BRENTWOOD 2 HARLOW TOWN 0 FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round 29-9-07

Match report by Billy Shaw
Photographs by Tony Fowles

THE Hawks are in tatters after an atrocious performance saw them exit the FA Cup at the second qualifying round stage.
But it gets worse for player/boss Ryan Kirby, who is without an obvious choice for a first team goalkeeper after Michael Dumoulin was hospitalized.
The 18-year-old injured his knee trying to avert the hosts’ second goal, and after staying down for over five minutes, was stretchered out of The Brentwood Arena on Saturday.
With first choice stopper James Hasell also sidelined, Kirby handed the gloves to defender Lee Miles for the last quarter of an hour.
Harlow looked weak from the start. Dumoulin had to make a low stop to deny Lee Noble, who shot after cutting into the box from the left on four minutes.
Dumoulin again saved from Noble two minutes later after the attacker had raced half the length of the pitch, with Kenny Davis picking up the pieces to clear the danger.
Davis saw a gap in the Brentwood defence and scooped goalwards, but it proved an easy catch for keeper Mark Palmer.
Leon Lalite crossed to James Bunn on 18 minutes, but the attacker’s first-time shot flew marginally over the bar.
Danny Dafter shot wide for the hosts, before Dean Williams saw his effort rise over the bar after Lalite showed clever vision with a penetrating through-ball on 24 minutes.
A long clearance from keeper Palmer sent Sean Thomas clear just before the half-hour mark, but the former Stansted striker was thwarted by the advancing Dumoulin.
With the Hawks struggling to mount any threatening attacks, Danny Chapman was cautioned for hauling down Brentwood’s Joao Carlos on 34 minutes.
Ryan Kirby then had to make a saving tackle to halt Thomas after he was fed by Danny Carroll four minutes before the break.
Danny Green replaced Dean Williams for the second half as Harlow tried to find some firepower from somewhere, but they were deflated in the 53rd minute when Brentwood took the lead.
The referee adjudged Ryan Kirby to have tripped Carlos just outside the area and awarded a free kick. Terry Scotchmer was one of three players queueing up to take the kick, and curled a right-footed shot around the wall into the net, leaving Dumoulin standing.
Further substitutions proved fruitless as the visitors struggled to find the gumption required to at least put a decent string of passes together.
Mark Taylor’s free-kick caused Palmer little trouble in the Brentwood goal 20 minutes from the end after Lalite was brought down by Carlos.
The home side put the game to bed in the 76th minute amid a cloud of controversy.
Kenny Davis tussled with Lee Noble in midfield and went to ground, but the referee allowed play to continue, with Carlos latching onto a cross-field ball and cutting inside the box to score.
Dumoulin was caught by the scorer in the process and stayed down for a long period while an ambulance was called before he was carried off. He was taken to Queens Hospital in Romford with a knee injury.
Kirby had used all his allocated substitutes, although there was no replacement keeper named on the bench anyway, so Lee Miles played in goal as Harlow continued with ten men.
And it was Miles who stopped Brentwood netting a third, grabbing the ball from the feet of substitute Leon Diaczuk on 87 minutes.
To their credit, the Hawks did go close in the dying minutes when Lalite’s shot was well held by Palmer with James Bunn prowling.Harlow Tn: Michael Dumoulin, Kenny Davis, Kevin Warren (sub: Mark Taylor, 58), Lee Miles, Ryan Kirby, Danny Chapman, Leon Lalite, Danny Hill, James Bunn, Clark Akers (sub: Michael Gliddon, 67), Dean Williams (sub: Danny Green, 45). Subs not used: Shaun Gliddon, Lewis Baker.