Emirates FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying
Saturday 19th September, 2026
Harborough Town 1 – 0 Rushall Olympic
(Jacobs 62’)
Report – Ben Monti
Photo – Rob O’Brien
Man of the Match – Michael Jacobs
Attendance – 580
Harborough Town edged past a resilient Rushall Olympic, 1-0, courtesy of a Michael Jacobs second-half goal to progress to the FA Cup 3rd Round Qualifying.
FA Cup fever returned to the Beehive, perhaps a welcome reprieve from league action after a somewhat mixed start to the campaign. With the Bees looking to reach the 3rd Round Qualifying for the third successive season and having failed to score in their previous three fixtures, the Boss made a couple of changes to the starting XI, most notably dropping Prince Mancinelli to the bench, with Michael Jacobs coming into central midfield. The Southern League Premier Central side turned up at the Beehive looking to topple the men in yellow, as the Bees found themselves in somewhat unfamiliar FA Cup territory, going from scalp hunters to becoming the potential scalp.
Jacobs was involved almost immediately, as the former Northampton Town man launched the ball forward within a minute of the start into a promising position; however, Britt Assombalonga couldn’t control it as well as he’d hoped. The visitors proved difficult opponents from the off, switching between a back four and a back five and keeping things super compact, making for a frantic first ten minutes as both sides tried to find their feet in the tie.
As both teams settled, the Pics fired a few warning shots, with skipper Liam McAlinden, fullback Carter Lycett and Luke Yates proving to be Rushall’s standout players. Multiple voices in the home crowd were heard saying “sign him up” in relation to Lycett, a testament to the left-back’s outstanding performance.
A quarter of an hour in, McAlinden glided through the middle of the park before sliding the ball into Lycett’s path, who curled a dangerous ball round Silvio Bello. Thankfully for the Bees, Eliot Putman, facing his own goal, was on hand to hook the ball to safety. Moments later, Yates played a stunning long ball from deep with the outside of his boot, rapidly switching defence into attack. McAlinden found himself on the end of it with space, but Bello stood strong to snuff out the danger.
At the other end, the Bees failed to unpick the Rushall lock, resorting to a flurry of crosses into the box from the left-hand side, two from Assombalonga and one from Callum Powell, but the resolute Pics back line held their shape, dealing with the deliveries routinely. When trying to play on the ground, Jacobs overhit a through ball that ended in a goal kick, summing up the hosts’ frustration.
The best chance of the half came just after the half-hour mark, when Yates and McAlinden combined from a short corner, forcing Elliot Taylor to get down to make the save as McAlinden drilled hard and low towards the inside of Taylor’s near post. Rushall recycled the ball back into the box, only for Alex Cameron to head comfortably over.
Lycett then miraculously kept the ball in, plucking a wayward Elliot Taylor goal kick out of the air, before playing a series of one-twos with his teammates until the Bees’ defence regained possession. A minute before the break, Lycett played the pass of the match. The fullback showed outrageous vision to pick out Yates unmarked in the box through a sea of bodies; however, Yates, unable to apply a touch worthy of the pass, allowed Harborough to clear. Seconds later, Yates found space in the pocket. This time his touch was class, volleying whiskers over the bar.
Within three minutes of the restart, Rushall created the best chance of the game. Yates drove through the middle before laying the ball off to Cameron inside the box. For a split second, it looked as though the Rushall man would slot the ball past Taylor, but the Bees stopper stood tall to make an important block.
Harborough responded, with Devon Kelly-Evans delivering a corner towards the far post that was just too high for anyone in yellow, before Jacobs tried his luck from distance. The midfielder was involved again soon after, floating a corner onto the head of Rory McAuley, who couldn’t direct his effort on target.
With the hour mark approaching and Rushall still frustrating, Mitch Austin turned to his bench. Sam Osborne and Riley O’Sullivan replaced Dempsey Arlott-John and Powell, swapping both wingers in one go. The changes had an almost immediate impact. Osborne’s quick feet started causing problems and, three minutes after coming on, the substitute laid the ball back to Jacobs on the edge of the box. Jacobs shifted it onto his left foot and took aim, with a deflection sending the ball looping over Oliver Taylor and into the net. It wasn’t the prettiest goal he’ll ever score, but after three games without one, nobody in yellow particularly cared.
Shortly after, a defensive error from Jordaan Brown allowed Osborne to break free, but Taylor matched his strike to keep the Pics in the tie. O’Sullivan was then clattered from behind by Osaze Okuonghae, who got nowhere near the ball before going down holding his head himself, somehow escaping without so much as a booking. From the resulting free-kick, Putman picked out Assombalonga, who met the ball first time but fired past the post.
Those sitting rose to their feet for a standing ovation as Jutorre Burgess replaced Assombalonga with the young Bermudian returning from a long-term injury. It didn’t take him long to remind everyone what he could offer, whipping a fantastic ball onto the head of O’Sullivan, although the forward got underneath it and sent it sky high.
Rushall almost levelled, when substitute Luke Benbow produced a delicate backheel into the feet of Brown, who shot agonisingly over the bar. Two minutes later, Okuonghae could only dink the ball over from close range.
Prince Mancinelli intercepted the ball, then sent Osborne on a galloping run towards goal. Osborne timed his pass to perfection, playing in O’Sullivan, who had plenty of time and space. A bread-and-butter Riley finish was to be expected; however, the forward lacked composure and lashed the ball straight at Taylor.
Burgess then produced a spectacular ball over the top for Osborne, who couldn’t guide the ball beyond Taylor, before the Rushall stopper parried another Osborne effort away moments later. Both sides huffed and puffed as referee Thomas Hales blew for full-time.
After the game, Austin shared his delight at progressing, saying it was a “big plus to get through… happy to get through,” while also sharing his sentiments on the competition and the club’s ambitions: “The FA Cup is really important to us. We want to replicate what we have done previously.”
Harborough Town (4-3-3-) Taylor; Bello, McAuley, Morris, Putman; Kelly-Evans (Walsh 75’), Jacobs (Mancinelli 81’), Kennedy; Arlott-John (O’Sullivan 59’), Assombalonga (Burgess 71’), Powell (Osborne 59’). Subs not used: Carline, Malone
Rushall Olympic (5-4-1) Taylor, McGlinchey, Okuonghae, Willets, Brown, Lycett (Anderson 87’); Alcock (Afful 73’), Teixeira, McAlinden (Benbow 73’), Yates (Concannon 84’); Cameron (Roberts 55’). Subs not used: Craig, Burton.
The Bees will take the goal and the much-needed win as they look to kick on in the league. Their fixtures don’t get much easier, though, with the next stop an away trip to Macclesfield. In the meantime, all eyes will be on Monday’s draw as we eagerly wait to see who the Bees are paired with.