Hayes & Yeading’s start to 2020 continued with mixed fortunes as errors at the back cost Paul Hughes’s side at Earlsmead with neighbours Harrow Borough completing "the double" over United.
On a cold January afternoon at Earlsmead and with the pitch itself not leaning the way of United’s passing game, we saw the ball spending more time in the air from both sides than we normally would in a United game.
In the tenth minute Michael Bryan sent Anthony O’Connor through towards the United goal, skipper Keano Robinson did well to track him allowing back-up ‘keeper Andrew McCorkell to get to the ball first.
With openings few and far between, the next one again went the way of the hosts on 17 minutes when Chinua Cole raced forwards on the left wing, his deep centre finding George Moore but his header was well over the United goal.
It was past the half hour mark when the visitors first notable effort made its way into the notebook. Gabriel Piorkowski collected the ball wide on the right flank and set it back to Afolabi Coker who tried his luck from 20 yards but his effort was too high.
Just four minutes later Borough were ahead. A corner from the right dropped to Jordan Ireland, his drive came back off one of his own teammates but only to Michael Bryan who fired low through the crowded box and under McCorkell.
United pulled level just before the interval mainly due to the tenacity of Manny Duku, the United striker chasing what appeared to be a lost cause as the ball rolled towards the bye-line, the United man sliding in to hook the ball away from the shepherding defender before looking up and picking out Hassan Jalloh and he fired home from eight yards out to send the teams in level at the break.
A positive change was made by Paul Hughes at the start of the second half with Piorkowski being replaced by Fumnaya Shomotun as the visitors switched to a back four.
Sadly an error at the back just two minutes after the re-start saw United fall behind again when Tom Scott fired in a low cross from the left corner of the box that all and sundry seemed to watch as it rolled past McCorkell and trickled just inside the far post.
In the run up to the hour mark United had two good chances to draw level once more. Coker fed the ball inside to Shomotun, his low drive was blocked wide by Lewis Cole and the corner that followed dropped to Jalloh on the edge of the box but his side footed shot was comfortable for home stopper Hafed Al-Droubi.
A couple of minutes later Williams received the ball on the left, his deep centre was met by Duku only for his header to loop inches wide of the target
Just three minutes later United were further adrift when a Cole corner was bundled home at the far post by Moore with McCorkell and his defence seemingly static on the goal line.
Five minutes later another shot from Borough’s Moore was comfortably dealt with by McCorkell and then with just over five minutes remaining United got a lifeline as Jalloh struck again, this time firing into the top corner from the edge of the box after excellent work from Williams on the left who beat three tackles before finding Jalloh.
Sadly for United the home side slowed the game and saw out the remaining time without any major scares so it’s back to the SKYex Tuesday for the first of three consecutive home games with Paul Hughes and his management team certainly looking for an improvement on the pitch.
Report by Kevin Watts.
United Man of the Match: Jack Williams.
