REPORT: Harborough Town 1-0 Quorn
Quorn suffered a gut-wrenching last minute loss away to top of the table Harborough Town on a chilly September evening. Luis Rose scored the games only goal with a scrappy header as there were only 20 seconds of stoppage time left to play. Zak Goodson was sent off for the Reds after a 50/50 challenge with former Methodist Devon Kelly-Evans in the 14th minute, leaving Ryan Beswick’s side to battle away with 10 men against a formidable opponent.
An end-to-end affair was underway and the match looked set to be a classic heavyweight encounter between the two Leicestershire sides who entered the night in the top two places. The Reds almost got off to a dream start as the opening 13 minutes were played at a breakneck speed. Simeon Cobourne broke down the right and fired in a shot from a tight angle that Elliott Taylor got a strong hand to.
The match turned just before the quarter hour mark as Goodson received his marching orders. Beswick quickly reshuffled and changed the game plan in response to the new dynamic. The Reds were forced to absorb pressure from their hosts, limited to playing on the counterattack. The new approach almost paid dividends as Cain Noble shot across goal, seeing his effort go narrowly wide.
Harborough perhaps should have been ahead on the half hour mark, but the Quorn goal was living a charmed life, and the Reds were able to clear a mad scramble after Town had hit the post. Mason Frizelle found himself in an advanced position just before the break, but his effort was, again, narrowly wide of Taylor’s right-hand post.
Beswick’s side continued to look dangerous after the break, and Finn O’Boyle was almost able to take advantage of a Taylor spill as Cobourne forced the keeper into a smart save. The Town keeper managed to scramble up and retrieve the ball though. Beswick had an effort from the edge of the box, but his shot clipped the crossbar on its way over.
Tom Allsopp was also busy, making several saves at the other end as Quorn clung on in the hope of escaping with something to show for their incredible efforts. Harborough created more and more chances as the game drew close to a conclusion, but solid defending, good saves and some woeful shooting kept the game scoreless.
It wasn’t to be for Quorn though, who last lost a league game away from home in April 2024, ironically at Harborough Town, as former Anstey Nomad Luis Rose bundled a header home with mere seconds left to play. The Reds appealed for an offside in the build-up, but their appeals fell on deaf ears. It’ll be a tough task for Beswick to pick his side back up as Kettering Town visit on Saturday in the 2nd qualifying round of the FA Cup (15:00 KO).