Another Harrowing Misadventure (Ages Challenge)

[Faramir]

26.9.09

Hill, Carlisle Battle to Draw

Carlisle managed to survive a second half where they controlled the ball precious little and they left Larksfield Road with a scoreless draw against Harrow Hill. The first half featured uneven play by both sides as the wet pitch seemed to keep either side from really getting in sync. Andrew Evans was called on to make a diving parry of a skipping shot from Steven MacLean, but that was the visitors' only real scoring chance all match. Hill had the better of play in the first half but insisted on making one pass too many, which allowed the Carlisle backline- led by MOM Jonathan Evans- to frustrate their chances. Hill controlled virtually all of the play in the second half, but their improved scoring chances went for naught as they had difficulty putting their shots on goal. Rhys Taylor's biggest save came when he blocked away a rising shot from Alan Wilkins after Wilkins came on for limping Paul Wilcox. Paul Cross headed a cross from Alex Coulson off the crossbar in the late stages to elicit groans from the soggy crowd.

"We played well enough to win it in the second half," commented Pearson.

"No, we didn't. We wasted too many opportunities in both halves because they hesistated to shoot. With how wet things were, we should have been firing away today," grumbled Heartwood.

[Faramir]

3.10.09

Boston Bounces Hill

York Street was not friendly to Harrow Hill as they fell to Boston United 2-1 despite outplaying the home side for much of the match. The difference in the match was the MOM performance of Omari Coleman. Coleman slipped the coverage of Andy Reid twice and scored both times for the goals the home side needed to win. After Wayne Wallace came on to replace Reid following the second goal, Coleman was a non-factor the remainder of the match. After falling behind 2-0 Hill drew one back later in the first half when Andy Hurst volleyed a winner past Orkan Avci on a cross from Neil Preece. Hill only needed a goal in the second half to get back even and spent the half pushing men forward, but Avci was brilliant in saves on Hurst and Martin Clark and helped by continued timely tackling by his backline anywhere in their area as they held on for a fortuitous win over Hill.

"We gave them too much at the beginning," sighed Heartwood.

"Andrew Evans wasn't as sharp as usual, but still Andy Reid has to do a better job of marking him," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

6.10.09

Hill Bumps Barnet

A strong first half effort was enough to boost Harrow Hill to a 2-1 win over Barnet at Larksfield Road, despite Hill giving away another penalty kick goal. The first half was spirited, but Martin Wharton continued to demonstrate why he is quickly becoming one of the well regarded young forwards as he scored a beautiful goal to give Hill the lead. Wharton half-volleyed a loose ball after Sam Alsop tackled Paul Wilcox at the edge of the six-yard box and Wharton's quick chip sailed past a surprised Stephen Mildenhall. Martin Pearson came up with superb saves on Carl Cort and Adebayo Akinfenwa to keep Hill in the lead as Barnet rallied. Wharton then made it a brace when he took a terrific through ball from Craig Watts and hammered his shot past Mildenhall for a brace. Hill appeared well in control in the second half, until Robert Ryan made an ill-advised challenge in the Hill area to earn himself a yellow card and award them a penalty kick. Louis Bell calmly converted the penalty and the Larksfield fans had to endure another 20 minutes of edge-of-seat moments as Hill hung on for the close 2-1 win.

Heartwood shook his head, "What do we have to do to get the point across Bob? We can't keep giving away penalties..."

Pearson shrugged, "There is a fine line between aggressiveness and foolishness- we just haven't sorted it out yet. Still, we won the match."

Heartwood nodded, "Martin Wharton was terrific again today. He showed superb touch on both goals he scored."

"I was really impressed with Craig Watts as well. He showed me more today than I have seen of him so far this season."

[Faramir]

10.10.09

Hill Muffles Macclesfield

A quickstrike double in the opening ten minutes of play gave Harrow Hill the momentum it needed to defeat Macclesfield 2-0 at Moss Rose Ground. Both sides showed lightning quick attacking as the first half opened, but Hill took better advantage as Andy Hurst laid a pass in for Martin Clark and he whistled a shot past Michael Oakes inside the left post. Less than three minutes later Clark struck for his brace as pounced on the rebound from Oakes' parry of a blast from Neil Preece and whisked it past the off-balance Keeper into the goal. Though Hill had no more goals, it wasn't for lack of chances as they demonstrated a quick counter-attack the remainder of the match, but Oakes made several acrobatic stops to keep his side in the match. Andrew Evans also was performing magical tricks in the Hill goal as he stopped Marc Richards and Paul Harsley as the home side tried to rally. The second half saw a more measured pace of play and Moss Rose Fans were left groaning as Kevin Talbot and Aiden Matranga both missed inches wide while the home side desperately tried to rally. Hill missed a couple chances to put the match away as Hurst was sent in free on Oakes twice, but missed over the goal both times. The final whistle found a happy Hill leaving with a 2-0 road win as Wayne Wallace was selected as MOM for his solid work on the Hill backline.

"Good work by Martin Clark to get us the lead," stated Pearson.

"He was due. I was amazed he only had that one goal so far in going into this match," agreed Heartwood.

"Andrew Evans really played a terrific match too- this match could well have been a draw..."

"True, he was the difference once we had the lead- but he got great support from our backline too."

***

15.10.09

"I found Gary Marsh a new home," said Heartwood.

"Where is he off to?"

"Appropriately enough, Harrow."

"Free transfer?"

"Yes."

[Faramir]

17.10.09

Hill Edges Rochdale

In a battle between the 2nd and 3rd place clubs in League 2, it was Harrow Hill who came up with the goal they needed to defeat Rochdale 1-0 at Larksfield Road and end Rochdale's 12 match unbeaten string. It was a taut match throughout as both clubs played with determination and focus. The first key save of the match belonged to Rochdale Keeper Matthew Gilks, who turned away a low curling shot from Martin Wharton. Gilks also pushed a free kick from Andrew Hodgson over the bar in a fine first half. Andrew Evans made one key save as he dove to push away a free kick from Aaron Brown. The match remained locked in scoreless fashion as they moved to the second half. Hill began to show more pressure and that paid off in the lone goal of the match. Following a corner where Hill held the ball in the area, Alan Reid ran down a loose ball on the left and sent a cross toward the middle. Adam Eckersley was only able to deflect it slightly and probably wished he hadn't as an alert Paul Cross saw the ball come right to him and he snapped a shot past Gilks inside the right post. Rochdale pushed men forward to try and equalize, but led by Reid the Hill backline knocked away the attempts to cross and helped Evans to another clean sheet.

"It was nice to see Paul Cross get that goal. He had worked very hard in the midfield today," stated Pearson.

"He deserved it. I thought the difference after we got that goal was Andy Reid. He was excellent after subbing on for Robert Ryan. Reid really cut out their attempts to cross and cleared away that one dangerous loose ball," answered Heartwood.

"There really was a lot of good defensive work- except for Ryan. I still haven't figured out why he is struggling so much."

"It might be as simple as he came from another club, while most everyone else has been here learning the defensive system awhile. I haven't given up on him yet- but he needs to improve his play to get more playing time."

[Faramir]

19.10.09

"Two more departing Bob, though one will have to wait for January 1st," stated Heartwood.

"Who might they be?"

"Neil Platt is going to Wakefield-Emley on free transfer. Mark Miller will move to Hastings United on January 1st."

"Slowly but surely we are getting there."

"That's about the size of it."

***

24.10.09

Rovers Rumble Past Hill

A moment of indecision cost Harrow Hill dearly as Bristol Rovers turned the defensive mistake into the only goal in a tightly played match. David Mills bobbled a pass from Chris Poole and then hesitated in getting control. Hill paid the price as Stephen McPhee took the ball away from Mills and then managed to slip his shot past a diving Martin Pearson at the ten minute mark. Hill had chances to equalize in the match, but Keeper Joe Lewis had their measure as he stopped both Paul Wilcox and Martin Wharton in one-on-one chances to keep the home side in the lead at halftime. Pearson was doing fine work in the Hill goal as well as he stopped Marco Lehmann in a good chance. Hill tried to pressure Bristol, but the best chance they had in the second half came when Paul Cross went in free and then missed over the goal. It was a disappointing loss, but not a disappointing effort from Hill.

"Just a bad defensive mistake that cost us," sighed Pearson.

"Lack of good judgement, but ah well. We did give a good effort and our execution wasn't all that bad- we just couldn't score on Lewis when we had our best chances."

[Faramir]

27.10.09

Brighton Bucks Hill

Brighton easily took care of Harrow Hill as they defeated them 1-0 at Falmer in a matchup of the 1st and 2nd place clubs in League 2. Brighton controlled the midfield throughout the match and showed superior tackling. The lone goal came when Chris Poole's poor clearing pass was picked up by Colo Halit. Halit crossed to David McGoldrick who added to Poole's woe by outleaping him and deflecting the cross past Andrew Evans. Hill had difficulty as they could not spring any of their midfield from the determined defensive coverage of Brighton and that blunted both their possession and breakout attempts. Hill managed to stay in the match thanks to good work from Andrew Evans in goal and some poor shooting from Brighton's forwards. The home side deserved both the clean sheet and the win as they tightened their hold on the top spot in League 2.

"We just didn't play well today," sighed Heartwood.

"If we can't get any passes to move our attack up the pitch- well, we are going to get results like today's," agreed Pearson.

"I guess the score could have been worse, so we should be glad that we stuck close to them."

[Faramir]

31.10.09

Hill Can't Top S****horpe

Despite dominating their FA Cup 1st Round match with S****horpe at Larksfield Road, Harrow Hill is left facing a replay due to the scoreless draw. S****horpe had little offensive possession throughout the match and managed only 2 shots, but leaned on MOM Keeper Ben Alnwick as they survived to ensure a replay. Hill had possession, but failed to turn their control into good scoring opportunities through much of the match. Late in the second half Hill finally found some good chances, but Alnwick parried away a scorching low shot from Darren Stevens and tipped a header from Paul Wilcox over the bar. Alnwick's backline saved him as well as Marcos Painter and Ryan Harding both cleared dangerous balls off the line to keep things tidy for the visitors.

"We seem to be in an offensive slump," observed Pearson.

"It just seems we aren't executing well enough in the midfield and that is allowing them to mark our forwards too well," replied Heartwood.

"It was still a good effort."

"Yes, I was happy with how well we controlled the play."

***

2.11.09

"Though it will push us up against the Board's weekly wage amount, I felt we had to do it," stated Heartwood.

"Martin Wharton has been our best player for the past two seasons. I could certainly agree that he wanted a new contract because of it."

"I want to keep him here, and he was willing to compromise on his demand for a minimum fee release- something I would not give him."

"He stated he was very happy to stay here after announcing he had signed the contract."

[Faramir]

7.11.09

Wrexham Wilts Hill

Harrow Hill's goal outage continued as visiting Wrexham handed them a disappointing 1-0 loss at Larksfield Road. The only goal in the match came late in the first half when Clint Hill outleaped Clive Patterson to deflect a corner past Martin Pearson. Hill again found themselves unable to accomplish much offensively, despite again having a large edge on possession over the visitors. Lee Williams and Martin Wharton were limited to one scoring chance apiece by the dogged defensive effort by the Wrexham backline. The loss drops Harrow Hill to 3rd place in League 2 as Leyton Orient moved into 2nd place.

"Pretty frustrating to see Bob. We are doing a lot of things right, but not getting any results from them," toned Heartwood.

"All we can do is keep working the problem Jim," replied Pearson.

[Faramir]

11.11.09

Penalty Sends S****horpe Past Hill

It was an agonizing loss for Harrow Hill as they took the match into Extra-Time after a scoreless regulation, only to lose when Richard Sinclair was called for a push in the area that allowed Owain Tudur Jones to fire a penalty kick past Paul Barnett and ruin another fine effort. Hill's lack of offense has reached critical proportions as they have not scored in their last 6 matches and today showcased their frustration again. Both Martin Clark and Andy Hurst missed over the net on good scoring chances and both also left with serious injuries during the match. Hursts' loss was especially damaging as Hill was left with only 10 men after he was carted off. The winning goal left Hill Manager James Heartwood shaking his head- as Hill penalties continue to be a bane of the club.

"More of the same," murmured a tired Heartwood.

"What is the injury report?" asked Pearson.

"Hurst hurt his hip badly. He will likely miss 3 months. Clark may miss up to a couple months with fractured ribs."

"Ouch. Well, we still have depth at forward- so it could be worse."

"True. We really have got to sort out our midfield. Their inconsistent play is why our offense is sputtering so badly."

[Faramir]

14.11.09

String Broken, Hill Wins

The scoreless streak of Harrow Hill finally ended against Peterborough midway through the first half when Darren Adams, making a wonderful debut, slipped a pass through and Martin Wharton pushed it past Keeper Josh Mimms. Late in the first half the Adams-Wharton duo repeated their efforts, this time with Adams short cross deflected by Wharton past Mimms. Hill appeared set to go up 3-0 going to halftime when Adams was pulled down in the area by Chris Morgan. Mimms palmed away Alex Coulson's penalty kick to keep it 2-0 going to the dressing room. Hill never let up on the pressure in the second half and they kept Peterborough from seriously threatening to ruin the clean sheet of Andrew Evans, as Evans closed out the strong 2-0 win at Larksfield Road.

"I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to score again," grinned Heartwood.

"Darren Adams played well in his debut. He was the perfect compliment to Wharton today."

"It was a strong debut, he may well be part of our future if he continues to play like that."

[Faramir]

17.11.09

Hill Buckles Brentford on Penalties

The Larksfield Road crowd was roaring and then went into full celebration as David Robertson missed wide of the goal and Harrow Hill knocked Brentford out of the LDV Vans Trophy competition. The match was scoreless through regulation and Extra-time and Brentford appeared much the better club for much of the match. Hill was content to counter-attack when they could and depend on its backline for strong support for Martin Pearson. Brentford's best chances came late in the first half when Alex Rhodes missed inches wide of directing the ball into the open side of the net and midway through the second half as Pearson parried away a scorching drive from Lloyd Owusu. Hill only managed a scant chance in each half as Brentford outshot them 17-2 on the day. The two sides slogged through Extra-time and made their way to penalties looking very tired. Hill converted their first 4 penalties and Craig Watts had a chance to win the match outright, but Michael McGovern saved his kick. The party had to await Robertson's despondant look after sailing his shot wide of the left post.

Heartwood shook his head, "We didn't play very well today- we got away with one."

Pearson nodded, "They could have had a couple goals during regulation- but their shooting was as abysmal as ours was during out recent goal draught."

[Faramir]

21.11.09

Aldershot Equalizer Guts Hill

Aldershot was clearly on the ropes, but managed to take advantage of space given by the Harrow Hill backline as they scored a dramatic equalizer to salvage a 1-1 draw at Recreation Ground. Hill played well in the match and scored to take the halftime lead when Darren Adams again made a dazzling move and pass to setup Martin Wharton for his 10th goal of the season. There were numerous chances for Hill to add to the margin, but Aaron Bellairs kept the series of shots out of the goal and gave his side a chance to rally. Jason Walker slipped in behind Paul Ellis to snap a shot past Andrew Evans after Adam Nowland zipped him a fine pass. Bellairs saved his side in the closing moments as he slid out and smothered a long pass just before a racing Adams could reach it.

"It could have been a win," grumbled Heartwood.

"Just another costly defensive mistake. Which was very unfortunate as the backline had played so well until that point."

[Faramir]

1.12.09

Hill Lays Waste to Leyton Orient

Harrow Hill dumped Leyton Orient 3-1 in a showdown match between 2nd place Orient and 4th place Hill before a packed Larksfield Road. Orient had established its place because of its pace of play- led by ex-Hill forward Mark Russell- but found they were actually at a disadvantage against a quicker Hill side. The early lead came to Hill when Alex Coulson picked out Martin Wharton unmarked in the area and Wharton blasted a shot past Paul Harrison in the 2nd minute. It stayed a 1-0 Hill lead to halftime and Hill struck again in the opening moments of the second half as Darren Adams deflected a cross from Coulson inside the right post past Harrison. Hill gave Orient a goal back when Anthony McMahon scored an own-goal as he headed past Andrew Evans to ruin the clean sheet. Adams put the match away as he helped dampen the Orient fightback hopes when he took a quick pass from MOM Wharton and then took the ball past a diving Harrison before burying his shot in the open goal for a brace. Hill played a strong defensive match to finish out the important 3-1 win. The win boosts Hill back into 2nd place as League 2 nears midseason.

"I couldn't have asked for a better match, or better effort," stated a pleased Heartwood.

"We executed every facet of the game well- except maybe the own-goal," replied Pearson.

"It was a bad choice on Anthony's part- but I can't fault him too much."

[Faramir]

3.12.09

"Celebration time Bob," said an obviously relieved Heartwood.

"What are we celebrating?" asked a puzzled Pearson.

"The ink is just dry. Jimmy Sullivan turned 17 on Tuesday and we now have him under Professional contract."

"Ah, that is great news. 'Silk' will be a welcome addition on the Senior side."

"I think as the transfer window approaches- more toward the middle of the month- it will be time to start sorting out the forwards some more."

"What are your thoughts?"

"Paul Wilcox will be a likely transfer list. He did well for us, but he hasn't held up well against the bigger and faster League 2 players- he just isn't an impact forward at this level."

"I agree with you on that. Who do you plan to keep?"

"My initial thoughts are: Martin Wharton, Darren Adams- who has been a real eyeopener, Lee Williams, Jimmy Sullivan, Martin Clark and Alan Wilkins."

"Andy Hurst?"

"He will be out for a long time yet- so no decision needed yet- but I think he goes on the transfer list."

"Danny Lynch?"

"I am undecided about him, we haven't really given him a chance."

[Faramir]

5.12.09

Hill Wins Close Over Mansfield

It was an exciting match from opening until closing whistle as the two sides battled up and down the pitch, but Harrow Hill scored early in each half to win a close 2-1 match over Mansfield at Larksfield Road. Hill struck for the lead in the opening moments of the match when Alex Coulson sent a cross that Darren Adams delicately deflected, changing the direction enough for Keeper Kevin Readings to miss it as it slid inside the left post for a pretty goal. Adams and Martin Wharton came close two other times to adding to the lead, but Readings was able to parry away both their shots from the edge of the area. Mansfield equalized when Paul Ellis missed a header on a long centering pass from Lee Sims and that left Aurelien Joachim able to fire a shot past Andrew Evans off the inside of the left upright. Hill took the lead again in the opening moments of the second half as Coulson picked up a loose ball after a Mansfield challenge robbed MOM Paul Cross at the edge of the area. Coulson used good vision to pick out unmarked Michael Stone on the left side of the area and Stone drove a shot past Readings. Mansfield came close to evening it as Joachim remained a thorn in Hill's backline, but Evans pushed his rising shot over the bar. The final whistle found a pleased Hill side still holding on for the 2-1 win that takes Hill to midseason holding firm to 2nd place in League 2.

"I was surprised, but pleased, when they awarded Paul Cross the MOM honours," offered Heartwood.

"He played his heart out in midfield. I don't know how many of their attacks he blunted- but it was quite a few," agreed Pearson.

"It looks like Alex Coulson is finally out of his funk."

"Seems to be. I don't know why he struggled so much, but his poor play definitely was a big part of our goal draught."

***

League 2 Midseason Table- 23 matches played

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Brighton 54 pts (+25)

2- Harrow Hill 44 pts (+17)

3- Leyton Orient 40 pts (+7)

4- Aldershot 39 pts (+19)

5- Rochdale 39 pts (+7)

6- Stevenage 37 pts (+7)

7- Bristol Rovers 37 pts (+4)

8- Darlington 36 pts (+5)

9- Boston United 36 pts (+2)

</pre>

[Faramir]

12.12.09

Notts County Nubbles Hill

One quick counter-attack and their inability to keep up the first half pressure doomed Harrow Hill as they lost to Notts County 1-0 at Larksfield Road to open the second half of the League 2 campaign. Notts County struck early as a lightning counter-attack saw Cherno Samba free and he fired a shot off the inside of the far right post when Paul Ellis couldn't close him down in time. Hill tried to rally in the first half and battered the Notts County backline, but could not find a way to get the ball in the goal behind active Keeper Philip Palethorpe. Palethorpe came up with several sensational saves on both Martin Wharton and Darren Adams in the first half to keep the visitors ahead 1-0. Hill couldn't maintain their attacking tempo in the second half as a more organized Notts County was able to close down quickly and prevented any of the quality chances Hill had been creating in the first half. It was a disappointing loss for the Larksfield faithful.

"Right back to our old problems. Make a defensive mistake and then fail to capitalize on our chances," muttered Heartwood.

"It was the same old, same old. If we could have kept the pressure up in the second half- I think they might have cracked. Instead we made it too easy for them," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

13.12.09

"Yes Jim, what did you want to talk about?" asked Bob Pearson.

"I need your thoughts on this chart. I have been trying to map out where I believe the players will fit in- looking at next year's lineup in particular. The reason I want to do this and need your input is that we are now over the Board's weekly wage budget. I am not worried that they are going to say much- given how well we are doing- but it is time to start taking the long view and trying to winnow the number of players down further. I am worried if we don't start doing this now, we may have problems adding more promising youngsters next summer," plainly stated James Heartwood.

"Ok, what do you want to know?" asked Pearson.

"Well, I have sketched out what I think might be the top 3 levels- remember I am looking at this from the Senior side- so that is like a 3-level deep depth chart for myself. I don't want to short you any other promising players on the Reserve and Under-18 side, so I want us to make sure that we are only transfer listing those players we truly think are excess to the club."

Pearson nodded and looked at the chart.

Harrow Hill Prospectus- Mid 2009-10

Senior- 1st Side

GK- Andrew Evans

DR- Danny French

DL- Chris Poole

DC- Dominic Reynolds

DC- Paul Ellis

MR- Neil Preece

ML- Brian Ball

MC- Michael Jones

MC- Darren Stevens

SC- Jimmy Sullivan

SC- Lee Williams

Senior- 2nd Side

GK- Martin Pearson

DR- Tim Spencer

DL- Scott Lowery

DC- Anthony McMahon

DC- Robert Ryan

MR- Alex Coulson

ML- Adam Patterson

MC- Jon Burns

MC- Andrew Hodgson

SC- Darren Adams

SC- Martin Wharton

Senior- 3rd Side

GK- Paul Barnett

DR- Gary Bailey

DL- Danny Edwards

DC- David Mills

DC- Wayne Wallace

MR- David Sturgess

ML- Michael Stone

MC- Craig Watts/Clive Patterson

MC- John Wood

SC- Martin Clark

SC- Craig Briggs

"Hmm," murmured Pearson. "Andy Potter should be kept for sure- he has played great on the Under-18s so far. Wayne Pearce, Craig Reid and Rob Connolly are also doing good work at forward on the Reserves. There are a bunch of others on the Under-18s that I am not sure about yet- but we don't have them under regular contracts, so I assume that is not an issue yet?"

"No, I am more worried about those on the Reserves under contract."

"Are you planning on making these changes the remainder of this season?"

"Partially. I plan on giving Brian Ball and Neil Preece more playing time- but I don't plan on using Michael Jones, Dominic Reynolds and Jon Burns on the Senior side- not until July when we get a chance to sign them to Professional contracts- they are all too valuable to risk at this point."

"I can agree with your working list, but we will want to go over the Reserves again in a week before we make some decisions on those- there are some 'tweeners' that you might not want to give up- given that they all have modest contracts."

"Good point Bob. Still, we do need to start doing more cleaning out of the roster- so I do want to transfer list any that we don't really think we fit into our plans during the next 3 seasons or so."

[Faramir]

16.12.09

Hill Upsets Oxford

Harrow Hill made a second half goal stand up as the winning margin as they edged Oxford 1-0 at Kassam Stadium in an LDV Vans South 3rd Round match. Hill featured the debut of Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan, Danny Edwards and John Wood as they started a lineup mainly dressed out with non-regular players. Oxford controlled much of the first half of play, but Martin Pearson frustrated Liam Fox, Paul Quasten and Colin Healy with good saves. Sullivan showed the physical presence he was expected to bring to the Hill lineup, but was clearly nervous and showed none of the fantastic touch that he has demonstrated on their Under-18s and Reserve play. The lone goal in the match came early in the second half. Robert Ryan ran down a ball on the left sideline and his long pass sent Lee Williams away free. Williams broke in from the left and then snapped a shot inside the far right post past Trevor Carson. Oxford came right back and got Gabriel Agbonlahor free, but Pearson palmed away his shot and the alert Hill backline cleared the rebound away. Agbonlahor was especially frustrated when he missed over the net with two more superb chances as Pearson was obviously relieved. The Hill backline settled down and offered better support as Pearson closed out the clean sheet that allows Hill to continue on in the competition. Hill's Rightback Gary Bailey earned MOM honours.

"We were a bit fortunate today. Agbonlahor should have scored at least one goal because he really did put our backline to the sword," commented Pearson.

"I will take our lucky breaks- and Pearson's huge save on him. This was a good 'learning' win for this lineup. They worked together pretty well actually," replied Heartwood.

"Williams shot was just another trademark one- he really is a sniper when he has space."

[Faramir]

19.12.09

Hill Wings Weymouth

Another strong road effort carried Harrow Hill to a 2-0 win over Weymouth at Wessex Stadium. The early play belonged to the home side and the half the crowd thought Chukki Eribenne's header was in, when it moved the side netting. Andrew Evans had to make a diving parry on Daniel Webb and then Webb was left shaking his head when he missed inches wide moments later. Hill's unsteady backline play continued, but they struck for the lead when Neil Preece showed exquisite timing as he passed to Darren Adams jetting down the right side. Adams fired a well placed shot past Eren Kemal inside the left post to earn Hill the lead going to the dressing room. In the second half Adams made a wonderful move on two defenders on a counter-attack and then laid the ball off for Martin Wharton as he slipped the marking of Weymouth skipper Ian Pearce. Wharton drilled his shot inside the right post and Hill held a more comfortable 2-0 lead. The backline, led by MOM Paul Ellis, settled down and ably supported Evans as he claimed another clean sheet.

"Excellent effort. We were fortunate to survive our backline's shaky play in the early going," observed Heartwood.

"Andrew Evans bailed us out with his saves early. I was most happy with Darren Adams play- he really is impressing me at forward."

"His moves with the ball to give Wharton enough time to shed his marker on that second goal were outstanding."

[Faramir]

26.12.09

Hill Stops Yeovil

The festival mood at Larksfield Road continued as Harrow Hill saw off visiting Yeovil 3-0, stopping their unbeaten streak at four matches. The crowd was buzzing at the home debut of Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan the hometown boy from Mitcheldean as made his first appearance at his home park. Sullivan lived up to his billings, but was forced to leave at halftime with a slight injury. Sullivan's fine pass found Lee Williams with enough space to drive past Darren Way before smashing a shot past Tim Sandercombe for his 10th goal of the season. Williams then showed wonderful touch as he held the ball until he could make a pass into space in the area that found Williams bursting past Craig Baxter to bury a shot past Sandercombe to make it a brace while Hill went to half ahead 2-0. Midway through the second half Hill put the match on ice as Alex Coulson's neat pass allowed Alan Wilkins space to walk in and blast a shot inside the left post for his 5th goal of the season. Hill smothered Yeovil's midfield and helped Evans to a deserved clean sheet in the 3-0 win. Hill's Leftwinger Michael Stone was selected for MOM honours.

"*That* is why I suggested you pair Silk with Lee Williams- they just have some kind of innate awareness of where each other is- both of those passes were made more on sensing where Lee was than on looking and seeing him," said an excited Pearson.

"They were both well done. I wish I hadn't had to take Silk off so soon- the fans loved seeing him- but I didn't want to take any chances."

[Faramir]

29.12.09

Barnsley Blasts Hill

Barnsley built up an early 3-0 lead at Oakwell and then held firm against Harrow Hill's rally attempts to win 3-1. Another Hill gift penalty kick- this time courtesy of Danny Edwards- allowed Barnsley to take the lead at six minutes as Eero Peltonen stroked the penalty past Martin Pearson. Barnsley then took advantage of a mismatch in size as Chris Martin had an easy time deflecting Chris Shuker's cross past Pearson thanks to towering over the diminuitive Bailey. Hill Manager yanked Bailey from the match when his missed interception and poor marking by Robert Ryan resulted in Martin making it a brace as he pushed the home side to a 3-0 lead. Paul Barnett replaced Pearson in goal for Hill at halftime and looked very steady in his half of play. Hill looked poised to fight back throughout the match and the only things that held them back from a possible better result were the fine work of Barnsley Keeper Nicky Eyre and Martin Wharton's inability to put his shots on goal. Darren Adams set up Wharton beautifully twice in the first half and twice more in the second half, but Wharton failed to put any of his shots on net. Adams scored the goal that gave Hill life as Wharton headed a cross from Neil Preece down for Adams and he whistled it into the goal for his 5th score of the season. The stats tell a different story than the scoreline as Hill outshot the home side 15-6 for the match.

"I thought we might fight back in this one. We certainly didn't play as bad as the score indicates," offered Pearson.

"It was partly my fault. Matching up Bailey against this tall, quick side was a mistake," sighed Heartwood.

"We still might have gotten a better result- if we had avoided the penalty or put our shots on net."

[Faramir]

1.1.10

"I lost track Jim, who left on transfers today?" asked Pearson.

"Quite a list of them- here you go," said Heartwood as he slid a paper across.

Harrow Hill Transfers Out 2010

Carl Gibson (Boston United- 110K)

David Potter (Torquay- 30K)

Peter Wilkinson (Thurrock- 45K)

Craig Daniels (Burnham- 35K)

Richard Sinclair (Barking & East Ham- 18K)

Paul Wignall (Kings Lynn- 18K)

Peter Walker (Morecambe- Free)

John Cole (Grays- Free)

Jordan Robertson (Cambridge- Free)

Mark Miller (Hastings United- Free)

"Another 250K from those," observed Pearson.

"Every little bit helps with a club like ours."

***

1.1.10

Hill Dumps Darlington

Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan showed his sensational talent as the hometown boy earned MOM honours as he played a major part in Harrow Hill's destruction of Darlington by a 4-1 margin at Larksfield Road. Sullivan got Hill off to a quick start when Alex Coulson did some fine maneuvering on the wing and then passed to Sullivan as he came free at the edge of the six-yard box. Sullivan snapped his shot inside the right post past Dean Gerken for his 1st Senior goal. Sullivan then keyed a quickfire double for Hill as his terrific through ball put Paul Cross in alone on Gerken. Gerken managed to get a hand on Cross' shot but Lee Williams was right there to drive the rebound into the goal for a 2-0 Hill lead. Williams made it a brace when he snuck free on a free kick and flicked a header on Anthony McMahon's kick to send it in. Darlington rallied and Mark Rasmussen knocked a header down for Adam Mills to slip inside of McMahon and smash past Andrew Evans. Hill was forced to bring on Paul Barnett for injured Evans in the opening moments of the second half, but Barnett was steady and stopped Mills and Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu on excellent chances to blunt the visitors attempts to rally. Hill put the match away when Michael Stone sent a searching pass ahead to Sullivan and he knifed between two defenders to score his second goal of the match and cap the 4-1 win.

"Great stuff from Silk," said Heartwood admiringly.

"He is an incredible talent- and to do that in your hometown...all the better," agreed Pearson.

"We were lucky with Andrew Evans. He only has a dead leg and shouldn't be out more than a week."

[Faramir]

5.1.10

"Paul Wilcox was happy to leave, but also very complimentary toward you Jim in his press conference at Boston United," offered Pearson.

"Paul was a good player for us the past couple seasons. I told him I expected him to do well at Boston United and prove me wrong," said Heartwood.

"Peter Langley also has a new home?"

"Yes. Langley went on free transfer to Dover. Boston United gave us 150K for Wilcox, so that helps the bottom line."

***

9.1.10

Hill Escapes at Bury

It appeared that Harrow Hill was coasting to an easy win after they moved ahead 2-0 and were doing a good job throttling Bury at Gigg Lane, but the home side staged a late rally that kept Hill's 2-1 win in doubt until the final whistle. Hill had put the home side under the vise in the first half, but Keeper Zac Barrett had been superb as he made key saves on Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan, Lee Williams and Paul Cross in helping keep the sheet clean at halftime. Martin Pearson hadn't been tested in the first half as Hill had controlled a majority of the play. Hill finally struck for the lead in the opening moments of the second half. Darren Stevens winged a pass up to Williams down the left side and Williams fired a precision shot inside the far left post past Barrett. Hill moved ahead 2-0 as Neil Preece skinned Michael Knight and then slipped past an attempted tackle by Phillipe Christanval before drilling a shot past Barrett for his 1st goal. Hill appeared comfortable, but perhaps was too comfortable as Bury rallied. Ryan Damms deflection of a Kyle Wilson cross past Pearson drew them back within a goal and they sent everyone forward to try and even the match. Hill withstood the pressure and MOM Danny French made two key tackles to help keep Hill in the money for the 2-1 road win.

"That was a match where I was very relieved to hear the final whistle," commented a tired Heartwood.

"We let up a little too soon this time and were very fortunate they didn't manage to fight back for the draw," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

16.1.10

Stevenage Salvages Draw Against Hill

If the indication on Harrow Hill Manager James Heartwood's face was true, there are some members of the club in for a stern telling off after Hill squandered a 2-goal second half lead and allowed Stevenage to fight back for a 4-4 draw at Larksfield Road. Up until the late second half collapse, the match had been a fine one for Hill. Alan Wilkins opened the scoring when he converted a penalty after Ronnie Henry took Martin Wharton down in the area. Stevenage answered that with a quickfire double as Anthony Elding managed a quick brace while Paul Cross was immediately substituted for on the Hill side for his giveaways that allowed Elding an easy pair. Hill fought back to regain a 3-2 halftime lead. Alex Coulson flicked in a header at the far post on a cross from Adam Patterson. Patterson then scored his 1st goal for Hill when Andrew Hodgson's through ball gave him room to drive a shot past Glenn Morris. Hill moved ahead 4-2 in the second half when Danny Lynch, on for injured Wharton, crossed to Wilkins and he made it a brace. The Hill collapse was precipitated by an ill-advised challenge in the area by Hodgson. Paul Huntington converted the penalty kick to give the visitors hope. Elding then sent Petr Mikolanda away as the Hill backline didn't get back quickly enough and Mikolanda rocketed a shot past Andrew Evans for his 20th goal of the season as he scored the dramatic equalizer. Neither side had enough energy to gain the match winner.

Heartwood fumed, "Despite instructions, despite admonishments we still give away a penalty and then we still get caught up the pitch!"

Pearson slumped in the chair, "It wasn't pretty defensively- well except for some of the good work from Andrew Evans- but offensively we played well."

Heartwood nodded, "Patterson showed us a good glimpse of his talent today. I have seen enough of Andrew Hodgson though. John Wood gets the call when Darren Stevens needs a match off."

[Faramir]

19.1.10

Plymouth Sweeps Hill Out of Vans

In the South LDV Vans Semifinal, League 1 Plymouth used their superior experience and ability to win out over a stubborn Harrow Hill 4-1 at Home Park. Hill's backline gave a poor account of itself, beginning with David Mills' own-goal in the first half to give Plymouth the lead. Hill threatened several times in the first half as even the veteran Plymouth backline was having difficulty dealing with Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan. Sullivan set up Lee Williams and Neil Preece nicely, but both missed the net on their shots. Clive Patterson didn't miss though and scored the equalizer- his 1st goal at Hill- when Sullivan danced past two defenders and laid the ball off for him in the area. The score was still 1-1 at halftime and it appeared Hill might have a chance. The golden opportunity was there for Hill at the opening of the second half, but John Ruddy made point-blank saves on both Williams and Sullivan and then made another diving stop on Brian Ball to keep the match 1-1. Steffen Iversen, quiet in the first half, then made his presence known as he overpowered Danny Edwards to strike a powerful header past Martin Pearson. Less than three minutes later Iversen made it a brace of headers as Wayne Wallace could not effectively challenge him on another cross. Wallace then looked feeble as he watched and didn't challenge Roman Wallner as he hammered a shot past Pearson to put the punctuation point on the 4-1 win.

"The scoreline sure doesn't indicate how close we came to really doing some damage," muttered Pearson.

"It doesn't lie about how ineffective our backline was in the second half," grimaced Heartwood.

[Faramir]

22.1.10

"We finally completed the sale of Lee Sawyer," commented Heartwood.

"Darlington finally came up with enough money?" asked Pearson.

Heartwood laughed, "Well- yes. 3rd try they did. I also lowered the transfer price to 500K for him."

"It was worth taking less to get him out of the dressing room. He was getting to be a problem there."

"Even 500K will help us immensely, so I agree with you on that."

***

23.1.10

Northampton Wins Late Over Hill

Harrow Hill gave a determined effort, but Northampton came up with a late second half goal to edge them 1-0 at Sixfields. Northampton looked the better side through much of the first half and had the better chances, but Hill had kept things scoreless thanks to solid work in goal from Andrew Evans. Hill managed their best chances to begin the second half as Darren Adams and Alan Wilkins were stopped by Graeme Smith with good saves. Hill appeared on track for a scoreless draw, but Andy Kirk was able to deflect a long cross from Colin Larkin past Andrew Evans to send Hill back home with a disappointing 1-0 loss. Hill defender Paul Ellis earned MOM honours.

"We just didn't play well enough today," sighed Heartwood.

"It's that 'one defensive mistake' again- we didn't play badly on defense, we just failed to follow all the way through on one play," replied Pearson.

"If we could have generated a bit more offense, we might not have had that though."

[Faramir]

25.1.10

Pearson exploded, "You sold Michael Stone to Leyton Orient?"

Heartwood stared at his Assistant Manager, willing him to eventual silence- even as Pearson fumed- "Yes Bob. As much as I appreciated what Michael had done for the club so far this season, we have several leftwingers pushing- including Adam Patterson- for playing time and the 325K plus the additional sell-on clause was a good enough offer to make selling him worthwhile."

"Ok, the money is good- but why them? We will be battling them for a promotion slot the remainder of the season."

"I would much rather he had picked Rotherham, but football is a business Bob- you know that. Sometimes you do things that are distateful because you can't avoid them."

Pearson nodded glumly and said nothing as he left the office.

***

28.1.10

Pearson said quietly, "Sorry about blowing up the other day."

"It's forgotten Bob. I understood your reaction, but I have to do what is best for the club- both financially and on the pitch."

"I agree that you were just doing what you thought best Jim."

"Well, I have another one to report- this one is bigger."

"What now?"

"Andy Hurst will be moving to MK Dons tomorrow. They paid us 650K for him."

"Whew. OK, that one will help on the bottom line and I think it is good for both us and him."

"I said the same thing to him- that I thought the move would help him blossom."

"Where do we stand financially then?"

"4.5 Million in the black now. The Board boosted the wage budget up to almost 34K a week due to the sale, so now our current wages of almost 30K a week are back within their approved limits."

[Faramir]

30.1.10

Hill Storms Back to Win Over Crawley

Crawley came to Larksfield Road with a plan in mind, start quickly and then counter-attack the young Harrow Hill side. They accomplished the first part of their goal as Kevin Potuyt slipped a pass into Lee Evans in the area and his shot sailed past Andrew Evans to give the visitors the lead in the opening moments of the match. Hill reacted with the poise of a more veteran club and foiled Crawley's plans. Crawley found themselves under the quickfire attack of Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan and Lee Williams and were having difficulty keeping the two youngsters marked. Both Sullivan and Williams had missed just wide and the Crawly backline had cleared away two dangerous loose balls as the half wound down. Danny French knocked a loose ball into the area and Sullivan jumped on the chance as he drilled a shot to the left side of the goal for the equalizer. Crawley tried to retake the lead in the opening moments of the second half, but Evans was looking stellar in the Hill goal. Hill took control of the match midway through the second half when Neil Preece's cross found Williams with space on the left side of the goal and he smashed his shot past Giordano Vanin for his 15th goal of the season. Williams made it a brace ten minutes later when he flicked in a short cross from Brian Ball. Evans made several sensational saves as Crawley sent men forward to try and fight back, but found no goals as Hill closed out the 3-1 win at Larksfield Road.

"A good effort and a good measure of our determination," said a pleased Heartwood.

"We held our composure nicely today and were patient until we finally started getting the goals from our chances," replied Pearson.

"The bad thing was Darren Stevens might be out as much as two months because of his badly sprained ankle."

"That will hurt us. He was playing really well of late. Still, with Andrew Hodgson and John Wood, we shouldn't be too badly off."

[Faramir]

31.1.10

"Only one to report so far Bob."

"Who did we sell?"

"Actually, we loaned a player for the rest of the season."

"Loaned? Hmm, who is coming here?"

"Swindon's 22 year old Swiss DMC Liridon Gergoci."

"Ah, well that might help- but it might hurt development of the others..."

"With Darren Stevens out up to a couple months- I just thought loaning him would be a good way of addressing an area I thought might be a problem."

"I know Liridon is a good, solid player- so having him around won't hurt as long as he can fit in..."

"If he can't, then we end the loan."

***

6.2.10

Carlisle, Hill Draw at Brunton Park

Though the 1-1 draw that Carlisle and Harrow Hill played to at Brunton Park will be a disappointing result to both clubs, the result was a fair one to end an evenly played match. Hill played a bit better than the home side in the first half and took the lead when MOM Darren Adams snapped home a rebound after Dimtris Eleftheropoulos parried a hard shot from Paul Cross at 29 minutes. Hill missed several chances to extend that lead, most notably when Martin Wharton went inches wide of the left upright when left unmarked. The home side fought back to equalize early in the second half. Andrew Evans made a superb save on Steven MacLean, but Kiki Musampa crossed to unmarked Andre Perez Ronnigen and Ronnigen whisked the ball into the open right side of the goal. Carlisle had the better of play in the second half and came close to winning all three points, but had to settle for splitting them in the draw.

"It was a fair result, but we didn't play as well as I was hoping for," stated Heartwood.

"Our shooting was as bad as theirs overall, but we couldn't get our wings free at all in the second half," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

9.2.10

Hill Hustles Past Hereford

Though Harrow Hill had allowed Hereford to equalize early in the second half, you could sense that they were only one play away from breaking open the match. Hill got the play they needed to edge the determined home side when Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan was sent away cleanly and beat ex-mate Craig Farr with a well placed shot inside the far left post. Sullivan had also played a major part in the first goal as he had calmly slotted it to unmarked Lee Williams for Williams to hammer home inside the far post. Sullivan had come close two other times as Farr had managed to make difficult parries of shots as Sullivan continually ghosted through the Hereford backline. Hill gifted Hereford with the equalizer early in the second half as Robert Ryan's terrible backpass to Martin Pearson forced Pearson to parry the ball and he couldn't control the loose ball. Ashley Stott cruised in and whipped the ball into the goal to even the match at 1-1.

"All the signs are there- Silk is going to be an amazing player," said Pearson shaking his head as they watched the replay of his match winner.

"If he continues to develop- he is going to be one special player," agreed Heartwood. "I hated seeing him doing that to Craig Farr though- I have so many good thoughts for Craig..."

[Faramir]

13.2.10

Hill Over Oxford

The quick strike offense of Harrow Hill shone brightly today as they managed to defeat Oxford 2-0 at Larksfield Road. Hill dominated large swaths of the match, but it was their quick attack that set up the goals that made the difference in the match. A quick pass from Alex Coulson found Darren Adams free just inside the edge of the Oxford area. Adams then deftly slipped a pass by Luke Howell and Martin Wharton had space to snap a shot past Lenny Pidgeley to earn Hill a 1-0 halftime lead. Hill missed several other opportunities to add to their lead later in the first half and early in the second half. They were finally able to score their 2nd goal as Craig Watts headed a Pidgeley goal kick up the middle of the pitch to Adams. Adams burst past two defenders and then slashed a shot inside the right post. Hill throttled the Oxford midfield and never allowed the visitors to make a strong case for rallying as they helped Andrew Evans close out another clean sheet. Hill's young winger- Adam Patterson- received MOM honours.

"A very pleasant effort by everyone," beamed Pearson.

"We keep coming out and doing our job," agreed Heartwood.

"Wharton and Adams certainly showed why they are so dangerous. Once they made up their minds to shoot it was only seconds before the ball was on its way to the goal."

[Faramir]

20.2.10

Boston Beats Bumbling Hill

Occasionally, ex-mates come back to haunt you, and that was the case today for Harrow Hill as they lost a close 1-0 match to Boston United at Larksfield Road. Hill never looked their best in the match and it bad passing that was the bane that plagued them the entire match. Boston struck for the lone goal of the match when Paul Wilcox flicked a header past Anthony McMahon and that allowed Lawrie Dudfield to fire a shot past Andrew Evans. Boston Keeper Chris Wright earned MOM honours and was equal to the challenge after the visitors had Richard Naylor sent off early in the second half for a professional foul on Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan. It appeared that Hill had scored a dramatic equalizer on a free kick in the last five minutes of play, but Alan Wilkins header past Wright was waved off when Wilkins was ruled offside on the play.

"That wasn't a shining match," glowered Heartwood.

"We didn't show much of the level of effort that had been our trademark for most of the matches," replied Pearson.

"We don't need any more of this type of matches- let's make sure they understand that this week in practice."

League 2 Table- 10 matches remaining

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Brighton 78 pts (+32)

2- Harrow Hill 67 pts (+28)

3- Boston United 57 pts (+7)

4- Leyton Orient 56 pts (+2)

5- Rochdale 55 pts (+11)

6- Wrexham 55 pts (+11)

7- Aldershot 54 pts (+15)

8- Mansfield 54 pts (+10)

9- Stevenage 54 pts (+6)

</pre>

[Faramir]

27.2.10

Hill Steals Late Win Over Barnet

Barnet looked like the better club through much of the match, but Harrow Hill scored a dramatic match winning goal in second half injury time to win 2-1 at Underhill. Barnet showed that they were out to pressure Hill from the opening whistle and forced Andrew Evans to make a series of good saves. Carl Cort, Feli Condessa and Adebayo Akinfenwa all challenged Evans with blasts from inside the Hill area, but the young Keeper was equal to the task. Hill struck for the lead against the flow of play when Adam Patterson took an Alex Coulson cross and whipped it past Kevin Phillips to cap a fine throw-in play for Hill. Evans had to survive more pressure from the home side as Hill's backline was not playing particularly well. Barnet stormed the Hill area to open the second half and reaped the benefits as Luke Daley smashed a rebound past Evans to even things at 1-1. Hill began to come to life at that point and Barnet saw Sam Alsop redcarded at 70 minutes for holding Martin Wharton as the last man. The match winner came just as the match entered injury time. MOM Chris Poole stepped in front of a clearing pass after a Barnet throw-in deep in their end. Poole lofted a pass that Wharton flicked a header at the goal. Phillips got fingertips on the ball, but couldn't prevent it from dropping behind him and rolling in to the disappointment of the Underhill crowd.

"I did not think we would win this one- even when Alsop got redcarded," commented Heartwood.

"We really didn't deserve to win it, but then again we kept working until the end and it paid off this time," offered Pearson.

"The bad news is Adam Patterson pulled a hamstring and will miss at least 3 weeks."

[Faramir]

Hill Under-18s 4-Time Champions

The Under-18 side for Harrow Hill continues to build what is becoming a storied legacy. With their 6-0 win over Torquay Under-18s they have clinched their 4th consecutive Group 9 Under-18 Championship. This season is the finest season the Under-18s have had as they have currently won all 19 of their matches and yielded only 4 goals in those same 19 matches, while scoring 63 goals. Hill Assistant Manager Bob Pearson put it all to the players, "This is a good group of young players. They have listened, learned and performed to the highest levels. I can't tell you how proud of them I am."

***

6.3.10

Hill Hangs on to Edge Macclesfield

In a match that looked like an easy win for Harrow Hill, they had to survive late defensive mistakes to hang on for the close 2-1 win over Macclesfield at Larksfield Road. Hill took the lead early in the first half as Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan gently redirected a cross from David Sturgess across to unmarked Lee Williams. Williams had little trouble stuffing his shot into the open goal. Hill maintained that 1-0 margin to halftime. Early in the second half it was Williams with a brace as he snapped a shot past Michael Oakes on a short laid off pass from Brian Ball. Hill was content to defend the 2-0 lead, but made things difficult for themselves. Danny Edwards passed directly to Jerome Watt and that allowed Watt to roll right into the Hill area and blast a shot past Martin Pearson to ruin the clean sheet. Another defensive giveaway by Edwards almost cost Hill the win, but Pearson made an excellent smothering save on Jon Parkin to help Hill capture the three points.

"That's enough of Danny Edwards for awhile. I still can't fathom his decision making out there," stated Heartwood.

"I was very relieved when Martin Pearson came up with the save on the second one- we worked to hard to split the points," said Pearson.

"The bad news is that 'Silk' pulled his hamstring and will miss a month."

"Better not to take chances with him for now. Brighton clinched promotion with their win today."

"We won't catch them, but I like where we are for Promotion. 14 points up on 4th place Rochdale is pretty good at this juncture."

[Faramir]

13.3.10

Rochdale, Hill Play to Scoreless Draw

Neither side looked particularly sharp as Harrow Hill and Rochdale battled to a scoreless draw at Spotland. Of the 13 shots lofted up by the two sides- only 1 was actually on target for the match- a clear indication of the lack of finishing both sides showed. The midfield play was spirited and both sides attacked up and down the pitch the entire match. Hill was playing a bit shorthanded as they had several wingers unavailable for the match and featured the debut of Lee Woods at leftwing. Hill suffered further losses when Darren Adams was forced to leave with injury in the first half and then Martin Wharton had to come out in the second half. Alan Wilkins came closest to scoring for Hill as he was inches wide in both halves on good scoring opportunities. Grant Holt and Ben Burgess both sent headers that skimmed the crossbar in the second half. In the end both Matthew Gilks and Andrew Evans had comfortable clean sheets due to the inaccurate shooting and the two sides split the points, which hurt Rochdale more as they dtopped from 3rd to 6th in the closely contested League 2 race for the last automatic promotion slot. Hill remains 12 points ahead of 3rd place Bristol Rovers.

"Not exactly our finest effort, but I can't fault the determination we showed today," commented Heartwood.

"They had the same problems as us- fortunately," replied Pearson.

"Darren Adams fractured his arm. He will miss the remainder of the season."

"Is it time to call up Craig Briggs to the Senior side?"

"I think so, our depth is getting thin for the moment."

[Faramir]

20.3.10

Hill Topples Brighton

Harrow Hill will likely not catch Brighton for top spot in League 2, but they kept the powerful visitors from celebrating clinching the title at Larksfield Road with a resounding 3-1 win. A key component to the win was the debut of highly regarded forward Craig Briggs for the Hill Senior side. Briggs, paired with Lee Williams because of Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan's balky hamstring, quickly showed why he is regarded as a future impact player when he whipped a shot past Ben Foster on a short cross from Brian Ball. Hill made it a quickfire double as MOM John Wood snapped a shot past Foster less than three minutes later after a deft lay off from Williams. Brighton drew a goal back when Steve Finnan deflected a corner past Andrew Evans to make it a 2-1 Hill halftime lead. Early in the second half Hill pressured the visitors and made it pay off as Wood slid a pass through to Briggs and he celebrated a brace on his debut with a rocket into the left side of the goal. Briggs also caused Brighton skipper Chris Hogg to take a redcard when he pulled him down when it looked Briggs would be in clean on goal. With only 10-men and a Hill side that was quick to the ball, they managed little headway in trying to rally from the deficit and Hill closed out the 3-1 win to the delight of the sold out Larksfield Road faithful.

"You can't ask for a better debut than that," beamed Pearson.

"He is everything you told me," agreed Heartwood.

"Now, we may have problems with having too many good forwards."

"Too much of a good thing is never a problem Bob- only an opportunity."

***

21.3.10

"I am terminating the loan and sending Liridon Gergoci back to Swindon today Bob."

"With the way John Wood played against Brighton- I am not surprised."

"John has really impressed me and I don't want to get in the way of giving him as much playing time as possible as the season winds down. Andrew Hodgson and Darren Stevens should be back to full fitness soon too."

[Faramir]

27.3.10

Hill Wrecks Wrexham, Gains Promotion to League 1

In a match that Wrexham dearly needed a good result in, it was Harrow Hill that came up with the late winner to win a closely played 1-0 match at The Racecourse Ground. Wrexham wanted to hold on to the last automatic promotion slot in League 2 and the way to do that was to beat Hill and they came out determined to do it. It appeared they had taken the lead in the opening moments of play, but Jonathan Walters goal was waved off when Neil Roberts was ruled offside to the disgust of the sold out crowd. Wrexham still forced the play for the first half and Hill saw Martin Pearson keep things scoreless with a series of steady saves in goal. Hill's only good chance came late in the half when Martin Clark was wide with a golden chance to give Hill the halftime lead. The second half featured good work from both Pearson and Danilo Russo as they kept the scoreless duel going. Hill struck for the winner late. MOM Chris Poole spotted Alan Wilkins (on for Clark) free in the area. Scott Marshall got back to knock the ball away from Wilkins, but Martin Wharton was right there to pounce on it and triggered a shot that deflected slightly off Marshall and slipped inside the left post for Wharton's 15th goal of the season. Hill managed to keep the home side from rallying in the waning moments as Pearson finished off the clean sheet in the 1-0 win. The win, coupled with other results, clinched Harrow Hill's promotion to play in League 1 next season and touched off a celebratory trip back to Larksfield Road and another planned celebration at Larksfield Road when they arrive.

"Can you believe it?" asked a beaming Pearson.

"It's been a long season, but the boys have done everything we asked of them. It was fitting that we returned the favor and beat Wrexham to clinch Promotion," said a smiling Heartwood.

"It also leaves with a few matches to do some more evaluation," hinted Pearson.

Heartwood laughed, "Yes, Bob. We will get some more of those deserving on the Reserves and Under-18s up for a look."

[Faramir]

1.4.10

"Did you see the awards?" asked Pearson.

"Yes, it was happy news when I found out that Chris Poole had been selected as Young Player of the Month for March. John Wood had been runner-up and had received the 'Goal of the Month' honours for his strike against Brighton. All of which were well deserved," answered Heartwood.

***

2.4.10

note from Heartwood's day journal

With much of my staff's contracts up for review, I decided I wanted the continuity offered by the existing staff for at least a couple more years. I offered 2- year contracts to most of my coaches, but I offered 5 year contracts to Assistant Manager Bob Pearson and three other 'key' coaches. I also hired an additional physio and two more scouts- who were immediately put to work scouting in Central Europe and Scandanavia.

***

3.4.10

Hill Rambles Past Bristol Rovers

Playing a lineup dotted with debuts, Harrow Hill put forth a strong effort as they defeated the Bristol Rovers 2-1 at Larksfield Road. Hill fell behind early when a bad clearing attempt by Dave Foster allowed Marko Kotilainen to break past two defenders and blast a shot past Paul Barnett. Hill evened the match late in the first half as Brisol paid the price for a bad defensive play. Scott Lowery launched a pass down the left sideline. Rovers' Dominic Yobe headed the ball, but got only a piece of it as it went past him into the left corner. Danny Lynch reached the ball first and lofted a pretty cross that MOM Craig Briggs knifed in to deflect past Joe Lewis. Dean Sturgess was the architect of what would be the match winning goal as his neat cross was deflected inside the left post by Lynch. Barnett made a terrific save on Rati Aleksidze to preserve Hill taking all three points from the match.

"This is the kind of match I was hoping for," stated a pleased Heartwood.

"You were?" quizically asked Pearson.

"Yes. One that would demonstrate that we can put a hodge-podge lineup out there and that they will still worked comfortably and effectively together."

"Well we did play well and Craig Briggs gave their backline fits."

[Faramir]

5.4.10

Hill Dumps Slumping Peterborough

Peterborough's relegation worries got larger as Harrow Hill defeated them 2-0 at London Road in this Monday tilt. The key for the win by Hill was MOM Alex Coulson, whose rightwing runs set up both Hill goals and decimated Peterborough. Coulson's deft pass that Ryan Shawcross missed intercepting cost the home side dearly when Martin Clark fired a well-placed shot past James Winter inside the far left post to earn Hill a 1-0 halftime lead. Peterborough tried desperately to rally to begin the second half, but ably supported by the Hill backline, Andrew Evans made saves against Kyle Lafferty and Paul Thirlwell to keep things tidy. Coulson struck again with a tightrope run down the right past two would be tacklers and then a beautiful cross that Lee Williams half-volleyed past Winter for his 20th goal of the season. Hill helped Evans close out the clean sheet with timely tackling as they finished out the 2-0 win.

"Another solid performance," offered Pearson.

"Alex Coulson was terrific today. He absolutely ruined them with his runs," commented Heartwood.

"It was good to see Martin Clark finally score again- he has been struggling all season."

"I also was glad to see Lee Williams get his 20th goal."

[Faramir]

7.4.10

Hill's Relentless Reserves Win 4th Consecutive Title

Duplicating the earlier celebration of Harrow Hill's Under-18 side, the Reserves completed their 4th consecutive title in Group 6 play as the clinched the top spot with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield's Reserves. Though not quite as perfect as the amazing season being compiled by the Under-18s, the Reserves have raced away from their competition down the stretch as they broke open a close title chase by winning 7 consecutive matches. Bob Pearson, Hill Asssistant Manager who runs the Reserves, stated that "It was a testament to the development work done by the entire Hill coaching staff, as they players continue to grow into a well-defined and successful system of play."

***

10.4.10

Hill and Aldershot Even at Larksfield Road

Harrow Hill and Aldershot battled to a 1-1 draw at Larksfield Road thanks to a late equalizer by the visiting side. Hill played a strong first half and Wayne Pearce made his debut at forward a successful one as he found space to run down a long pass and then smartly crossed. Martin Wharton deflected the cross by Aaron Bellairs to help Hill take a 1-0 lead to halftime. Hill started the second half strongly but couldn't capitalize with any goals and would rue missing those chances when Jason Walker flicked a header into the Hill area and Triston Hamilton-Hendricks beat Chris Poole to the loose ball and fired it past Paul Barnett for his 50th goal at Aldershot and help them split the points with Hill.

"We played pretty well, but that loose ball was trouble," stated Heartwood.

"Hamilton-Hendricks is even faster than Chris Poole- so it turned into trouble," agreed Pearson.

[Faramir]

17.4.10

Leyton Orient Lays Waste to Hill

Leyton Orient scored an easy 3-0 win over Harrow Hill at Brisbane Road- with plenty of help from Hill. Hill played poorly throughout the match, but gifted Orient on all three of their goals. The first goal came after Dave Foster pushed Steven Kabba in the air on a corner. Matt Lockwood easily converted the penalty kick past Martin Pearson. Pearson then handed Orient their second goal in first half injury time when he dallied- forever- on a backpass and Davor Skerjanc easily took it away and pushed it into the open goal. Orient's last goal came on another penalty as Andy Reid was called for tripping Jimmy Smith in the area. Lockwood made it a brace of penalty kicks to cap off the 3-0 Hill loss. Hill had no good scoring chances in the match and played poorly the entire match.

"It was just a bad match," sighed James Heartwood.

"We certainly made it easy on them- with the penalties and Martin Pearson's mistake," agreed Bob Pearson.

"I don't know why Martin does that. We have spoken with him about several times- but he has given up 3 or 4 goals like that this season. Those kind of giveaways are inexcusable."

[Faramir]

24.4.10

Hill Closes With Draw

In their final match of their successful League 2 campaign, Harrow Hill outplayed Mansfield but wound up with a scoreless draw at Field Mill. The opening moments found Mansfield poised to take the lead when David Mills was called for pushing Aurelien Joachim in the area. Billy Clarke stepped up, but MOM Paul Barnett parried away his penalty kick. Hill came close to getting the goal they needed several times during the match and Craig Briggs figured in every one of them. Briggs made a dazzling dribble, wending past two defenders, but Ben Williams made the save in close on him. Barnett made two huge saves in the opening moments of the second half as he palmed away a header by Joachim on a free kick and pushed a hard, low shot from Billy Clarke around the upright. Wayne Pearce had one good chance late for Hill, but missed well wide of the goal. Hill maintained their late pressure to help ensure they would split the points with the home side.

"Great save on the penalty by Paul Barnett. He really earned his MOM selection today," offered Pearson.

"Craig Briggs might have gotten it- if he had scored on the first run. That was a special one..." replied Heartwood.

League 2 Table- Final

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Brighton 99 pts (+38)

2- Harrow Hill 88 pts (+33)

3- Stevenage 77 pts (+17)

4- Rochdale 72 pts (+13)

5- Aldershot 71 pts (+18)

6- Mansfield 71 pts (+16)

7- Northampton 70 pts (+8)

8- Wrexham 69 pts (+14)

9- Bristol Rovers 69 pts (+11)

</pre>

[Faramir]

Quick Harrow Hill Stat Highlights

Goals-

Lee Williams- 20

Martin Wharton- 16

Alan Wilkins- 7

Darren Adams- 7

Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan- 4

Martin Clark- 4

Craig Briggs- 3

Assists-

Alex Coulson- 13 (New Club Record)

Neil Preece- 8

Martin Wharton- 6

Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan- 5

Darren Adams- 4

Brian Ball- 3

Lee Williams- 3

Chris Poole- 3

MOM-

Martin Wharton- 5

Chris Poole-3

Paul Ellis- 2

Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan- 2

Lee Williams- 2

Paul Cross- 2

Clean Sheets-

Andrew Evans- 12

Martin Pearson- 6

Average Rating-

Martin Wharton- 7.50

Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan- 7.44

Paul Ellis- 7.32

Darren Stevens- 7.27

Lee Williams- 7.19

Chris Poole- 7.16

***

5.5.10

Villarreal defeated Shakhtar on penalties after the two sides battled to a 2-2 deadlock in Extra-Time in the Euro Cup Finals.

[Faramir]

6.5.10

"I am working on cleaning out the roster again," stated Heartwood to Assistant Manager Bob Pearson.

"I noticed. There was a lot of talk in the dressing room and on the training pitch."

"Is it being taken badly?"

"Actually no. I believe some of those affected are quite happy that they might be able to move to other clubs where they can play more. I guess they are realistic about their chances here and everyone is somewhat aware of how you view the club's depth at the moment."

"The first sale will be tomorrow. Simon Jones is going to Staines for 14K. There are quite a few more in the works, but some will have to wait until the June and July transfer windows."

***

8.5.10

Harrow Hill Under-18s Complete Amazing Season

The Harrow Hill Under-18 side, which clinched the Group 9 Championship for the 4th consecutive season some time ago, finished their amazing season with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth. The Hill Under-18s finished with 24 Wins in 24 matches. They allowed only 5 goals all season, while scoring 79. The players most responsible for this incredible season were Keeper Alan Stott and Midfielder Michael Jones.

***

12.5.10

"Another sale today Bob, David Foster is off to Bishop's Stortford for 16K." said Heartwood.

"He will be much happier when he can play more. He wasn't going to accomplish that here."

***

FC Bayern defeated Barcelona 1-0 to capture the Champions Cup.

***

23.5.10

"Great news!" exclaimed Heartwood.

"Hmm?" murmured Pearson.

"Martin Wharton just got the call-up. He will be on the England Under-21 side for the Under-21 European Championships."

[Faramir]

31.5.10

"I am so mad!" said a frustrated James Heartwood, with acid dripping from every word.

"What got you so het up?" asked Bob Pearson.

"The FA shorted us our prize money for finishing 2nd in League 2."

"What??"

"They offered some lame excuse that it was needed to meet our obligations with the League because of turning professional this year, but in truth it is like they embezzled it from us."

Have seen it happen before, and it happened again as Harrow Hill didn't receive any prize money for finishing 2nd in League 2.- MD

***

11.6.10

"You won't believe this one Bob."

"What's up Jim?"

"That was the Assistant Manager for Lazio. They would like a friendly with us at Larksfield Road on July 11th."

"Lazio? Us?"

"Amazing."

"I wonder why us?"

"Two reasons I think. One, they are likely doing an English tour- and they were certain we were available. Two, I can't help but wonder if they don't want to personally scout some of our youngsters. They have been doing more bringing younger English players over there and you have to think they may have got some information about Martin Wharton or Lee Williams."

"That could be. Still, a friendly with them would be great."

"I said yes of course," grinned Heartwood. "I will also try and schedule the rest of our friendlies too."

[Faramir]

1.7.10

"How are the coming ands goings?" asked Pearson of Heartwood.

"Well here is a quick list of who is gone. Bobby Johnson went to Cambridge for 14K. Wayne Wallace brought 30K from Bristol Rovers."

"Who are the new faces?"

"Scott Davis is a 19 year old DRC who signed on free transfer from Manchester City. I expect he will be challenging for a place in center defense. David Harris is a 16 year ST who could be very, very good- think Lee Williams- and he will start on the Under-18s for now. I also paid 40K and purchased 18 year old GK Dean Mitchell from Exeter. He should be the alternate with Andrew Evans."

"You actually paid for someone?" asked Pearson with humour in his voice.

Heartwood smiled, "Well, Rob Campkin and Spencer Field both heard a lot of buzz that people think he will be the next Paul Robinson. We could use that good a keeper- so it was an easy choice to pay."

"Mitchell was the one you tried to sign on free last summer, right?"

"Yes. He signed with Exeter instead and never played. So he was pleased to sign a contract with us."

***

2.7.10

England is stunned on penalty shoot-out and broomed out of the World Cup in South Africa in the Quarterfinals by Colombia.

***

11.7.10

Holland defeats Czechoslavakia 3-0 to win the World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa.

[Faramir]

11.7.10

Harrow Hill (2) Lazio (2) Friendly

Heartwood was smiling, "I am sure that one will go down in the Hill annals- 'When we faced Lazio and almost won'- but it was a great experience for the boys."

Pearson was nodding, "You know you are going to be the villain of the piece Jim. 'If Heartwood hadn't pulled out 'Silk' and Martin Wharton- we would have beaten them'."

"There is likely a lot of truth in that though Bob. The Lazio backline got an eyeful of the two of them and couldn't handle them. When they both scored in a 5 minutes span at the end of the half, well our fans had a great halftime of it. It was only a friendly, but I am very encouraged by the effort we showed today."

"The bad part is we should have beaten them anyways. Danny Edwards made both the mistakes that wound up turning into goals for them. I am more than a little disappointed in him."

"He continues to show poor judgement in crucial situations. He hasn't really proven he is ready for Senior level play yet- which is what I was hoping for this season."

"There were some good things and some bad things today. We still have a lot to work on."

"It might be almost better that we didn't win Bob. I could see some pretty swelled heads if that had happened. Now at least they know how quick the pace of a major club could be- that was an eye opener for most of them."

"True. They thought we were a quick hitting club, and we proved in the first half we were, but they saw how much faster their attack moved and was on us when they were rallying."

[Faramir]

14.7.10

Waterford United (1) Harrow Hill (3) Friendly

"A nice solid effort," commented Pearson.

"Especially after the boys woke up when they scored first," chuckled Heartwood.

"Yes, from that point on we did really dominate them."

"Goals from Martin Clark, Alan Wilkins and Craig Briggs- about what should have happened."

"Briggs goal amazed the crowd. They were buzzing about that one for awhile."

***

16.7.10

"Finally!" Exclaimed Heartwood.

"He signed the contract?"

"Michael Jones is the proud owner of a new 5-year contract with us," beamed Heartwood. "We have been patiently waiting- and finally he will start to get to show his stuff on the Senior side."

"On this trip?"

"No, when we go home."

[Faramir]

17.7.10

Kilkenny City (1) Harrow Hill (4) Friendly

"Silk was on fire today," said a contented Pearson.

"He seems more willing to assert himself on offense so far- he is going for the shot when he has it instead of passing it up like last season," agreed Heartwood.

"A hat-trick today would indicate that," chuckled Pearson.

"Clive Patterson scored a good goal too."

"The goal we gave up was bad- poor communication on the free kick coverage."

"Gives us something to work on in practice."

***

21.7.10

"There was no way to turn that much down," stated Heartwood.

"The money was good- 2.4 Million will help our bottom line a lot. Tim Spencer had already stated that he wanted to explore his other options," commented Pearson.

"Tim was unhappy when I turned Brentford's offer down previously. With a straight 2.4 Million offer from West Brom- no paying out over 24 months- I thought it was a solid offer. They also agreed to play a friendly with us next summer."

"That's a nice bonus. Does this make Danny French the starter?"

"Yes. I have been turning down offers on him right and left, because I knew this would probably happen with Spencer."