GCE Hire Fleet United Counties Football League
Reserve Division
Saturday 6th December 2025
Harborough Town Under 21’s 3-0 St Ives Town Reserves
Report – Josh Unsworth
Photo – MGK Captures
Harborough Town U21s produced a commanding all-round performance to secure a convincing 3–0 victory over St Ives, displaying fluid attacking football and disciplined defensive organisation throughout the afternoon.
From the opening whistle, the Young Bees looked sharp and purposeful in possession, enjoying long spells on the ball and carving out repeated openings through intelligent movement and crisp link-up play. Their midfield controlled the tempo with patience and confidence, frequently finding pockets of space between the St Ives lines, which left the visitors struggling to settle or build any meaningful momentum of their own.
The pressure finally told on the half-hour mark. Coen Hughes split the defence with a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Kekeli Fometu, who surged down the flank before cutting the ball back across the box with precision. His delivery found forward Zak Gillespie, who took a composed touch and slotted home to give Harborough a deserved lead.
The pattern of the game continued into the second half, with Harborough maintaining control both territorially and in possession. St Ives were restricted to minimal forward play, rarely troubling goalkeeper Alexander Fisher thanks to an organised and assured defensive unit in front of him.
Harborough doubled their advantage in the 71st minute with another well-worked move. This time, Saad Hamrad broke beyond the defensive line down the right, reached the byline and delivered a sharp cut-back into the box for Shaan Virk, who guided the ball neatly into the bottom corner to make it 2–0.
The goal of the match arrived just seven minutes later. Centre-back Thomas Hoey stepped out confidently from defence, spotting Hamrad’s run and firing an outstanding outside-of-the-foot pass straight into his stride. Hamrad needed no second invitation, taking the ball in beautifully before rifling a powerful finish into the top corner — a superb strike that sealed all three points in style.
After the match, U21s Head Coach Josh Unsworth praised both his staff and his players:
“Credit to my no.2 today, Carlo. He discussed changing our system to press St Ives super high and it caused them a lot of issues. The lads were absolutely brilliant today, from start to finish — we were in a real battle and the boys found answers.”
A dominant display, a clean sheet, and another important three points for an exciting U21s side continuing to develop and impress.