Harrow Borough 1 Harlow Town 4
David Howell questioned the integrity of referee John Scott during his side's second heaviest home defeat of the season on Saturday.
Harrow, beaten only once in their last five league outings at Earlsmead, came unstuck against the same opposition they had dumped out of the League Cup just five days earlier.
And Boro' boss Howell believes his team's chances of avenging their 6-2 defeat to Harlow the last time they visited Earlsmead on league duties went up in smoke when Scott controversially awarded them a penalty just six minutes after Jonathan Constant's strike halved Harlow's early two-goal advantage.
"I'm very disappointed with the result," said the manager."The game was lost in terms of the conditions. We won the toss and decided to defend the wind but we didn't compete or battle with the elements as well as Harlow did in the second half.
"I felt we had a chance to get back into it at 2-1 but the penalty dashed that. The penalty was not intentional, but it is just one of those things whereby the officials are looking to give something so it looks like they are on the ball.
"We were under quite a bit of pressure and because we were unable to clear our lines we got a bit edgy and panicked. We gave away too many free kicks and invited pressure onto us.
"If we had got to half time at 2-2 I think we could have gone on and won it, but it did not turn out that way."
Howell said he would persist with on-loan Welling United midfielder Dorian Smith despite the former Tooting and Charlton Athletic youngster looking well off the pace.
"He has got the quality and we didn't see it on Saturday," added the manager."He has not started a game for quite a while but we will keep giving him a go,providing the games go ahead."
One player who did impress Howell was Jonathan Constant. The striker scored his second league goal in as many games and although he missed a penalty,he looked like Harrow's most potent weapon.
"He took his goal well and was probably our biggest threat in the second half," said Howell of his re-born front man. "But we're not doing too well with penalties at the moment. We took five at Hendon and missed all but one of them and JC missed one on Saturday. You can practice penalties all you like but nothing prepares you for the actual situation in a match."
After a tense opening Jamie Richards fired the visitors ahead after some hesitant defending allowed the skipper to round Laurie Walker.
Harrow failed to recover from that setback and found themselves further behind five minutes later as Harlow poured forward in numbers. Town striker John Frendo was afforded plenty of space and time on the inside-left channel when he unleashed a sublime volley that gave Walker,who had strayed off his line, no chance.
Borough finally awoke from their malaise,albeit briefly,when Danny McGonigle tried to mimic Frendo's wonder strike, but he pulled his attempt woefully wide of James Hasell's right post.
More Keystone Cops defending, epitomised by Dewayne Clarke stop-ping dead in his tracks believing he had been fouled, saw Frendo burst clear again, but his preference for power rather than placement caused his shot to whistle wide.Walker,diving to cover his near post, picked up an injury in the process.
Play stopped to allow Walker to receive treatment, and Harrow used the break to regroup.
Minutes later they reduced Harlow's lead through a silky move which involved several players.
Fine link-up play between Clarke and Kai Williams saw the latter whip in a wonderful cross to the far post, where Dorian Smith showed good vision and anticipation to head
the ball back across the face of goal. Jonathan Constant ghosted between two defenders and blasted home his third goal in five games.
And just when it looked as if Harrow were starting to get to grips with Harlow's expansive game,they shot themselves in the foot six minutes later when big Tobi Jinadu was harshly judged to have handled in the box. It looked as if the ball had bounced up off the surface onto his arm as he went to ground, but a lack of protest from both Jinadu and his team-mates over the referee's penalty award certainly did not help their case.
Harlow's dead ball specialist Mark Taylor hammered home the spot kick before Smith was booked for a
needless tackle on Leon Lalite in the middle of the park, as a forgettable half for the hosts drew to a close.
Howell introduced Ebenezer Masade and Gary Noel, replacing the ineffective Smith and Williams, in a bid to breath new life into his side.
Constant flashed a header just over the bar before Harlow wrapped up the points shortly before the hour mark. Frendo chased down a long ball before rounding the lame Walker for 1-4.
Confirmation that Harrow had given up the ghost came when Clarke latched on to a long punt from Wayne Walters before cutting it back from the by-line,however there was not a red-shirted attacker in sight as Harlow's defence mopped up with ease.
Constant, who at least showed some endeavour while the rest of his team-mates had already resigned themselves to defeat, then got some reward when Harrow were awarded a penalty,but the striker's spot kick was expertly saved by Hasell who stooped low to his left before Bobby Highton lashed the rebound wide of goal.
Walker was treated again after a late challenge left him in a heap, prompting Jinadu to take over his kicking duties.
And just when it looked like Harlow had fallen back into their comfort zone,Taylor crashed a wonderful free kick against the woodwork from 25 yards, which would have been no more than their overall performance deserved. [25a0] Harrow Borough: Walker,Leech, Dahl, Walters (cpt), Jinadu, Highton, Williams, McGonigle,Clarke,Constant, Smith.
