Harborough Town 1 Starkie (26′)
Hitchin Town 0
Harborough Town’s great form continued as the Bees froze out Hitchin Town in sub-zero conditions to record their fourth consecutive victory. Despite possession being dominated by the Canaries in the early stages, it was the hosts who recorded the first meaningful effort on goal as Jutorre Burgess’ latched on to Luis Rose’s through-ball but saw his effort drag just wide of the mark. The young attacker would go on to strike the base of the post following another pinpoint Rose pass, but Harborough Town grabbed a deserved lead with their next attack as Ben Starkie was in the right place to fire home following blocked shots from Riley O’Sullivan and Burgess. Starkie looked to add to his and Harborough’s goal tally as his two drilled shots across goal put Stacey Sebastian to the test, but the visiting shot-stopper was equal to the challenge.
The impetus was on Hitchin to force proceedings in the second half as they chased the game and that was reflected in the pattern of play, with the Bees forced to defend as the visitors pressed for a leveller. The defence held firm and kept Hitchin at arm’s length throughout the half, with Liam Brooks coming closest to an equaliser as his rifled effort dipped inches over the crossbar. Harborough had their own chances on the break that they were unable to convert through Joel Carta and Rose as the score-line remained the same when the full-time whistle blew.
MOTM: Dan Cooper (HTFC)
Match Rating: 3*
Report by: Cristian Bratu