Harlow’s Wings Clipped By High-Flying Neighbours

By Callum Hibberd

It’s important to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Mark Holloway’s leadership, prior to today, had reaped a win, draw and a loss each. While not the sort of points tally needed to recover Harlow’s recently-decreasing promotion hopes, performances have been encouraging.

This is with thanks to an improved team spirit, a host of new players, and an increased confidence in playing the ball along the floor.

Ironically though, it was a long ball that gave The Hawks a fourth minute lead, Christian Adu Gyamfi winning the race to it, before nodding it over ex-Stortford goalkeeper Calum Kitscha.

The bravery showed by the young forward – who has been thrust into the team as part of a fruitful front-two with Tayo Oyebola – to reach the ball was symbolic of the team’s performance: a strong showing of grit, desire and confidence in the face of a challenge.

And it was those qualities that saw Harlow give Ware a good fight. In a game where Harlow were given no chance, they produced an inspired display and took the lead twice.

After getting over the erratic nature of the goal they conceded, The Blues showed the technicality that has seen them effortlessly flirt with top spot this season, Ware seven Tom Williams showing great trickery to win a free kick off of his opposite number. His delivery from the right edge of the box wasn’t bad either, and an unmarked Albert Adu-Donyinah was there to head home. It was an instant response from a team who have been clinical, with a now league-high of 71 goals.

Those in The Jack Chapman stand may have had that familiar feeling, their team so often being rocked by an equaliser, but their lads didn’t back down, playing some silky stuff of their own. There was a scuffed shot over from Freddy Moncur after a beautiful turn and lay-off from Oyebola, moments after Gyamfi smoothly controlled and backheeled a goal kick into Jeremi Sivi’s path.

Title-chasing teams score goals, and need no second chances to do so. This was proven in the 34th minute, the visitors effortlessly countering a home corner. Chris Bourne rightfully pointed out to his defensive team mates that they had left themselves short, and of all people, it was McCollin who delivered the punishment, blasting past Josh Bexon from eight yards.

For a local derby, the level of entertainment was perhaps expected. Both teams were keen to display good football, even the goalkeepers, Bexon keeping the game level with an excellent close-range ankle save, before extending his supporting leg to scramble the ricocheting ball away.

It was a frustrating score line for Mark Holloway’s men to enter the interval with, but it was certainly one that could be overturned.

HALF-TIME: Harlow Town 1 – 2 Ware

If Harlow were to take points home, Bexon would need to be at his reflexive best, and displayed such quality in denying a low, bending Adu-Donyinah free-kick, before parrying over a 10-yard effort from the same player, who got himself on the end of a set-piece routine.

Young Harry Watkins and stalwart Tom Bruno are quite the contrasting pair in the middle of the park, but had a stronghold over Harlow’s narrow midfield three. Of that three, it was Moncur showing the most enthusiasm to go forward. Energetic, and clearly not afraid to shoot either, the midfielder unleashed a pinpoint top-left corner effort from just outside the box. Seven minutes into the second half, and the new boy’s goal out of nothing, had Harlow back in the game.

It’s the little things that can bring up performance levels in a squad. With one of them being competition, it was no surprise to see Bourne and Sivi linking up well on the left-hand side; the pair have a challenge on their hands emulating the work of Yannick Kissi and Terrell Egbri, who has been recalled by Southend United. A quick switch of play from Samson Doherty found Sivi, who then spotted the overlapping Bourne. The Guyanese’s cross was pinpoint, hard and low enough to make it effortless for Gyamfi, who headed in from close range.

Not keen to sit on a one-goal lead, Harlow pressed further, Oyebola failing to convert his team’s best chance of the second-half, scuffing wide following a neat exchange with Gyamfi.

In fairness to Ware, they hadn’t put in a performance worthy of conceding three goals, but neither had Harlow. It was just the level of quality on show, with The Blues having it in abundance. While 25-goal man Liam Hope hadn’t registered a shot yet, he was instrumental in slicing through the Hawks back line on 75’. A great team move, involving Hope, McCollin and Adu-Donyinah, was ended impressively by the latter, who poked into the bottom corner on the turn to restore parity.

A fairly recent addition, McCollin has proved himself to be a live-wire at Wodson Park, but more of a team player than an out-an-out goal scorer. His count of one Ware goal had already been doubled in this match, and a true poacher’s goal just after the hour mark saw it then tripled. In the build-up to the goal, Bexon made three strong saves, but there was nothing he could do about McCollin’s tap-in, which had seen Ware incredibly turn the tide of the game.

Willed on by the ever-faithful core group of Harlow fans, those on the pitch pushed hard for what would have been an extraordinary end to a fantastic game, but it sadly never came.

There is no doubting that Ware are stern opposition. Deservedly in the title-race, they showed the qualities time and time again today, that have got them into such a position.

But for 90 minutes, the Hawks went tooth and nail with them, and looked more than capable of beating the same team who dispatched them 4-0 and 5-1 earlier on in the season.

The form guide shows no gains from tonight, but Mark Holloway can only leave The McCullochs Arena tonight with positives.

His revival mission continues this Saturday, at home to Uxbridge. Kick off is at 3PM.

FULL-TIME: Harlow Town 3 - 4 Ware