FA TROPHY 1ST ROUND
Att: 332
SUTTON UNITED – 2 [Corbett 35. Bolt 70]
HARROW BOROUGH – 1 [McGavin 61]
Match Reporter: Chalmers
With Dan away “entertaining” a couple of young Austrian ladies this weekend, Chalmers, as I’ve become affectionately known (There’s nothing affectionate about it, it’s your surname you twat – Taz), has been mugged into passing on the benefit of my wisdom, if I have such a thing!
For one I’m a bit peeved at playing Harrow in this game, I wanted Newport IOW away at best, if not, somewhere different! I know we should want home advantage but the thing I look forward to about the FA Cup/Trophy is a good away day, to someone in a different league….or Bedford.
It must be difficult to motivate the side for a Trophy run when all we’re doing is playing the same old sides week in, week out.
But Harrow Borough it is so bring ‘em on. The Boro had a very good result last weekend in inflicting the first defeat upon K’s in the league this season, which I’m sure brought a smile to most of our faces! But then a groan, as they look to hit a bit of form just as we’re about to play them, we put three past a certain Mr Pape early on in the season with no reply, not that we will take anything for granted knowing that this trophy clash will be a completely different prospect.
Muggins here is working every hour that god sends, so having finished work at 2 I thought I’d rush about like a blue arsed fly and just make kick off, Big Mistake, no matter how much you try and hurry, there’s always something to slow you down, namely the bus taking an age to turn up, the train getting delayed and also sitting in a Saturday shoppers traffic jam driving to the ground!!!
I finally turn up at 3.25, wander around to the Collingwood Road end, get the expected comments about my timekeeping and question Bob about what I missed, to say he was helpful was an understatement! “Fowler had a good chance after a few minutes”
Thanks Bob!
I did also hear on the grapevine that we were a little shaky at the back early on, I’d only been standing there a couple of minutes when Fowler was fouled just off the edge of the box, and no Bolty didn’t take it! It was a little too far left for him. Scotty Corbett stood over it and curled one in to the far post, completely missed by everyone, the keeper saw it very late but couldn’t prevent it going in, lucky..ish but I’m sure Scott will claim he was going for it! I turned up just in time, can’t be bad.
Harrow had a free kick in a similar position to ours, also hit to the back post but we managed top scramble it away, I thought the first half flew by! Dave Tim also went off limping late on and Matt Gray replaced him.
We started the second half well, a bolt free kick, then a superb flowing move between Gray and Fowler and we were playing the ball about with a bit of class, The away keeper then handled the ball outside the area, in my opinion he had time to drop it, so was he deliberately holding the ball! What do I know. The ref didn’t seem to think so. Bolt hit the free kick quickly, aiming for the back post, but a Harrow defender was alert to it and took the ball down on his chest very well with no quick reaction from any of our boys.
I must make a reference to Mr Bottomer, he was very quiet, let the game flow and most of all, gave us some of the 50-50 decisions we maybe shouldn’t have had and didn’t send Corbett of when he pushed his luck with a few challenges! About time we had a homer ref after some of the decisions we’ve seen go against us away from home this season.
As the half went on Boro were lucky to get given a corner, I could almost hear Dan’s reaction to that one, he’d have been screaming in my earholes his disappointment at the decision, the ball blatantly went out of play off their player. The ball comes in and their centre back Gavin, in acres of space hit’s a good left foot half volley past Papey.
Disappointed with the marking there.
Fair play to the lad’s though, they kept their heads up and pushed on and ten minutes later a ball over the top to Watson, who crossed to Fowler, he misses the ball as do two Harrow defenders, great dummy Matty!! The ball falls to DB who blasts the ball goal wards, the keeper and a defender on the line get in the way, the ball is cleared and falls to fowler who’s shot hit’s the post before being cleared away, then the ref blows his whistle and for a couple of seconds no-one seems to know what he’s given, then he point to the centre circle and gives Bolty’s shot, remember that awhile back, as a goal, we go ballistic and claim the ref to be the best thing since sliced bread! The lino was popular as well as he was the one that gave it, we didn’t notice his flag as it was pissing down and we took refuge in the corner of the bus shelter.
On the far side of the pitch in front of the stand Corbett got stuck in on a tackle with Lawford, but Mr Lawford didn’t seem to like it from his reaction, not that I saw personally what he actually did, be it a late tackle or a stamp but he was sent off, moaning and not very eager to leave.
We were making the extra man count and played the ball about well, Bolt had a shot fly past the post from a good Watson Heskey-esque bit of hold up and lay off play.
Harrow down to ten didn’t create much from then on in other than a long range effort that sailed way over the bar.
I can’t finish the report without a mention for “that Watson shot” a good Fowler header left mark in acres of space and only the keeper to beat, but let’s say he made a bit of a hash of it, I think he has contribute his fair share this season, notably his performance against purfleet, so we won’t hold it against him.
We’ve got to be happy with the result, so here’s hoping for an upturn in form and a good draw in the next round (Basingstoke away, ARSE!!!)
We head off to the Hood for a jovial post match beer and Bob tells me there’s a beer festival on in the spoons, after I made plans to go down to East Grinstead for the evening!! What with my gambling habit, my luck is way out west, ah well. As Bob and Jules head up to spoons and Mark off home I take comfort in my bad fortune by purchasing 8 of the barman’s finest bottles of Acclaim to enhance and blur my evening and go on my merry way.
MoM: Bolty – a good performance in the hour or so I saw.
Pape, Timothy ( Gray), Hollands, Palmer, Beale, Honey, Bolt (Hanlan), Corbewtt, Fowler, Watson, Gonsalves.