start trying to shed players- with the end of the month transfer window coming up- but I was afraid that I might kill the club chemistry in doing so. Still, the numbers in the balance sheet don't lie. We are just under 300K in the black and unless I can slim our roster down- we will burn through most of that this season. Mainly, I desperately need to move the high weekly wages of Jabo Ibhere (who has been on the transfer list all season) and Danny Flack off of our club's weekly wages. Just placing those two on other clubs would reduce the 5K over budget per week wages to 3.5K over budget. The tough calls besides those leave me transfer listing Danny Singh, Neil Johnson, Simon Downer and Dave King. I hope getting a jump on the other club's who might be offering players for the transfer deadline will allow me to move some of these.

[Faramir]

25.8.07

Stafford Rangers (0) Harrow Hill (3)

I was really proud of the boys in this match. When skipper Carl Laurie earned a redcard in the 11th minute for holding in the area, it looked like a terrible start for us. Chris Smith oblingingly blasted his penalty kick wide left and we were able to regroup still scoreless. We surprised them by attacking aggressively. Mark Smyth, moved back to the midfield, picked our whole club up with a brilliant run to score his 1st goal for us. Ross Flitney had to make a brilliant one-on-one save against Richard Mitchell to keep us in the lead at halftime. Early in the second half, we received a penalty kick of our own when Chris McAughtrie pulled down Dean Morgan in the area. Adrian Nevins calmly converted the penalty kick for his 1st goal for us and we were ahead 2-0. Flitney had to make another dazzling one-on-one save on Robin Gibson to keep them at bay and when Ryan Ashington scored his 3rd goal in 3 matches on the end of a pretty tic-tac-toe passing sequence, you could feel the life drain out of their club. The 3-0 win while playing with 10 men was a huge team effort and I was very happy with it. The only down side was when Sean Lynch cornered me following the match and we had it out. Sean was unhappy that I subbed on Nevins for him after Laurie was sent off. He told me he wanted out of here, and I told him- a bit loudly- that I would certainly try to accommodate his wishes.

[Faramir]

26.8.07

We found our first taker on all the offering I was doing when Danny Singh drew an offer from Bolton. He quickly agreed to a contract with them after I accepted their offer of 60K. Danny has talent, but I didn't think he would ever really start at forward for us.

***

27.8.07

It was with relief that I managed to sell on free transfer both Jabo Ibhere and Danny Flack. Ibhere is off to Eastbourne Boro and Flack is on his way to Mansfield. As already mentioned this seriously helps lighten the wages per week that was strangling our money.

***

28.8.07

Unhappy Sean Lynch has a new home now that Gravesend grabbed him on free transfer. Lynch had his pick of clubs as 4 others bid on him as well. Also moving on free transfer is Neil Johnson as he will go to the Grays on free transfer. That is another 600 a week off the books for us and now we are under 2.5K a week over the budgeted amount for wages.

***

29.8.07

I felt a bit ambushed when the big clubs came calling for two of the 16 year olds that I had signed on free from Rob Campkin's scouting reports. I had hoped to wait until Karl Atkinson (FRLC) and Adam Davies (SC) were 17 and then sign them to firm contracts, but I didn't get the chance as both agreed to terms (which will take place next summer). At least I will get significant amounts from both of them, as Atkinson was rated at 170K and Davies at 120K, but somehow I suspect it is but a small amount of their genuine worth. On a better note, I was pleasantly surprised that Fulham accepted my small 20K bid on AMC Darren Pratley. Pratley is a 22 year old and we have been scouting him off and on for almost a year. He will automatically become the best midfielder on the club when he joins us in October- after his loan is up. He was a player that I was surprised that would come to us, and we even managed to sign him to a contract that, though hefty, doesn't have a minimum fee release.

[Faramir]

1.9.07

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Dean Morgan's goal had been selected as National Goal of the Month. It was a top drawer effort and I was pleased for Dean and the attention he received.

***

8.9.07

Harrow Hill (0) Southend (1)

Pretty frustrating match for us as they turned one long early break into the match winner. Keeper Russell Howarth's goal kick saw Gary Taylor-Fletcher get past Lewis Buxton and he made a good shot inside the near right post for the only goal. We had plenty of good scoring chances, but Howarth played very well and the posts were unkind to us. It was a tough loss for us considering we carried much of the play for the match.

[Faramir]

15.9.07

Bradford PA (0) Harrow Hill (2)

We came back from Bradford with an important win over a very fine club. We managed to get up early when Gavin Bolger made a terrific long pass that found Dean Morgan moving past his marker. Morgan made a quick dip move with the ball before sliding it inside the near right post past Michael Ingham. Morgan and Richard Langley played very well together up front today in their initial pairing. Langley capped his solid debut by showing a fine shooting sense as he snapped a shot past Ingham after a good sharp pass from Steven O'Donnell. Ross Flitney had to make a couple excellent saves to keep his clean sheet, but also benefitted from a couple chances that they should have scored on going over the net and a late second half goal that was ruled offside. Our club got a good view of future teammate Darren Pratley as he played very well for them in filling virtually the same role he will once on our side.

[Faramir]

22.9.07

Harrow Hill (0) Canvey Island (2)

It was another frustrating loss for us as we outplayed Canvey Island, but we yielded a goal on throw-in and then another late goal on a penalty in losing 2-0. Their center backs Paul Collins and Gary Fitzgerald did a terrific job of tackling in the match as we lost many good scoring chances due to their last second tackling in the area. David Green had another tough match in net, without much help from his backline on the throw-in goal. It was a match that could have been a better result if we had executed better.

[Faramir]

25.9.07

Margate (0) Harrow Hill (2)

Another strong road performance for us as we dumped Margate 2-0 at Hartsdown Park. Dean Morgan was the leader in a terrific effort offensively. We passed the ball crisply and generated both a lot of possession and good scoring chances. Both goals that we got were individual efforts though. Morgan scored our first goal when Richard Langley picked him out with a good pass and then he broke quickly through a seam in their backline before drilling a shot inside the near right post past Luke Jackson late in the first half to send us to the dressing room ahead 1-0. Early in the second half, Patrick Cregg made a sensational pass that found Langley with room and he made the chance pay off with a rocket shot past Jackson into the right side of the net. We missed a pair of chances to clinch the game shortly after as Margate was called for holding in the area twice in the span of three minutes. Unfortunately Jackson saved Morgan's penalty kick and then Victor Anichebe (on for Langley) missed wide on the second attempt. We closed out the match nicely to finish off an excellent effort on both sides of the ball in the 2-0 win.

[Faramir]

29.9.07

Harrow Hill (3) Mansfield (1)

It was great to see us put together two strong matches in a row as the Dean Morgan show was enough to overwhelm visiting Mansfield in a 3-1 win at Larksfield Road. Morgan and Richard Langley continue to show they are a dynamic pairing as they worked together beautifully today. Langley drew the assist on each of Morgan's goals as he scored at 3 minutes, 20 minutes and finished the hat-trick in first half injury time to key our 3-0 lead. In each case, Langley showed exquisite timing in finding Morgan breaking free of his coverage. Morgan showed his nose for the net each time as he scored off the dribble and shot on all three goals past beleagured David Preece. Langley himself deserved a goal and had a couple very good chances, but Preece stymied him. Ryan Ashington was also a bit unlucky as he came close, but couldn't stretch the twine. David Green was in line for a clean sheet in our net and had earned it with several superb saves in the first half, but was let down by his backline losing the marking on Colin Larkin and Larkin put a well placed shot inside the far left post for their consolation marker. Morgan and Langley drew a long standing ovation when I pulled them both out of the match fairly early in the second half.

***

1.10.07

It was a pleasant surprise when Richard Langley was selected as Player of the Month in Conference National and Dean Morgan finished a close 2nd.

[Faramir]

5.10.07

Our fans were very pleased with the completion of the signing of Darren Pratley from Fulham. The souvenier stand was reporting large initial sales of the t-shirt they printed up with Darren.

***

11.10.07

We completed the transfer sale of unhappy Simon Downer to Gravesend for 10K and additional future purchase fees. Simon undoubtably has talent, but wanted first string action and he wasn't going to earn that here with Lewis Buxton and Franklin Simek in front of him.

***

12.10.07

I have to admit a little envy here. Every other top club in Conference National seems able to land good young EPL players on loan. The latest example is one of Newcastle's young French wingers going to ECN leading Scunthorpe. We have been turned down cold in all our attempts to loan EPL players- very frustrating for us...

***

13.10.07

Harrow Hill (3) Accrington (1)

It looked like we had let them back into the match when Carl Laurie was whistled for pushing Marvin Robinson in the area and Chris Lumsdon drilled the penalty kick to draw Accrington back to 2-1, but Laurie immediately made up for his mistake with a superb pass that found David Poole moving free of his marker and Poole ripped a shot past Jamie Young into the far left side of the net for his 1st goal at Harrow Hill to restore the 3-1 lead that we finished with. Until the penalty we had held pretty tight control of the match. Darren Pratley had a wonderful debut that included scoring on a header early in the first half on a centering pass from Billy Sharp. After both Pratley and Ryan Ashington had barely missed adding to the lead, Sharp finally did after he knifed between two defenders and blasted a mid-level shot past Young. Ashington earned his MOM honours for his lightning-bug like coverage of the midfield.

[Faramir]

16.10.07

With how well we are playing, it was a bad time to lose Ryan Ashington for a couple weeks due to a strained groin. Ashington has really stepped up his play for us this season and has been a cog in our latest wins.

***

16.10.07

Carlisle (0) Harrow Hill (0)

It certainly was an entertaining match to watch as there were plenty of thrills and close calls for both sides. We played an excellent passing game, but our finishing left much to be desired and was the main reason we weren't able to put one past Matthew Andrews. Ross Flitney earned the clean sheet in our net with a lot of help from solid backline positional play that kept blocking their close-in shots. We had the best chance of the match after surviving a goal mouth scramble in the last minutes of the second half. Shaun Clohessy made a sensational through ball to put Mark Smyth away. Smyth, with fresh legs after just subbing on, made a good move on Andrews but left his shot inches wide of the right post to the entire club's frustration. The scoreless draw really was a fair result for the effort and execution shown by both sides.

[Faramir]

17.10.07

Another piece of good news as we finalized a contract with Neil McCafferty and he will be joining us in early November after his loan to Notts County expires. McCafferty cost us 20K from Charlton and though not quite as talented as Pratley, does bring us another quality midfielder. He is a good tackler and can pass and create chances- something that will benefit us. McCafferty is a 23 year old Irish AMC and will likely start in the right side of our midfield. He has been loaned out for the past several seasons and is pleased to be coming to us where he wants to establish a starting role and some stability.

***

20.10.07

Scunthorpe (0) Harrow Hill (2)

The addition of Darren Pratley really seems to have rounded out our club. With the trio of Pratley, Richard Langley and Dean Morgan playing well- our offense is really on the go. In our showdown match with 1st place Scunthorpe, we exploited the midfield space in their 424 lineup. Our backline consistently took the ball away and moved it quickly and that created a lot of space for our offense to flow into. Pratley found space and made it pay off when he whipped a 20 yard blast inside the right post past Michael Peacock to give us the lead early in the first half. We came close to adding to the lead, but Peacock blocked away a sizzling shot from Morgan late in the half. Scunthorpe was having problems getting close-in shots and missed high over the net several times from just beyond the edge of the area. Ross Flitney took full advantage of knowing Morgan's pace and ability to find the right spot as he lofted a goal kick over the Scunthrorpe backline and put Morgan in free. Peacock came out to try and grab the ball, but Morgan was there first and took the ball around the diving keeper before easily slipping it into the open net to make it 2-0 in the second half. Our backline made several excellent saving tackles as the home side desperately tried to rally. When the final whistle blew, Flitney still had his clean sheet and we had notched a huge 2-0 road win over the heavily favored Scunthorpe.

[Faramir]

23.10.07

We signed highly rated 17 year old DC Daniel Thomas on free transfer today. With the sale of Downer, we needed another decent fill-in to accompany Paul Moss as depth behind Lewis Buxton and Franklin Simek.

***

27.10.07

Ossett Town (0) Harrow Hill (0) FA Cup 4th Round Qualifying

We played with virtually no regulars in this match and it showed as we were outplayed by the home side. The reason we were able to take a draw out of the match was the work of MOM Daniel Austen- in his first appearance of the season. Austen was brilliant in the match and there were at least five saves that were of the game saving variety. Our backline featured youngsters Ben Blair and Daniel Thomas in the middle and the backline was a lot less effective for the mix and match style of it. We were clearly missing the leadership of injured Paul Moss- who I had planned on starting. Our best chances came from Mark Smyth who was set free twice on good passes from Matty Hendra, but missed wide of the net both times. The regular first liners got a nice bit of rest, but the results showed our disorganization on offense.

[Faramir]

31.10.07

Harrow Hill (1) Ossett Town (2) FA Cup 4th Round Qualifying Extra Time

All I can say about this match is that I am pretty disappointed in our performance. I went with much the same lineup as we had played at Ossett Town, fully expecting them to play better the 2nd time around. Instead, they played worse. We took the lead in the match when a heady play by David Poole saw him intercept a goal kick from Nick Buxton. Poole put the ball into the open net from 30 yards. Daniel Thomas then made a youngster's mistake when he tripped Richard Tracey in the area. Tracey converted the ensuing penalty and it was back to even. Our passing left a lot to be desired today and we had problems as Adam Smith and Matty Hendra continually held the ball too long instead of pushing it up the pitch. We went to extra time still even at 1-1. They scored what would be the match winner when Gavin Bolger missed an easy tackle at the top of the area and Steve Hussey whistled it inside the left post past Daniel Austen. We never came close to getting a good scoring chance, despite all our scurrying around in the remainder of extra time. It was a bitter 2-1 loss. The only good point was more rest for the first line.

[Faramir]

3.11.07

Harrow Hill (3) Aldershot (0)

It was a pleasure to see the first liners pick up where they left off as we easily trumped Aldershot 3-0 at Larksfield Road. We scored in the opening moments of the match when a pretty passing sequence sprung Dean Morgan and he threaded a shot past Nikki Bull to give us the lead. Neil McCafferty had a solid debut and really seems- at least for his first match- to be the midfielder we were missing to balance out the attack. Good passing created more chances and Richard Langley took advantage to pot a brace as he scored late in the first half and early in the second half. With the 3-0 lead, I was able to pull out Morgan and Langley to standing ovations. We managed to preserve Ross Flitney's clean sheet when Jordan Fowler cleared a ball off the line in the last few minutes of the match.

[Champmanveteran]

This is excellent

[Spav]

Of course it's excellent - it's a Faramir story. KUTGW