Saturday 28th December 2024, Kick-off 15.00
Southern League Premier Division Central
Bowden Park, Market Harborough
Admission: £12.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 404
A match report from a Harborough perspective can be read by clicking here , also copied and pasted below
And from a Leiston perspective by clicking here , also copied and pasted below.
Bees hit four in last game of twenty-twenty-four
Harborough Town 4 Stephens (10’), Rose (55’), Kennedy (86’), Carta (89’)
Leiston FC 0
Harborough Town were well worth the three points, scoring four and keeping a clean sheet versus Leiston in foggy conditions at the Community Football Ground.
After a flurry of early corners for both sides, it was Ben Stephens’ who chested the ball down and fired past William Johnson in the Leiston goal from close range after a lofted ball from Alex Morris on 10 minutes. Stephens’ almost doubled the lead shortly after but his side foot shot was comfortably saved. Fellow striker Luis Rose forced Johnson in to a full length save midway through the first half and was on hand again to thwart Rose this time one-on-one after an exquisite reverse through-ball from Dan Cooper.
Harborough doubled their advantage early in the second half as Luis Rose held up the ball in the middle of the park and whilst holding off two defenders fed the ball into the path of a marauding Ben Starkie who returned the favour by crossing for Rose to prod home. Rose’s fourth attempt on goal was an ambitious side bicycle kick was equally saved in acrobatic style by the Leiston keeper. Midway through the second half and a second yellow for Cameron Rayworth reduced the visitor down to ten. As the game wore on and looking to exploit the man advantage Jutorre Burgess received the ball on the edge of his own box and ran at the Leiston defence and somehow Johnson, whilst diving to his right, stuck out his left hand to parry Burgess’ shot away. Starkie continued to be the architect of the afternoon breaking over halfway and tormenting the visiting defence before delivering a cross that found Rhys Hilton who has his shot well saved but Connor Kennedy was on hand to powerfully finish. And into injury time Dan Cooper deep down the right-hand side fires a low cross which Kennedy dummies and there is Joel Carta, back from his lengthy injury lay-off, to fire the ball sweetly into the top corner to make it four.
MOTM: Connor Kennedy (HTFC)
Match Rating: 5*
Blues leave Harborough well beaten with late goals compounding scoreline
Michael Bacon
LEISTON suffered their heaviest league defeat of the season just two days after recording their biggest league win of the campaign, after going down 0-4 at Harborough Town.
The Blues, who produced a Christmas cracker of a performance to beat Lowestoft Town 7-2 on Boxing Day, found themselves 0-1 down at Harborough in under 10 minutes.
And, despite playing some good football and creating chances, they couldn’t break through, the home side netting again just after the break.
When Cameron Rayworth saw red for a second yellow moments later the Blues were down to 10 and two late Harborough goals sealed the deal for the homesters.
In what is a ridiculously tight division the Blues slipped a place to ninth ahead of the New Year’s Day clash at Royston. Leiston went into the game missing both Fraser Alexander (injured) and George Quantrell (ill) but welcomed back Eddie Jackson after an injury lay-off. Club captain Seb Dunbar was again on the bench as he continues his recovery from injury.
In a game of nine bookings and one red the game rarely flowed as Leiston midfielder Albie Armin admitted afterwards.
“It didn’t go the way we planned,” he said. “A couple of strong tackles in the first half, including myself, saw bookings and then everyone was playing on eggshells.
“But if we look at it, we go to Royston on New Year’s Day, pick up a win and that’s nine points from 12 which the gaffer kept telling us will be a good place to be. It’s a bad loss but we can’t dwell on it for too long.”
Rossi Jarvis headed away an early free kick for the Blues and Ben Fowkes was back in the box to clear the resultant corner. Leiston’s first real chance came on seven minutes when Jamar Loza and Ollie Saunders linked up well but Armin headed the corner just wide.
Two minutes later, Harborough took the lead. Leiston didn’t deal with a ball into the box and Ben Stephens shot home after controlling well at an angle into the roof of Billy Johnson’s net to give the home side the lead.
Fowkes forced Elliott Taylor into a save three minutes after the restart, and Johnson was then called into action, saving from Stephens and also getting off his line to beat Connor Kennedy after a through ball.
Johnson saved brilliantly from Stephens on 34 minutes as the home side went into the break a goal up.
The second half took a little while to get going and it was Johnson who had to be quick off his line on 51 minutes to stop a Harborough attack.
Leiston blocked a Starkie shot on 53 minutes but a minute later Harborough doubled their lead when the dangerous Starkie dribbled at the Blues defence on the left and crossed into the area for Luis Rose who made no mistake to fire past Johnson.
Johnson made another good save, this time with his legs to prevent a third, while at the other end, Taylor got down to a Fowkes'effort on the hour mark.
The Blues were reduced to ten men when Rayworth was sent off for a second bookable offence for a foul. Leiston created three corners in a row but from the third one, Harborough quickly broke up field and Johnson had to make a good save to keep out Rose.
Loza was close to pulling a goal back on 81 minutes after going past a couple of home players and bursting into the box but Taylor saved with his feet while a minute later, Dunbar’s cross evaded everyone.
However, it was Harborough who would seal the deal, as captain Connor Kennedy finished off a move on 85 minutes before sub Joel Carta finished well on 89 minutes to compound more misery for Leiston.
Full-time: Harborough 4 Leiston 0
The Blues now head to Royston Town on New Year's Day (1pm kick off).
Line-ups: -
Harborough Town: - Taylor, Cooper, Walsh, Dolman, Kennedy, Morris, Burgess (sub Hilton 70 mins), Robinson (sub Carta 83 mins), Rose (sub Sandhu 74 mins), Stephens (sub O’Sullivan 56 mins), Starkie. Sub not used: - Malone.
Blues: - Johnson, Rayworth, Saunders, Rossi Jarvis (sub Yun 69 mins), Clements (sub Batho 69 mins), Eddie Jackson, Hill, Armin (sub Dunbar 59 mins), Fowkes (sub Curtis 75 mins), Fatadjo, Loza. Sub not used: - Ryan Jarvis.
Attendance: 404
Blues man of the match: Billy Johnson
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