Another Harrowing Misadventure (Ages Challenge)

[Faramir]

27.8.14

Hill Battles to Draw with Blackburn

Harrow Hill appeared to be set to win a close match with Blackburn after hammering away at the visitors until they finally scored at 83 minutes. It wasn't to be though as Blackburn pegged Hill back with the equalizer and the Larksfield Road faithful were left leaving after an unsatisfying 1-1 result. Hill wasn't particularly crisp with their play, but they were relentless as they kept the Blackburn backline under pressure and Marcelo Grohe had to make several timely saves. Matthew O'Neill, making his 1st start this season, wasn't as busy in the Hill goal but was steady. Hill finally scored to take the lead when Dave Turner snuck into the six-yard box on a looping free kick from Jon Burns and deflected the ball past Grohe. Turner then turned from hero to goat as his poor clearance allowed a quick pass to Stuart Turner. Turner took the ball around Lee Pearson and crossed back for MOM David Lee. Lee was unmarked and deflected the cross inside the right post for the equalizer as Hill Manager James Heartwood's grimace told the tale.

"A match for the taking and then we gave it back to them," murmured the clearly frustrated Heartwood.

"If we get a little better finishing before- it probably doesn't matter- but we couldn't score before," replied Pearson.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

3.9.14

Scoreless Draw in Moscow

New English Manager James Heartwood's debut was less than stellar as England and Russia battled to a scoreless draw in Moscow. England had the better chances to score, but found Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev less than accomodating as his diving stops on Mark Dobson and Wayne Rooney kept the visitors from gaining the lead. Paul Robinson was his steady self in the English goal, though their backline looked somewhat unsteady at times- likely due to injuries that kept several of the commonly selected English backliners out of action. Ashley Cole earned MOM honours for his energetic all-action play in the match. In the other Euro Championship Group 7 Qualifier Hungary and FYR Macedonia battled to a 2-2 draw.

"It was a difficult match to begin with," commented Heartwood to the press. "Though I would have enjoyed a win in my debut, I am pleased with the effort they showed and a draw with Russia on the road is not a bad start to Group 7 matches."

"Of course I was hoping for better, but give the Russian team some credit as well- their tackling in their area made it difficult for us to get the movement we needed for good scoring chances."

[Faramir]

7.9.14

Late Penalties Key to Hill Bumping Birmingham

Though they dominated the match from start to finish, it took a pair of late penalties for Harrow Hill to score a 2-0 win over struggling Birmingham at Larksfield Road. Hill moved the ball concisely against Birmingham in the match, but again found little room in the visitor's area to get good scoring chances. Dave Allison came up with several excellent saves in keeping the scoresheet tidy through much of the match. Matthew O'Neill, again playing in place of injured Andrew Evans, provided steady work and one big save when he tipped Jefferson Farfan's rising shot over the crossbar. The pressure of Hill finally paid off late in the second half when Alireza Fatemi was forced to hold on to Julian Henry's jersey. Lee Pearson calmly converted the penalty kick for the Hill lead. The fans were wary of celebrating too much- given the past Blackburn result- but began in earnest after Mark Hobbs tripped Darren Adams in the area. Pearson earned MOM honours for converting the second penalty kick for his brace and his solid defensive play.

"I guess a win is worth settling for," said a tired Heartwood.

"It is the result we deserved. Sometimes the *how* isn't important Jim- just the fact that you did it."

[Faramir]

11.9.14

Hill Hammer Maccabi Haifa in 1st Leg

Ex-Israel Manager James Heartwood got to show off his prize Harrow Hill side to his many of his pupils from the Israel National side and they could not fail to be impressed by the display as Harrow Hill drubbed Maccabi Haifa 4-0 in the 1st Leg of the Euro Cup 1st Round. Hill was off to a quick start as MOM Simon Allen hit a banana shot for a winner off a cross from Alex Lee in the 5th minute. Hill quickly went up 2-0 when unmarked Adrian Welch drilled a shot past Amir Edri. Allen made it a brace when he wheeled around to score after a deft pass in the six-yard box from Lee set him up beautifully. Julian Henry then capped Hill's first half domination by scoring from the edge of the area off a corner as Hill held the 4-0 halftime lead. Haifa battled to hold Hill at 4-0 and managed to do so- but at the cost of managing only one shot on goal all night.

"Lovely effort," beamed Heartwood.

"The players wanted to demonstrate how your fully implemented tactics can make life miserable for opponents," commented Pearson.

[Faramir]

14.9.14

Rooney Match-Winner Downs Hill

Harrow Hill battled Manchester United in closely played match, but Wayne Rooney's punctuation point was the difference as Manchester United edged Hill 2-1 at Old Trafford. Manchester United took the early lead in the match when a Quincy Naarden audaciously lobbed a 25 yard half-volley over Andrew Evans. Hill answered that with Michael Jones' first goal of the season- a sizzling 25 yard rocket past Martin Higgins. Both sides came close in the second half as they fought to gain the lead. Hill's timing and luck remained spotty as Wayne Rooney blistered a 30 yard shot off the inside of the right post while Hill's Neil Lee was off the pitch being tended to. Hill had nothing left in their tank at that point and failed to get another shot in finishing out the loss.

"I don't know Bob. Two 'wonder' goals, or two goals that Andrew Evans should have had? I am just not certain..." offered Heartwood.

"They were good goals by two players with terrific instincts. I wouldn't worry too much about them being from a problem Evans might have," replied Pearson.

[Faramir]

21.9.14

Second Half Surge Carries Hill Past Everton

After becoming intensely frustrated in the first half as they dominated the match, but could not score, Hill managed to right themselves and scored two second half goals that eased them past Everton 2-0 at Larksfield Road. Hill suffered a blow in the opening moments of the match when Simon Allen was carted off with badly bruised ribs that will keep him out of the next couple weeks. Though the flow of play belonged to Hill in the first half, they weren't finishing well again. Early in the second half, Hill finally broke through as Alex Lee's short cross to unmarked Jon Hayward allowed Hayward to rifle a shot past Kasper Schmeichel for his 1st goal at Hill. Shortly after the goal, Martin Clark- on for Allen- was forced to leave with a minor injury. Julian Henry then also was carted off and will miss the next month due to ankle problems. With no forwards left- Hill played an inventive style of attacking midfielders and the unconventional style paid dividends as Chris Brooks picked out Michael Jones in the area and Jones put his shot away to cap the 2-0 win.

"A nice, hard working win," said a pleased Heartwood.

"Good effort- especially from the midfield," agreed Pearson.

"It was nice to see Jon Hayward get his first goal. Though the fans were worried- so far he has been a model citizen."

[Faramir]

25.9.14

Hill Hushes Haifa, Moves on in Euro Cup

Though the lineup was dotted with unexpected names, Harrow Hill continued to demonstrate that their depth is worthy as they broomed Maccabi Haifa from the Euro Cup on 6-0 aggregate following a 2-0 win in Haifa. Hill's early pressure turned into an away goal that doomed the hopes of the Israeli side as Chris Brooks' long cross was deflected past Amir Edri by Dave Turner. That proved to be the only goal of the first half, but Hill's relentless pressure on the ball kept Haifa from really gaining a good scoring chance and allowed Dean Mitchell an easy clean sheet. Brian Ball added a late goal when he deflected Adrian Welch's corner past Edri. The surprise MOM was Craig Johnson- who was making his debut on the Hill Senior side in the match. Johnson, who has been coveted by every big club in the EPL, looked assured as he demonstrated why he is held in such high regard by the Hill staff.

"A perfect effort. We never gave them a chance to hope they could rally and then when we had the goal from Dave Turner we didn't relax," said an enthused Heartwood.

"Our midfield really stepped up. I didn't think Craig Johnson would show that kind of talent in his first match," commented Pearson.

Heartwood shrugged, "There is a reason that the big clubs all want him. It just seemed like the right time to start exposing him to playing time--- and I wanted to see how he would do in a match like this- where there was a little pressure."

"I saw we were drawn into Group E for the next stage of Euro Cup. The others were Marseille, Feyenoord, AEK and Trabzonspor."

"That should be an entertaining group- and a difficult one."

[Faramir]

28.9.14

Hill Battle Arsenal to Scoreless Draw

It certainly wasn't a bore draw as Harrow Hill and Arsenal played to a scoreless draw at Emirates Stadium. Both sides had many opportunities to score and the action was end to end from the opening whistle to the final one. Both Francisco Guillermo Ochoa and Andrew Evans were very steady in their play in respective goals, but the real stars of the match were both backlines. Despite the flowing attacks from each side, the determined efforts of the backlines were what stood out in the match as saving tackles and timely headers were the norm. Hill's rightback and skipper- Danny French- earned MOM honours his efforts. Arsenal had the better scoring chances overall, but Hill spurned a few good chances to shoot in a match where one shot might have made the difference.

"Though it was only a draw, it was a fine effort," stated Heartwood.

"If we could have finished..." continued Pearson.

"We were close. We could have taken a few of those shots, but it is hard to fault the players for not taking them when they thought someone else would have an easy chance from their pass."

[sherm]

Still excellent stuff Faramir. To Take Harrow Hill as far as you have is a brilliant achievement. KUTGW

[Faramir]

sherm- Thanks very much As expected accomplishing the same thing in FM 07 (and FM 08- though I haven't started posting story yet) is much, much tougher...

***

1.10.14

Early Goals the Key to Hill win over Leicester

Harrow Hill scored two goals in the first eleven minutes of play and those turned out to be the deciding factor as they defeated Leicester 2-0 at Larksfield Road in a closely played match. Martin Wharton, clearly enjoying his revival as a member of the Senior side, ghosted down the left side of the pitch before firing a well placed shot inside the far right post past Kim Young-Kwang. Dave Turner then set up Darren Adams with a cross that picked Adams out unmarked on the far side of the goal and Adams put his shot away to make it 2-0. That would be the only goals in the match as both sides presented determined tackling and timely work from Young-Kwang and Dean Mitchell. Leicester was a bit unlucky to open the second half as Baris Sonmez drilled a shot off the crossbar and then John Reid cleared away the ball from behind Mitchell before Cedric Roche could latch onto it. Mitchell kept a solid clean sheet with the help of MOM Paul Ellis, who was the rock of Hill's backline today.

"We were fortunate to get those early goals, Young-Kwang was difficult to solve the rest of the match," commented Heartwood.

"Martin Wharton's goal was a terrific individual effort. I was impressed by him today," said Pearson.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

4.10.14

England Mashes Macedonia

England started quickly against FYR Macedonia and never let up on their pressure in scoring an easy 3-0 win in their Group 7 match at Wembley. Thanks to a push by Dragan Hristovski, Steven Taylor put England in the lead in the 9th minute when he converted his penalty kick past Darko Stojmenovski. MOM Mark Dobson proved his scoring ability as he took a short pass from Dominic Williams and bulled past his marker before putting his shot away. Chris Gould added to the lead shortly after when he deflected a cross from Wayne Rooney past Stojmenovski. Though England failed to score again in the match, they kept the visitors from threatening as Martin Higgins notched a clean sheet. Hungary defeated San Marino 2-1 at Budapest in the other Group match.

"I thought we played with determination and focus today, both of which will be keys to our success," commented Heartwood to the press. "We took advantage of our opportunities and limited theirs- key ingredients to winning matches."

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

8.10.14

England Sail Past San Marino

In a dominating performance England trounced San Marino 5-0 in their Group 7 match at Serravalle. England marched to a 4-0 halftime lead on goals from Paul Barton, Chris Gould, John Lock and MOM Wayne Routledge. The English performance in the midfield was impressive as they completely smothered the home side in their attempts to break out of their own zone. England managed one more goal in second half injury time as James Gould hit a 30 yard rocket shot to cap the scoring in the match. Making their debuts in this match were two of England Manager James Heartwood's proteges from his Harrow Hill side- Andrew Evans and Danny French. Evans was pleased to earn a clean sheet in his debut, but was honored when the players selected him as Captain of the side before the match. French played his usual steady game from rightback. In the other Group 7 match, FYR Macedonia upset visiting Russia 2-0 to leave England alone atop the Group.

"We were terrific with our ball movement today. Wayne Routledge and Aaron Lennon deserve much of the credit- because their roaming up and down the wings created havoc and scoring opportunities for us," offered Heartwood at the press conference. "The finishing around their goal was also a key factor in our win today."

[Faramir]

11.10.14

Newcastle Late Equaliser Equals Draw at Larksfield

It was clear that both sides were very ready for this match and it was closely played from the opening whistle. A late equalizer allowed Newcastle to split the points with Harrow Hill as they battled to a 1-1 draw at Larksfield Road. Hill played a fine first half but found their chances limited due to superior work by the visitor's backline. Good tackling ruined several Hill opportunities and the two sides went to the dressing room scoreless. Hill struck to take the lead early in the second half. A deft pass from Michael Jones found MOM Simon Allen unmarked in the Newcastle area and Allen snapped his shot past Adrian White. Hill tried to make that lead stand up and played more conservatively the remainder of the match. They couldn't stop Cristian Portilla from equalizing with a sensational 30 yard blast that hooked inside the right post to ruin Andrew Evans' clean sheet. Neither side was able to come up with a late match winner as they settled for sharing the points.

"If we only could have finished some of our earlier chances," lamented Heartwood.

"Adrian White stopped a couple of Simon Allen opportunities that I thought he had no chance of stopping," agreed Pearson.

"I can't fault Andrew Evans too much, that was a terrific shot by Portilla."

[Faramir]

18.10.14

Wolves Will Stronger in Close Win Over Hill

Wolves continued to demonstrate they are the most surprising side in the EPL as they retained a close 3rd place table spot with a 2-1 fightback win over Harrow Hill at Molineux. Hill had taken the lead when Neil Preece deflected a cross from Brian Ball past Niklas Gustavsson. It was the last mistake of the match for Gustavsson as he was brilliant the rest of the way in backstopping the comeback win. Hill handed the equalizer to Wolves when Dean Mitchell's poor goal kick allowed MOM Italo Mottioli to rip a 45 yard blast in while Mitchell vainly tried to get back to the goal. Wolves leaped out in for an early goal in the second half as Emra Tahiri zipped past Craig Alexander to score past Mitchell. With the lead, Wolves leaned on the brilliant performance of Gustavsson as he time and again stopped Hill with dazzling saves. Hill had their chances, but wasn't able to solve Gustavsson.

"I tip my hat to Gustavsson. I thought we would get the equalizer with all the pressure we put on them," stated Pearson.

"We played well enough offensively to get a better result, but defensively..." sighed Heartwood.

"The play by Dean was just plain dumb- he kicked it up the middle to Craig Alexander, with Mottioli right by him."

"And he did that after all our discussions about going up the sideline with a close match on the line."

[Faramir]

25.10.14

Hill Survive to Edge Chelsea

A pretty goal in the opening moments and a determined defensive effort were enough to allow Harrow Hill to survive a second half redcard as they upset favored Chelsea 1-0 at Larksfield Road. The lone goal came in the opening minutes of play as Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan found space down the right on a counterattack. Sullivan waited and crossed to Martin Clark as he broke toward the far left post and Clark deflected the cross past Gary March. Chelsea stormed back and took control for most of the remainder of the first half, but found Andrew Evans in exceptional form as he earned his MOM honours and clean sheet. Despite having been on their backheels most of the first half, Hill remained in front going into the second half. Hill showed more life offensively in the second half, but were forced into defensive mode again when Richard Murray received his second yellow card at 70 minutes. The center of the Hill backline- Paul Ellis and Lee Pearson were stellar, but Stuart Dean committed a whopping mistake. Dean gave the ball away to Valeri Bojinov- all alone in front of the Hill goal. Bojinov blasted a shot, but Evans made a brilliant reaction save to push the shot over the bar. The final whistle found a tired and happy Hill side that had won a hard earned 1-0 match in front of their appreciative fans.

"Great defensive effort- the best this season," said an excited Heartwood.

"It was- but we wouldn't have won today except for Andrew Evans," replied Pearson.

"That's true, he really earned his honours today."

[Faramir]

30.10.14

Clark sparks Hill to win over AEK

Harrow Hill opened their Euro Cup Group E play with a successful trip to Greece as they defeated AEK 2-0 in Athens. The key to the win for Hill was when Martin Clark came on for Craig Briggs in the middle of the second half of play. To that point Hill had outplayed the home side but had nothing to show for their efforts as AEK Keeper Alexey Botvinjev had been brilliant in keeping them off the scoreboard. Botvinjev had robbed Simon Allen twice when he was in unmarked in the first half and had also tipped a strong header from Craig Alexander over the bar on a late corner. Andrew Evans had not faced a difficult chance, but was forced to leave at halftime due to an injury and was replaced by Dean Mitchell for the second half. Hill faced the same dilemma in the second half- how to solve Botvinjev? The answer turned out to be MOM Clark. A threaded pass from Adrian Welch found Clark with enough space in the area and he drilled a shot past Botvinjev inside the right post to give Hill the lead. Less than five minutes later Clark struck again for a brace as he rifled a 25 yard shot past the slightly out of position Botvinjev after taking a neat cross from Dave Turner. Hill closed out the 2-0 win without yielding a significant scoring chance for the home side.

"That worked well," murmured Heartwood in viewing the replay of Martin Clark's first goal.

"It was the key to the match. Clark put their backline to the sword when he entered and finally made our scoring chances pay off," commented Pearson.

[Faramir]

2.11.14

Hill Battles Bolton to Draw

High flying Bolton, currently 2nd in EPL, was hoping to put another win in the books as they hosted Harrow Hill at Reebok Stadium. Instead the two sides played to an entertaining 1-1 draw that was a fair result for both clubs. After a flurry of opening attacks from each side the match settled down to a more tactical duel. Bolton drew first blood when Ashley Mitchell took advantage of Dean Mitchell anticipating a cross going through by stepping up and deflecting it into the vacated goal. Hill struck back to equalize following a series of saves by Pavel Kubat. Neil Preece tracked down a rebound on the right and his cross to the near post was deflected past Kubat by Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan. Neither side scored after that, but it wasn't for lack of effort. The bane for Hill in the match was the offsides call, as they were whistled for 10 in the match- which saw many counter-attacks ruined. Bolton found the Hill backline difficult to break down and their continual crosses were calmly cleared away before they troubled Mitchell. Ashley Mitchell was awarded MOM honours for the home side.

"I would have loved to have beaten them- but it was a fair result," stated Heartwood.

"We just couldn't get away with sending men down the pitch. They were a bit too picky on their offsides calls," remarked Pearson.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

8.11.14

England Sweeps Away Swedes

In a polished display, England scored an easy 2-0 friendly win over Sweden at Wembley. The catalyst to the win was MOM Wayne Rooney, whose brace were the only goals scored in the match. England took the lead early on as Scott Browne, making his Debut on the National side, played a neat 1-2 passing sequence with Rooney and Rooney blasted a shot inside the right post past Niklas Gustavsson for an 11th minute goal. Sweden managed some pressure, but the English backline ably supported the solid keeping of Andrew Evans as he kept Zlatan Ibrhahimovic from scoring twice. Rooney moved back to leftwing, because of an injury to Wayne Routledge, and that put him in line for the brace early in the second half as Aaron Lennon smartly crossed to Rooney at the far post. With the 2-0 lead, England was content to finish out the win for the sold out crowd.

"Wayne Rooney is more versatile than even I believed," said Heartwood to the press. "He is also willing to do whatever we need him to- to earn wins for England. That kind of selfless attitude is the strength of our current National side."

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

12.11.14

England Downs Austria in Friendly

England played poor host to visiting Austria as they defeated them 2-0 at Wembley in a friendly. Carlton Cole dearly wanted to score in his English debut, but was stopped twice from close-in by Bartolomej Kuru. Cole had to settle for slipping a pass across to Simon Potter, who broke his Internatioal duck by driving a shot inside the left post. England played composed football with the lead, but the vistiors also found ways to pressure England. Martin Higgins had to make a nice fingertip save on Roman Kienast to preserve the lead going to halftime. England played controlled football to begin the second half and struck for the second goal when Joe Cole made a beautiful through ball to Mark Dobson. Dobson was in full stride and fired a shot past Kuru to make the final margin 2-0. Aaron Lennon was selected MOM for the match.

"It was another steady effort, which is really all I am asking of them. We continue to refine our approach and training to better suit the players in gaining good results," commented Heartwood to the press.

[Faramir]

17.11.14

Manchester City Master Hill in Televised Match

Manchester City proved adept at taking advantage of opportunities as they turned two of them into first half goals and that was enough to allow them to edge Harrow Hill 2-1 at City Grounds. The home side took the early lead when Daniel Sturridge headed a ball down for unmarked Steve Sparrow and Sparrow's precise shot zipped inside the left post past Dean Mitchell. Hill pegged Manchester City back immediately when MOM Martin Wharton's cross for Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan sailed over Gustavo Adolfo Sivadon for a surprise score. Michael Jones couldn't mark Gary Hewitt well enough and the lead returned to the home side when Hewitt deflected a cross from Jerome Durand past Mitchell. Manchester City played a strong second half defensively and limited Hill's chances to rally. Sivadon played with flowing actions and was able to make a trio of reaction saves which ruined Hill's bid to fightback.

"We didn't play well enough- offensively or defensively- to earn a better result," grumbled Heartwood.

"Our passing was very spotty and we seemed a half-step slow all match," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

20.11.14

Marseille Passes Muster against Hill

Marseille converted an early penalty kick and that goal remained the margin at the final whistle as Marseille defeated Harrow Hill 1-0 at Larksfield Road in their Euro Cup Group E match. Craig Johnson was whistled for pushing Thierry Ferreira in the area and David Leca calmly converted the penalty kick past Andrew Evans to give the visitors the lead at the 8 minute mark. Hill spent the remainder of the match trying to fight back, but were done in by very poor shooting and several missed opportunities. Hill failed to put any of their 10 shots where they would force Guillaume Lelorrain to make the save and squandered several chances with unmarked men in the Marseille area. Marseille defender Garry Bocaly earned MOM honours. The win ensures that Marseille has qualified for the Knockout Round as they have won all three of their matches played in Group E.

"They were beatable, but only if we had played much better than we did," commented Pearson.

"We didn't show as much determination after yielding that early penalty kick. I was disappointed in that," replied Heartwood.

[Faramir]

23.11.14

Hill Slips Pasts Limpid Liverpool

Harrow Hill managed to edge struggling Liverpool 1-0 at Larksfield Road in a match that wasn't as close as the scoreline would indicate. Liverpool, which fired Manager Phil Thompson two days ago, didn't attack effectively in the match and showed none of the crispness of last season. Hill scored the only goal of the match midway through the first half when MOM Martin Clark, on a superb individual effort, bulled past Francesco Valente and lofted a delicate chip over onrushing Keeper Jimmy Hutchinson into the left corner of the goal. Hutchinson played brilliantly in the match and was the only reason it was close as he made timely saves on Clark, Martin Wharton and Jon Burns to help keep things close. Hill used superior midfield and backline play to help keep the potent 'Pool offense in check the entire match and help Andrew Evans earn a clean sheet.

"A nice solid win. We did many things right and showed a lot of composure down the stretch," commented Heartwood.

"We weren't sharp enough offensively, because we should have made them pay more dearly for their indifferent marking in their area," observed Pearson.

"It's true we should have scored more, but I am still pleased with the overall effort."

[Faramir]

27.11.14

Hill Trips Trabzonspor

Using their pace advantage, Harrow Hill kept home side Trabzonspor under pressure throughout the match as they turned an early brace of goals into the winning margin in their 2-0 win in Turkey. MOM Simon Allen was the offensive catalyst for Hill as he put the Trabzonspor backline to the sword with his quick, instinctive play. Julian Henry played a nice 1-2 with Allen that allowed him to score and put Hill in the lead at the eight minute mark. Allen made it a brace with Henry again the provider as he snapped a shot inside the right post past Kahraman Serhat midway through the first half. Henry missed a sitter that would have added to the lead after a good pass from Allen found him free. Hill refused to let up on the pressure in the second half and temper got the better of Cakin Serhat when he received his 2nd yellow card for pushing Chris Brooks, which left the Turkish side only 10 men after the 65 minute mark. Dean Mitchell notched the clean sheet for Hill in the Euro Cup Group E win that will leave Hill needing only a draw against Feyenoord to move into the knockout phase.

"Simon Allen was flying today, that was one of his best matches for us," said a pleased Pearson.

"He and Julian Henry are both maturing. They both will be a big part of our future," agreed Heartwood.

"I also liked how Craig Johnson and Jon Hayward played together in the midfield today- they meshed nicely."

[Faramir]

30.11.14

Tottenham Topple Hill

Tottenham scored a late goal to edge Harrow Hill 1-0 at White Hart Lane in a spirited match. Hill rued several missed opportunities that they had throughout the match as their offense generated chances, but they weren't able to capitalize on them. Martin Clark's header bounced back off the crossbar early in the first half and Paul McMahon made a key save on Martin Wharton later in the half. Andrew Evans played a fine match, but he could only parry MOM Fabio Santos' late free kick and Fabio Zamby was on the doorstep to slam the rebound home for the match winner at 83 minutes. It was a disappointing loss for all of the hard work from the Hill side.

Heartwood sighed, "I wish I hadn't had to take Martin Wharton out too- after Martin Clark left injured in the first half."

Pearson nodded, "It left us playing one man up front- we played much better in the match with our 442 lineup."

"I can't fault Andrew Evans on the goal, but Paul Ellis really should have been a step closer to Zamby."

[Faramir]

6.12.14

Hill, Ham Draw in Wild Match

By rights, Harrow Hill should have wound up on the losing end of this match, yet paradoxically they also should have won the match. Instead Hill and West Ham played to a 1-1 draw at the newly completed Larksfield Road. Hill suffered a serious blow in the 7th minute when Danny Lynch was redcarded for a cynical foul on Emanuel Carvalho. Despite the loss, Hill played well with only 3 at the back and took the lead when Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan capped off a nice passing sequence by snapping a shot past Dave Dodd after a good pass from Darren Adams. West Ham stormed the Hill end to open the second half and Andrew Evans played brilliantly to keep things scoreless with a series of difficult saves. The one save Evans couldn't make was on a sizzling shot from MOM Cesar Carignano as the veteran Argentine forward whipped a shot just inside the far right post to equalize. Both sides tried for the match winner, but the two keepers were steady and neither side could put another mark on the scoreboard as they settled for a 1-1 draw.

"It could have been a loss, but I thought we might just be able to make that one goal stand up with the way that Evans was playing," mused Heartwood.

"Carignano just found the open space and made a terrific shot. Evans played brilliantly, but he didn't have much chance on that goal," commented Pearson.

"We came close to taking it at the end, but the shot by Michael Jones was inches wide..."

[Faramir]

11.12.14

Hill Dumps Feyenoord, Moves on to Knockout

Harrow Hill continued to work on convincing skeptics as they defeated favored Feyenoord 3-1 at Larksfield Road to clinch a place in the Euro Cup Knockout Round for the second consecutive season. Leading the way for Hill was MOM Julian Henry, who was poison to the Dutch backline in the match. Henry scored to give Hill the lead as the match neared the midway mark in the first half when he moved into space and smashed a shot past Stef Doedee after taking a good pass from Jon Hayward. Henry made it a brace just before halftime when he flicked a header past Doedee on a cross from Chris Brooks. Hill moved ahead 3-0 early in the second half when Glenn Loovens tripped Simon Allen in the area and Andy Reid converted the penalty kick. Danko Lazovic ruined Dean Mitchell's chance at a clean sheet with a late consolation goal after slipping Reid's marking.

"A good, solid effort," stated a content Heartwood.

"We played well in every phase of play," agreed Pearson.

"The score could have been much more in our favor- Doedee made two great saves on Simon Allen in the early going."

"Our passing gave us many good chances. I just hope we can repeat that kind of play."

[Faramir]

12.12.14

"Ok, how did the Euro Cup draw come out?" asked Pearson.

"We have Villareal in the first round and if we can get past them- then we face either Palermo or Liverpool," answered Heartwood.

"No easy touches there."

***

15.12.14

Hill Mashes Middlesbrough

A stunning performance by unhappy Martin Wharton keyed Harrow Hill's convincing 5-0 defeat of Middlesbrough at Larksfield Road and earned Wharton MOM honours. Wharton, who has been publicly commenting on his unhappiness about regular playing time with Hill, may have shown other clubs that he is still in fine form as he equaled the Hill record by scoring 4 goals in a match. Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan set up both of Wharton's first half goals with well placed passes. Sullivan also added a goal himself in the first half as Hill cruised to a 3-0 halftime lead. Sullivan made it a hat-trick of assists as he set-up Wharton to complete the hat-trick in goals early in the second half with Wharton's 5th of the season. Wharton then added a late goal by booming a 25 yard rocket past struggling Craig Gordon to finish off his best match in Hill colours.

"Amazing effort by Martin Wharton- even with him grousing," offered Heartwood.

"He showed more precision on his shots than he had previously this season," commented Pearson.

"Part of the credit goes to 'Silk'- his passes were superb."

"Did you realize that Wharton overtook Martin Clark again- he now has 63 goals, a Hill record at the club."

[Faramir]

22.12.14

Southampton Slips Past Hill

Struggling Southampton used Hill's defensive mistakes to generate two goals and then leaned on Stephan Andersen's work in goal as they defeated Harrow Hill 2-0 at St.Mary's. Kevin Mitchell got Southampton off to a nice start as he took the ball past Chris Poole before slashing a shot past Andrew Evans in the early minutes of the match. MOM Andy Smith added to Hill's woes when he zipped past Poole and flicked a header past Evans on a cross from Ronald Olivier midway through the first half. Hill tried to rally, but despite excellent scoring chances- they could not find a way to get any shots past Andersen in goal. Hill pounded away in the second half, but the final whistle found them with nothing to show for their efforts.

"It could have been a much better result," sighed Heartwood.

"If Chris Poole had bothered to mark- they wouldn't have had any goals," snorted Pearson.

"I don't like removing a player like that- but I had to take Chris out after that second goal, it was just too eregious an error."

[Faramir]

26.12.14

Hill Flames Forest

A close match was broken open when Harrow Hill added two late second half goals to go with the pair of first half goals as they finished off Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Larksfield Road. Hill controlled the early going in the match and struck for two goals in a three minute span midway through the first half. Hill struck for the lead when MOM Jon Burns stepped in front of a pass meant for Paul Murray and then slotted the ball to Martin Wharton in the Forest area. Wharton zipped his shot past Scott Carson to earn Hill the lead. Brian Ball turned in a quickfire double with his pretty volley at the far post on a free kick from Danny French. Forest rallied and put Hill under pressure in the rest of the first half. That pressure continued in the second half, but Andrew Evans provided solid work in the Hill goal and was ably supported by good backline play. Hill finally put the visitors away when Burns intercepted another pass and put Darren Adams away free on a counter-attack. Adams picked his time wisely in slipping his shot past the diving Carson. Richard Murray, just back from injury, capped the scoring with a strong header past Carson on a cross from Stuart Dean.

"People will look at the score tomorrow and think this was an easy win," chuckled Heartwood.

"True, and it was anything but easy," agreed Pearson.

"Still, it was a good win and I was happy that we were able to finish our chances today."

[Faramir]

30.12.14

Hill Ends Villa Unbeaten String

Closing out the year in fine fashion, Harrow Hill defeated Aston Villa 3-1 at Larksfield Road to end the 17-match unbeaten string held by the visitors. The match's score didn't reflect how close the play was and that Hill took better advantage of its opportunities. Midway through the first half Hill gained the lead as Paul Hughes scored an own-goal when trying to keep a cross by Simon Allen from reaching Julian Henry. Allen kept getting loose and creating havoc as he setup Henry nicely to flick a header past Neal Peake and put Hill up 2-0. Henry made it a brace just before halftime with a well placed shot into the left side of the net for his 10th goal of the season. Villa wasn't ready to quit and scored early in the second half when John Lock deflected a cross from Darren Davies past Andrew Evans. Villa kept the pressure up but Evans gave a brilliant effort in goal with several timely saves. Paul Ellis cleared a ball off the goal line to keep Villa from getting close and they also lost a goal when Lock was ruled offside as Stefana Chukka Okaka scored past Evans.

"It was a nice win, but we were a bit fortunate on the whole," commented Heartwood.

"Very true. The bounces were with us tonight- from Hughes own-goal to the one that Ellis cleared off the line before they could poke it in," agreed Pearson.

"Still, it was a good win against one of the best clubs in the EPL."

[Faramir]

1.1.15

"Good news Jim!" stated Pearson

"What?" asked Heartwood.

"Jon Burns was selected EPL Young Player of the Month. Jimmy Sullivan was also runner-up in Player of the Month balloting."

"Nice to see our players getting more recognition. Oh, I have transfer news for you- the sale of Simon Thompson to Barnet for 750K and the sale of Rob Moss to Peterborough for 1.2 Million will occur today, so those two are already on their way to new homes."

"They were both promising players, but didn't develop as much as some of their contemporaries."

***

3.1.15

Hill Slips and Slides Past Middlesbrough

After taking advantage of an early throw-in to score, Hill managed to hang on for a wet and sloppy win at rain drenched Riverside Stadium as they broomed Middlesbrough from the FA Cup with their 3rd Round win. The lone goal of the match came in the 6th minute as Martin Wharton's flick on found Adrian Welch free in the area and he smashed his shot into the right side of the goal past Craig Gordon. Middlesbrough forced Dean Mitchell to make several solid saves as they tried to rally, but it was Gordon who kept his side in the match with superb saves against Wharton and Martin Clark to keep it close until the final whistle. Hill backliner Stuart Dean earned MOM honours in the match.

"That was the kind of win we need more of- where we hold on to the lead despite pressure," offered a pleased Heartwood.

"The backline play- especially of Stuart Dean and Andy Reid- was excellent today. Their anticipation ruined many scoring chances for Middlesbrough," commented Pearson.

"I thought Stuart showed he is ready for increased play today. I think he will be the 3rd man in a rotation with Paul Ellis and Lee Pearson in our center defense for the remainder of the season."

[Faramir]

9.1.16

Hill Humble Hartlepool

Harrow Hill put their stamp on this FA Cup 3rd Round match early as they turned a dominating start into an easy 3-1 win over Division 1 Hartlepool. Hill's pressure immediately created problems for Hartlepool and Hill took the lead in the 8th minute when Darren Adams turned a bad backpass by Brian Walker into a goal as he whipped a shot past Steve Elliott after overpowering Gradly Salome. Less than two minutes later it was Hill leftback MOM Sam Wallace who zipped a through ball to Adams. Adams fired a shot inside the far left post for a quick brace and a 2-0 Hill lead. Bertrand Auriac delighted the Larksfield Road faithful with his debut, though only playing the first half due to not wanting to challenge him too quickly, and he slotted a pass to Gary Evans. Evans made a magnificent move with the ball around Paolo Hernan Della Fiore before putting his shot away past Elliott for the goal of the match. Matthew O'Neill could have had a clean sheet, but lackadaisical passing between Jason Carter and Les Beard allowed James Vaughan to knife in and take the ball away to blast a shot inside the right post in first half injury time. Hill never allowed the smaller side a scoring chance in the second half as they ground the visitors down in their end for the remainder of the match.

"Excellent work by Darren Adams. I am glad he could shake off his poor effort against Newcastle," stated Heartwood.

"Well, remember the quality of competition," commented Gritt.

"True, but I was just happy to see him score. I also thought Bertrand Auriac had a solid debut in his half of play."

"He is certainly going to be an exciting player."

***

10.1.16

"I decided to let Chris Whelan go out on a three month loan," said Heartwood to Gritt.

"That might help Chris," offered Gritt.

"I am hoping so. We were having a difficult time finding playing time for him- especially with us looking at Sam Wallace and Paul Shepherd."

"Not to mention Anthony Baldwin and John Berry waiting in the wings."

"Sometimes I wonder if we don't have too many good youngsters," said Heartwood with a chuckle.

***

11.1.16

"Another unhappy soul has a new home," said Heartwood.

"Who is leaving?" asked Gritt.

"Colchester paid us 325K for Lee Parker."

"Lee is a good individual, but you are right- he didn't have much future here."

"It still pains me to sell some of these players who have worked their way up with us."

[Faramir]

7.1.15

"Simon Scott will stay at Brentford," offered Heartwood.

"They liked him enough while on loan to make it permanent?" asked Pearson.

"Yes, they paid the 80K purchase price and Simon was very pleased to be staying where he can play regularly."

***

10.1.15

Hill Bests Blackburn

It is difficult to say which was more important- the injury that took Blackburn keeper Marcelo Grohe out of the match at 54 minutes or the substitution of Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan- at about the same time. Whichever the case, both had a key impact on the match as Sullivan's brace of goals in a two minute span against backup Keeper Alex Jones sparked Harrow Hill to a 2-0 win at Ewood Park. Grohe, as is usually the case, had been brilliant against Hill until he left. Grohe clearly had Martin Clark muttering to himself after three fantastic saves and that appeared to be why Hill Manager James Heartwood brought on Sullivan. Andrew Evans was also performing well in the Hill goal and made diving parries of long blasts from Salomon Kalou and Stuart Turner in earning his clean sheet. Moments after Jones entered for Grohe, he saw Sullivan rifle a shot past him after Martin Wharton threaded a pass through to free him in the middle of the area. Sullivan then showed his quickness as Jones hesitated in playing a ball outside the area and saw Sullivan take it away from him and score from 30 yards. Hill put the clamps on defensively with the lead and helped Evans close out the match in fine fashion. Hill defender Paul Ellis earned MOM honours in the match.

"A nice spark from 'Silk' to give us the win," said Pearson. "Good choice on that Jim."

Heartwood waved his hand dismissively, "Martin Clark was both frustrated and tired- it was an easy choice to get Jimmy in to the match. I didn't believe it would work out as well as it did."

[Faramir]

17.1.15

Hill, Leeds Battle to Draw

In a superbly entertaining match, Harrow Hill and Leeds battled their way to a 1-1 draw at Larksfield Road. The match was played with fierce desire up and down the pitch- from the opening whistle until the final one. Hill took the lead midway through a spirited first half of play as Julian Henry slotted the ball for Martin Wharton and he blasted a shot inside the left post past Matteo Amato. Leeds fought back with an equalizer early in the second half as Stuart Dean got caught wandering a bit and MOM Daniel Chapman filled the open space before rifling a shot past Andrew Evans. Both sides had chances to win the match in the second half, but the best save was made by Evans as he got fingertips on a blast from Mark Dobson to keep things even late in the half.

"A bad goal to give up, but I guess I can't be too unhappy with the draw- we certainly didn't play our best today," muttered Heartwood.

"The end to end play was fine, but we kept making one too many passes around their goal area," commented Pearson.

[Faramir]

25.1.15

Hill Brushes Brighton Out

Breaking open a close first half, Harrow Hill scored three goals in the first half to give them the margin to defeat Brighton 3-0 at Falmer in their FA Cup 4th Round match. In a solid debut performance, Hill's Simon Howarth made a terrific pass that allowed MOM Darren Adams to rifle a shot past Dave Jennings and put Hill in the lead. Brighton erupted with a furious rally as they tried to even the match, but Dean Mitchell was dazzling in goal for Hill and made a trio of excellent saves on Hugo Almeida, Lee Croft and David McGoldrick to preserve the lead. Howarth earned his 2nd assist of the match when he again found Adams with space and Adams slipped the ball past a sliding Jennings for his 5th goal as the keeper tried to smother the ball. Jon Burns deft touch pass setup Dave Turner to score his 5th goal of the season as Hill managed a commanding 3-0 halftime lead. Brighton never was able to mount a second half rally and Hill was content to support Mitchell in putting up the clean sheet as they closed out the comfortable win.

"That would have been a much different match, if Dean Mitchell hadn't been so brilliant in that 10 minute span," observed Pearson.

"True. His excellent work gave us the bridge until we scored that 2nd goal. I was really impressed with Simon Howarth's play- his passing was terrific and he played unselfishly," replied Heartwood.

"We have some good youngsters making their way up toward the Senior side- and he is one of them."

"Good thing too, as Martin Clark and Martin Wharton will *graduate* after the season..."

Pearson chuckled, "Ah, so graduating at 25 is the concept. I guess Harrow Hill will eventually become a revered institution."

They both had a good laugh at that comment.

[Faramir]

28.1.15

Hill Bustles Past Birmingham

A strong, determined effort with a pair of timely goals equaled a road win for Harrow Hill as they defeated Birmingham 2-0 at St.Andrews. Hill had the better chances throughout the match, but it was closely played. The lead came to Hill after several close calls on saves by Keeper David Marshall when Simon Allen beat him cleanly from 20 yards after taking a well placed pass from MOM Michael Jones. Birmingham showed continued life in the match and Andrew Evans had to be sharp to keep his clean sheet. Hill finally put the match away when John Reid slipped a ball to unmarked Jones just inside the edge of the area and Jones put the shot away in second half injury time to close out the 2-0 win.

"Excellent work from our midfield today- especially Michael Jones," stated a happy Heartwood.

"The whole side played well today. Our quick transition to attack set up Simon Allen's goal," offered Pearson.

"Still, we came close to adding about five more goals to that total- we didn't have much luck."

"Skill and execution provided where luck didn't today."

[Faramir]

31.1.15

Hill Manuevers by Manchester United

A sellout crowd at Larksfield Road saw a terrific match as Harrow Hill scored bookend goals in edging Manchester United 2-0. Hill got off to a flying start in the match when Adrian Welch's deft pass allowed Darren Adams to whip a low shot past Martin Higgins as Hill took the lead in the 4th minute of play. The match turned into a quick, flowing match as both sides attacked up and down the pitch. There were excellent ball movement and fine defensive plays to be seen on both sides of the ball. Hill remained ahead 1-0 at halftime, but only because Higgins came up with two brilliant saves late in the half to keep the visitors close. The match remained at a frenetic tempo in the second half, but Hill began pressuring Manchester United more thanks to MOM Simon Allen. Allen, who had come on when Martin Wharton was injured just before halftime, ran the tiring ManU backline ragged. As the match moved into second half injury time, Allen finally scored a well deserved goal after a good pass from Shaun Jenkins sent him in free on Higgins. Andrew Evans notched a hard earned clean sheet in the win.

"Wondeful match. I really believe the boys are maturing nicely," said a very pleased Heartwood.

"They showed no jitters today- and they never forgot about Quincy Naarden- both of which are improvements from our past meetings," agreed Pearson.

"Simon Allen really showed why he can become a top forward in the EPL today. If he can play that kind of match against their backline..."

[Faramir]

1.2.15

"Lee Pearson was named Young Player of the Month for January, and Michael Jones was 3rd in voting," exclaimed Heartwood.

"Ah, well deserved for both of them," said Pearson with a pleased nod. "Did we manage to sell Craig Briggs at deadline?"

"No, he turned down Crystal Palace's contract offer."

"Shame."

"We did sell Robert Joyce to Celtic for 3.4 Million. Also Andrew Greenwood went to 120K, Gary Quinn went to Stevenage for 1K and Cheltenham paid us 400K for David Darby."

"That will tidy things up a little. With Shaun Jenkins playing so well and Andrew Price coming up soon- letting Robert Joyce go was a good move for that kind of money."

***

ENGLAND

4.1.15

England Edges Greece

England fought back for a deserved 2-1 win at Wembley in their friendly with Greece after falling behind in the first half. Greece looked much the readier side in the first half and though they didn't control the flow of play, they generated quality scoring chances. The lead came to the visitors when Avraam Papadopoulous sent a long cross to Vangelis Christopoulous. Christopoulous whipped a shot past Andrew Evans after slipping the attempted tackle of Danny French. The Wembley faithful were restless at halftime, but England quickly equalized as they opened a more energized attack in the second half. Dominic Williams broke his duck when he slammed home a rebound after Dimitris Kyriakidis parried a blast from Joe Cole. The match winner came as the result of a superb, flowing passing sequence by England as Wayne Rooney deflected a cross from Ian Jackson home for the winning goal. Evans was forced to come up with a huge save on Vasilis Stathis to preserve the win.

England Manager Heartwood commented on the effort, "The effort was there, but especially in the first half our execution was not. We were much crisper with our passing in the second half and we were finally able to convert chances into goals. Our backline played a good second half and their efforts contributed greatly to the win."

[Faramir]

7.1.15

Everton Eases Past Hill

An early goal was enough for Everton to defeat Harrow Hill 1-0 in a closely played match at Goodison Park. A nice chip pass from Yaya Toure sprung Lima behind Paul Ellis and Lee Pearson and the Brazilian striker snapped a shot past Andrew Evans from close range for what would be the only goal of the match. Hill moved quickly to the attack and appeared to earn the equalizer when Simon Allen flipped a shot over Kasper Schmeichel, only for Allen and the Hill bench to look on in disbelief as Allen was ruled offside on the play. Hill managed several other quality chances, but Schmeichel was steady in goal and came up with big saves against Julian Henry and Michael Jones in the second half to earn the clean sheet in the close win. Hill defender John Reid earned MOM honours in the match.

"I am furious. Allen was offside? How could the assistant referee make that call when Mark Richards was clearly between Allen and the goal?" barked Heartwood.

"They missed it. It's unfortunate that it was so costly for us," replied Pearson.

[Faramir]

12.1.15

Hill Wins Close in First Leg Over Villareal

Harrow Hill managed to slip past visiting Villareal 1-0 in their 1st Leg of the Euro Cup 1st Knockout Round at Larksfield Road. The only goal of the match came early on as Craig Johnson was in the right spot to put away a rebound after Carlos Idriss Kameni parried a shot from Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan. Sullivan narrowly missed scoring twice in the first half when Kameni came up with stellar stops on his good chances. The second half was taut and the home crowd electric as Hill survived a couple huge defensive mistakes in the late going to help Andrew Evans earn his clean sheet in the 1-0 win. John Reid earned MOM honours for his 2nd straight match.

"This was a bit of a coming out party for both Craig Johnson and Andrew Hook- they both played extremely well under pressure today," observed Heartwood.

"They may be young, but they both played with composure," agreed Pearson.

"Actually, our whole side played with composure today. We could have scored more- but Kameni came up big against us."

"The bad part is that John Reid won't be able to play in the 2nd leg. Doc says he will be out a couple weeks after suffering a concussion."

[Faramir]

19.1.15

Hill Draw with Villareal, Move On

Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first half, and 2-1 on the aggregate, Harrow Hill never panicked and turned in an exceptional second half as they fought back for a last-minute 2-2 draw that moves them onward to the Euro Cup 2nd Knockout Round on 3-2 aggregate. Hill showed they were not planning on sitting back in a defensive match as they traded attacks with the home side in the first half. MOM Carlos Idrissi Kameni was dazzling as he kept Hill off the scoreboard. Villareal took full advantage of Andrew Evans to gain the lead. Evans held on to the ball too long and Emrah Ekin took it away from him to score an easy goal midway through the first half. Evans compounded that error when he missed intercepting a ball to Ekin from Anthony Vanden Borre and Ekin's brace pushed the home side to a 2-0 lead. Hill responded early in the second half when Chris Brooks shot a cross to Dave Turner and Turner slipped a shot past Kameni to put Hill ahead on away goals. With Villareal pressing forward, the Hill counter-attacks became very effective and Kameni was brilliant in stopping Martin Clark twice and also Simon Allen as he continued to give Villareal a chance. The third time was the charm for Clark as Michael Jones zipped a through ball that put him away. Clark made a move past Kameni and scored the decisive goal to move Hill onwards to face Liverpool.

"When was the last match that we survived our keeper playing so badly," asked Pearson.

"Never, I think. Not with as bad a day as Andrew had," answered Heartwood.

"Testament to the players determination then, because it took a great effort to come back against them."

[Faramir]

25.2.15

Late Equaliser Forces Replay with Luton

Harrow Hill dominated their FA Cup 4th Round match with Luton from the opening whistle, but a late defensive lapse cost them as the visitors equalised in second half injury time to force a replay. Hill poured shot after shot at Paul Gallacher, but the Luton keeper gave a brilliant performance as he made at least 10 sensational saves during the pounding. Hill finally scored what looked to be a late match winner when Martin Wharton, playing in perhaps his final match for Hill, whipped a sharp angled shot past Gallacher. Hill fell down as the backline was caught not getting back quickly enough and despite Matthew O'Neill making a terrific initial save on Gavin Pugh, it was Andy Jordan firing home the rebound for a dramatic evener that will force a replay at Luton.

"Very frustrating match. We should have won it easily," grumbled Pearson.

"True. We should not have allowed that equalizer either- I can't understand why the entire backline got caught up like that after we told them to not stray forward," commented Heartwood.

"Is it true? Martin Wharton won't be playing on Senior side after he turns 25 next week?"

"It is true. I would be a hypacrite with my beliefs if I acted otherwise. He is unhappy, but he turned down the chance to be released from his contract- he wants to try and help you win the Reserve title Bob."

"Wow. I am honoured that he thinks that much of us."

MD Note- Wharton's Final numbers for Harrow Hill- 139 appearances 65 goals 35 assists 13 MOM 7.21 average rating

[Faramir]

28.2.15

Hill Wins Out, Moves On

Showing the same determination evident all season, Harrow Hill shook off their draw on Wednesday against Luton and worked hard in earning a 3-1 win over them in the FA Cup 4th Round replay at Kenilworth Road. Hill found themselves behind early in the first half when Giovanni Torre outleapt Danny Lynch and deflected a looping cross from Kelvin Wilson past Dean Mitchell. Lee Davis set up the answering goal for Hill when his quick break down the pitch forced Lee Quinn to take him down in the area. Shaun Jenkins cooly converted the penalty kick past Paul Gallacher to make it 1-1. Jenkins then demonstrated superb vision with a quick tap-on pass that setup Darren Adams to snap a shot past Gallacher and earn Hill a 2-1 halftime lead. The two sides battled up and down the pitch in the second half, but MOM Brian Ball made a sweeping pass that Simon Howarth fired past Gallacher from a sharp angle for his 1st Senior goal at Hill to cap the 3-1 win.

"That was a nice effort and I was pleased how much composure the boys showed," said a pleased Heartwood.

"We certainly finished off our chances better today," agreed Pearson.

"I think part of it was using a mostly changed lineup against them. They prepared for specific players who weren't even dressed."

[Faramir]

3.3.15

Hill Leaps Past Liverpool

Continuing to demonstrate more composure than the press is crediting them with, Harrow Hill battled to a 2-0 win over favored Liverpool at Larksfield Road in the 1st Leg of their 2nd Round Euro Cup Knockout matchup. A scoreless first half featured inconsistent play by both sides, but Hill's quickness was clearly causing the visitors problems. Hill roared out into the second half and spurred by the subbing on of Chris Brooks began to pressure the 'Pool goal. A nicely laid off ball by Simon Allen helped earn Hill the lead when Julian Henry drilled a well placed 20 yard shot past Jose Manuel Reina. Less than three minutes later Hill built on the lead as their pressure caused Nicky Wright to score an own-goal while trying to clear away a dangerous rebound. Hill came close to adding further to the lead, but Reina made several timely saves. Dean Mitchell notched the clean sheet for Hill in the win.

"I just can't get over how they stepped up their play in the second half," said Heartwood admiringly.

"They settled down- what they weren't able to do in the first half," replied Pearson.

"Chris Brooks really sparked us. His quickness created more space and we took advantage of it."

[Faramir]

8.3.15

Newcastle Dumps Hill

The tried and true forward combination of Adriano and Fabio Cruciani once again was Hill's nemesis as each scored in propelling Newcastle to a closely played 2-0 win at St.James Park. Adriano scored midway through the first half as he bulled his way between two Hill defenders before rocketing a shot past Andrew Evans. Hill tried to battle back, but the Newcastle backline- led by MOM Steven Taylor- was formidable and continually ruined Hill chances with their fine tackling and coverage. Cruciani scored as he capped off a display of deft passing by rapping a quick shot past Evans from close in. Hill kept searching for a goal, but Adrian White put up a clean sheet in the win for the home side.

"Not exactly our best effort," muttered Heartwood.

"The boys showed heart, but not execution today," offered Pearson.

"I really thought we would get a goal against them, but their marking was super today."

[Faramir]

12.3.15

Hill Levels Liverpool

Another strong effort from Harrow Hill saw them score a late match winner to not only advance to the Quarter-Finals in Euro Cup play on a 4-1 aggregate, but also defeat Liverpool at Anfield 2-1. The first half saw 'Pool try and come out quickly- since they were trailing 2-0 on aggregate- but the Hill backline played a steady match in support of Dean Mitchell's solid keeping. Hill gradually began to apply pressure and it was 'Pool who were stunned when Liam Fontaine's own-goal gave Hill both the lead and a huge away goal. Liverpool struck back early in the second half when Giacomo Ferrari took advantage of Paul Ellis winding up out of position after falling down while challenging for a header and Ferrari drove a low shot past Mitchell to even things at 1-1. It appeared that 'Pool took the lead shortly after, but Ferrari's goal was waved off when he was whistled for being offside on the play. Hill clinched their advancement with a dramatic match winner as Martin Clark provided a clinical finish off a nice pass from Dave Turner in the waning moments of the second half. Hill midfielder Jon Hayward earned MOM honours.

"We surprised them again, they didn't think we would challenge them offensively," observed Pearson.

"Better to keep them guessing," grinned Heartwood.

[Faramir]

13.3.15

"Who did we draw in the Euro Quarter-finals?" asked Pearson leaning his head in to Heartwood's office.

"Sporting."

"They won't be any easy match up for us."

"None of them left are easy match ups."

***

15.3.15

Hill Washes Out Against Wolves

Harrow Hill fell flat at Larksfield Road as the Wolves edged them 1-0 thanks to a determined defensive effort from the visitors. The lone goal of match came in first half injury time. Neither side had a particularly good first half and Hill went to halftime trailing when Andrew Evans made a poor goal kick. MOM Lee Martin intercepted the kick and his quick pass sent Peter Verbeek on a counter-attack. Stuart Dean missed the tackle on Verbeek who then snapped a shot past Evans. Hill showed more life as they tried to rally, but their execution was lacking and they only forced Niklas Gustavsson to make one more key save as he stretched out to palm away a scorching drive by Michael Jones late in the second half.

"We didn't show much life today," sighed Heartwood.

"There was none of the crispness that we had showed in some of our other matches," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

18.3.15

Newcastle Numbs Hill

Newcastle played a fine match as they used all the elements to defeat Harrow Hill 2-0 at St.James Gate in their FA Cup 6th Round match. Newcastle keeper Adrian White earned MOM honours as he fended off a series of good Hill chances in the early moments of both the first and second halves. Fabiano Cruciani raced past Chris Whelan to scorch a shot past Dean Mitchell for the halftime lead. Paul Turner blasted a shot past Mitchell from just inside the edge of the area to give the home side more breathing room midway through the second half. Hill didn't have the touch to get a goal on White today as they were broomed out of the FA Cup.

"It wasn't a bad effort, but we also didn't play well enough to deserve to beat them," commented Heartwood.

"There were flashes of good play, but overall- you're right- we just didn't have the effort and execution we needed to win," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

26.3.15

Hill Splinters Sporting

Harrow Hill put themselves in great shape to advance to the Euro Cup Semifinals as they demolished Sporting in a 4-1 victory at Lisbon. The key to the win for Hill was the work up front of MOM Julian Henry. Henry was unstoppable by the Sporting backline and scored a hat-trick in the first half as Hill went to the dressing room ahead 3-1. Marco Antonio earned a redcard early in the second half and that ruined the home side's hopes of a comeback. Dave Turner added the last Hill goal with a header past Marco midway through the half and Hill was content to close out the 4-1 win.

"A very good effort on everyone's part. We really played crisp football today," stated Heartwood.

"And got some excellent finishing from Julian Henry," commented Pearson.

"His shooting was letter perfect today."

[Faramir]

29.3.15

Chelsea Slips Past Hill

Using a strong first half effort, Chelsea built a 2-0 lead and then kept Hill from equalizing in the second half as they closed out a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge. Scott Browne scored both goals for Chelsea. His first came early in the half as he blasted a ball past diving Andrew Evans. He also scored in first half injury time with a strong header on a cross from MOM Michael Essien. Hill managed to get a goal back when Simon Howarth knocked home a rebound past Gary March midway through the second half, but that was as close as Hill could come and wound up suffering another close loss.

"I wish we could transfer some of the heart, desire and execution we see in our Euro Cup matches to our EPL matches," grumbled Heartwood.

"We seem to be having trouble maintaining our focus when defending- and then if Evans doesn't come up with the big save..." offered Pearson.