HORSHAM 1 HARROW BOROUGH 0

HORSHAM:
1.Alan Mansfield 2.Tom Graves 3.Stuart Myall 4.Eddie French 5.Kevin Hemsley 6.Lee Carney 7.Jacob Mingle 8.Lewis Taylor 9.Simon Austin (Farrell) 10.Carl Rook 11.Nigel Brake Subs: 12.Lee Farrell 14.Andy Howard 15.Yinka Salaam16.Steve Davies 17.Rob Frankland
Scorers: Mingle (15)

HARROW BOROUGH:
1.Gary Ross 2.Gary Meakin 3.Matthew Hislop 4.Wayne Walters (McGonigle) 5.Mick Burton 6.Bobby Highton 7.Robin Shroot 8.Jamie Lawrence 9.Byron Harrison (Hill) 10.Daniel Leech 11.Albery Adumah Subs: 12.Danny McGonigle 14.Charlie Hill 15.Jonathan Constant 16.Rocardo Josephs 17.Kuasi Frempong

reporter: Mark Wells

Horsham edged to a first ever Isthmian League victory over Harrow Borough thanks to Jacob Mingle's 7th goal of the season, an exquisite free-kick after just 15 minutes, but this was a less than inspired performance from John Maggs' side that would have given any watching scouts from Swansea little to fear ahead of next week's FA Cup second round tie.

The Hornets' boss has said that he is more interested with promotion than his side's FA Cup successes and, from that perspective, he would have been delighted to end two successive league defeats with this narrow victory over the Middlesex club - their first in any meeting between the sides since 1969. But he is sure to demand an improved performance in Friday's televised clash after a display punctuated with poor control and misplaced passes almost let the visitors take a deserved share of the points.

Maggs' plans were hampered before the kick-off when Paul Seuke was sent home suffering from 'flu, Alan Mansfield returning to the side before his one match ban. With Gary Charman suspended following his sending off against Maidenhead United, Nigel Brake was pushed in to a forward role with Stuart Myall taking the lft-back berth. For Harrow, beaten 6-2 by Harlow Town the previous Saturday, AFC Wimbledon loanee Robin Shroot was to provide the invention from midfield while their attacking threat would come from former Boreham Wood striker Byron Harrison, scorer of two goals on his previous appearance at Queen Street back in April, and the experienced Jamie Lawrence who includes Grimsby Town, Walsall and Bradford City amongst his former clubs.

Harrow began the game brighter and, attacking the car park end of the ground, they forced three early corners in quick succession, none of which were dealt with with much conviction by the Horsham rearguard. But it was Lee Carney, star of Horsham's last home match against Maidenhead, who had the game's first real chance when some incisive passing between Mingle and Carl Rook created an opening for the shaven headed midfielder but Mick Burton's sliding challenge diverted the ball behind for a corner.

Carney was heavily involved in the opening goal, just four minutes later, when his determined run was halted illegally by  Matthew Hislop on the edge of the visitors' penalty box and Mingle stepped up to curl the ball past the wall and inside Ross' left-hand post with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. Within minutes of the restart, Mingle turned provider when he brushed aside challenges from Bobby Highton and skipper Wayne Walters to release Rook but Horsham's leading scorer spooned the bobbling ball high over the top of goal with just Ross to beat. Harrow tried to respond through the industrious Shroot but his good work was frequently undone by some ineffective control and distribution from his new colleagues.

Harrow lost Walters to what appeared to be an ankle injury but the visitors, temporarily down to ten men, almost forged an equaliser when Shroot's weak corner was returned in to the box by Highton and Harrison rose ahead of Mansfield but only succeeded in guiding his header over the gaping goal. Carney was inches away from scoring the latest in Horsham's repertoire of thrilling goals when Brake's pace took him away from Gary Meakin to send in a cross to the far post where the unmarked Carney elected to shoot first time, sending the ball skimming over the crossbar. Numerical parity was restored after  27 minutes when Walters was unable to return so Danny McGonigle was sent on as his replacement and Harrow almost found themselves level when Albert Adumah sent a left-footed shot across the face of goal. A poor touch from Carney wasted a promising Horsham move but it was the referee's whistle that denied the hosts when Carney converted Simon Austin's flick only to be pulled up for a foul on Highton by Rook.

Persistence by Shroot earned his side a corner, five minutes from the break, from which Adumah's deep cross was headed goalwards by McGonigle and a backpedalling Mansfield did well to palm the ball away from under his crossbar under pressure from an opponent. Horsham fashioned one further half chance before the interval, when Austin's sweet control and turn was blocked by Burton, but their supporters feared the worse when, on the stroke of half-time, Highton's reckless challenge through the back of Carney left the Horsham man in a heap on the floor while referee Williams brandished the yellow in the direction of the errant defender.

H/T Horsham 1 Harrow Borough 0

With Carney having shaken off his knock in time for the second half the visitors' goal received a huge let-off, five minutes after the restart, when Brake took the ball beyond Meakin before cutting it back across the face of goal where neither the outstretched boot of Rook nor Austin could convert from close range. However, despite the promising start, play was becoming disjointed with Horsham yet to find their rhythmn against their hard working opponents and, when Adumah broke free of the challenges of Myall and French, Mansfield was called upon to make a good low save at his near post. Harrow were awarded another corner and, from the resultant kick, Mansfield was beaten to the cross by Burton whose header landed invitingly for Harrison but the striker somehow contrived to send his bicycle kick over the top from a few yards out.

The home fans' frustrations at their side's lack of cohesion was shared by Rook, who picked up a booking for dissent, before Maggs decided to try and liven things up with the introduction of Lee Farrell in place of Austin. Yet it was Harrow who continued to look the more likely to score and a firmer contact by Lawrence might have produced a greater result from Shroot's knock down, the ball guided tamely back to Mansfield. Shroot entered Mr Williams' notebook for speaking out of turn and a free-kick conceded by Meakin gave Myall the chance to pick out Rook who stole in behind the defence but could only clip the ball in to Ross' palms from a tight angle. At the other end, only French's timely challenge on the marauding Adumah prevented the tricky number eleven from testing Mansfield and a teasing cross from Brake was touched behind with Farrell lurking inside the six yard box.

Rook dragged a shot past the far post, after being the recipient of a fortunate ricochet, and Adumah was equally as profligate for Harrow as he fired a volley high and wide from Meakin's cross. Charlie Hill, a second half replacement for Harrison, did well to create a shooting opportunity that drew an uncomfortable save from Mansfield and it seemed like it was a case of when, and not if, the equalising goal would come as Horsham continued to concede cheap possession in all areas of the pitch. With many of the home team looking as if they were going through the motions, it was left to Brake to show them the way forward with a 50 yard run towards his own goal to dispossess Hill before racing back up the line to receive a pass from Myall only to overrun the ball on the Harrow goal line to bring appreciative applause from the fans. As the game began to peter out, Hislop and Farrell were booked after squaring up to each other by the corner flag to provide a scrappy conclusion to a generally scrappy contest.

NEXT MATCH: v Swansea City (H) Friday 30th November ko 7.45pm