Another Harrowing Misadventure (Ages Challenge)

retired_destiny1124 · 05-27-2006, 03:40 AM

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7.10.06
Hill and Lewes Draw
Harrow Hill was left with another frustrating draw as they failed to score on visiting Lewes in their FA Cup 3rd Round Qualifying match at Larksfield Road. Hill's best chances were in the first half as twice Stephen Opaka got in free, but both times Paul Wilkerson came up with the saves. Lewes managed few chances in the first half and were pleased to still be scoreless going into the second half. Hill redoubled their efforts to get a goal in the second half, but Wilkerson was impossible to solve. Paul Catley, who had come on for an injured Karl Dryden, made the save of the match after Danny Smith sent a pass right to Emmanuel Omoyinmi right in front of Hill's net. Catley managed to parry the shot away to preserve the draw.

"Where did our offense go?" asked Heartwood shaking his head.

Bob Pearson replied, "It is there, but our finishing remains the big problem. We just aren't finishing the way we need to, to get better results.

retired_destiny1124 · 05-28-2006, 04:16 PM

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11.10.06
Lewes Brooms Hill
Lewes derailed Harrow Hill's attempt to move on in the FA Cup competition as they handed them a closely played 1-0 defeat at Dripping Pan. Lewes seemed set to take the lead in the early going when Danny Smith was whistled for a push in the area, but Craig Farr saved Nicky Skinner's penalty kick. Farr wasn't as fortunate when the Hill backline wasn't able to keep Emmanuel Omoyinmi under wraps and he drilled a blast in off the right upright at 21 minutes. Hill's poor finishing contributed to their inability to rally in the match. Matthew Hampson, Stephen Opaka and later Donovan Simmonds all missed sitters and left the entire Hill staff and bench shaking their heads at another close loss.

"Well, it is pretty clear Bob, we have to find someone besides Jordan Robertson who can score," stated Heartwood.

"Nobody has stepped up yet," agreed Pearson.

"We just waste too many good chances right now. Unless we start taking better advantage- this will be a long season."

retired_destiny1124 · 05-30-2006, 05:00 AM

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14.10.06
Hill Avalanche Crushes Altrincham
Harrow Hill took advantage of both good fortune and good play as they demolished struggling Altrincham 3-0 at Larksfield Road. After a couple close calls that were saved by Richard Acton, it was Lee Sawyer's long centering pass that sailed over Acton into the net to give Orient a lead on the fluke goal. With the lead, it was all Alan Wilkins as the talented 16 year old put the sword to the Altrincham backline. A quick pass from Jordan Robertson was enough to spring Wilkins to rocket a shot past Acton. Less than 10 minutes, it became a brace for Wilkins as he took a sweeping pass from Sean Coburn and made a terrific move around Acton before firing the ball into the open goal. With the 3-0 halftime lead, Hill played a conservative second half in helping Craig Farr put up another clean sheet in the 3-0 win.

"A bit lucky, but I will take the win," said a pleased Heartwood.

"Wilkins showed us something today, I hope we can keep him in the future."

"Me too."

retired_destiny1124 · 05-31-2006, 11:04 AM

20.10.06

"I thought we needed another physio, so I went looking and found Steve Devine to assist in there," stated Heartwood.

"Is he any good?" queried Pearson.

"I think so. He interviewed well and Mark Leather thought well of him and that they could get along with no problems."

"Any help he can give us on the injury front will be a blessing."

***

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28.10.06
Daggers and Hill Battle to Draw
In a match that featured a bit of everything it was appropriate that the two sides came away splitting the points from a 1-1 draw at Glyn Hopkin Stadium. Hill struck for the lead midway through the first half when skipper Sean Coburn struck a scorching 25 yard free kick that hooked inside the left post past Tony Roberts. Dag & Red received the wake up call and took control of the remainder of the first half. They managed to equalize when Craig Farr made an uncharacteristic bad decision and sent a pass to Nicky Hawkins. Craig Moore was right on Hawkins shoulder and took the ball away from him, before bursting in and firing a shot past Farr for his 15th goal of the season. The Daggers continued to hold sway over the match early in the second half as Farr and the Hill backline worked doubly hard to keep things level at 1-1. Against the flow of play, Donovan Simmonds- on for Mark Russell- appeared set to give Hill the lead when he picked up the ball after keeper Tony Roberts bobbled it to him. Simmonds missed the net well wide to the left to the heartfelt sigh of relief from the fans at Glyn Hopkin. Moments later it was bad luck for Simmonds as he made a beautiful chip shot over the stranded Roberts, only to see a crazy bounce take it against the crossbar and back out. Moore missed close twice in the late stages as both sides were relieved to hear the final whistle sound. Hill midfielder Pat Lynott earned MOM honours.

Heartwood shook his head, "I know I should be disappointed- Simmonds should have had two- but mostly I feel relieved."

Pearson nodded, "They really had us under pressure- and they had a lot of good chances."

retired_destiny1124 · 06-01-2006, 11:22 AM

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1.11.06
Hill Surprises Scarborough
Harrow Hill edged past Scarborough 1-0 thanks to a renewed effort in the second half of play at McCain Stadium. The first half featured plenty of excellent football from both sides as keepers Leigh Walker and Craig Farr kept things scoreless with their steady play. Hill's best chance found Walker smothering a shot from Jordan Robertson from close-in. In the opening moments of the second half Robertson demonstrated how much of an opportunist he can be. Paul Foot lost control of the ball and Robertson skinned him on the fly. Robertson and Alan Wilkins both broke in free on Walker, but Robertson took the ball around Walker and fired it into the open net for what would be the lone goal of the match. Hill defended with more determination after gaining the lead and Scarborough's best chance late in the half was John Mann hitting a screamer wide as Farr closed out the clean sheet to earn Hill a close road win. Hill rightback James Vaughan was chosen for MOM honours in the match.

"We may not have much scoring of yet, but today it certainly was timely," observed Pearson.

"True- and wins come from the combination we showed today- a timely goal and rock solid defense. I was really happy to come away with a win from this one."

retired_destiny1124 · 06-02-2006, 04:10 AM

2.11.06

"Well, David (Carns) was unhappy about losing his starting spot to James Vaughan. After that poor effort on his part in the Dag & Red match, I thought it was time to find him a new home."

"Who purchased him?"

"Ilkeston paid 2K for David. I thought it was a fair deal for both clubs."

***

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7.11.06
Hill and Cambridge Fight to Draw
Harrow Hill and Cambridge staged an entertaining match in front of a packed Larksfield Road crowd as they fought to a scoreless draw. There were chances aplenty for both sides in the match, though Hill had a bit better of the best scoring opportunities. Steve Dickinson had two excellent one-on-one saves on Jordan Robertson in the first half, while Craig Farr earned MOM honours for his fine work in the Hill goal in the second half. The tempo was frenetic as both sides attacked up and down the pitch for the entire match and the crowd awarded both sides with a standing ovation following the final whistle.

"I would have liked to have won that one, but it was another draw that was well and truly earned," offered Heartwood.

"It was a good match and we had our chances, but so did they."

retired_destiny1124 · 06-04-2006, 04:21 AM

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11.11.06
Vauxhall Brooms Hill
Vauxhall Motors took advantage of poor backline play in the second half of the 2nd Round FA Trophy match at Larksfield Road to fight back for a 2-1 win. Hill took the lead early in the first half when Lee Roache intercepted a clearing kick by keeper Ben Kirby. Roache slipped the ball to Aaron Burns and Burns drilled it in off the inside of the left post for his 1st goal at Hill. Hill looked comfortable throughout the first half, but couldn't build on the lead. Opening the second half, Hill came close twice but Kirby made saves on Burns and Roache. The wheels fell off at that point for Hill. Stuart Wall completely misjudged a looping cross and that left Jonathan Kitt an easy tap-in goal at the far post past Paul Catley. Wall then gifted the visitors with an ill-advised push in the area that earned a yellow card and a penalty kick. Mark Scotchford converted the penalty kick past Catley and Vauxhall had the lead. They played a determined defense down the stretch and though Hill had the possession, they couldn't get any good scoring chances and finished out the disappointing 2-1 loss.

"Bob, I have seen enough. Stuart wall is going on the transfer list," flatly stated Heartwood.

"He hasn't played well yet here..."

"He hasn't played anything other than terrible- in every chance he has had. It's time to move him."

retired_destiny1124 · 06-05-2006, 04:31 AM

16.11.06

"Well, you know I agree with the sale," offered Pearson.

"Yes, and your opinion was one of the major considerations in my decision to sell Donovan Simmonds. He just didn't seem to be adapting to our style of play very well. It was time to cash in on him."

"How much did Solihull pay for him?"

"9K. Not a lot, but not too bad for a free signing."

***

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18.11.06
Hill and Accrington Draw
Harrow Hill and Accrington battled to a scoreless draw at Larksfield Road in a match controlled mostly by Hill. Hill outshot Accrington 11-2 for the match, but was only able to put 2 of those 11 shots where they would trouble keeper Danny Alcock. The Accrington backline, led by MOM Peter Kavanaugh, did a nice job of closing quickly to pressure Hill when they setup chances in the area. Hill's best chance came late in the first half when Jordan Robertson skinned defender Leam Richardson. Robertson laid the ball off for Mark Russell, but Russell blasted wide of the right post on his unmarked shot. Accrington played the last 10 minutes of the match down to 10 men as Martin Smith was redcarded for last man takedown on Matthew Hampson.

"Our finishing was terrible today," sighed Heartwood.

"If we could only have gotten a goal- it would have been enough with how well we were playing in controlling the midfield."

"Still, at least we took a point away from the match."

retired_destiny1124 · 06-06-2006, 04:36 AM

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22.11.06
Forest Green Gallops Past Hill
Forest Green struck for a goal in the first minute of play against Harrow Hill at Highwood Stadium and made that goal stand up for the entire match as they defeated Hill 1-0. It was a nicely laid off pass from MOM Brian Smikle that Joe Paris was able to volley past Craig Farr to give the home side the instant lead in the match. Green used their pace advantage to keep Farr and the Hill backline under pressure the entire match and were unfortunate not to have more goals as they hit the right upright once and the crossbar once. Hill managed little offense in the first half, but generated a few chances in the second half. Nicky Harrison was steady in the Green net and kept a tidy clean sheet to help his side to a much needed win.

Heartwood was clearly frustrated, "Our offense disappeared again. We just have no consistency right now."

Pearson nodded, "We don't have a forward- besides Jordan Robertson- who has proven they can score. With our midfield also silent- well, that is why we are averaging less than a goal a game in CN play."

"It was a mistake to sell Robert Dickinson- clearly it was at this point- but without the money the club wouldn't be modestly well off. I will have to see if there are any decent forwards available that could help us when the transfer window reopens in January."

retired_destiny1124 · 06-07-2006, 04:26 AM

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12.11.06
Tamworth Tangles Hill
Tamworth parlayed a nice goal and a dogged defensive effort into a 1-1 draw with visiting Harrow Hill. Hill dominated most of the match, but had difficulties as they clearly were out of sync on the attack- wasting passes all over the pitch. Tamworth struck for the lead when Martin Paterson deflected a long cross from Peter Dean past Craig Farr midway through the first half. Hill came close to equalizing in first half injury time, but a loose ball was just beyond the reach of Aaron Burns with an empty goal awaiting. Hill finally evened the match when Jordan Robertson ran down a ball on the left side and laid it back for Tyrone Berry. Berry drilled his shot inside the left post past John Mohan to make it 1-1. Hill controlled the late stages of the match, but failed to gain the match winner and split the points with the home side. Hill's Jamie Chandler earned MOM honours for his steady backline play.

"Our execution is lacking Bob. We can not afford to waste simple passes like we did today," stated Heartwood.

"The thing that most disappointed me today is how overpowered we were. We lost possession almost any time they tackled us in their end of the pitch."

"Lots to work on. We desperately need a forward who can put the ball in the net."

"How about one of our youngsters?"

"I am trying hard not to pile too much pressure on our 16 year olds, nor do I really want them gaining too much attention at this point. We will have to muddle through for now."

Another Harrowing Misadventure (Ages Challenge)

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Another Harrowing Misadventure (Ages Challenge)