GCE Hire Fleet United Counties Football League
Reserve Division
Saturday 13th December 2025
Wellingborough Whitworth Reserves (0) – (6) Harborough Town Under 21’s
Report – Josh Unsworth
Photo – MGK Captures
Harborough Town U21s delivered a dominant and highly clinical performance on the road, sweeping aside Wellingborough Whitworth Reserves with a comprehensive 6–0 victory to underline their quality and consistency.
From the opening whistle, the Young Bees set the tone, asserting control of possession and dictating the tempo of the contest. Their composure on the ball and sharp movement off it immediately put the hosts under pressure, with Harborough pressing high and forcing errors in dangerous areas.
The breakthrough arrived in the seventh minute. Cyprian Mtenga drove purposefully down the left flank, cutting inside before unleashing a powerful effort that was parried by the Whitworth goalkeeper. Lovell Edwards reacted quickest inside the area, showing great awareness to follow up and tap home the rebound to give the Bees an early advantage.
Harborough continued to dominate proceedings, circulating the ball confidently and carving out further openings as Wellingborough struggled to gain any foothold in the match. Their second goal arrived in the 28th minute following a swift counter-attack that caught the hosts off guard. Martin Tsvetkov was the beneficiary, finishing smartly with a composed strike into the bottom right-hand corner to double the lead and send Harborough into the break firmly in control.
The visitors showed no signs of easing off after half-time and resumed with the same intensity and discipline. In the 52nd minute, Tsvetkov turned provider, delivering a dangerous corner into the heart of the penalty area. Saad Hamrad rose highest above the defence to power a header into the net, extending the Bees’ advantage to three.
Just twelve minutes later, the link-up between Mtenga and Edwards paid dividends once again. Mtenga’s low cross from the left found Edwards well positioned in the box, and the forward finished confidently to claim his second goal of the afternoon and effectively put the result beyond doubt.
The fifth goal highlighted Harborough’s organisation and relentless pressing. In the 70th minute, centre-back Coen Hughes stepped in decisively to win the ball high up the pitch. Finding himself through on goal, Hughes showed remarkable composure to finish coolly past the advancing goalkeeper.
Edwards completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute. A perfectly weighted through ball from Shaan Virk on the halfway line released the forward in behind the defence, and Edwards made no mistake, rounding off an excellent individual display and a thoroughly impressive team performance.
After the game, U21s coach Josh Unsworth praised his side, saying:
“Today was the most professional performance I’ve seen. We controlled everything, and credit to the lads — everything paid off.”