Heybridge Swifts 2 Harrow Borough 2

Harrow boss David Howell accused half his side of lacking the stomach for a fight at Scraley Road after they were held by struggling Heybridge for the second time this season on Saturday.

Borough, according to Howell, were unrecognisable in a second half display that failed to match their fine first 40 minute performance, with only several players pulling out all the stops while the others fell by the wayside.

Goals from Robin Shroot [2014] his sixth in a week[2014] and Gary Noel put the visitors in the box seat at the break but a second goal from Swifts' striker Neil Cousins denied Harrow a third straight Ryman Premier victory.

"We had a game of two halves syndrome," said the manager. "We played very well in difficult conditions in the first half but, as a result of that, I felt we got a bit complacent in the second half.

"At 2-1 we should have scored again but Heybridge equalised and it was game on until the final whistle. The balance of power swang their way and we just lost ourselves."

"Playing against the wind in the second half required us to roll up our sleeves and prepare for a battle. Only half my team did that while the other half didn't. They were told that after the game and will be told that again this week as we have another important game on Saturday. If we don't then we will get beat.

"This reminds me of last year where I had won the manager of the month award and we went to Ashford and got beat 3-1. The players were joking in the warm up and we took our eye off the ball and got punished. I cannot let that happen with this current crop of players."

Harrow missed influential midfielder Jamie Lawrence in the middle of the park and will be without the player-coach until the January. He suffered a nasty cut below a knee in in the midweek cup victory over Enfield, which required seven stitiches.

"I don't think we will see much of Jamie this side of 2008," admitted Howell. "The earliest he will be back is January. His experience goes a long way but it is time for people like Bobby Highton, Danny McGonigle and Kwasi (Frempong) to show they can step up to the table."

Daniel McGonigle took his place in midfield on Saturday while there were also recalls for skipper Wayne Walters and goalkeeper Andray Baptiste.

A Swifts defender headed against his own post as Harrow harrassed the hosts from the start with Walters and Gary Noel going close. They edged ahead after 33 minutes when, after McGonigle was hacked down on the edge of the box, Shroot sought permission from the referee to take the free-kick quickly. The match official agreed and Shroot powered home his shot past stunned Swifts goalkeeper Morris-Sanders.

Danny Murphy then saw an audacious 45 yard lob held on the line before the hosts restored parity in the 40th minute.

Swifts broke down the inside-right channel and Cousins fired an angled shot past the despairing dive of Baptiste.

However, it took Borough just three minutes to regain the lead when Noel bundled in the ball from close range after that man Shroot had bamboozled two Swifts defenders.

Howell's men should haveincreased their lead further early in the second half but after Tobi Jinadu saw his first effort blocked by team-mate Danny Leech, the burly defender blazed his follow up effort on to the bar.

That stung Heybridge into action and they equalised again after 51 minutes.

Defending too deep, Borough were caught out by the speed of Cousins, who raced away before slotting the ball past Baptiste.

The Swifts then laid siege to Harrow's goal but some stout defending kept the visitors in contention.

Nick Salapatas then made his Borough bow after replacing Dewayne Clarke and the former Wealdstone midfielder almost had an immediate impact, but his cross led to Noel's shot being deflected for a corner as the game petered out.

Harrow Borough: Baptiste, Leech, Murphy, Walters (cpt), Jinadu, Highton, McGonigle, Frempong, Clarke (Salapatas, 69), Noel (Constant, 84), Shroot.