Grier's Guide to Harlow
When: Saturday 9th March 2019, 3.00pm kick-off.
The town: Although a small village in Harlow dates back to the Domesday Book, it traces its modern history to the period immediately after WW2 when it was one of a number of new towns built to alleviate overcrowding in London. It was the first town in Britain to have a pedestrianised town centre and also features the country's first modern residential tower block, built in 1951.
Where: Elizabeth Way, Harlow, CM19 5BE. A modern, out-of town ground with a 3G playing surface. It has a decent main stand and a good, covered terrace on the far side of the pitch, although little behind either goal.
Directions: A fairly simple 40 minute train ride from Liverpool Street to Harlow Town, or it may be quicker to pick the train up from Seven Sisters which is also on the Victoria Line. When you arrive in Harlow it's then a 1.4 mile walk along a fairly busy A road, so you might want to get a taxi to the ground. By road it's almost directly opposite Kingston across London and might take around two hours, depending on M25 traffic.
Our record there: Ks grabbed a 1-0 win last season through a late, long-range effort from Andre McCollin but had to work hard for it after struggling to capitalise on the hosts going down to ten men early on. The previous season it was Harlow who got the late winner as Tommy Williams' Ks side made a stuttering start to the season.
Recent form: Three straight defeats at time of writing including a 9-1 hammering at Worthing have seen Harlow slip back into the relegation zone. They've had some good results as well though since Christmas, in particular an impressive 2-1 win over Haringey that ended Borough's run of 14 league games unbeaten. Back in October we beat Harlow 7-0 at King George's Field but they needn't worry too much - such has been our player turnover that of the 14 we used in that game, only Rob Tolfrey and Louie Theophanous featured last week at Brightlingsea.
Players to watch: Matthew Foy, a forward on loan from Cambridge, hit two braces in a week in early February. Former Ks man Paul Rodgers is a key part of the Harlow defence and Ks fans might have been looking forward to seeing our former winger Nathan Koranteng in action as well but he's recently departed for Waltham Abbey.
Crowd: Averaging only 240 but their fans can make a bit of noise from the covered terrace on the far side of the pitch.
Drinking: No pubs close to the ground but the Greyhound, close to the station in Harlow Town Park, is pleasant - particularly when the weather is good enough to sit outside.
Food: Not a lot around the ground but Spurriers House Cafe, also in the park, is a five minute walk from the station and offers sandwiches, burgers, cake and more.
