Hawks go down to late Swifts strike

Heybridge Swifts striker Luke Callander immediately made an impact in a frantic opening encounter after capitalising on a weighted ball through from Reece Morgan. The goal only dampened Harlow’s spirits for a matter of minutes before Robbie Martin hit the post after successfully evading his marker. The Hawks further increased the tempo of the game and looked threatening but the Swifts’ defence proved their worth..

Chances were plentiful for both teams but the Swifts retained their lead. Callander almost doubled his money but found the back of the car park instead of the net. The tide turned towards the latter end of the first half as the Swifts succumbed to a prolonged period of pressure from Harlow as Leon Antoine equalised after a good move involving Simon Alexandersson, Shaun Gliddon, Donny Barnard and a delightful cross from Robbie Martin.

A high tempo continued as the second half commenced and both teams looked threatening. A swift counter attack found Heybridge deep in Harlow territory to allow Callander to fire a shot just wide of the post. A series of attacks from the home side left Harlow rattled, leaving Aaron Greene and Ben Newson to continually threaten the Hawk’s goal.

Controversy followed midway through the half after Harlow striker Robbie Martin saw red for appearing to strike TJ Amass on the head whilst attempting to dispossess him. Greene led the offensive against the 10-man away side as he stormed down the left flank with 2 minutes of time remaining. After showing his heels to numerous defenders, he pulled the ball back to the substitute Holdstock who made no mistake and calmly slotted the ball home. Heybridge made the presence of their extra man felt as they dominated the late play and extended their unbeaten run to 9 competitive games.

Thanks to the Heybridge Swifts Website for this report