Pitching In Southern League Premier Central
Tuesday 21st October 2025
Harborough Town 0-0 Stratford Town
Player of the Match – Devon Kelly-Evans
Attendance – 392
Report – Ben Monti
Photo – RB Media
Harborough Town were made to settle for a point on Tuesday night, playing out a goalless draw with Stratford Town at The Beehive in a match that offered plenty of effort and organisation but few clear-cut chances.
The Bards arrived on the back of three successive wins and began on the front foot, forcing a couple of early corners inside the opening five minutes. From one delivery, Kory Roberts headed narrowly over. Moments later, captain Lewis Ison struck from distance with real quality. His effort moved awkwardly through the air, almost catching Elliot Taylor off guard; however, the dependable Taylor managed to palm away. Henry Landers shone for the away side, dictating much of the play in the middle of the park, finding space and playing an integral role in linking the midfield to the attack as the visitors started with confidence. “First half, they caused us a lot of problems”, said Mitch Austin. “They had a lot of good movement and a lot of players who wanted the ball.”
The Bees began to settle through Devon Kelly-Evans, who looked to open the game up with his pinpoint diagonals to Dempsey Arlott-John down the right. The winger repeatedly beat his man and delivered dangerous crosses. Harborough’s best chance came when Kelly-Evans picked out Arlott-John, whose first touch freed up Danny Newton, who lifted his effort over, under pressure from keeper Jake Weaver. Meanwhile, the best chance of the half and the match fell to Finlay Brennan, left unmarked in the box with plenty of time, but he blazed over from close range with only Taylor to beat. Harborough created a couple more half-chances, with Alex Morris’s downward header from an Eliot Putman corner falling just wide, and Jutorre Burgess’s fierce strike from the edge of the box, drawing a fingertip save.
After the restart, the Bees initially played at a higher tempo, showing more intentionality with their possession. Newton pressed well to win the ball high up the pitch and fire wide before Arlott-John cut inside and unleashed a ferocious snapshot that Weaver kept out. Kelly-Evans, the tireless engine in midfield, relentlessly intercepted any potential Stratford counter-attacks, while also driving the hosts forward, looking to create an opening.
The Bards, happy for Harborough to have the ball, looked content to protect the draw and the clean sheet, defending the box effectively. Andre Changunda came off the bench and used his strength to break through on goal twice, but drilled wide on both occasions as Harborough searched for a winner. Constant time wasting from Weaver finally resulted in the shot-stopper being shown a yellow card deep in stoppage time. Austin said, “We had four opportunities that we didn’t take, and I was disappointed with the lack of clinical edge. We’ve huffed and puffed, but we lacked quality.”
After a couple of league fixtures, Harborough’s attention returns to cup competition on Saturday when they host AFC Rushden & Diamonds in the Isuzu FA Trophy First Round. Austin added, “It’s going to be a tough fixture. We will have to work hard; they will be here to cause an upset.”