Ten-man Ascot draw 1-1
Ascot United drew 1-1 with Harrow Borough in a match low on quality on Saturday. Having taken the lead courtesy of Lui Edwards’ penalty, Ascot saw the visitors level and press for a winner after the dismissal of Ascot debutant Jacob Wilson, but a draw was a fair result.
This week’s revolving door had seen goalkeeper Kie Plumley outbound for Bracknell Town after a seven-game return for the Yellas, but Casper Orlowski made an inbound return having featured once in a clean sheet earlier in the season. Wilson was the one new addition in attack – Marlow most recently on his CV – but his debut would result in an early bath.
Harrow arrived in a similarly lower-half league position to Ascot, and it was clear that both sides needed points on the board even if the home side’s form in cup competitions had been respectable; and they came into the game off the back of a midweek county-cup win over Flackwell Heath.
Poor first half ends goalless
In a stale first half, chances came in pairs and with 22 minutes on the clock Lucias Vine’s unmarked header for the visitors went wide before Ascot went straight up the other end and Jaye Long’s curling shot forced an acrobatic save out of Trent Carter-Rogers.
Orlowski’s equally acrobatic save then palmed Olu Akinode’s cross-shot away just after the half-hour mark.
The best chances came in the 35th minute when Vine robbed Ricco Bullard-Jeffrey and squared for Gareth Chendlik to slide home – an offside flag thwarting the Harrow striker’s celebration – before Will Tomlinson’s effort deflected onto the post at the other end with Carter-Rogers beaten, also in the 35th minute.
Fope Deru’s effort from Cam Rohart-Brown’s cut-back took a heavy deflection to take the sting out of his shot in the following minute as Ascot threatened again, but it was unsurprisingly goalless as the sides changed ends.
Yellamen lead before being pegged back
After the break, the home side initially had more intent and only Harrow’s man-of-the-match Adam Kolli’s brilliant block denied Edwards after Tomlinson had flicked a header into his path.
At the other end, Vine should have done better than sweep over first-time from Will Bailey’s cross before Ascot’s man-of-the-match, Fope Deru, was crudely upended in the box by Carter-Rogers when he went round him in the 58th minute. Up stepped Edwards, and he rolled the resultant spot-kick just off centre-left to put his side 1-0 up (pictured, shooting-stars.co.uk).
Deru then teed up Bullard-Jeffrey only for Carter-Rogers to smother well as Ascot searched for a second goal, but Boro levelled in the 72nd minute through Reuben Collins’ thumping header from Bailey’s free-kick, this time delivered from the right.
When Wilson checked Vine for a second time in the match he earnt another yellow card and was dismissed with sixteen minutes to play, and after that it was only Harrow that looked like scoring.
However, they only had one real chance – and should have taken it – when Orlowski could only punch the ball as far as Alex Nolan in the 90th minute, but Nolan volleyed over a gaping net-first time from the edge of the area.
A draw was a fair result in a game neither side deserved to win or lose.
Ascot United: Orlowski, Bullard-Jeffrey, Rohart-Brown (Bassey 81’), Schutter, Tomlinson (Clarke-Salter 76’), Deru ( Amiri 90+4’), Allsopp, Edwards, Long, Dehghani (Uzor 70’), Wilson. Sub unused: Mboge
Venue: The Racecourse, Ascot
Attendance: 103
Weather: 15c, cloudy
Ascot United MOM: Fope Deru
Entertainment: 2
Away fans estimate: 15
One-word summary: Uninspiring