At the fifth time of asking, the Pitmen finally record their maiden win of the season this evening as they leave it late to come from behind to defeat fellow league newcomers Harborough Town at Keys Park

​

Manager Kelvin Davis was once again shorn of squad options ahead of tonight's return home, with Aaron Jarvis, Niall Maher, Joel Taylor, Jacob Gwilt and Jay Fitzmartin all unavailable for selection due to a series of short-to-medium-term injuries. There was one piece of good news for Davis on the injury front as the experienced George Williams returned to action after missing the whole of pre-season and the first four league games due to injury; he was one of two changes to the side that had started against AFC Telford United last weekend as he came in for Aaron Harper-Bailey, whilst Will Merry was rewarded for a bright cameo at the New Bucks Head with a first start ahead of Ahkeem Rose

​

Harborough - playing at step two for the first time in their history - had made an impressive unbeaten start to life in National League North, winning twice and drawing twice in their first four games. Manager Mitch Austin elected to keep faith in the same Bees XI that had started their 4-2 home win over Darlington last weekend, naming ex-Hednesford pair George Carline and Riley O'Sullivan in his side as well as the notable name of former Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough and Peterborough United striker Britt Assombalonga

​

In front of yet another blockbuster crowd of 2,500 plus at Keys Park, both sides made a cagey start to the evening's proceedings as set-pieces became an early feature of play at both ends. On six minutes, Sam Osborne's inswinging corner from the left was met by the firm head of Carline, who glanced his effort wide of Sam Hornby's near post as Williams did enough to put him off

​

Another Osborner ball in from the left in the ninth minute caused the Pitmen issues as they looked to clear their lines, with skipper Connor Kennedy attempting an overhead kick that was deflected wide for a corner kick once more. The Pitmen once again found it difficult to fully escape their own penalty area as Aaron Hayden's header fell to O'Sullivan, whose effort from the edge of the box flew wide of the target

​

The hosts had struggled to get onto the game in the attacking third, with Jamie Cooke playing a lone role up front up against two tall centre-backs in the form of Rory McAuley and Alex Morris. On eighteen minutes, some neat interplay in midfield saw the Pitmen open up the Harborough defence as Jai Curran-Nicholls played a fine slide-rule pass into the feet of Cooke, who was beaten to the through ball by the awareness of goalkeeper Solomon Taylor

​

Two minutes later, Osborne picked up the game's first booking of the evening from referee Mr Chell for a firm and slightly late challenge on Cirino as the left-back looked to clear his lines 

​

O'Sullivan created another opening for himself on twenty-four minutes as he picked the ball up on the right-hand side of the pitch, drifting inside before striking a low shot at goal from twenty yards out that Hornby did well to palm away down to his left-hand side

​

Dylan Mottley-Henry was looking to get involved down the right flank, making a forceful run past Elliot Putman on twenty-seven minutes and drilling in a low cross that skipped across goal and away from danger with no-one in a white shirt able to take advantage

​

More regular corners came and went for the visitors as they continued to test the flaky confidence of yet another new Hednesford defensive three - their third different starting defence in the first five games of the season. On thirty-four minutes, Osborne's dangerous corner from the left was cleared as far as Morris, who floated the ball back into the box where Hayden did brilliantly to get something on the ball and deflect it away from McAuley, who had an open goal in front of him at the far post

​

Three minutes later, Kennedy followed Osborne into Mr Chell's notebook as the ex-Kettering Town midfielder was shown a yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Dale Gorman, which left the midfielder in a heap on the Hednesford left and requiring a bout of treatment

​

The Pitmen's best chance of a limited selection n the first half fell to the feet of Merry on forty minutes; Harborough struggled to clear their lines from a corner kick, with the ball falling to Merry to the left of the Bees' penalty area. After taking a touch, Merry fired in a low right-footed shot at goal that beat Taylor but was cleared off the line by Putman

​

Hayden picked up what was to be the Pitmen's only booking of the evening on forty-three minutes as the former Wrexham centre-back was shown a yellow card for a crunching challenge on Prince Mancinelli on the Harborough left

​

In first half added time, Assombalonga went close for Harborough as he arrived late at the far post to reach Carline's cross but headed into the side netting from a tight angle

​

With mere seconds of the half remaining, Gorman finally had to admit defeat as he slumped to the deck once more in midfield and was taken off, replaced by Rose

​

This late substitution forced Davis into a half-time reshuffle of the ranks as he looked for more inspiration from his shot-shy side, who had defended well up against a big and strong Harborough side but had lacked much in the way of creativity and invention in the final third of the pitch as yet

​

However, the game's first-half pattern continued into the early stages of the second half as Harborough continued to play for set-pieces, whilst the Pitmen looked to play on the counter-attack. On fifty minutes, Cooke looked to make a run in behind Morris as Mottley-Henry tried to pick him out, only for an offside flag to go up against the former FC Halifax Town man before he could shoot

​

Harborough's set-piece aggression finally paid dividends on fifty-four minutes as they took the lead through Assombalonga's third goal in three games; a floated corner in from Devon Kelly-Evans was met by the big striker, who saw his header take a massive deflection off the back of the unsighted Cirino, diverting it past Hornby and into the net

​

Stung into action, the Pitmen looked to play on the front foot through the likes of Merry and Cooke on the counter-attack. On fifty-eight minutes, Merry showed more of his neat footwork as he came inside from the left after dispossessing Carline, drifting into the penalty area and shooting low at goal with a scuffed effort that made for an easy save for Taylor

​

Three minutes later, Mottley-Henry's deep corner from the right was met by the head of Langston, whose downward effort at goal was hacked clear by Morris inside his own six-yard box

​

Mottley-Henry was growing into the game with his runs down the right, making another driving run into the box and past Putman on sixty-four minutes before picking out Merry, whose driven effort at goal skipped inches wide of Taylor's right-hand upright

​

Midway through the second period, Harborough made their first change of the evening as Austin took off goalscorer Assombalonga and replaced him with another vastly experienced face in the form of ex-Wolves, Wigan Athletic and Northampton Town winger Michael Jacobs

​

Two minutes later, the Pitmen responded with an attacking change of their own as Merry - who had shown some neat footwork but had largely been on the periphery of the game - was replaced by Omari Sterling-James

​

There was a change apiece from the two sides with fifteen minutes of play remaining as the home side brought big David Abimbola on up front in place of Cooke, whilst Harborough elected to bring on former Brackley and Leamington striker Danny Newton on for Osborne

​

Williams had done well to last the course, having not played a single minute of action up to tonight's game, but was eventually replaced on seventy-eight minutes as Jamie Morgan came on in his place. This saw the Pitmen revert to a form of 4-4-2 with Morgan and Cirino lining up at fullback alongside Hayden and Langston

​

The change in formation had an almost immediate impact for the hosts as they suddenly found time and space to attack at will at a tiring and leggy-looking Harborough defence. Rose was a constant threat on the counter, surging into space on seventy-nine minutes and taking on Morris before scuffing his shot into the legs of the covering McAuley

​

Two minutes later, another good run from Mottley-Henry down the right saw him pull the ball back into the path of Abimbola, standing on the penalty spot. The teenager took a touch but was crowded out by the Harborough defence before he could get his shot away and the Bees could clear their lines

​

With time starting to ebb away, the Pitmen finally made their pressure pay on eighty-three minutes as a free-kick from Sterling-James on the left somehow found its way all the way through to Morgan at the far post, with the substitute's header beating Taylor and bouncing along the goal line before being turned into the net finally by Langston. Game on

​

Incredibly, the Pitmen turned the game on its head just two minutes later as the pace of Rose on the counter once more caused Harborough issues. Driving into the Bees' half, Rose took on the backtracking Mancinelli before unleashing a powerful rising shot from twenty yards out that dipped and beat Taylor all ends up before coming back off the underside of the crossbar. Abimbola followed the ball in and brought Kelly-Evans's attempted clearance under control before calmly sliding a low shot beyond the reach of Taylor and into the net from ten yards out. Cue beldam inside a delighted Keys Park, having seen their side on the opposite end of late goals in their last two games on the ground

​

Looking to run the clock down and protect their lead, the Pitmen made a defensive change on eighty-seven minutes as Harper-Bailey came on to add his physicality and height to the game as he replaced Cirino on the left. Harborough made their final change at the same time as Dempsey Arlott-John replaced Mancinelli in midfield

​

A first win in five moves the Pitmen up to the heady heights of fourteenth place in the table and continues their steady, if slightly uninspiring, improvement of fortunes during August. There is another quick turnaround of games as the traditional August Bank Holiday Monday fixture sees them travel to the North East to face struggling Spennymoor Town

​
Hednesford Town: Hornby, Langston, Hayden ▆, Williams © (Morgan 78), Cooke (Abimbola 75), Gorman (Rose 45), Mottley-Henry, Kinsella, Cirino (Harper-Bailey 87), Curran-Nicholls, Merry (Sterling-James 68)    Subs unused: Parke, Sharples

​

Harborough Town: Taylor, Carline, Putman, McAuley, Morris, Kelly-Evans, Kennedy © ▆, O'Sullivan (Malone 87), Osborne ▆ (Newton 75), Assombalonga (Jacobs 66), Mancinelli (Arlott-John 87)     Subs unused: Bello, Dolman, Powell

​​