Pitching In Southern League Premier Central
Tuesday 13th January 2026
Harborough Town (2) – (0) Stamford
Kamara (36′, 59′)
Player of the Match – David Kamara
Attendance – 504
Report – Ben Monti
Photo – Rob O’Brien
Kamara bags a brace as Harborough Town bounce back to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 win over bottom of the table Stamford.
In the wake of Saturday’s defeat away at table-topping Spalding, Bees’ manager Mitch Austin reverted to the more familiar back four that has been so reliable this season. The decision paid off as Alex Morris and Liam Dolman in the centre looked far more comfortable and resolute, highlighted by this season’s 12th clean sheet in the league. The tie saw the return of Kai Sanchez-Tonge to the Beehive, a player who fans won’t forget in a hurry, due to his goal in last campaign’s famous cup tie away at Reading. Rob Morgan, starting on the bench, also faced his former club, having made his move to Harborough from Stamford.
The visitors flew out of the traps, applying early pressure, and looking like a team determined to work their way out of the drop zone. The Daniels fired an early warning sign as Ryan Wilson picked up the ball on the halfway line and drove forward. The Harborough back line sat off, allowing the winger plenty of space in the pocket to run into and drill a reasonable effort just wide.
With Harborough looking slightly flat, the away side applied a high-intensity press, stifling the hosts’ ability to gain a foothold. An unfortunate incident occurred in the 8th minute when both skippers, Connor Kennedy and Harry Vince, well within their rights, challenged for a 50-50 ball. The two men swung for it, collided, and were forced off with what appeared to be impact injuries.
Leon Lobjoit making his debut for Stamford, had a couple of decent chances. First, he struck the ball from the edge of the box, an effort that flew whiskers over the crossbar. Then came a deflected header from a Wilson corner, which sparked appeals for a handball, though referee Luke Scott waved play on.
Former Bee Sanchez-Tonge almost got on the scoresheet from a fantastic floated cross by Charlie Marzano, only for Brady Hickey to intervene at the vital moment. The early Stamford pressure soon subsided, with the visitors retreating and failing to create any further clear-cut chances as Harborough grew into the contest.
At the other end, Harborough had a few half-chances of their own. Josh Walsh beat his man, dropped the shoulder and fired goalward, forcing Thomas Jackson into a smart save. Soon after, Riley O’Sullivan cut inside and saw his effort blocked, only for substitute Morgan to lash the loose ball straight at the keeper. Dolman then sprayed a long ball out wide to Walsh, who plucked it out of the air with the silkiest of touches before squaring to O’Sullivan. Letting the ball roll onto his left, the forward smashed well wide, unable to recreate the wonder strike from days earlier.
The breakthrough came on 36 minutes. David Kamara picked up possession outside the box, protected the ball well before shifting onto his left and curling low into the far corner with a sublime finish to put the Bees 1-0 up and settle the nerves. The goal injected life into an otherwise lacklustre game of football.
With half-time approaching and Harborough visibly buoyed, they attempted to turn the screw. Alex Collard just got in front of Kamara to intercept a whipped ball in from Morgan before another dangerous delivery flew in from the right, this time from O’Sullivan; however, there was no yellow shirt far enough forward to get on the end.
Making his way back from injury and coming on to replace Kennedy far sooner than expected, Morgan was withdrawn at the break having secured 40 solid minutes of game time under his belt. On came Terell Pennant, who made an immediate impact. The winger looked lively, dribbling past his full-back with ease to reach the byline before pulling the ball across the face of the goal. Again, the Bees’ forwards failed to gamble in the six-yard box.
Just before the hour mark, Kamara teased his second of the night. Hickey played a perfectly timed ball in behind the Stamford defence to leave the Daniels’ back line completely stranded, with Kamara one-on-one, acres of space and plenty of time. The striker looked as though he was going to round the keeper, but Jackson stood tall, forcing the forward to shoot agonisingly wide, much to the shock of those in attendance. A collective gasp rang around the Beehive.
Mere moments later, the loanee made amends, tapping home to put Harborough 2-0 up and looking out of sight. Austin praised Kamara after the game, “David was the difference, we’ve got a goalscorer who’s hungry.”
Five minutes later, Pennant split the defence with a through ball to Eliot Putman, whose first-time cross found Kamara with a gilt-edged chance to cap off his hat-trick, but his close-range effort was somehow kept out by the Stamford stopper.
The Daniels, void of ideas and creativity, allowed Harborough to slow the tempo, move the ball with calm authority, and see the game out comfortably. Happy with the team’s performance and response to the Spalding match, Mitch added, “I think we handled them really well. We kept possession unbelievably, and the lads implemented exactly what we wanted. It was a big test to see if there was any hangover from Saturday, but the boys were really professional.”
The result leaves Harborough six points behind Spalding with three games in hand. The Bees travel this Saturday, 17th of January, to another side battling relegation in AFC Sudbury, where Mitch and the lads will be looking to right the wrongs of the home fixture earlier in the season, which ended in a 2-2 draw.