Another Harrowing Misadventure (Ages Challenge)

[Faramir]

Damien77- It was (around 19). Remember this was a challenge and there were two ways to play it- anyone under 25 was the way I was going and I had planned it this way to let my youngsters grow up together

***

4.8.12

Fast and Focused

Interview with Harrow Hill's James Heartwood

By Martin O'Hara- FMS August 2012 Issue

Their doubters remain many, especially after their meteoric rise has taken Harrow Hill into the EPL, but they now can also boast many more supporters and fans of the brilliant, youthful side that ran away with the Championship Title last season. In what has become an annual tradition, I sat down with Harrow Hill's Manager James Heartwood. Joining us for the interview was Assistant Manager Bob Pearson, who has developed quite a reputation of his own. The pair of them have overseen Harrow Hill from the start- in 2005- when they led Hill up out of Conference South into Conference National. The club languished with a couple midtable finishes in Conference National as the pair of them headed up the effort to develop their youth program. Since that point Harrow Hill has risen like a rocket as they won Conference National, finished 2nd in League 2, won League 1 and then won the Championship last season. Though they are clearly the favorite of all the Press to suffer a drop right back down to Championship, this reporter is convinced that Harrow Hill will continue to defy the odds.

O'Hara- Thank you both for your time, I realise it is the busy season so will be brief. How do you see Harrow Hill's first season in the EPL?

Heartwood- (Grinning)- I like how you put that Martin, "First season in the EPL." With everyone certain we will get the drop, it is nice to see the future. I am confident of one thing- we will play hard. Whether that will be enough depends on if we can make the adjustments needed for the step up in competition. We won't be out there as the other club's patsy- we have earned our right to be here and will be trying to demonstrate that we belong.

O'Hara- What do you say to all the detractors' comments about your club being too young and inexperienced?

Heartwood- Young yes, inexperienced no. Maybe not experienced at this level Martin, but you have to remember that the players on our Senior side have been playing together pretty much since they were 15 or 16. They have experienced much success together (nods at Pearson) and understand the committment it takes to win matches. Martin Clark and Martin Wharton are our oldest players at 22, but don't discount the wealth of shared experience that this club has.

O'Hara- Since you brought up the past success of the Harrow Hill Reserves and Under-18s, is there any truth to the rumours of Bob Pearson taking a job as Manager?

Pearson- No. I have to say Jim has been most gracious and told me several years ago to feel free to accept an offer if I received one that I wanted, but there is no truth to any discussion of my leaving Harrow Hill. At 63, I am not sure I would feel nearly as comfortable anywhere else and I signed a new contract over the summer. I have seen this club grow from nothing and it would wrench my heart to leave.

Heartwood- Besides, there is something magic about the number 7 and Bob would like to pursue that number of consecutive Titles for both the Under-18s and Reserves. (Pearson nods at the statement)

O'Hara- What does Harrow Hill have to do to be successful in EPL play?

Heartwood- Not be intimidated by the 'names' they play. We have to play 'our' style of play and work hard. Nothing will be given to us, we have to earn any results we want.

O'Hara- Have you altered your stance or your beliefs in the basic concepts we have discussed in the past?

Heartwood- No, not at all. Though it will be wrenching when the time comes, I still firmly believe we will continue to play players under the age of 25 and then give them the opportunity to succeed with bigger sides. I have been very honest with the players about that- and they know it will come as they age.

O'Hara- Is that part of the unusual loyalty expressed by many members of this club? In my discussions many mentioned how much they admire and respect the two of you.

Heartwood- Most of them have grown up with us, so it is a compliment to know they feel that way. We hope that while at the club, the players feel like it is home to them.

O'Hara- The new stadium looks wonderful. What are your feelings about finally being able to play in a proper stadium?

Heartwood- Larksfield Road has been a terrific home for us- even if small. The new stadium is magnificent and we look forward to moving into it. It will help ensure the financial stability of the club.

O'Hara- How is the financial health of Harrow Hill? I had heard bad things last spring, especially when you were denied your prize money for winning the Championship.

Heartwood- Things were a bit edgy until we received our TV money at the beginning of this season. Everything has smoothed out considerably since then, and we are close to 10 Million in the black on the books at present- even after including the building costs of the new stadium.

O'Hara- Thanks again for both of your time and the best of luck to both of you this season.

[Faramir]

4.8.12

"That wasn't good news," grumbled Heartwood.

"How long will Lee Pearson be out for?" asked Bob Pearson.

"Probably a month or so to resolve his problems with shin splints."

"He will miss the start of the season."

***

6.8.12

EPL Odds from Totalbet.com

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

Arsenal 7-4

Chelsea 7-4

Liverpool 8-1

Manchester Utd 8-1

Aston Villa 10-1

Manchester Cty 33-1

Harrow Hill 2000-1

</pre>

[Damien77]

What's the media prediction? 20th place?

[Faramir]

Damien77- It would be lower than that if the media had a choice (but yes 20th)

***

11.8.12

Hill Crush Crystal Palace

Harrow Hill celebrated a terrific EPL debut as they stormed past Crystal Palace 4-0 at Selhurst Park. Hill took control of the match early as their pressure resulted in Darren Stevens knocking the ball away from Andy Johnson just beyond the edge of the Palace area. Dave Turner picked up the loose ball and let a wicked, curving blast go that sailed inside the left post to his delight. Hill made it a quickfire double as Martin Wharton's cross was deflected by Martin Clark past Hakon Opdal. Hill came very close to adding more goals, but Opdal's acrobatics kept the home side in the match at halftime. The second half was worse for the home side as Hill completely took the play away from them. Richard Murray made a terrific curling pass that found Clark with a step on Carl Farrell. Clark made the step pay off with a rifle shot past Opdal inside the right post to make it a brace. Late in the second half, Clark was pushed by Peter Jenkins in the area moments after Opdal's diving save ruined a chance at a hat-trick. Turner calmly stroked the penalty kick into the right side of the goal for a brace and capped off the impressive 4-0 road victory for Hill.

"Couldn't ask for a better start," said a pleased Heartwood.

"The momentum of the friendlies seemed to carry over- I didn't expect it to," commented Pearson.

"It was a great effort all the way around, maybe the boys didn't like finding out the oddsmakers think we are a joke?"

Pearson laughed, "It's only for a day, but I hope they check and see us on top of the Table tomorrow."

[Faramir]

15.8.12

Hill Clips Cardiff

Thanks to a dramatic match winning goal in second half injury time, Harrow Hill was able to defeat Cardiff 2-1 at Larksfield Road to score consecutive wins to open the EPL. Hill struck for the lead in a fast-paced first half as Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan added another goal to the Hill highlight reel and helped earn MOM honours. An errant backpass by Gary Bennett was the spark for Sullivan, as he picked the loose ball up and dribbled past three defenders before firing a well placed shot inside the far right post. Hill appeared set to take the lead into halftime, but an innocent throw-in from midfield was turned into an opportunity by Cardiff through several quick accurate passes and Cameron Jerome put the equalizer away after Jermaine Jenas slipped him a pass at the edge of the six-yard box. The two sides played a taut second half with both Espen Johnsen and Andrew Evans forced to come up with diving saves to keep things even. Hill scored the dramatic match winner in second half injury time when Craig Briggs, on for Lee Williams, deflected a cross from John Bruce past Johnsen as he outleapt Oliver Lancashire.

"A great win!" stated a pleased Pearson.

"Craig Briggs certainly helped show he was going to earn the hefty new contract we gave him," said a happy Heartwood.

"Sullivan's goal was terrific. One of the best I have seen."

"Me too, and he will be getting even more notice after that is on all the evening highlights."

"Now comes the true test though."

"Chelsea at Stamford Bridge- it will be a good match to see where we are."

[Faramir]

18.8.12

Chelsea Chop Hill

Chelsea clearly demonstrated to Harrow Hill that they remain a class above Hill as they defeated them 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in a match that could clearly have had a worse scoreline. Andrew Evans played brilliantly for Hill in the match, keeping the visitors with a glimmer of hope. Chelsea grabbed the lead early in the first half as Arnor Angeli outleapt Richard Murray and deflected a cross from Jeremy Menez past Evans. Evans made dazzling saves on Freddy Adu and Michael Essien to keep the score at 1-0 through halftime. Hill showed sporadic signs of life from their offense, but Petr Cech showed why he is one of the top keepers with a couple timely saves and several chances ruined as he came out and cut off plays. Chelsea added a second goal later in the second half as Menez deflected a cross from Glen Johnson past Evans to finish the 2-0 Hill loss.

"Well, we have a ways to go," sighed Heartwood.

"The boys learned a lesson today- in meeting up with a club that has even better pace than we do. They were much crisper in moving the ball and that is why they got better scoring chances," answered Pearson.

[Faramir]

22.8.12

Hill Fights Back for Draw Against Foxes

Leicester took full advantage of Harrow Hill's gifts to twice hold one-goal leads in the match, but Hill fought back to wind up in a 2-2 draw with the visitors at Larksfield Road. Andy Reid made a brutally bad decision when he pushed MOM Javier Carreno in the air as both leapt for a centering pass in the Hill area. Markus Berg converted the penalty kick past Dean Mitchell and the Foxes were in front. Hill managed to equalize when Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan, using terrific vision, spotted Alex Coulson moving into the area late. Sullivan's pass was on the money and Coulson's chip volley sailed past David Moreno. Mitchell gifted Leicester the lead when he failed to boot away a ball outside the area. Instead Berg took it away from him and slipped it over for Carreno to fire a 30 yard strike into the open goal. Hill came out ready to play in the second half and Rob Moss deftly moved the ball to unmarked Brian Ball. Ball whipped a shot inside the far right post for the equalizer. Mitchell righted himself after his error and ensured Hill could split the points with three superb saves in the later stages of the second half.

"A point is good out of this one, considering we handed them two goals and then had to hang on for dear life at the end," murmured Heartwood.

"We just didn't play very solidly for stretches of the match. With both Paul Ellis and Lee Pearson out with injury, the backline lacked leadership," replied Pearson.

"Andy Reid had a terrible match as well- the worst I have seen him play for us."

[Faramir]

25.8.12

Tottenham Tips Hill

One good run and a well placed shot were enough to see Tottenham take a 1-0 win over Harrow Hill at White Heart Lane. MOM Aaron Lennon skinned John Reid of the ball midway through the second half and motored down the pitch. Andrew Greenwood, already sporting a yellow card, didn't closely challenge Lennon and he picked his spot well as he rocketed his shot off the inside of the far left post for his 1st goal of the season and the only goal of the match. Hill could only rue their missed chances in the first half as they outplayed the home side, but didn't really force Paul Robinson to make any good saves due to inaccurate shooting. The loss ruined another fine effort by Andrew Evans in goal for Hill.

"We didn't execute or finish well and it wound up costing us," stated Heartwood.

"The first half we played very well actually, the chances were there and we just could not get our shots on goal," answered Pearson.

"The second half was another story."

"Tottenham came out and played better in the second half, we just didn't step up our play like we needed to."

[Damien77]

Not a bad start to the season, could be worse, W2D1L2 for 7 points.

[Faramir]

Damien77- Better than I was hoping for, to be honest

***

31.8.12

"I thought it was a good idea to loan David Harris out," commented Pearson.

"He wasn't seeing enough time to really be match fit here. Oxford was willing to promise that they would use him a lot over the next 5 months- which might help us actually sell him," replied Heartwood.

"Did you loan out Paul Barnett too?"

"Yes, Exeter wanted him for a three month stretch. Hopefully, they will want to make things permanent toward the end of the loan."

***

10.9.12

Hill Bashes Bolton in TV Match

Demonstrating to a national TV audience what Larksfield fans have known for quite some time, Harrow Hill played a relentless, forceful match in defeating visiting Bolton 2-0. Hill's pressure on the ball allowed the Bolton attack little space in the Hill area as Andrew Evans and Matthew O'Neill combined on the clean sheet after Evans was forced to leave with a minor injury in the second half. Hill's pressure in the offensive zone saw several good chances blunted by fine work from Keeper Pavel Kubat. A quick Hill counter-attack past the midpoint of the first half saw David Holden sent off when he took down Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan as the last man just outside the edge of the Bolton area. Lee Williams made the visitors pay dearly for yielding the free kick as he scorched a 25 yard curving blast past Kubat. Down a man, Bolton found even less time on the ball as Hill controlled the match. Hill maintained the pressure in the second half and Kubat remained a steady presence in goal as he kept his side in the match with two fine saves. A late Hill counter-attack saw Kubat make a brilliant save on Sullivan, but the rebound came to Sullivan and instead of shooting again, he crossed to Craig Briggs- who fired it into the open left side of the goal to cap the 2-0 Hill win. Hill winger Richard Murray was selected for MOM honours.

"I am really happy with the effort and focus the boys played with today," stated Heartwood. "They didn't let down at all today- at any time."

"Good execution on offense for us too. We were a bit unfortunate to only score twice with the kind of chances we caused."

"It was nice to see Lee Williams drill that free kick home. He has really improved on those the past couple seasons."

"How bad is Andrew Evans?"

"Nothing major as it turned out. But Richard Murray will be out at least a couple weeks with that badly bruised rib of his."

"He was in a lot of pain and having trouble getting his breath after the match."

[Faramir]

15.9.12

Everton Fightback to Edge Hill in TV Match

Harrow Hill got off on a flyer, but Everton took advantage of fortunate bounces to score a 2-1 win over Hill at Goodison Park in their televised match. Hill struck for the lead in the opening moments of the match when Martin Wharton capped off a superb passing sequence by whipping a shot past Vincent Degre after a nice pass from Alex Coulson found him free. Everton stepped up their pressure, but failed to break down the Hill backline and Andrew Evans stood firm in goal as Hill went to the half leading 1-0. Everton found their breaks early in the second half and capitalized on them. Edixon Perea was able to flick a header past Evans in the opening moments after a bad bounce off the back leg of Darren Stevens took the ball to Aaron Clarke and he lofted a ball into the area. Everton moved ahead shortly after when another unlucky bounce took a loose ball to Markus Rosenberg. Rosenberg picked out Ben Harris beyond the edge of the area and Harris boomed home a 25 yard kick. Hill appeared to answer two minutes later when a pretty passing sequence allowed MOM Martin Clark to drill a shot past replacement keeper Robert Green. The goal was waved off and Clark was ruled offside to the consternation and disgust of the Hill bench. Green made a good save on Clark later to preserve the win for the home side.

Heartwood fumed, "Clark is offside and Perea isn't?! That was two bad calls and those cost us the match."

"We did deserve better, but you know how football is," stated Pearson.

"Yes, I know. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, but I hate having matches just plain taken away by the referee."

"At least you didn't say that in the post-match press conference- that would have cost you a hefty fine."

[Faramir]

19.9.12

Liverpool Level Hill in League Cup Play

Liverpool took full advantage of the gifts given by the Harrow Hill backline as they defeated Hill 2-0 at Larksfield Road in their televised League Cup match. Andrew Greenwood lost control of the ball and Steven Gerrard took the ball in free on Dean Mitchell before blasting a low shot past Mitchell to put the visitors on top in the early going. Hill tried to answer and had good chances in the first half, but John Woodward was giving a stellar demonstration of how to keep goal with timely saves. The match remained close in the second half as Hill continued to try to rally. The final blow came when Greenwood earned a redcard for taking down Andrea Amato as the last man. Xabi Alonso made the ensuing free kick a disaster for Hill as he smashed a curving 30 yarder into the upper right corner past Mitchell to cap the scoring as Liverpool moves on to the 3rd round.

"Except for bad choices by Andrew Greenwood, we really didn't play that badly," commented Pearson.

"We have to train our defenders to move the ball right away. They absolutely can't dawdle with the ball against EPL sides. We gave them the Gerrard goal, but we almost gave away three more like it- we can't afford that."

[timpino]

Nice going, I'm going to stick my neck out and say you'll finish 8th

[Faramir]

timpino- I could live with that

***

22.9.12

Manchester United Edges Hill

One superb, flowing passing sequence was all that Manchester United needed to edge Harrow Hill 1-0 at Larksfield Road. Scott Browne drilled a shot inside the near left post as he escaped the marking of Danny French to cap a pretty passing sequence that saw Wayne Rooney lay the ball off for him just inside the edge of the area. Hill had their chances in both the first and second halves, but Martin Clark and Martin Wharton failed to do much with the good passes that were given them. Hill managed only two shots in the match, while the visitors only launched four as it was a defensive duel in the midfield for the most part. Rio Ferdinand was awarded MOM honours for his solid play in support of Niklas Gustavsson's clean sheet. The loss was costly for Hill as Evans suffered a badly sprained ankle and will reportedly miss a month or two.

"Not a bad effort overall, but we couldn't get any space in their area to get good chances," sighed Heartwood.

"The goal they got was a good one, but one that we should have defended," agreed Pearson.

"Not only losing the match, but losing Andrew Evans for up to two months. We have to get back to the basics in training."

[Faramir]

29.9.12

Hill Aces Aston Villa in TV match

Harrow Hill bounced back to shake off their close losses as they outplayed Aston Villa in the second half to send them to a 2-0 defeat at Larksfield Road. The first half was certainly entertaining, though it featured no scoring. Both sides had good scoring chances, with Villa having more chances and better quality. Dean Mitchell played superbly for Hill, as he started in place of injured Andrew Evans, and his clean sheet was well earned. Mitchell made excellent saves against Robbie Keane and Luke Moore to keep things scoreless going to halftime. Hill's goal to give them the lead was a lightning bolt that stunned Villa. Villa Keeper Danny Turner mishit a goal kick and Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan volleyed from 35 yards out off the inside of the left upright in the open goal to make it 1-0 Hill. Mitchell was called on for good stops on Bastien Geiger and James Green to keep the lead as the visitors tried to rally. Hill put the match in a more comfortable setting when Lee Williams, on for Julian Henry, snapped home a shot from just inside the edge of the area to make the final margin 2-0. Hill winger Dave Turner received MOM honours.

"Another fine effort," said a pleased Pearson.

"And one that we got a good result out of," agreed Heartwood.

"Great strike from Silk. He just read the play and got his foot in front of Robert Huth to volley the ball into the goal."

"It was an amazing one- one that we needed, since it allowed us to set the tone for the second half."

[Faramir]

7.10.12

"Sorry Bob. I know you want to keep everyone around, but I think letting Rob Connolly go on loan to Bristol Rovers is the right thing to do. We have to make a decision on what place he has in our future soon and I need to know how he will fare given a full starting role."

"I understand why Jim. It is just hard to lose the depth that players like Rob provide us."

"Don't worry, we won't be doing any wholesale loaning. Anyone else will be off the transfer list."

***

8.10.12

"It was a bad one Jim," said Pearson shaking his head trying to clear the image from it.

"I already heard from the doctors. Neil Preece has a compound break in his right leg and will miss the remainder of the season (well, most likely that much) after surgergy, setting pins and healing," said Heartwood sorrowfully.

"Do you want to move anyone up from Reserves?"

"Yes. Kevin Spencer deserves to come up and I will try to get him his debut sometime soon."

[Faramir]

13.10.12

Leeds Last Minute Goal Dumps Hill

In an excruciatingly painful result, Harrow Hill lost to Leeds 2-1 at Elland Road on a goal in the last minute of second half injury time. Leeds took the lead early in the first half as they worked a free kick set piece to perfection. Maikel Van Kampen stepped out and collected the lobbed kick and then wheeled and fired it past Dean Mitchell. Minutes later the home side was on their backheels as Emmanuele D'Ambrosio was redcarded for pulling Martin Clark down as the last man. Hill failed to take advantage of the added space in the first half, but kept up the pressure in the Leeds zone. Hill finally fought back to equalize early in the second half as MOM Chris Poole sent a curving pass into space on the left. Lee Williams ran down the ball and then made a quick move back before blasting a precision shot inside the far right post past Matteo Amato. Hill pounded away at Amato in the second half, but then got caught by a counter-attack. Paul Barton beat Lee Pearson to a ball by a step and his cross picked out Paul Dobson. Dobson dove and deflected the dramatic match winner past Mitchell as the Hill players slumped to the pitch in disappointment and exhaustion.

"The boys played well, they just caught us tired and we didn't get the tackle we needed," said a disappointed Heartwood.

"We are working hard, getting our chances- but Martin Clark isn't finishing nearly as well as last season," commented Pearson.

"I know. I had planned on playing Sullivan, but he isn't quite over his cold yet and I didn't want to add to his problems."

[Faramir]

20.10.12

Late Goal Leaves Hill, Newcastle With Draw

It was a spirited match from start to finish, but it took a goal late in the second half by Newcastle to salvage a 1-1 draw with Harrow Hill at Larksfield Road. Newcastle had the better of play in the first half, but failed to score thanks to fine work from Matthew O'Neill- making his 1st start in net this season. O'Neill's active play cut off what appeared to be golden chances for Helder Postiga and Fabio Cruciani. Hill only managed a couple of long-range chances in the first half and neither unduly troubled Adrian White. Hill came out with more focus in the second half and began creating chances. That paid off when Steven Taylor was called for a handball in the area and Dave Turner converted the penalty kick past White to give Hill the lead. Hill was desperately trying to hang on to the lead, but their backline play was mediocre in the match and when John Reid was caught up the pitch, it created the chance for MOM Paul Turner to chip over O'Neill for a sublime finish and a dramatic equalizer. Both clubs looked very tired and neither created another good scoring chance as they finished out the 1-1 draw.

Heartwood was quietly seething, "We switch to a defensive formation, we tell the backline to not get caught up- and what happens?"

"Bad judgement again," agreed Pearson. "He tried to jump into the counter-attack."

"And it cost us a win. There is no way I will blame Matthew O'Neill for that one. He was left needing help and didn't have it."

[Faramir]

27.10.12

Hill Numbs Nottingham Forest

In a match the home side clearly wanted to win very badly, it was Harrow Hill that came up with converting timely opportunities as they defeated Forest 2-0 at City Ground. Forest was frustrated in the first half as they controlled large swaths of play and generated a few chances, but the tenacious play by the Hill backline and steady work in goal from Dean Mitchell kept them off the scoreboard. Hill managed only a few chances in the first half, but a late counter-attack saw Kevin Spencer crossing into the area and MOM Jon Burns was pushed in the air by Kerrea Gilbert. Spencer converted the penalty kick to score in his debut and send Hill to halftime leading 1-0. Hill played a more controlled match in the second half and another counter-attack saw Marcin Klimkiewicz make a great save on Jon Burns, only to see Brian Ball drive it past the sprawled keeper on the rebound for his 1st goal of the season. Hill helped Mitchell close out the clean sheet from there as they put the final touches on a 2-0 road win.

"We were more than a bit lucky there," admitted Pearson.

Heartwood nodded, "They should have been ahead 2-1 at halftime, but our backline never quit on the play and their hustle kept them from converting either of their golden chances."

"Spencer had a good debut."

"Yes, he did. I was pleased with his play. Bad news about Silk though."

"What was the injury?"

"Fractured forearm. He will be out for a month."

[Faramir]

3.11.12

Hill Balks Blackburn

Though they got off on a flyer, Harrow Hill had to play determined defense and lean on the keeping of Dean Mitchell to come away with a 1-0 win over Blackburn at Larksfield Road. Hill struck for a goal in the second minute when Michael Jones made a superb pass that found Martin Clark with enough space to whip a shot past Marcelo Grohe inside the right post to celebrate the new contract he had signed this week. Blackburn took control of the match at that point, especially after Jones and Richard Murray had to leave with injuries midway through the first half. Dean Mitchell was the rock that the Hill defense was grounded on and was simply brilliant today. He stopped Kikin Fonseca and Salomon Kalou in the first half. The closest the visitors came to equalizing was when Quincy Naarden rifled a 30 yard shot off the outside of the post. Mitchell continued his fine play in the second half and made a huge save as he pushed Kalou's header over the crossbar when Kalou snuck behind the backline to deflect a free kick. The final whistle found a tired, relieved Hill side still holding the 1-0 margin. Blackburn defender Jon Perkins earned MOM honours.

"Another fortunate win," stated a content Heartwood.

"That was easily the best match that Dean Mitchell has ever played for us. I really thought he would get the MOM," stated Pearson.

"He deserved it- no doubt. We are down another rightwinger though."

"How bad is Richard Murray?"

"Broke two ribs- he will be out a month. I am going to need Peter Richardson up now too."

[Faramir]

17.11.12

Arsenal Rolls Over Hill

Arsenal clearly looked the better club as they rolled past Harrow Hill 2-0 at Emirates Stadium, but the plucky smaller side earned some respect as they played hard and battled to the final whistle. The first half was scoreless as Hill worked hard and saw Andrew Evans come up with several timely saves. Hill had no real good scoring chances of their own as they couldn't push the ball forward effectively. A key loss for Hill was skipper John Bruce, who came out of the match to begin the second half. Arsenal took advantage of the sudden lack of cohesion on the right side of the defense as 17 year old Aussie wunderkid John Borg scored his 1st goal when he outleapt both defenders to flick a header past Evans early in the second half. Lee Pearson was called for a push on MOM Francesc Fabregas later in the second half and Malaury Martin converted the penalty kick past Evans. Hill finally generated a few chances, but the best was Craig Briggs- who missed a wide open goal on a rebound as Francesco Guillermo Ochoa put up the clean sheet for the home side.

"We made the kind of mistakes you absolutely can't afford to make against the caliber of club like Arsenal," sighed Heartwood.

"Though they outplayed us, I was happy with the toughness and determination we showed out there," replied Pearson.

"That's true, but I do wish we would have played more efficiently and effectively with the ball."

[timpino]

You seem to be doing ok, how are you holding up in the league?

[Faramir]

timpino- midtable, which is certainly acceptable

***

24.11.12

Hill Survives Bobbles, Edges Wigan

It was a match characterized by bad mistakes from players that should know better as Harrow Hill did enough to earn a 3-2 win over Wigan at Larksfield Road. Dean Mitchell, back starting due to Andrew Evans injury, handed the first goal to Edgar Manucharyan as the ball slipped out of his hands as he was trying to make a quick pass and Manucharyan easily swept the ball into the open goal. Iain Turner returned the favor in the Wigan goal as he dawdled with the ball and Darren Adams took it away and then fired it into the open goal. The goal was especially sweet for Adams as he had missed inches wide to both posts with headers before scoring. Kevin Spencer knocked home the rebound after Turner parried his initial header on a corner for a 2-1 Hill lead. Adams made it a brace as MOM Jon Burns fed him a good through ball and he drilled a shot inside the right post to give Hill the 3-1 halftime lead. Hill seemingly had the match in control, until Chris Poole pulled down Morten Gambst Pedersen in the area. Gabriel Heinze converted the penalty kick and Wigan was right back in the match. The Hill backline wasn't steady down the stretch, but Wigan wasn't able to make enough of their chances to equalize as Hill finished the 3-2 win.

"Not the prettiest match, but the win is what we needed," commented Heartwood.

"Plenty for the backline to work on in practice this week. Dean Mitchell is getting a lot of teasing over the goal."

"He deserves it. Still, it won't sting as bad because we won the match."

[Faramir]

2.12.12

Liverpool Halter Hill

Though Harrow Hill gained the early lead, it was clear that Liverpool controlled the midfield and they made Hill pay for defensive mistakes by fighting back for a comfortable 2-1 win at Anfield. A terrific pass from Martin Clark found Michael Jones with space. Jones crossed and Martin Wharton deflected it past John Woodward to give Hill the lead in the seventh minute. The lead didn't last long as Paul Ellis missed intercepting a pass and Andrea Amato was right there to hammer a shot inside the far post past Dean Mitchell. Mitchell played well in goal for Hill and kept Hill in the match going into the second half. Liverpool were crossing the pitch with passes at will as the Hill defense could only scramble against their fine execution. Using that attack, MOM Steven Gerrard laid the ball off after a cross and Xabi Alonso scorched a shot off the inside of the right upright to give 'Pool the lead. Hill couldn't break down the home side midfield and the final whistle found them trudging off after a 2-1 loss.

"Paul Ellis rarely has bad matches, but today was certainly one of them," grumbled Heartwood.

"He might need a match off. He looked pretty tired out there today."

"True. We will have to see how we can fix up the lineup for the next match."

[Faramir]

8.12.12

Hill Mangles Manchester City

Harrow Hill blew open a close match in the second half with a pair of goals on counter-attacks to move past Manchester City 4-1 on a rain slicked pitch at Larksfield Road. The first half was closely played with both sides generating good scoring chances, but Manchester City holding the possession advantage. Giampaolo Pazzini came close twice to sending the visitors into the lead, but Andrew Evans managed to smother his first shot and his second skimmed the bar. Hill finally started finding its footing late in the half and they took the lead when Julian Henry took advantage of Martin Higgins' missing a cross by whipping the ball past Higgins into the goal for his 1st goal of the season. Henry then made it a quickfire double as he deflected a long cross from Andrew Hook past Higgins for a brace and a 2-0 halftime lead for Hill. Manchester City quickly climbed back into the match in the second half as they began pressuring the Hill backline. Mario Santana slipped free to draw them a goal back on a good pass from Steve Sparrow. Hill swapped out Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan and Henry for Lee Williams and Rob Hodge as they changed to a more conservative, counterattacking formation. The move paid dividends as Hill caught the tired Manchester City backline moving forward in support of their attack. Hodge made a break down the left and then held the ball up beautifully before picking out Williams as he came free at the far post. Williams had no trouble deflecting the ball into the open right side of the goal. Hodge then added his 1st goal of the season as Dave Turner's pass allowed him to tee the ball up from just inside the edge of the area as he capped off the win.

"Those changes really made the difference," observed Pearson.

Heartwood shrugged, "It was just common sense. Both Sullivan and Henry were spent- with all the chasing on the soggy pitch. I was only getting the fresher legs on."

"Well both of those fresher legs scored," grinned Pearson.

"That's the result of their play, not some puppet strings by me," chuckled Heartwood.

[Faramir]

15.12.12

West Ham Beat Hill on Late Penalty

West Ham had been frustrated most of the match by the dogged defense of the Harrow Hill backline and fine work in goal by Andrew Evans. That frustration ended when the Referee whistled Lee Pearson for a push in the area and Per Ciljan Skejlbred converted the penalty kick past Evans for the match winner in the 86th minute as West Ham held on for a 1-0 win. Hill had been outplayed in the midfield for much of the match and had little luck in controlling the ball, but still managed to force keeper Luca Constantini into a couple good saves early in the second half. West Ham midfielder Claudio earned MOM honours.

"We didn't deserve to win, but I was hoping to escape with a draw," stated Heartwood.

"It likely would have been, if the penalty kick hadn't been awarded," replied Pearson.

"Lee Pearson is upset, but it was just a 50-50 call that got called against him."

[Faramir]

22.12.12

Southampton Fightback to Skin Hill

Southampton proved they could giveth and could taketh away as they skinned the Harrow Hill backline twice in the second half- both resulting in goals to allow them to come back for a 2-1 win over Hill at Larksfield Road. The first half featured spotty play and inconsistent passing from both sides as they struggled to a scoreless trip to the dressing room. Hill struck for the lead when Lee Williams poached a backpass from Loic Abenzoar and launched a 40 yard strike into the open goal for his 5th goal of the season. Hill couldn't hang on to the lead, because the backline couldn't hang on to the ball. MOM Arturo Lupoli equalized midway through the second half after Mike Zonneveld robbed Craig Alexander of the ball to begin a counter-attack. Lupoli then added insult to injury as he skinned Paul Ellis in the Hill area and slotted it across for Pedro Marques to score a dramatic match winner in injury time past Andrew Evans.

"I want to know! What in the blazes was Paul Ellis thinking?!" said an intensely angry Heartwood.

"He got caught looking up the pitch- instead of being aware of who was around him," commented a disappointed Pearson.

"We just plain played stupid with the ball in our end- the entire match. We were fortunate that they hadn't already scored a goal or two from all the giveaways we made in our end."

"Well, we reached midseason still in the top 10- 10th at least."

"Considering Southampton is one of the relegation battlers, this was a match I wanted to win. I can't complain too much, 10th at midseason is a bit above where I thought we would be. Now we just have to show more consistency in the second half of the season."

[Faramir]

24.12.12

Strong Second Half Vaults Hill Over Crystal Palace

Another indifferent first half was followed by a stronger second half as Harrow Hill defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 at Larksfield Road. Palace looked the better of sides in the first half, but led by MOM Andrew Greenwood, the Hill backline provided steady support for Dean Mitchell. Mitchell was in fine form as well and made a huge save on Giuseppe Rossi when Rossi slipped in free. Mitchell also blocked a scorching free kick from Glenn Whalen around the post and tipped a rising shot from Andy Johnson over the bar to keep things tidy at halftime. Hill took the lead as they came out with improved execution in the second half. Darren Stevens' short pass allowed Martin Wharton to tee up and drive a shot past Hakon Opdal at fifty-five minutes. Hill then put a stranglehold on the visiting side after Matthew Bates was whistled for tripping Martin Clark in the area. Andy Reid converted the penalty kick to give Hill a more comfortable 2-0 lead. Hill then changed to a more conservative style of play and soaked up the Palace attempts to rally without yielding a good scoring chance in helping Mitchell close out the clean sheet.

"A much better second half. We were very flat again in the first half," stated Pearson.

"I think we are getting to the point of the season where our youngsters are hitting a bit of a wall in terms of focus and execution," replied Heartwood.

"They shouldn't be tired. You have done a good job of rotating."

"Not tired physically- just mentally. The EPL matches are a lot more demanding than any they have played in the past and every mistake comes back to haunt you. I just think they are a bit worn out that way."

[Faramir]

29.12.12

Cardiff Crushes Hill

Last place Cardiff, desperate for a win, found the right side as an accomodating Harrow Hill rolled over for them as Cardiff won 3-1 at St.David Stadium. As has been the case for Hill of late, they took the lead in the match, but then gave their opponent every opportunity to fightback. Jon Burns converted a penalty kick after Oliver Lancashire tripped Julian Henry in the area. Hill gave that goal back when the backline failed to mark anyone as Cardiff played a neat passing sequence that saw Nicola Ferrari put away a cross Matt Stevenson. With the score even at 1-1 in the second half, Jon Burns made an ill-advised choice to pass back to Mitchell. With Stevenson close, Mitchell made a worse choice by not kicking the ball away and Stevenson took it away from him and fired in a 30 yard goal. As Hill tried to fight back to even, Mitchell compounded his earlier error by making a bad kick after straying way out on the right. Ferrari took advantage of his walkabout ways by stroking a 55 yard shot into the open goal to finish off the 3-1 win for Cardiff.

"Have all our players lost their minds?" grumbled Heartwood.

"We certainly are making terrible decisions right and left," agreed Pearson.

"It's not like we have changed anything- but we certainly aren't executing very well."

[Faramir]

1.1.13

Chelsea Battles Back to Draw With Hill

Harrow Hill built a 2-0 lead and then had to watch as Chelsea battled back to earn a 2-2 draw at Larksfield Road. Martin Wharton gave Hill the lead with the only goal in the first half as he hammered home a shot after deft pass from Brian Ball. Hill avoided several close calls as Chelsea sought to equalize in the first half. Early in the second half Martin Clark ripped a shot past Petr Cech after taking a good pass from Kevin Spencer. Chelsea started their comeback with help from Hill as the backline continued to have problems handling the ball. Lee Pearson dawdled and Luis Fabiano took it away from him and snapped a shot inside the right post past Dean Mitchell to draw a goal back. Michal Kubala drove home a rebound after Mitchell had parried away a scorched shot from Frank Lampard. Cech came up with a pair of brilliant saves as Hill sought to regain the lead, stopping both Wharton and Clark on excellent chances. Mitchell came up with good saves on Freddy Adu and Arjen Robben as he helped ensure Hill would split the points.

"It could have been better- if we would just quit handing the ball away on our backline," sighed Heartwood.

"True, but it was still a decent result to earn a draw against them," answered Pearson.

"Both goals on our part were good ones, if only Cech handn't managed to dive and get a hand on Clark's other chance."

[Faramir]

5.1.13

Hill Washes Out West Brom

Harrow Hill showed signs of breaking out of their sluggish offensive displays of late as they had West Brom under pressure for much of the match and came away with a 3-1 win at Larksfield Road in their FA Cup 3rd Round match. Hill took the lead early on as Andrew Lonergan could only parry away a hard, low shot from Lee Williams. Darren Adams was there to pounce on the rebound and score to give Hill a goal at eleven minutes. Midway through the first half, Adams pace allowed him to break free. Adams waited in the West Brom area and slid the ball across the goal for Williams. Paul Tait desperately tried to get his foot there first- and did, as he knocked it in for an own-goal. West Brom drew a goal back before halftime when Chris Alexander powered a header past Martin O'Neill. Hill put the finishing touches on the win midway through the second half as Paul Robinson was called for holding Alex Coursen in the area. Andy Reid fired the penalty kick past Lonergan to finish the scoring in the 3-1 win.

"Better effort, better result," said Heartwood.

"A lot better passing and that helped open things up for us today," agreed Pearson.

"Good work from Martin O'Neill in goal too."

[Faramir]

12.1.13

Hill Lifts Past Leicester

It wasn't a pretty match by Harrow Hill standards, but they managed to get the job done as they edged Leicester 1-0 at Walkers Stadium. The first half featured up and down attacking from both sides and MOM Andrew Evans had to be very sharp to keep the Foxes off the scoreline. Hill missed a couple of excellent chances as Julian Henry was stopped cold by David Moreno and Moreno pushed a header from Andrew Greenwood over the crossbar. The second half began with the best chance yet for Hill, as Matthew Briggs tripped Richard Murray in the area. Jon Burns saw his second consecutive penalty kick saved as Moreno guessed correctly and palmed his shot away. Craig Briggs, on for an injured Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan, hid in the weeds and was rewarded when Markus Berg didn't see him as he tried to swing a pass across the pitch. Briggs chested the ball down and then blasted a 40 yard strike that Moreno could only look at with disgust as he had moved out of position to collect Berg's pass. Hill made the goal stand up with a solid defensive effort, despite losing Evans to injury at 78 minutes. Dean Mitchell closed out the clean sheet in the close win.

"We could have made it much easier on ourselves," grinned Heartwood.

"True, but in the end- the scoreline was where we needed it to be," chuckled Pearson.

"What is the status of all our injured players?"

"All should be out a couple weeks. Evans has a sprained wrist from the collision with Berg. Sullivan has a deeply bruised thigh. Chris Poole has a groin strain."

[Faramir]

13.1.13

"A little more windfall for us Bob, though it will cost us Danny Lynch," offered Heartwood.

"How much and who?" asked Pearson.

"Fulham had the winning bid- 1.2 Million on the barrel. Danny picked them over Bradford City."

"That will certainly help the bottom line. Danny is a solid forward and might turn into a very good one, but he really was squeezed out by the talent we have on hand."

***

20.1.13

Hill, Tottenham Play to Televised Draw

In an entertaining televised match, Harrow Hill survived a first half redcard and fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against Tottenham at Larksfield Road. Hill defended well early under heavy Tottenham pressure, but Ledley King scored an 'excuse me' goal when he his shot from 25 yards was slightly deflected and slipped inside the right upright to give the visitors the lead. Hill seemed in a bad way when they went to halftime down a man after Danny French was redcarded for a professional foul at the end of the first half. Despite being down a man, Hill managed to attack sporadically in the second half and Martin Clark made one of those pay off with a curling 25 yard shot that seemed to fool Paul Robinson as it zipped past him for the equalizer. Hill then had to survive the remainder of the second half as Tottenham pushed men forward in an attempt to take all three points. The final whistle found a tired, battered Hill side able to split the points. Tottenham defender Chris Lock earned MOM honours.

"It was hard work in the second half, but I am proud of the effort," commented Heartwood.

"That was a well earned point, to be sure," agreed Pearson.

"I was surprised that Robinson missed Clark's shot- it didn't look that difficult."

"Looked like it might have knuckled down on him at the very last moment, he was as surprised as Martin was."

[Faramir]

22.1.13

"Another sold today Bob," said Heartwood.

"Which one today?" asked Pearson.

"We completed the sale of Scott Lowery to Hartlepool for 300K."

"Scott will be a good player, but he wasn't going to beat out any of the leftbacks here."

***

23.1.13

"And another sale today," stated Heartwood.

"Business is good?" asked Pearson.

"Well, transfer deadline is spurring some action. Rob Connolly is on his way to Stevenage for 1.4 Million."

"I like Rob, but we can use the money more- with the depth at forward we have already."

***

26.1.13

Hill Moves Past Preston

In their FA Cup 4th Round match at Larksfield Road, it was Harrow Hill who took control early in route to a 3-1 win over Preston North End. Hill got off on a good foot when Craig Alexander deflected a Danny Edwards corner past Rune Almenning Jarstein to give Hill the lead in the opening moments of the match. Hill moved up 2-0 when Julian Henry deflected a long cross from Kevin Spencer past Jarstein. Hill made it a 3-0 halftime margin when MOM Martin Wharton took a pass from Darren Stevens and made a neat chip shot over Jarstein for his 5th goal of the season. Stevens earned a 2nd yellow card early in the second half and that allowed space that Preston used to draw a goal back when Jose Paolo Guerrero drove home a rebound past Martin O'Neill to ruin the clean sheet. That was only a consolation goal as Hill closed the match out nicely and will move on in the competition.

"That surprised me- that you were using both Darren Stevens and Rob Moss in the midfield together," queried Bob Pearson.

"Well, a small experiment of sorts. I think Darren might do Ok as a playmaker and I am planning on pairing both Jon Burns and Michael Jones in the center mid in our next match," answered James Heartwood.

"Ah, Jonesy as holder?"

"That is the plan. I am not sure if it will work out. I also transfer listed Alex Coulson today."

"Alex hasn't shown he can play at the EPL level, so I have to agree that it would be best to move him."

"I am planning on using Dave Turner more at rightwing, that is why I wanted to bring Alex Lee up to take his spot in covering leftwing."

[Faramir]

30.1.13

"We actually *purchased* someone?" asked Pearson with a grin.

Heartwood chuckled, "Yes, we paid Fulham 220K for 18 year old defensive midfielder Lee Davis. I really like his development so far and believe he might be one of the holder types we haven't developed here yet."

"Well, I still think Darren Stevens is good there. John Wood and Rob Moss haven't shown a lot yet- but they also haven't had a lot of chances."

"Just trying to improve the squad Bob. By the way, I saw your name mentioned as a possible successor at Liverpool," said Heartwood teasingly.

"It is an honour to be mentioned, but they haven't contacted me at all- just rumours in the press."

"Oh, Joe Mason and Darren Henry also have new homes."

"Where are they going?"

"Joe went to Stockport on free transfer. Darren went to Woking for 50K and additional sell-on clauses."

[Faramir]

30.1.13

Hill Bounces Bolton

Bolton may have struck first in the match, but Harrow Hill's strong second half effort buried the home side 4-1 at Reebok Stadium. James Gould rocketed a 30 yard shot past Dean Mitchell off a setup on a free kick to thrill the home fans and put Bolton ahead early in the first half. Hill answered when Brian Ball slipped a pass to Lee Williams and he blasted a quick shot past Pavel Kubat to equalize. The match remained locked at 1-1 until early in the second half. Jon Burns was the architect with a pretty pass that found MOM Martin Clark with space enough to launch a quick lob into the goal over the onrushing Kubat. Clark then set up Craig Briggs, on for Williams, nicely and he snapped a shot inside the right upright. Michael Jones finished off the scoring by intercepting a pass at midfield and racing straight down the pitch before slipping a shot inside the left post for his 1st goal of the season.

"Excellent effort from everyone. They responded very well when Bolton took the lead," stated Pearson.

"You're right, nobody panicked and then Lee Williams ripped his shot past Kubat," agreed Heartwood.

"I thought Jonesy did Ok in the holder role today."

"He was happy to score his 1st of the season, but yes- you're right. He will get more chances to show he can play that role."

***

1.2.13

"Now that's a nice first," said a pleased Heartwood.

"I was surprised, but both Paul Ellis and Martin Clark deserve the honours," replied Pearson.

"Nice to sweep the Young Player of the Month and the Player of the Month honours."

[Faramir]

9.2.13

Hill Battles to Draw at Old Trafford

In another sign of a maturing club, Harrow Hill did not play their best match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but they played well enough to earn a scoreless draw as they split the points with the storied side. The clear choice for MOM was Hill keeper Andrew Evans, who made several important saves during the match. None was bigger than the one he made on Scott Browne when Andrew Hook's bad pass put Browne away free in the last few minutes of play. Evans managed to palm the shot and steer it outside of the left post to keep the match a scoreless draw. Hill's best chance came when Gustavo Adolfo Sivadon managed to push Jon Burns' scorching shot past the left post in the first half. The Hill midfield and backline gave a good account of themselves as they managed to keep pressure on the ball at most times.

"Solid performance and a good effort," noted Pearson.

"Our execution could have been better, but overall I was pleased with how well we played as a team today," commented Heartwood.

"Andrew Evans was brilliant too."

[Faramir]

13.2.13

Everton Crush Hill

It took very little time for Everton to establish the tone of the match as they easily defeated Harrow Hill 3-0 at Larksfield Road. Edixon Perea got the visitors off on a flyer when he knocked home his own rebound after Andrew Evans parried his first shot to score in the second minute. Perea then boomed a curving 30 yard shot past Evans to make it a brace at the 10 minute mark. After Dominic Williams added a scorching strike just past the midway point of the first half, it was clear that Hill had nothing today. Hill showed no spark to their play in the second half, but did manage to stave off giving up further goals. The 3-0 loss was clearly one of Hill's worst efforts of the season.

"We didn't have it today," said Pearson shaking his head.

"Not only didn't we have it, we showed a surprising lack of determination out there today- that is what most disappointed me," replied Heartwood.

[Faramir]

16.2.13

Arsenal Edge Hill in FA Cup

Arsenal scored an early goal and then was forced to deal with a determined Harrow Hill effort, but held on for a 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium in their FA Cup 5th Round match. Arsenal struck for the lone goal early on as Robin van Persie crossed to Pierre Cohen on the far post and Cohen's well placed shot inside the far left post got past the diving try of Matthew O'Neill. Arsenal looked to add to the lead, but O'Neill and the Hill backline steadied after the goal and gave them few good chances. The Arsenal backline was performing the same magic on the Hill forwards as Lee Williams and Darren Adams were having a difficult time finding any space. Gary March was forced to make a couple solid saves on Williams and Alex Lee, but overall wasn't overly troubled by Hill. MOM Danny Edwards helped Hill manage the Arsenal attacking contingent the rest of the way as the early goal stood up in the 1-0 win for the home side.

"If we had just started with a little more composure," sighed Heartwood.

"That is the problem with the lineup you selected though- they were a bit in awe," replied Pearson.

"True, and I knew that might be the problem- but I wanted to show Arsenal a different group of players- since they throttled us so badly in our first meeting."

[Faramir]

23.2.13

Hill Ace Aston Villa

Harrow Hill has not seen enough of its young star Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan as injuries have limited his play again this season. Today, those few brave Hill fans that made the trip to Villa Park, were rewarded by a vintage effort from the smooth forward as he scored the only goal in Hill's 1-0 win over Aston Villa. The first half featured tight defense by both backlines and each time keepers Samir Handanovic and Andrew Evans were called upon- they came up with the save- as the two sides moved to halftime locked in a scoreless draw. Evans had to make a pair of brilliant saves as he stopped both Stefano Chuka Okaka and Andy Shepherd at point-blank range in the early moments of the second half. Villa had roared out and pressured Hill from halftime on, but Hill struck for the only goal when MOM Brian Ball skinned Richard Ellis on a throw-in in Hill territory. Ball showed great vision as he saw Sullivan roar down the left side of the pitch and picked him out with a through ball. Sullivan slipped past an attempted tackle by Gareth Barry and then beat Handanovic with a well placed shot into the far right side of the goal. Hill then had to weather the fury of the Villa attempt to rally, but the backline- led by Paul Ellis and John Reid remained steady as they helped Evans close out the clean sheet and win.

"We are playing better in these tight matches," observed Pearson.

"The boys have learned that they can't allow their focus to stray in these type of matches- one mistake can kill you," agreed Heartwood.

"It was great to see 'Silk' finally score again."

"He has been injured so much- it has been a frustrating season. Hopefully, we can keep him healthy down the stretch."

[Faramir]

24.2.13

Tottenham edged Liverpool 1-0 to win the League Cup

***

2.3.13

Hill Lasts Against Leeds

There was an immense wave of relief at Larksfield Road when the final whistle sounded and Harrow Hill had hung on to defeat Leeds 3-2. The match had seemed fully in Hill's control in the first half and early second half. Michael Jones stepped up and grabbed off a loose ball and then made a pretty shot past Matteo Amato to give Hill the lead early in the half. Simon Allen had a terrific debut and his unselfish cross to unmarked Lee Williams allowed Williams an easy tap-in to the open side of the goal as Hill moved ahead 2-0. Dean Mitchell had a dazzling first half that included several key saves- including ones on Wayne Routledge, Nigel Reo-Croker and MOM Lee Lamb to keep the visitors off the scoreline. Hill came out and struck again in the opening moments of the second half as a beautiful pass from Danny French sprung Allen behind the Leeds backline. Allen, with Williams as a distraction moving up on the left, made a picture perfect shot past Amato to score in his debut. Leeds wasn't done though, as Hill found out when they relaxed a bit too much on defense. A neat 1-2 between Lamb and Paul Barton saw Barton score to peg Hill back immediately. Barton then made a sizzling cross that Mark Dobson put away for his 25th goal of the season and it was back to 3-2. Hill settled down and played improved defense as they managed to hold on for the close win.

"Whew, too close for comfort there," muttered a still sweating Heartwood.

"We managed to make things hard on ourselves with our lack of marking as they scored," agreed Pearson.

"Great work from Simon Allen in his debut. You were right- he is ready to contribute at this level."

"He is an exciting player."

[Faramir]

9.3.13

Newcastle Halts Hill

Newcastle used superior play on set pieces to generate both goals they needed to defeat Harrow Hill 2-0 at St.James Park. Newcastle singed Hill midway through the first half when Roberto Conti deflected a corner from Hatem Ben Arfa past Andrew Evans to earn the home side the lead. Hill had trouble breaking down the Newcastle backline coverage- led by MOM Mark Harris- and wound up settling for longer range shots which they failed to keep on goal. Ben Arfa was the architect of Newcastle's 2nd goal as well as his free kick was headed past Evans by Fabiano Cruciani early in the second half. Hill had no offensive answers today as Adrian White posted the clean sheet.

"We didn't do enough right in this match," said a tired Pearson.

"The main thing we have to focus on training this week- we can not afford to give away goals on set piece situations. We just don't have enough offensive firepower right now to overcome handing the other side free goals," grumbled Heartwood.

[Faramir]

16.3.13

Nottingham Forest Nips Hill

It took only one mistake to ruin Harrow Hill's day as Nottingham Forest turned that mistake into the only goal of the match as they beat Hill 1-0 at Larksfield Road. Jon Burns' lost the ball at midfield and a long cross from Matthew Leonard turned into Danny Graham's 20th goal of the season as he deflected the ball past Andrew Evans in the third minute. The rest of the match saw Hill trying to rally, but continually making one bad pass to ruin their chances. MOM Helder Barbosa was in the right place to make key tackles all over the pitch as Nottingham Forest made Hill try to carry the play. Forest was content to blunt every Hill effort as they closed out the win.

"We aren't doing ourselves any favors when we play like this," muttered Heartwood.

"A little bit off the entire match. I don't know why, but we just were missing passes we usually make," commented Pearson.

[Faramir]

20.3.13

Hill Under-18s Win 2nd Consecutive Cup

Harrow Hill Under-18s won their 2nd consecutive Under-18 Cup Crown as they defeated the Manchester City Under-18s 2-0 in front of the partisan Manchester crowd. Following a scoreless first half, Hill struck twice in a five minute span as Lee Parker and Danny Watson scored. Alex Cox put up another clean sheet with a fine effort in goal and MOM honours went to Hill's midfielder Chris Brooks.

***

22.3.13

"It's a pretty one," said a smiling Pearson.

"Aye, it is a wonderful sight Bob," offered a beaming Heartwood as the two of them looked over the newly completed Larksfield Road Stadium.

"Capacity of 13500 and 12500 seats. I think our fans are going to love it."

"Definitely more comfortable than the elbow room they shared before."

***

23.3.13

Harrow Hill Under-18s Make it 7 in a Row

The amazing streak of the Harrow Hill Under-18s continues as they clinched their 7th consecutive Group 9 title with an 8-0 win over Gravesend. Though the Hill Under-18s lost a match this season, they have managed 17 wins and 2 draws in their other matches and have scored 71 goals while allowing only 7 in 20 matches. The Harrow Hill Reserves face a tougher challenge in capturing 7 titles, as they were bumped up into the Group 1 Reserves when Hill achieved promotion to the EPL.

[Faramir]

30.3.13

Hill Loses Another Close One

Blackburn handed Harrow Hill their 3rd consecutive loss as they defeated Hill 1-0 at Ewood Park. Following a scoreless first half in which both sides played well, but did not get many good scoring chances, Blackburn turned another set piece into disaster for Hill. Quincy Naarden got up above Lee Pearson and deflected a Joe Hunt corner past Dean Mitchell in the opening moments of the second half. Hill tried desperately to rally, but the Blackburn backline- led by MOM James McEveley- did a great job in keeping tabs on all the Hill attackers. Marcello Grohe did a fine job of cleaning up the few shots that Hill could manage.

"We have to find some offense," grumbled Heartwood.

"It isn't that we are playing that badly. We just aren't getting any space at all out there. The refs with their overzelous offsides aren't helping much either," commented Pearson.

"I guess we just hammer more on the basics in training and try to find the right combination again."

[Faramir]

6.4.13

Hill Edges Wigan

It was more of a survival match for Harrow Hill as they jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and then had to hang on for a close 3-2 win over Wigan at JJB Stadium. The early portion of the match belonged to Hill as they sliced and diced the Wigan backline. MOM Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan hammered home a rebound after Iain Turner parried a hard shot from Jon Burns to send Hill off on a flyer. Sullivan made it a brace ten minutes later when Richard Murray's excellent touch pass allowed him space to put his shot away inside the right post past Turner for his 5th goal of the season. Lee Williams then turned in a quickfire double with a 25 yard rocket free kick past Turner to make it 3-0. Turner made a couple timely saves to prevent the first half carnage from being worse for the home side. Wigan's rally began early in the second half as Mikael Dahlenberg got free and deflected a long centering pass by Andrew Evans. Dahlenberg then headed down nicely for Lee Hayward and he zipped a shot into the right side of the goal to bring the JJB fans roaring back into the match. It wasn't enough for Wigan, as Hill played a steadier defense for the remainder of the match to keep the 3-2 win.

"Too much letdown again- on both Andrew Evans and the backline," said Heartwood.

"At least we got the win. After all, that is all we wanted today," commented Pearson.

"Yes, I guess we achieved our goal- even if we didn't play that well in the second half."

[Faramir]

13.4.13

Hill Level Liverpool

Harrow Hill celebrated their inaugral match in the new Larksfield Road complex with both a sell-out crowd and a stunning 4-1 victory over Liverpool. Hill handed Liverpool the early lead when Jon Burns was whistled for pushing Xabi Alonso in the area and Henk Hoogenkemp converted the penalty kick for his 5th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead for the visitors. Hill showed no panic as they pushed and pressured the Liverpool backline. MOM Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan scored the equalizer as Lee Williams laid the ball off and Sullivan had time to tee up and blast a 25 yard strike past Jose Manuel Reina midway through the first half. Sullivan then turned architect as he slipped a pass through to Williams and Williams snapped a shot past Reina late in the first half to send Hill to the dressing room leading 2-1. Hill didn't let up at all as they began the second half on fire and Richard Murray slipped a pass through to Sullivan and he snapped his shot inside the right post for a brace. Sullivan then set up Michael Jones as Jones blistered a 25 yard blast past Reina to cap the scoring in the impressive 4-1 Hill win.

"A great way to open the new stadium," beamed Heartwood.

"We played one of our better matches of the season," agreed Pearson.

"Jimmy Sullivan has really stepped up his play- he only had three goals before these last two matches- now he has scored 4 in the last two."

"A sign that he is healthy I guess."

[Faramir]

21.4.13

Hill Defeats Manchester City in TV Match

Showing surprising resiliance, Harrow Hill left City of Manchester Stadium with an unexepected 3-1 win over their hosts in the televised match. Hill struck for the lead early in the first half when a short cross sailed over Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan's head and Jon Burns was right there to put away the shot past Martin Higgins. Manchester City answered with the equalizer midway through the half as Giuseppe Russo flicked a header across the goalmouth and Marcin Niskiewicz headed it in for the goal on a corner. Lee Williams blasted a hard shot that Higgins parried away early in the second half, only to see Sullivan parked in the right spot to whisk the rebound into the goal for a 2-1 Hill lead. MOM Brian Ball then made a sensational threaded pass through to Williams and he scorched a shot past Higgins for his 10th goal of the season. Hill was forced to bring Andrew Evans off with an injury and Matthew O'Neill filled in ably as he made several key saves through the rest of the second half to foil the comeback hopes of the home side.

"Excellent effort- and I can't say enough about the composure that Matthew O'Neill showed after he came on for Evans," said a pleased Heartwood.

"It was the kind of opportunistic offense we have been instilling in them all year- Manchester City had more chances, but we made better things happen with ours," commented Pearson.

"A little costly in the injury department though, as now both Sullivan and Evans will miss the remainder of the season."

"That's too bad for both of them- they both had really started playing well of late."

[Faramir]

27.4.13

West Ham Wins Over Hill

The many missed scoring chances were the hallmark of Harrow Hill's 1-0 loss to West Ham at Larksfield Road. West Ham's MOM Dave Kennedy took advantage of a poor headed clearance by Jon Burns to rifle a 25 yard shot past Dean Mitchell into the Hill goal midway through the first half for the lone goal of the match. Hill worked hard to try and equalize, but found Dave Dodd impossible to solve today. Losing Lee Williams to injury early in the second half put a real crimp in the Hill offensive effort as Martin Clark was being closely marked. Craig Briggs had three excellent scoring chances in the second half, but failed to convert any of the three as Dodd completed the clean sheet and the win.

"We gave ourselves the chance to get a better result, but the lack of finishing doomed us today," stated Pearson.

"I thought we did give a good effort defensively and showed flashes on offense- but you're right, it was the lack of coming up with the big goal that finished us," agreed Heartwood.

***

1.5.13

"That's wonderful news Bob," said a happy Heartwood.

"Not only did Jimmy 'Silk' Sullivan win the Player of the Month honour, but Richard Murray was the runner-up. Brian Ball received the Young Player of the Month award and Lee Williams was runner-up to him," said a delighted Pearson.

"It is great to see our youngsters getting recognition at this level of play."

[timpino]

woho west ham wins!

how are you faring in the league?

are you able to reach that 8th spot i guessed you would?