Harrow Borough 2-0 Kingstonian
BAPTISTE HANDS HARROW THE WIN

Kingstonian's new found defensive resiliency has, to some extent, come at the expense of their attacking prowess. With Dean Lodge sat frustrated on the substitute's bench, Harrow Borough became only the third side this season to shut Ks out and took all three points with a brace of late goals in front of a sparse crowd at a cold and desolate Earlsmead.

Christian Jolley hit the post in the third minute but Ks would not come so close to scoring again and in the second half particularly, proved unable to create clear chances. Borough increasingly had the better of the game and it was little surprise when Rocky Baptiste gave them the lead eleven minutes from time Dewayne Clarke headed in a cross from former Ks man Lewis Cook.

Ks' attempts at an equaliser were thwarted by referee Nigel Field, who made himself more unpopular with Ks fans than any referee has for some time. Five minutes from time, Lodge played Bobby Traynor in on goal but when Traynor tried to lob goalkeeper Andray Baptiste, the custodian handled well outside of his area.

Traynor immediately picked up the loose ball and scored but Field, apparently oblivious to the advantage rule, had immediately stopped play and sent Baptiste off, denying Ks the equaliser. It was merely the culmination of a poor display by the officials, whose incompetence was perhaps typified by them awarding Ks a throw-in not a corner when the ball had deflected over the goal-line off the corner flag - a glaringly clear event somehow missed by the referee and his 'assistant' (sic) who was stood all of three yards away.

Substitute Dewayne Clark rubbed salt into the Ks wounds in injury time, scoring on the counter-attack to give Borough a two goal win.

Ks had looked the better side in the first half but could not find a way past Baptiste. Jolley's early twenty-yarder rebounded off the woodwork, Luke Hickie put the rebound wide and Simon Huckle had two efforts saved. Traynor appeared to be hauled down in the box but the home side went unpunished and Carl Wilson-Denis fired over from a tight angle as Ks failed to get on the score sheet. Rocky Baptiste produced a fine save from Rob Tolfrey with Harrow's best chance before the interval.

After the break though, Harrow looked more likely to score. Cook forced Tolfrey to save just after the interval and the goalkeeper made another excellent stop on the hour mark. Wilson-Denis and Baptiste missed good chances at either end but Ks, with Adam Thompson and Huckle off injured, looked second best as the game wore on. Baptiste has mostly made a name for himself this season as a YouTube legend but unfortunately for Ks there were no comical mistakes in front of goal on this occasion when he headed Cook's cross home on the counter-attack.

Controversy soon reigned as Ks tried, and failed, to find an equaliser but after a disappointingly flat performance, the only real positive Alan Dowson's side could draw from the night was that other results went their way. Ks will need to bounce back against Billericay to maintain their playoff momentum.