Northants Combination League
Premier Division
Saturday 27th September 2026
Harborough Town Under 21’s (6) – (0) Rushden FC
Report – Jonathan Hulls
Photo – Andy Murdock Photography
Harborough Town Under 21’s: Alex Fisher, Corey Birch, Coen Hughes (Charlie King 5’), Tom Hoey, James Flint, Leighton McWilliams (Chulu Johnson 45’), Bakari Furbert, Cyprian Mtenga, Archie O’Donnell (Ollie Price 60’), Zak Gillespie (Shaan Virk 60’), Lovell Edwards (Jarred Rawlins 60’).
The Young Bees marked 12 months unbeaten with another commanding performance, recording a dominant 6–0 victory over Rushden FC.
Harborough made a fast start to the contest and required just five minutes to open the scoring.
Brilliant work down the left-hand side allowed Cyprian Mtenga to deliver a low-driven cross into the penalty area. Archie O’Donnell collected the ball and produced a perfectly weighted cut-back for Corey Birch, who smashed his finish into the net to give the Young Bees an early 1–0 lead.
The second goal arrived in the 17th minute following a Rushden corner. Harborough quickly regained possession and broke forward at pace, suddenly finding themselves with a five-against-three attacking opportunity.
James Flint picked out Zak Gillespie, who cut inside before curling a superb effort into the top corner, leaving the Rushden goalkeeper with no chance and doubling Harborough’s advantage.
The Young Bees continued to dominate possession and maintained their attacking pressure, with a third goal arriving on the half-hour mark.
Bakari Furbert collected the ball and drove forward, brilliantly dribbling beyond two Rushden players before sliding a delicate pass through to Mtenga. The winger made no mistake, confidently finding the net with a composed left-footed finish to make it 3–0.
Harborough added a fourth just two minutes later. Lovell Edwards found space inside the penalty area and produced an intelligent cut-back for Leighton McWilliams, who calmly slotted the ball home.
The Young Bees showed no signs of easing off as the interval approached and completed an excellent first-half display with a fifth goal.
O’Donnell found Edwards, who cut inside before firing a powerful near-post finish beyond the Rushden goalkeeper to send Harborough into the break with a commanding advantage.
Half-time: Harborough Town U21s 5–0 Rushden FC
The second half continued in much the same fashion, with Harborough controlling the contest and continuing to look dangerous whenever they moved forward.
The sixth and final goal arrived in the 55th minute as Gillespie grabbed his second of the afternoon. O’Donnell once again provided the creativity, slipping the forward through on goal before Gillespie kept his composure and calmly finished to round off the scoring.
Harborough remained in complete control for the remainder of the contest, seeing out the game comfortably and securing another clean sheet alongside an emphatic victory.
It was another impressive performance from the Young Bees, who combined intensity and determination with clinical attacking football to continue their excellent run.
The result also marks an impressive milestone for Harborough Town U21s, who have now gone 12 months unbeaten.
Head Coach Josh Unsworth said:
“I loved our intensity again today. We’ve really gone to another gear over the past couple of weeks.
The same desire and determination from the lads week in, week out is so impressive, with such young players showing the right attitude.”