Another reverse for the K's
match report by Simon Grier
When Kingstonian beat Harlow 7-0 earlier this season it produced a sense of optimism around the club that has long since evaporated. It felt like a distant memory at The Harlow Arena as a Ks side with eight changes since that day lost 3-1 to a Harlow side who had made ten.
High winds made for challenging conditions on Harlow's artificial surface but it was the home side who always looked more on top of them. In the very first minute ex-Ks player Scott Davies fired a free kick over and then the home side took the lead on six minutes. A long free kick into the box was cleared only as far as Tom Hitchcock, who volleyed expertly into Rob Tolfrey's top corner.
The rest of the first half was quite low on quality, with Matthew Foy hitting Harlow's best chance straight at Rob Tolfrey, while for Ks Shaun McAuley tried his luck from distance a few times and Dan Spence got into a good position but his effort was saved by Marcin Brzozowski.
The second half saw both sides looking improved though and Ks quickly got back on level terms, Connor Smith scoring finding the far corner with a great effort from the left-hand corner of the penalty box.
An intricate passing move presented McAuley with a good chance but he fired over and Harlow put an end to a good spell for Ks when Foy led a counter-attack and finished confidently inside Tolfrey's near post.
Ismael Yukubu had the ball in the net from a corner but fouled Brzozowski in doing so and although lively debutant Lyle Della-Verde came close a couple of times, as did Spence once more, Emile Acquah might have wrapped the game up for Harlow but for a fine Tolfrey save.
Ks might have made them pay had Nathan Minhas been able to get on the end of a cross from substitute Chace Jacquart but he could not quite reach it and Hitchcock took advantage of a stretched Ks defence to make it 3-1 in stoppage time.
Harlow Town: Marcin Brzozowski, Jonathan Moanda, Yanick Kissi, Ugo Udoji, Curtis Ujah, Fabion Simms, Reece Price-Placid, Scott Davies, Matthew Foy, Tom Hitchcock, Obasia Uade.
Subs: Emile Acquah (for Obasia Uade, 77m), Drew Richardson (for Jonathan Moanda, 71m), Mayowa Adaje (for Tom Hitchcock, 90m), JJ da Cruz, Cabhan Clarke.
Kingstonian: Rob Tolfrey, Jonathan Muleba, Dan Spence, Aaron Lamont, Dean Inman, Ismail Yakubu, Lyle Della-Verde, James Kaloczi, Nathan Minhas, Connor Smith, Shaun McAuley.
Subs: Devonte Aransibia (for James Kaloczi, 65m), Chace Jacquart (for Shaun McAuley, 84m), Delano Sam-Yorke, Josh Kyte.
Goal scorers: Tom Hitchcock (7m, 1-0), Connor Smith (50m, 1-1), Matthew Foy (58m, 2-1), Tom Hitchcock (90m, 3-1).
Attendance: 167
