Margate 2-3 Harrow

Ryman League Premier Division

Hartsdown Park

Saturday November 15

Harrow 3

Dewayne Clarke, 27

Kurt Morlese, 61

Robin Shroot, 68

Margate 2

Mo Takalobigashi, 8

Kenny Pratt, 64

For the second week running, it was a great winning goal from young Robin Shroot that gave Harrow a huge three points and a second successive league win, this time on the Kent coast.

Kurt Morlese’s second half work against Dartford last week had earned him a starting place, and he was alongside Dewayne Clarke up front, with Robin Shroot and Jonathan Constant in support. Both sides have struggled this season, but had each won their last game. Spectators waited to see which side would make the early running and it was the hosts, with some fluent passing in the opening minutes. Although Clarke’s shot from the left side of the box was turned round by home keeper Mullin, it was Margate who took an 8th minute lead. The Borough central defence dealt poorly with a left-wing free-kick, and Takalobigashi, a thorn in Harrow’s side when with Maidstone and Ramsgate, had time to turn on the ball and score.

Andray Baptiste saved a shot from Wilson before Harrow began to settle. Ryan Watts played a clever one-two with Constant and forced his way into the box, bringing a good save from Mullin. A scramble then followed in which Morlese’s shot was blocked and Clarke, following up, shot down into the ground, the ball bouncing up and agonisingly out off the underside of the bar.

Baptiste saved a home effort when the Harrow central defence again went absent, but Harrow looked like equalising, and the leveller arrived after 27 minutes, Jamie Lawrence freeing Clarke in the inside-left channel. The lanky forward took the ball on before squaring to Morlese who turned it in from close range.

Clarke and Morlese were giving the hosts’ defence a range of problems and in the dying minutes of the half, Harrow might have gone ahead three times. First, Morlese hit a vicious strike on the run that Mullin pushed round the post. Then Morlese brushed off a challenge and got to the left-hand by-line. His cross was met by Shroot, five yards out, by the Northern Ireland Under-21 squad member’s header went over the bar. Finally, a neat exchange between Shroot and Morlese sent Clarke away on the right. Constant was only three yards out when he met the low cross but, under pressure from a defender, his attempt went over the bar.

Harrow would have hoped to continue where they left off when the second half began, but as at the start of the half there was some lethargy in their play. Baptiste saved after a home forward had forced his way past Lee Hall, and Danny Leech made a good block in another dangerous situation. Baptiste then tipped over a rasping angled drive by Quain.

With only a blocked Clarke shot to show for their post-interval efforts, Borough nonetheless took the lead in the 61st minute. A dropping ball found Morlese on the edge of the home penalty area, and he shrugged off a defender to fire low past Mullin’s left hand.

Morlese was denied a hat-trick when Mullin saved his over-the-shoulder effort. But just when it might have been the case that Harrow would pull away, Baptiste made a mistake in the 64th minute, coming to catch a cross but dropping it at the feet of Pratt, who netted easily.

Fortunately, Harrow shrugged off this blow and started to attack the Margate goal in waves. Mullin tipped over Shroot’s shot after Morlese won the ball, and in the 68th minute, they regained the lead. Hall’s free-kick from the edge of the box was blocked by the home team’s wall, but when the ball rebounded to the taker, Hall lifted it back over the wall to Shroot. The Ulsterman still had a lot to do, but chested the ball down superbly before turning to rifle an unstoppable shot past Mullin.

Shroot then had a clever curling effort well saved by Mullin, before he left home right back Corbishley for dead on the right-hand by-line. He laid the ball back for Bobby Highton, six yards out, but the midfielder fired over for the third open goal miss by Harrow of the afternoon.

But when they were only a goal up, Harrow could not feel safe. Bapitste was not enjoying his best 90 minutes in the Borough goal, and when he flapped at one of a series of long throws by Corbishley, he was relieved to see the ball rebound to safety off the post. However, having looked a little uncertain earlier in the game, the Harrow central defensive pair of Leech and skipper Wayne Walters held things together and ensured the three points headed back to Middlesex.

1 Andray Baptiste

2 Lee Hall

3 Ryan Watts

4 Wayne Walters Walters booked 87 mins

5 Danny Leech

6 Bobby Highton

7 Jamie Lawrence

8 Kurt Morlese

Kwasi Frempong 78

9 Dewayne Clarke

Josiah Hunte 90

10 Jonathan Constant

Daniel McGonigle 86

11 Robin Shroot

12 Daniel McGonigle

14 Kwasi Frempong

15 Tobi Jinadu

16 Josiah Hunte

17 Gary Ross