Report
Although only one goal separated the teams after 90 minutes, this game was far from boring, in fact it was an end to end enthralling contest in which Forest just shaded the first half but Harlow came out to shade the second half to keep their promotion hopes intact.
Harlow came out of the blocks the faster and pushed Forest back for the first three minutes but this exposed the weak right side of Harlow’s own defence allowing Dave Bastian and Dewayne Clarke the ability to take on Hollenback and Chapman, the latter of the two having a particularly torrid first half. The only thing that was lacking from the Forest men was a good cross at the end of their run.
The visitors had their first attempt on goal after six minutes but the shot went wildly over the home crossbar. Then Salmon had an excellent break for Harlow picking up the ball in midfield, carrying it out to the right of the home goal before shooting narrowly wide.
Play swung back to Harlow’s end where Bastian was fouled just outside the penalty area. Chris Cashman took the free kick only to see Chapman head narrowly over his own crossbar. From the resultant corner Clarke came to the near post to meet the ball but his header was inches wide. Forest were very unlucky not to go one goal up with the Harlow Defence having real trouble with Clarke’s running and use of the ball.
On twenty five minutes Harlow could count themselves lucky once more when Clarke, this time on the left wing, back heeled the ball to Bastian who held the ball up enough for Clarke to get to the six yard box. Unhappily the pass fel the wrong side of Clarke and he was unable to profit from it.
Then it was Harlow’s turn to break. Gabriel Fanibuyan latched on the a right wing through ball and was marshalled by Cashman to the goal line. Both players went down and Harlow appealed for a penalty which was denied by referee Mr Pollard.
The half ended with Harlow on the attack winning a corner after the ball had ricocheted around the home defence and coming off the body of Gavin King. Harlow made nothing of the corner kick.
In the second half, Harlow were much quicker in clearing the ball from their lines, this meant that the ball was often in the air for long periods but when it came down it was often to the advantage of the Harlow players. This meant the home defence had to be on their toes across the front of their own penalty area: Cashman, Tickner, Barnes and Field were successful in this enterprise for the whole of the second half.
The first chance of the half fell to Forest when Clarke raced down the right wing to cross to the near post to where Alan Cox had run but he was too close to the post to be able to turn the ball home.
Harlow went back on the attack and were rewarded on 68 minutes when a ball was sent in from the right for Hollenbach to speed in on the blind side at the far post. His diving header was unstoppable going back across the goal and in.
Harlow had the better of the rest of the exchanges but it was still Forest who had the more clear cut chances exemplified by Cashman’s free kick from the left on 75 when only a last gasp header from Chapman stole the ball from the waiting Mark Stein four yards out from goal.
Forest’s next chance came through a right wing break from Clarke who outpaced all to get to the edge of Harlow’s penalty area and cross the ball. Once again there was confusion in the Harlow defence but no Forest player near enough to profit.
An excellent game finished in defeat for the home side having been beaten, once again, by the odd goal. However, Forest can be happy at the performances of the two lads from the U18 Alan Cox who started his first match and Bradley Johnson who came on at the end of the first half. Both look to be fine prospects and were not overawed by the occasion. Also, it was good to see Dewayne Clarke looking so sharp after returning from long term injury.