Wealdstone 2 – 2 Harlow Town
Wealdstone2 - 2
Harlow TownHarlow Stalemate..
The fourth match in seven days for a number of the Wealdstone players, and frankly it showed in a first half where neither side showed much invention. It was only better than Saturday’s first half because there was less wind and the pitch was a little flatter.
The second half saw a little more purpose and width from both sides, and this was enough to allow Stones to force Harlow back and create the first goal on 58 minutes. Tilbury and Jones each had shots blocked before the ball fell kindly to Holmes, to score his fifth in three games, calmly placing the ball wide of the keeper.
The lead only lasted for two minutes however, as Joyce made an error and gave away a free kick in recovering. The kick was cleared off the line by Burgess but only as far as Gray who headed the equaliser.
Stones had the better chances for the next twenty minutes or so, the best of these saw Jones shoot wide with only the keeper to beat and Morgan was also unlucky when good skill earnt him a shooting position.
Jones it was however that broke the deadlock when another ball ‘over the top’ saw him outpace the Harlow defence and this time he shot low and hard past the keeper to give Stones the lead on 80 minutes.
Stones fans were aggrieved as injury time started when Lamb was blocked in the box, only for the Referee to signal an indirect free kick which came to nothing, but minutes later the feeling worsened when in a similar challenge, Reeve was adjudged to have fouled Salmon who fell and the penalty was awarded. Samuel scored from the spot to leave the final score 2-2. Later both players commented that there was no contact.
Honest Opinion? A draw was probably a fair result in this battle between two tired sides, but on another day three points would have been safe.
Wealdstone: Watts, Joyce, Burgess, Amarteifio, Reeve, Lamb, Carter, Jones (b75, 80, s80 Walker, b89), Alexander (s57 Morgan), Holmes (55), Tilbury, Sub not used: Norman