Chatham Town 0-2 Harrow Borough - We didn't cause them enough threat going forward - Kevin Watson

CHATHAM TOWN  0-2  HARROW BOROUGH
Ryman League Cup Second Round
Monday 15^th October 2012
Paul Parkinson reports from Maidstone Road

Two goals, one in each half were enough for Ryman Premier League side Harrow Borough to knock their Division One North hosts out of the Ryman League Cup, but an inexperienced Chatham side were far from disgraced by the scoreline.


In the first half, all too often Chatham gave the ball away cheaply, allowing Harrow to apply pressure, with Alwayne Jones finding space in the area. Jones glanced a header wide from a Gary Burrell cross, then  fired a shot on the turn at Tony Kessell, after an intricate movement with Joachim Elliot.

Harrow thought they had taken the lead on 20 minutes as Elliot fired home, but Mr Finnigan’s flag had been raised against Jones earlier in the build-up.

Jack Jefffrey fired Chatham’s first effort wide, but the visitors’ took the lead on 24 minutes, with Elliot and Jones combining well to allow the former Tonbridge Angels striker a chance to place a header back across Kessell into the corner.

With new defender Lewis Hamill struggling with injury; he was replaced by Taylor McDonagh, leaving Ryan Laker as the senior defender aged 20, and Chatham boss Kevin Watson admitted: “Players need to manage the game more, take more responsibility, but our young back four really defended well.

“We didn’t cause them enough threat going forward. I think we lacked a bit of conviction. We need to make teams defend against us more; we probably didn’t do that enough today, and they made us defend.  Although we’ve conceded two goals we did ok.”

Watson added:  “The result mattered. We didn’t go into it light-hearted and we wanted to get a result, but it was certainly an opportunity to look at some new faces.

“Unfortunately Lewis (Hamill) didn’t last long, but he’s been training with us and he looks a good prospect. We’ll have to monitor him and his fitness. He’s played at a decent level back home in Liverpool, and just moved to the area. The injury was probably a result of not playing since he’s moved down, but he’s got his work priorities and got to get settled. For the short while he was on he showed some promise, which was a bonus.”

Into the second half, and Chatham, with Roddy N’Diane providing a more direct threat, created early chances as Matt Newman fired wide and Lee Hales curled a free-kick over the bar, before N’Diane latched onto a powerful Liam Hickey clearance, cut inside the area from the left wing, and drew a good save from Harrow’s Latvian keeper Elvijs Putnins.

Jordan Lawal brought a good save out of Kessell with a shot that bounced right in front of the keeper, but Kessell was left helpless on 85 minutes, as Harrow sealed the game.

Elliot teased Hickey on the right wing and slipped the ball into the overlapping full-back Ola Williams, who fired a shot across the keeper into the far corner.

Harry Smith had a header bounce into Putnins’ arms and Newman fired another shot wide from the edge of the area, but Harrow came close to a third as Jones raked a shot across Kessell’s goal in the dying seconds.

So for Chatham, a chance to return to league action on Saturday, at home to Potters Bar Town, and Watson said: “I think the league table will sort itself out over the next few weeks, but it doesn’t matter whether we are playing a top team or one from the bottom, we’ve got to make sure our performance it right.”

Chatham Town:  Tony Kessell, Ryan Laker, Liam Hickey, Matt Newman, Ashley Sains, Lewis Hamill (Taylor McDonagh 29), Jamie Lawrence (Rodrigue N’Diane 46), Lee Hales, Jack Jeffrey, Harry Smith, Garry Tilley.
Subs: Tim Roberts, Kevin Watson

Harrow Borough: Elvijs Putnins, Ola Williams, Garry Jones, James Burgess, Ruddock Yala, Danny Leech, Joachim Elliot, Jassine Fehme-Gil (Jordan Lawal 64), Alwayne Jones, Evandro Delgado, Gary Burrell.
Subs: Michael Peacock, Nicolai Tararov

Goals: Alwayne Jones 24, Ola Williams 85

Booked:  Danny Leech 60, Jordan Lawal 80.

Attendance: 89
Referee: Mr Adam Bakalarz (Bromley)
Assistants: Mr Elad Amir (Maidstone) and Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone)