A great 87th minute save by Gary Ross, and a follow-up clearance off the line by Daniel Nielsen, ensured Harrow collected a second successive home win, and in the process moved into the top half of the table, following a performance that was somewhat lacking in quality but high on application and determination.

On a mild night for early December, Daniel Nielsen returned in defence in place of the injured Nick Burton, Wayne Walters shifting across to a centre-back role.

Borough started very brightly, and a Byron Harrison shot had already been hacked away just short of the Tonbridge goal line before they took the lead in the 9th minute. Nielsen’s throw was flicked on by Charlie Hill, but the ball was half-cleared. Robin Shroot, in the inside right position, calmly lofted it back over keeper Reed into the net.

Edusei shot across goal for the visitors, but Harrow were dominant early on. An Angels defender’s intervention was just enough to take Hill’s cross off the toe of Albert Adomah, who then got caught between a shot and cross as he burst into the Tonbridge box. Shroot made space for himself and saw his shot tipped over by Reed. The resulting corner should have seen Danny Leech double the Borough lead, but he headed wide from 4 yards out.

However, Harrow undid their bright opening by gifting an equaliser to the visitors after 30 minutes. A free-kick from just outside the box on the left was swung into a crowded six-yard box, and when the ball wasn’t properly cleared, Kinch was able to force the ball home.

Harrison and Leech were off-target with headers before referee Scott drew the half to a close with less than 44 minutes having been played!

With Harrison withdrawn at half-time, Harrow began the second half on the offensive. Shroot’s one-two with substitute Jonathan Constant led to his 20-yard shot being tipped round by Reed. Shroot’s next shot was blocked before the young Irishman played a key role in what was to be the winning goal, after 50 minutes. Bursting through from 25 yards he was clipped by keeper Reed but stayed on his feet, probably keeping the Tonbridge keeper on the field in the process. Though he had ended up wide on the right of the six-yard box, Shroot calmly squared it to Constant who tapped in from close range.

But Harrow showed the anxiety of a team with only one league win from the last six, and sat deeper, allowing greater visiting pressure. A mad scramble in the home goalmouth saw the ball eventually hacked away. Constant had two efforts saved, Ross doing the same at the other end from Edusei. Constant might have increased the home lead but, stretching, he got only a faint connection to Nielsen’s cross and the ball went wide. Visiting substitute Storey put a free-kick over, and then shot wide. The Ross-Nielsen double act then came to Harrow’s rescue as noted earlier.

Referee Scott played plenty of stoppage time this half, but fortunately the main talking point was not further action in the Harrow goalmouth, but the further decisions of referee Scott. Having already booked eight players, many of them with a very harsh interpretation of the rules in what was a rather slippery surface, particularly a beautifully-timed Daniel McGonigle tackle that he deemed both a foul and a yellow card, he had little choice but to send off the Angels’ Storey five minutes into added time, for what looked like a stamp on Constant.

Harrow Borough:
1 Gary Ross
2 Daniel Nielsen
3 Gary Meakin
4 Wayne Walters
5 Danny Leech
6 Bobby Highton
7 Robin Shroot
8 Jamie Lawrence
9 Charlie Hill (Daniel McGonigle 54 min)
10 Byron Harrison (Jonathan Constant 45 min)
11 Albert Adomah (Kwasi Frempong 86 min)

12 Daniel McGonigle
14 Kwasi Frempong
15 Jonathan Constant
16 James Bent
17 Joshua Lennie

Tonbridge Angels
1 Matt Reed
2 Ray Powell
3 Matt Lovell
4 Scott Kinch
5 John Beales
6 Richard Harris( James Donovan 61)
7 John Westcott
8 Robbie Kember (Anthony Storey 73)
9 Akwasi Edusei
10 Tommy Tyne
11 Kirk Watts

12 Anthony Storey
14 James Donovan
15 Kirk Husnu

MATCHBALL SPONSOR
Peter Lloyd

REFEREE
J Scott

by Simon Grigor at Earlsmead