English League

Men’s Conference East

Harleston Magpies went into their last home game in vital need of some points to ease any relegation fears. Bromley on the other hand were looking at the other end of the table and trying to cement their place in the top four of the league.

Harleston started brightly taking the game to Bromley in the early stages. With Bromley on the back foot it wasn’t long before the home side started creating opportunities which their play merited.

Stuart Leate interchanged well with Tristan Baynes, before finding himself in space enough to score with his reverse stick shot enabling Magpies into a 1-0 lead after five minutes. Harleston continued to dominate the possession whilst Bromley looked to break quickly to catch Harleston out on the counter attack but they were unable to ever penetrate the Harleston Dee enough to create good chances.

Midway through the half Harleston extended their lead through Gareth Furlong from a short corner making it 2-0 to the home side who took even more control of the game as Bromley were reduced to 10 men for five minutes following a yellow card. Only for their extra man advantage to be short lived as then Magpies received their own yellow card also. Bromley then started to come more into the game as half time approached but Harleston kept the score 2-0 at half time.

The second half saw Bromley come out fighting putting early pressure onto the home side. This pressure soon paid off as a well worked move saw the ball slid past Richard Harms. Bromley then sensed a comeback piling the pressure onto Magpies, who then lost David Ling to injury early in the second half following good defensive work.

Harleston still under pressure still looked dangerous on the break as they sought a third. It was Bromley though who scored next making it 2-2 in this enthralling game. Bromley soon stuck again as Harleston were cut apart to make it 2-3 to the away side. It would have been easy for magpies to fold at this point but they simply galvanised them self’s to go again and started coming back into it as they won a short corner. Gareth Furlong dispatched it making the scores level once again leading into the final 10 minutes. Harleston surged forward once again as Ben Wright one another short corner for the home side. Gareth Furlong clinched his hat-trick making it 4-3 to the home side.

Bromley were also not finished as they through everyone forward trying to salvage something. In the final minutes the worked the ball well down their right before clinical finishing saw them score to once again draw themselves level.