(1) 2

​​

​​​

(0) 0

501

​

Ollie Harrison

​​

D W D W W W W D L L

 

Stockton Town (H) 7.10.25

An injury-hit Hednesford side fall at the first hurdle in this afternoon’s F.A. Trophy tie as a goal in each half sees hosts Harborough Town through to the first round proper

Having exited the F.A. Cup to Billericay on Tuesday night’s third qualifying round replay, Hednesford manager Gavin Hurren faced some very difficult decisions with his squad ahead of their trip to Leicestershire as no fewer than nine frst team players were ruled out for various reasons; Simeon Maye, Elliott Jonson, Ryan Wynter, Joss Labadie, Joel Taylor and Ahkeem Rose all joined long-term absentees Rob Stevenson, Jacob Gwilt and Nathan Blissett on the unavailable list, meaning Hurren faced several challenges with his starting XI. Into the starting XI came Dan Trickett-Smith for Rose, Kieron Freeman for Maye, Niall Watson for Dan Turner and Jake Jervis for Taylor, with new signing Ollie Wilson - signed earlier in the day from Boston United - one of only two outfield players available to take their place on the bench alongside Ryan Brown

Southern Premier League Central League leaders Harborough were similarly heavily well-funded to the Pitmen on and off the pitch, sitting four points clear at the top of the league after an unbeaten start to the new campaign. Bees manager Mitch Austin made one change to his side from the one that had handsomely beaten National League North side Peterborough Sports in the F.A. Cup last weekend as Peterborough United's loanee winger Andre Changunda came in for his debut ahead of Dempsey Arlott-John. There were two familiar faces to Hednesford supporters in the Harborough ranks, with ex-Hednesford players George Carline and Riley O’Sullivan both starting for the hosts

​

Storm Amy had been wreaking havoc across the country over the last twenty-four hours, with a strong gusty wind blowing in from the south ahead of kick-off. The Pitmen looked to make light of their patched-up side as they used the wind behind them to make a bright start; Dom McHale made a driving run down the right in the third minute after playing a neat one-two with Watson and cut the ball back towards Jonny Edwards, who was denied by some timely defending from skipper Connor Kennedy

​

The Pitmen were looking to use the right flank for all of their early moves into the opposition half, with Watson and McHale looking up again in the fifth minute to set up Freeman, whose cross towards Jervis at the far post was cleared by the excellent Carline at right-back for the hosts

​

The away side's first real sight at goal came in the eighth minute as Tony Breeden's wind-assisted goal kick was picked up by Watson to the right of the Harborough penalty area, with the former Southport man turning well and striking a firm shot at goal that forced Elliott Taylor in the Bees' goal into making a save 

​

The portly Liam Dolman - a thorn in previous Hednesford sides for the likes of AFC Rushden & Diamonds and Tamworth over the years -  gifted the away side a great chance two minutes later as his untimely slip gave Edwards a chance to break into the Harborough box down the left, only for the goal-shy striker to fire well wide of the far post with an angled shot that failed to test Taylor

​

A minute later, McHale and O'Sullivan had a coming together to the left of the Hednesford penalty area, which handed Harborough a free-kick in a dangerous position. The pair engaged in a bout of afters before the free-kick could be taken, pushing each other and making gestures that forced referee Mr Price into showing the pair a yellow card apiece

​

The resultant free-kick from Brady Hickey was played into the path of Alex Morris, whose cross to the far post initially cleared by the Pitmen off the line by Freeman - he then made the fatal mistake of clumsily manhandling O'Sullivan as the pair challenged for the bouncing ball, with the former Welsh International clattering into O'Sullivan and forcing Mr Price into awarding the hosts a penalty kick. The masked Ben Stephens - another player with previous form against the Pitmen for Barwell - stepped up and confidently sent Breeden the wrong way from twelve yards to give Harborough the lead

​

To the fair to the Pitmen, they pressed Harborough hard in search of an immediate leveller and created a hosts of decent chances in the first period. On sixteen minutes, Edwards did well to hold off the attentions of Morris as he took Watson's pass into the box before firing in a low shot that skipped just wide of Taylor's left-hand post from sixteen yards out

​

On twenty-one minutes, more wind-assisted shenanigans saw McHale pick the ball up from deep and work it onto his left foot before trying his luck with a looping, dipping effort from long range that beat Taylor but also the crossbar as the wind took the shot over the woodwork

​

Despite holding the lead, the hosts were struggling to make inroads into the Hednesford defence as the men in red held firm. The patched-up Ollie Harrison - still sporting a head bandage after picking up a nasty head gash at Billericay in midweek - did brilliantly to come across and deny O'Sullivan on twenty-four minutes as he used his strength and power to good effect to snuff out a move from the Bees, nudging the ex-Hednesford strker off the ball as he looked to take the ball into the box and then holding him off before clearing the danger

​

On the opposite side of the defence, Chris Hussey was at his brilliant best to deny Stephens three minutes later as some alert defending from the veteran saw him intercept a looping Carline cross, control it well before showing some nifty footwork to take the ball past the striker and bring it out of his penalty area

​

On the half-hour mark, Freeman's throw-in level with the Harborough penalty area was headed back out to him by Morris, with Freeman's ball back into the box aimed toward Jervis but was headed behind for a corner by Dolman

​

Jervis should have done better with the next chance presented to him five minutes later as good play down the right from the Pitmen saw Freeman and McHale link up, with McHale's deep cross to the far post turned goalwards by Jervis; however, he failed to get enough purchase on his low effort at goal, allowing Taylor to make a fairly easy save at his far post to push the ball away

​

Jervis was sent clear of the Harborough defence six minutes before the break by a long, wind-assisted punt forwards from Jamie Morgan, racing clear of Dolman but slipping at the crucial moment on the 4G pitch and allowing the ball to run through to Taylor

​

Harborough finished the half on the front foot, with Harrison once more having to do some sterling work to deny O'Sullivan on fifty-four minutes, clearing the ball after Devon Kelly-Evans and new boy Changunda had linked up down the right and crossed for O'Sullivan on the opposite side of the Hednesford penalty area

​

The Pitmen had certainly more than held their own in the first half despite going into the break a goal down, having created more chances than the hosts in the first period but lacking a cutting edge in the penalty area for the third game in succession.

​

The second half was to prove scrappy and, put frankly, quite a poor spectacle for step three football as a combination of the conditions and some indifferent play from both attacks saw clear-cut chances at an absolute premium

​

On fifty-two minutes, the Pitmen allowed Joe Walsh far too much time and space to pick up a pass from Carline on the edge of the penalty area, with the former Leicester City midfielder firing well over Breeden's crossbar with another wind-assisted effort from twenty yards out 

​

Changunda was looking to impress whilst on his month's loan from Peterborough, making a forceful run down the left on fifty-six minutes as he cut inside Freeman and into the penalty area, but got his angles all wrong and pulled his effort well wide of Breeden's left-hand post

​

Shortly before the hour mark, Edwards picked up a pass from Trickett-Smith and turned well just outside the Harborough penalty area, lifting his shot over the head of Taylor but not getting enough purchase on his effort, which allowed the experienced stopper to make the claim

​

Midway through the second half, McHale and Watson combined to send Edwards away down the right, with the striker holding off Dolman's presence before sending over a low cross to the far post where Jervis just couldn't get enough purchase on the cross to turn the ball home, skewing his effort high and wide. Arguably, the closest the Pitmen had come all afternoon to a goal

​

With such limited options off the bench, the Pitmen waited until the sixty-eighth minute to make a change as Turner returned to the field of play as he came on in place of Watson to play down the left

​

The giant Morris and Dolman had dealt with the Pitmen's aerial presence well all afternoon long, with Dolman brilliantly heading away a Hussey free-kick into the box from the right on seventy-two minutes as Harrison - now sans headband - looked to get in on the action at the far post

​

With fifteen minutes of the game remaining, Harborough made their first change of the afternoon as the prolific Danny Newton - signed from Brackley Town in the summer - came on in place of Stephens

​

There was to be a change apiece with twelve minutes of the game remaining as Harborough replaced Hickey with Luis Rose, whilst the Pitmen brought Jervis off and handed a debut to 20-year-old Wilson up front

​

Rose looked to get himself straight into the action, picking up a pass from Stephens on eighty minutes as drifting in from the right before firing in a tame low shot that Breeden easily fielded down to his left

​

The Pitmen continued to huff and puff their way through the game, but very little was sticking for them in attack; Edwards was easily hustled off the ball by Dolman on eighty-two minutes as he looked to control a bouncing ball just outside the Harborough penalty area, leading to some angry words from the large and frustrated away following behind Taylor's goal

​

A minute later, Edwards managed to lay the ball off to Wilson, standing on the left-hand corner of the Harborough penalty area. The youngster's first-time shot lacked power, however, and was saved by Taylor at his near post with ease

​

Former Leamington striker Newton was also looking to make his mark late on for the hosts as he made a good run through to latch onto a Carline pass on eighty-six minutes, only to be pulled up for a late offside flag against him before he could slot the ball past Breeden

​

Rose went close once more for the hosts on eighty-seven minutes, drifting inside from the left and driving in a shot that took a nick off Harrison and spun just wide of Breeden's right-hand post for a Harborough corner kick

​

With a minute of normal time remaining, Harborough made their fourth change of the game as defender James Taylor came on to shore up the back line in place of O'Sullivan

​

In much the same way as how Tuesday night's replay had panned out, the Pitmen were hit with a late sucker punch as they tried to push for a leveller, with Rose grabbing Harborough's second of the game in the third of five added minutes; a superb ball into the feet of the substitute from Walsh played Rose in to the left of the Hednesford penalty area, with the former Anstey Nomads striker firing across Breeden with a low first-time shot from twelve yards out that found the far bottom corner of the net

​

With the game now well and truly won for the Bees, they could afford to make their final available change of the afternoon deep into added time as Ben Williams replaced Morris

​

All in all, a dismal afternoon for the visitors, who have been knocked out of both major competitions inside four days and without even a goal to show for their efforts in either tie. With the financial backing behind them and the weight of expectation on and off the pitch, there is simply no excuse now for the team to now fully concentrate on their Northern Premier League campaign from hereon in and push on for what you should expect to be a fair shot at the title. This starts on Tuesday night when Stockton Town make the long trip down from Teeside to make their first-ever visit to Keys Park, starting a run of tough-looking league fixtures for the Pitmen against many of the much-fancied sides in the division. It will be very interesting to see just how many of today's unavailable players will suddenly become available for Tuesday night, which will speak volumes about the appetite (or perceived lack of it) the club had for today's cup-tie

​

Harborough Town: E. Taylor, Carline, Walsh, Dolman, Kennedy ©, Morris ▆ (Williams 90+4), Kelly-Evans, Hickey (Rose 78), O'Sullivan ▆ (J. Taylor 89), Stephens (Newton 75), Changunda (Malone 83)      Subs unused: none

Hednesford Town: Breeden, Freeman, Morgan, Doyle-Charles, Harrison, Hussey, Watson (Turner 68), Trickett-Smith, Edwards, McHale © ▆, Jervis (Wilson 78)    Sub unused:  Brown

​​