Harlow Town 5-0 Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest’s pre-season preperations took a turn for the worse as they were brushed away by Harlow Town.

Forest in fact started the game brightly, zipping the ball around on the 3G surface.

However, after 16 minutes, Forest’s capitulation began, and Harlow got the first of their five goals.

Shane Stamp was alert on the corner of the area to lash the ball home after stand-in ‘keeper Harry Hussein parried the initial cross.

And only two minutes later the lead was doubled. Forest gave the ball away when trying tp lay it out of defence, and 50-goal man Alex Read coolly slotted the ball home.

And three goals in four minutes were secured when Stamp fired in at the front post from just inside the box.

More sloppy defending allowed Read to score his second of the afternoon, before Fabion Simms completed the rout on the stroke of half time.

If anything, Forest played worse in the second half, but Harlow, seemingly bored, were more interested in walking the ball into the net rather than improving the goal defecit.

Forest had a couple of near-opportunities, but Sonny James found himself off-side on a couple of occasions.
Harlow will no doubt be promotion condendors in the Ryman Division 1 North this season, but the result comes as a huge blow to Forest nonetheless.