Keeper backs Harlow to go up again

HARLOW Town are in the Ryman League Division One North play-offs – and manager Danny Chapman has been backed to take the Hawks up by the man whose penalty save saw them pull off the same feat.

Boss Chapman was one of only five current Harlow players involved in the famous penalty shootout victory over AFC Sudbury in the 2006/07 play-off final, which saw the club promoted to the Ryman League Premier Division. The others were Mark Taylor, Leon Lalite, Clark Akers and goalkeeper James Hasell, who saved a shootout penalty from Sudbury’s Gareth Heath to ensure the Hawks went up.

Custodian Hasell knows that a lot of water has passed under the bridge since that moment, including relegation back to Ryman League Division One North in 2009, but he is up for plagiarising the history books this season.

“Obviously that was a great day for the football club back in 2007,” he told the Harlow Scene. “We worked hard that season to go up, just like we’ve done this season.

“The management have come in and galvanised the squad and a couple of months ago the play-offs were a distance away, but now it will be disappointing if we don’t go up.

“In January we were 13th or 14th in the table, but back in August when we started this thing we wanted to be in the play-offs and we’ve done that, we’ve just got to make sure we finish the job.

“There’s lots of experience at the football club with a lot of players who’ve played at a higher level. We need to make sure we use that experience and hopefully come through the play-offs, whether we play at home or have to play away.”

Image thanks to Jancyclops.