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Roundup: We’ve seen this game postponed 3 times but it was well worth the wait as Hive beat Woodlands United 7-0 to reach the Kane Cup final. Hive took the lead after 3 minutes and scored at the end of the first-half too but it was a close-ish first 45 minutes. The 2nd half was utter domination and 7-0 was a tad flattering for Woodlands; it could’ve been far far more. It was very comfortable for the Hive but that was down to the individual performances on show: not a single player played anything other than superbly. A final now awaits us on 12th April but let’s just focus on today: here’s how the players rated.

Starting XI

Abel 9 – Clean sheet that featured some excellent saves. It could’ve been so easy to lose concentration at 5, 6, 7-0 up but he made some great saves for his 3rd shutout of the season. He made a save at 1-0 when the referee ignored his Lino’s flag; big save that prevented Woodlands from having any hope.

Aaron 8.5 – Played his part in the clean sheet and was bombing forward to great effect in the 1st half. There was a throw-in about 20 minutes in that he was happy to take his time with; might seem small and Woodlands were well-beaten today but that kind of game management (particularly give Hive’s history) shouldn’t be overlooked.

Matt 9 – Rock solid first-half and his partnership with Mo worked like a dream. Keen to attack 2nd-half and got into some positions where he’ll have been disappointed not to score. Made sure standards didn’t drop, regardless of the scoreline. Some brilliant through-balls into Mark.

Mo 9.5 – Last 3 games, Mo has played CAM, CM, DM and today he was centre-back. Last year he was goalkeeper in the semi-final, saving a pen in the shootout. If anyone deserved today, it’s him. 95th appearance in Hive colours and it was one of his best. Put Woodlands attackers under immense pressure by winning plenty of tackles and was calm and composed on the ball. Fantastic performance.

Max 8.5 – Ever dependable, ever reliable and a firm fan favourite. That left-back position suits him so well; gives him more time to read the game when we have the ball and is such a strong player when we are without the ball. Foul throw to start the match; you can take the boy out of Spurs…

James 9.5 – Man of the match. To anyone reading this: James some times gets a bit of stick (largely in jest) for how seriously he takes Hive. I’m telling you now – we wouldn’t be where we are without him. Today was such a banker, it would’ve been so easy to take your eye off of the game and start thinking of the final. James makes sure those things never happen; might not be the glamorous role but it’s true leadership and we’re bloody lucky to have him. Cannot put into words how good he was; ran the entire show. Mr Harrow Hive. 

Tochi 8.5 – How does he make football look so easy? He picks up the ball and just glides through people at ease, knife through butter most of the time. Before the bloke signed for the Hive, we’d never been to a final. Since he’s signed, we’ve been to two. Not saying there’s a direct correlation but… superb today. 

Gary 7.5 – Sadly had to be deleted because an injury after half an hour but was having a decent game up to then. Skewed a shot wide that bought joy to his haters. Joking aside, both he and us are desperately hoping he’ll be ready for the final. Hive are better when he’s available. 

Femi 9 – Really hoping it’s not his final game in Hive colours; but if it was then what a way to go out. Capped off a superb team goal with a lovely finish for Hive’s 4th and got an assist too. Gave an awful farewell speech in the changing rooms but we can forgive him for that. 13 goal contributions in 14 games. What a contribution he’s made. 

Mark 9.5 – Megged to the delight of Matt but aside from that, what a game. Sumptuous assist for Femi’s goal. Scored one from outside the box but his 2nd goal was the pick: took the ball outside the box and dribbled through 3-4 tackles into the penalty area to finish off the game. Goals number 10 and 11 for the season to add to his 15 (!) assists. I wonder if you did an all-time Hive XI; who would be brave enough to leave him out?

Francesco 9.5 – Bravissimo Francesco. 4 goals, that ranged from a scrappy tap in, to an emphatic penalty and a rocket from distance. His finishing was clinical and mirrored with some excellent all round play, was a tad unfortunate not to be man of the match. Asked me to shoutout his Dad when he get a hat-trick and then proceeded to get a hat-trick 😂. Fair play Fran. Moves joint 2nd on the all-time Hive scorers list with Gary (36).

Subs

Hayden 7.5 -Looked calm and composed when he came on, that’s the Hayden we know and love. Looking forward to his 2nd Hive final. Seemed genuinely made up during the dressing room celebrations.

Nik 8.5 – Made a telling impact with two assists and his crossing was dangerous the entire time he was on. He could’ve (and should’ve) been more greedy at one point when taking on their left-back but his choice to pass ultimately led to Francesco’s 4th so fair do’s. Most game, most goals, most assists for the Hive. What a player, what a man. 

Leo 7.5 – Came on and did his job well. Couple of times he was under pressure and did well to pass to a Hive shirt. At one point, he was running alongside their winger – and the ref gave a foul against Leo for holding? I told the ref it was a stinky decision and the ref gave me a death stare. Said sorry to ref and he smiled. I blame Leo.

Yonny 8 – Came on for Gary and made an impact on his debut. Won a penalty and looked dangerous out on the wing. Ran at his man and knew how to pick a pass (incidentally we’ve seen many a Hive player not be able to do either) The rain made his hair look grey from the sidelines; like we have a tekky 40 year old winger. 

Manager 

Adam 9.5 – What can you say. A year ago we were scraping into the final of the Kane Cup, a momentous day in its own right. This year, we’ve made the Kane Cup with ease and you can’t do anything but praise the team, the environment and the atmosphere that Adam has spearheaded to create. Let’s be real, if Adam hadn’t have fought to keep the club going last summer; we wouldn’t have had days like today. All well and good having the tools at your disposal but you’ve still got to use them right. No doubt he has. 

We spoke to some of the fans who braved the rain to watch today’s win.

You boys came down in the pouring rain to watch the Hive, what does the club mean to you?

Sri: Honestly it means everything. It’s a family and once you’re in, there’s no going back.

Paul: I’ve experienced the highs and lows of this club over the years but the thing I’ll always love is the values of the club and the quality of the people associated here. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. 

How does this version of Hive differ to previous versions?

Tom: We were locked in from the changing rooms; Sri getting a talking to for wanting to shake everyone’s hand shows how serious it was. 

Sri: More belief, more fight and everyone knowing their roles to give 100% for the team.

Paul: We’ve had some great additions to mix with the veterans we already have. Adam, who I have had the pleasure of knowing for years, has a real talent of galvanising people. He’ll take us to success.

We’re winning the Kane Cup right?

Paul: Of course we will! I fucking love this club, Up the fucking Hive!

Tom: I expect Hive to go on and win it.

Sri: Why is that even a question? Of course we are.

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It’s Kane Cup semi-final day! This match has been postponed 3 (three!) times already but thankfully, due to the Hive’s willingness to get today’s game on, we finally have a semi-final to contest. Last year, we reached the final of the Kane cup before losing to Homenetmem on penalties. Today, we take on Woodlands United and we’ll be hoping to repeat our 9-1 victory over them from match-day 5. Have to say, it appears to be a very different Woodlands team since that game and it’s all set up for a classic. Let’s get into the Hive team news.

Abel starts in goal (moves onto double figured Hive appearances) with a back four of Aaron, Mo, Matt and Max (Mo, Max and Aaron are looking to reach their 2nd Hive final – Matt his first). James (hoping to captain a second Hive final), Tochi (after today, will be outright 20th on the Hive appearance list) and Gary (8 goals behind Nik in the all-time scorers list) make up the midfield 3. And in attack it’s Femi on the right, Mark on the left (already top 4 assists in Hive history with 13) and Francesco up top (40 goal contributions in just 34 games for the Hive). On the bench we have: Nik, Leo, Hayden and Yonny (ready to make his Hive debut).

20 minutes to kick-off – Hive warming up ahead of a massive, historic game.

We’ve got Lino’s! Fancy.

Still not kicked-off.

KICK-OFF! UP THE FUCKING HIVE!!

1’ 0-0 Foul throw to kick things of from Max. Spursy.

3’ GOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLL! Keeper fumbles one and Fran gets it over the line. 1-0 Hive.

6’ 1-0 Great cross from Max but two Hive shirts can’t get on the end of it.

7’ 1-0 Mark looks like he’s fouled as he shoots in the box but ref says no.

10’ 1-0 Gary finds a bit of space on the edge of the box but toes one well wide.

12’ 1-0 First half chance for Woodlands but Abel picks it up at the second attempt.

13’ 1-0 Matt and Mo been solid so far, some good tackles from the two of them to not give Woodlands anything so far.

15’ 1-0 Great cross from Mark and he nearly finds the run of Gary but the skiddy surface just takes it away from Gary’s foot.

18’ 1-0 2 v 2 for Woodlands but Mo stops the danger.

19’ 1-0 Lino flags for offside but the ref ignores him?? Abel makes the save but why is he ignoring his OWN Lino??

20’ 1-0 The Woodlands player I said looks really good has been dragged after 20 minutes. My ball knowledge.

24’ 1-0 Woodlands most sustained attack of the game but Hive are back in numbers to stop it leading to anything.

27’ 1-0 Hive counter and Gary plays Mark in down the left; he finds Fran with a drilled cross who takes a touch around the defender and lets loose but the shot is saved.

29’ 1-0 Mark has a free-kick… and it’s £20 for me to keep my mouth shut about it…

33’ 1-0 Shot from distance is hit with venom by Woodlands and it skids right off the surface; Abel does well to save it relatively comfortably.

34’ 1-0 Ahh Gary has gone down with an ankle injury. He’s able to semi-walk off with some help but that might be his game done. He’s not one to stay down with any injury, hope he’s okay.

35’ 1-0 Substitution- Yonny on for Gary for his Hive debut.

37’ 1-0 Mark is hacked down and the oppo are accusing him diving. I agree, next time Mark should just take the two feet to his knees…

40’ 1-0 Another great cross from Mark, attackers need to start gambling on the crosses!

42’ 1-0 Penalty Hive! Yonny is two-footed in the box. I really don’t know what Woodlands are moaning about.

43’ 2-0 GOOAAAAALLL! Fran smacks it in off the bar. Daylight for Hive.

45’ 2-0 Mark cuts in from distance and hits one; very good save around the post.

Half-time. No added-time even though Gary was down for 2-3 minutes? Anyway, it’s Harrow Hive 2 (Fran 3’, 43’) Woodlands United 0

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That was a very comfortable half from the Hive. Woodlands are better than when we last played them but Hive have made it look easy. In total control at the break.

Ezio – Francesco says hello. Thank you for your support from Italy! 🇮🇹

The refs went to the changing rooms at half-time so now we’re all standing out in the pissing rain waiting for them.

Second half begins! UP THE HIVE!

48’ 2-0 Yonny plays such a good grass cutter through ball. Leads to nothing but that was gorgeous.

49’ 2-0 Woodlands are in but Abel gets down to make a fine save.

53’ 2-0 Mo goes up for a header and is taken out but is okay to carry on.

54’ 3-0 GOOOOOOOOALLLLLL. Tochi finds Mark on the wing, he cuts in and finds the net from wide. That should be job done.

56’ 4-0 GOOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLL! Mark plays Femi in, he takes a touch and finds the bottom corner. Hive are in the final.

58’ 4-0 Big save from Abel to keep his clean sheet and then Matt blocks one on the line; superb last ditch defending.

62’ 4-0 That Femi goal may be his last for the club as he’s rumoured to be departing after this game. The love he got when he scored was so nice to see. What a club.

63’ 4-0 Substitution – Nik on for

66’ 5-0 GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLL! Nik finds Fran, who cuts in and finds the bottom corner from 25 yards. “This hat-trick is for you Dad.” Your son has done you proud today Ezio.

66’ 5-0 Substitutions – Leo and Hayden on for Tochi and Aaron.

70’ 6-0 GOOOOOAAAALLL! Femi plays a short one into Mark just outside the box who then dribbles through everyone and makes it 6.

73’ 6-0 Brilliant whipping cross from Nik; Frans header is just wide.

74’ 6-0 The ball is so out for a Woodlands throw but the ref lets us play on; cheers ref. It’s great play from James and Leo to send Mark away and he wins a corner. Matt has a 1 v 1 but it’s saved.

77’ 6-0 Hive denied a stonewall penalty.

79’ 7-0 GOOOOOOOOAAAALLL. Nik is breaking and instead of finishing the 84 year old right-back, he finds Fran who finds the bottom corner for his 4th of the day.

It’s full-time. An odd end to proceedings but it’s Hive who win the semi-final 7-0 and make it to the Kane Cup final.

Full-time Harrow Hive 7 (Francesco 3’, 43’, 66’, 79’; Mark 54’, 70’; Femi 56’) Woodlands 0.

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Roundup: A 5-3 defeat for the Hive today doesn’t tell the real story of the game. 33 shots to HSM’s 11, post hit couple of times, clearances off the line and some very questionable refereeing hopefully demonstrates how close Hive were to taking the win today. I’ve got 4 or 5 nominations for man of the match which again hopefully shows just how good we were. Losses are hard to take but when you’ve thrown the kitchen sink and given everything you can to try and win the game, all you can do is hold your hands up, say fair play to the opposition and move onto the next one. Let’s get into the ratings.

Starting XI

Abel 6.5 – Hesitated to come off his line for the second goal (and the delay proved costly) but apart from that, he had a decent game today. Made some good saves, distribution was quick and accurate and he was better than last week. His form will get better as the weeks go on. 

Leo 7 – Strong game for Leo. Only played the first half but it was a very solid defensive display. Hive pushed right up in the first half, leaving Leo to cover at the back and he did so well. Good in possession, delayed counters when needed and won his tackles. Unlucky to come off at half-time.

Matt 7.5 – Decent day at the office for our goal-scoring centre-half. Looked desperate to win all game and chewed the ear off the ref (sadly not literally) for the entire 90. Won some big headers in attack that nearly led to some goals and I don’t think can be blamed for any of today’s goals. Unlucky to be on the losing side.

Maïki 7.5 – Same as Matt, played well and can’t really be blamed for any of the goals. He actually threw his body in front of one to stop a goal, then an offside HSM player tapped in the rebound off the block for a goal so that wasn’t very fair. Some big clearances that stop some 1 v 1’s didn’t go unnoticed.

Max 8 – May be overreacting, but I don’t think I am. Played left-back and first 10 minutes, played 4 or 5 balls into the channels that caused HSM some real problems. It set a tone and rather than mess about with the ball, we put the pressure straight onto Harrow St Mary’s and it stayed that way for 90 minutes. For me, that was down to Max’s start. Caked in mud at the end and put his body on the line for the Hive today. Very close to being man of the match; asleep for their 4th goal which may have cost him.

Mo 8.5 – Stood up and worked his socks off in midfield today. Him and James were asked to sit in front of the back four to offer some protection that’s been missing in recent weeks and the pair of them delivered. Mo was everywhere, winning tackles, fighting in the midfield and creative when he got forward. Close one but my man of the match.

James 8.5 – Not much different to Mo. Really put the tippy tippy nonsense to one side today and was very good with the ball. First half, he played 2 or 3 very good through balls that would’ve put us in great positions if we were playing downhill – ball kept running away. In amongst all the HSM housery, he was a calm figure who kept things under control; much needed in a game like today.

Gary 8 – We can split Gary’s game into two parts. Before the sin bin: he was okay, missed a sitter but nothing crazily bad. Then he talked himself into a Sin bin (didn’t do much more wrong than 7 or 8 other players on the pitch to be fair) and he was raging. Came back on and was a different player. Outstanding goal to make it 3-2, clever finish for 4-3 and some lovely skill in the middle of the park to set Femi away. An outstanding performance for 40+ minutes. 

Femi 7 – Did well to win a penalty at the end of the first half. Had their full-back on toast and played in a couple of fantastic crosses. However, I think Femi will be frustrated and will think he could really have won the game for us. The 1 v 1 he hit wide may be replaying in his mind.

Mark 7 – Mark too will be frustrated with today’s game. Had 6 shots, most of which were not too far from goal but only had 2 of the 6 on target. Some dangerous crosses for Fran that didn’t lead to a goal. Thought he was carrying a knock for the final 20 (may be wrong) but didn’t let it hamper his agility. 

Francesco 8 – Converted emphatically from the spot and got a clever assist when it looked like the ball was heading out of play. His hold up play was superb and he used the ball well with some great flicks into gaps for others. Was kicked all game but never backed down and was up for the fight from minute one. Did think he (only in the last 5-10 minutes) shot at times when the pass may have been on but I can’t be complaining about not enough shooting one week and then too much the next. Very good game from the Italian. 

Subs

Hayden 6 – Came on a right-back against his old side. The lad needs some confidence, he gets on the ball and looks very comfortable with it. He’s able to push right up from defence and get back too with time to spare. At the moment he just doesn’t look himself. Hopefully he gets back to it soon.

Ade N/A – I noticed your tackle lad and it was a good one. Great lad to have down on a Sunday. 

Hassan N/A – Ran the line for 90 minutes and didn’t complain once. Adam owes him a game.

Manager 

Adam 7.5 – Gave Leo a start and that paid off, put Mo and James into centre midfield and that paid off and Max at left-back worked a treat. Didn’t have many attacking options on the bench so couldn’t do much else to change the game. Lost his rag at the ref at full-time; very Chahin behaviour. 

Man of the match Mo’s take on today’s game

Hard luck today. Sum up your thoughts on the game?

I thought we played very well and were ultimately unlucky not to win. You could tell the opposition expected the Hive from last year to turn up and were quite surprised with what they came up against. On another day, we would have buried a few more of those shots/chances we created today and the result would have been different.

What’s your overriding emotion, pride or frustration?

A bit of both really. Obviously frustrating to play so well and not win, but the performance was very good – a lot more urgency than last week to get back into the game when we went behind each time. We gave a div 1 team a right go and were unlucky not to win, and the performance is what we should take into the next game.

Where do you think we lost the game?

HSM brought on a couple of players with pace in the 2nd half and I think that caught us out a few times. Think we could have done better to step up quicker to push them back, but I also think that was down to us giving everything and energy running out. Ref decisions were also very questionable today which slowed the game down too much, but can’t use that as an excuse!

Getting nervous closing in on 100 games?

Haha, not even looking at the numbers 😂

Thank you to our sponsors Somerset & Sinclair Chartered Surveyors and Fintrack for supporting Harrow Hive for the 25/26 season. To find out more about them, head to:

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Thank you to our sponsors Somerset & Sinclair Chartered Surveyors and Fintrack for supporting Harrow Hive for the 25/26 season. To find out more about them, head to:

somersetsinclair.co.uk

thefintrack.co.uk

Good morning! The Hive are back for a bit of a derby as we take on Harrow St Mary’s in the Champions Cup. Now the rules of this cup confuse me a tad, so I’ll explain them on a future post if we make it through today.

Now today can be classed as a Harrow derby, although Hive’s home is in Uxbridge so it’s giving off Brighton Palace vibes. Hive stalwart Hayden joined Hive from Harrow St Mary’s, and today’s opponents do have ex-Hive boys in their line-up. We have played Harrow St Mary’s twice before (losing both in a same day double header), Hive will be looking to put past results right today. However, I don’t hold much animosity towards Harrow St Mary’s, Hanworth was a real derby. Let’s get into some team news.

Team news – Abel makes back to back Hive appearances for the first time since November; he starts in goal. Leo has his 3rd start of the season at right-back – Max moves into left-back. Mo and James start in midfield, Mo moves onto 94 Hive appearances as he closes in on the 100. Femi, Mark and Francesco start in attack. That leaves Hassan, Hayden and Ade on the bench. Up the Hive!

This pitch is proper Sunday league. Muddy, puddles, slanted.

Few minutes to kick-off; Adam says he hates Harrow St Mary’s. There’s me going round saying it’s not an actual derby.

Kick off! UP THE HIVE!!

1’ 0-0 Ahhhhh should be 1-0 Hive. Fran forces an error, finds Femi in the box but he scuffs his shot wide. What a start that would’ve been!

4’ 0-0 Max has found the channels with a couple of dangerous passes early on. Lovely to see.

5’ 0-0 Harrow St Mary’s are definitely a housery team. Moaning at the ref, leaving their foot and elbows in. Big test for the Hive (and the ref).

8’ 0-0 Mark finds Femi with a cross field ball and he wins a corner. Ref blows for a free-kick from the resulting corner.

10’ 0-0 Mark nearly finds Fran with a through ball between the defenders but it just runs out of play.

13’ 0-0 Gary tests the keeper with a half-volley that stings the palms; Fran then cuts in and forces the keeper into a save.

15’ 0-0 Been a great from the Hive. Fran has a shot from distance that the keeper claims. All Hive early on.

17’ 0-0 Fran is through, he cuts back in but he’s clipped. He doesn’t go down and that is surely the only reason he isn’t given a pen. Very harsh decision on Fran.

22’ 0-0 Max has a swing at one from a corner – if he makes contact that’s goal-bound. Mo then does well to stop a HSM counter.

24’ 0-0 James nearly finds Femi with a through ball on the right; HSM defender wins the tackle but injures himself in the process.

27’ 0-0 Max makes a great tackle that earns a throw but the ref has now called it back for a HSM free-kick.

29’ 0-0 Corner from Mark bounces into the box and hits Maïki on the shin. It’s wide but Maïki didn’t know a lot about it.

32’ 0-0 HSM have gone 4 v 4 up top to try and get into this game. Dangerous cross from the oppo leads to nothing.

33’ 0-0 Mark gets in down the right and hits a shot in venom; blocked on the line.

34’ 0-0 HSM counter with a player down injured, second they lose the ball they ask for the ref to stop it and he does. Frustrating that.

37’ 0-0 Fran is having a good game. Really up for the battle, he’s being kicked all over the shop but winning flick ons and not back down.

38’ 0-0 HSM corner and it’s a big header away from James.

39’ 0-0 Max clears one away from danger. Matt goes in late on a HSM player and gets a talking to. Maybe lucky to get away without a yellow.

41’ 1-0 HSM. Free-kick goes straight in from the wing. Unlucky on the Hive but that was a bit strange. Hive players asking who’s picking up HSM players as he’s running up to take the free-kick. Maybe not fully focused.

45’ 1-0 Will be some added time for an earlier HSM injury; Hive haven’t had a shot for 10+ minutes.

45+1 1-0 Mark has a knuckleball free-kick that goes a little wide. Not far away

45+3 1-0 Big miss. Free kick from Matt on the half-way line gets all the way through to Gary, who scuffs it over from about 10 yards out. Should’ve been a goal (did bounce up a little fast in defence).

45+5 1-0 Penalty Hive! Femi bought down and it’s a pen on the stroke of half-time. HSM are not happy and I don’t know why. Stonewall.

45+6 1-1 GOAL! Fran converts from the spot.

45+7 1-1 Gary intercepts a goal-kick and toes one from half-way. It’s wide but a decent effort.

Finally, half-time. Harrow St Mary’s 1 (41’) Harrow Hive 1 (Francesco 45+6).

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Brilliant half from the Hive. 12 shots to 2, played well. More of the same in the 2nd half needed

Substitution – Hayden on Leo off

Second half begins! UP THE HIVE!

47’ 2-1 Ahhhh frustrating start to the 2nd half. Through ball from HSM, Abel looks like he’s coming to claim but gets stuck on his line and it’s dinked over him. Time to start over.

49’ 2-1 Shot from distance by HSM goes just over the bar.

50’ 2-1 Scary times for the Hive. Cross from HSM finds a man free in the box but he heads wide from 5 yards out.

51’ 3-1. Goal HSM. Not been a good start to the second-half. A shot is blocked on the line, HSM turn it in but he’s the last man on the line. It’s very offside but ref doesn’t give it. Gary has been sin binned for dissent. Given how HSM players were speaking to him, that’s harsh.

54’ 3-1 Free-kick from Mark is headed over, literally on the line, by James. We’ve missed some big chances today.

55’ 3-1 Great cross from Mark finds Fran free in the box but his shot is straight at the keeper. Playing well still but the big chances missed count is high.

59’ Gary’s sin bin lasted 6 minutes (went off 53’). Fair play.

61’ 3-2 GOAL!!! Gary drives from half way, gets to about 30 yards from goal and he lets one go; finds the top corner. Back in it.

64’ 3-2 Fantastic cross to find Fran who scissor-kicks a volley onto the post! It’s trickling along the line but nobody is following it in.

66’ 3-2 Great touch from Fran to play Femi in. He runs towards goal, he’s in for an age but he’s dragged his effort wide.

67’ 4-2. Goal HSM. A shot is blocked by Matt, hits the post but we’re very asleep at the back post and it’s a finish off the rebound.

70’ 4-2 Time-wasting has been very prevalent from HSM so I think there’ll be plenty of added time. Hive definitely not out of this yet.

71’ 4-3 GOAL! A clearance hits the bar, Fran is ALERT and keeps it in to find Gary who takes a touch around the defender and finds the roof of the net.

73’ 4-3 Quick corner from Hive and, much to the annoyance of Fran, Gary shoots from a very narrow angle. Don’t think HSM rated that either.

75’ 4-3 Hive are in, oppo flag stays down but the ref gives it offside. Such strange behaviour.

76’ 4-3 Fran picks up the ball from the wing, dribbles around 3 red players to get to the edge of the box but his shot trickles wide.

78’ 4-3 I cannot begin to tell you how cold it is. I’m going to get hypothermia.

80’ 4-3 Fran intercepts a goal kick and in truth he has the whole goal to aim at but somehow the keeper gets his head on it and it goes for a corner. Matt heads one wide.

84’ 4-3 I wouldn’t be surprised if Hive got an equaliser here and went on to lose the game. Would be very Hive to play this well and not win. Fran has a shot from distance.

86’ 4-3 Great play from Gary. Finds Femi who gets a cross into the box, it eludes Fran but Mark gets on the end of it; not enough power and it’s a save from the keeper.

88’ 4-3 There’s going to be plenty of added time from the HSM timewasting.

89’ 4-3 Keepers time-wasting catches up with him, holds onto it for too long and we get a corner. Mark has a shot from the corner but it’s blocked by red bodies throwing themselves in the way of it.

90+4 4-3 Free-kick from Gary is saved.

90+5 4-3 Cross from Mo finds Gary but he heads just over. 28 shots from Hive today. They’ve been brilliant.

90+7 4-3 Men in the box but Fran has a shot from distance that goes over. Not the right decision .

90+8 4-3 Hive are in but the flag goes up for a very dodgy offside.

90+10 5-3 Goal for HSM on the break. And it’s full-time. Very very harsh on the Hive today.

Full-time Harrow St Mary’s 5 (41’, 47’, 51’, 67’, 90+10’) Harrow Hive 3 (Fran 45+6, Gary 61’, 71’)

This season, our updates are sponsored by Fintrack. If you need your finances managed by an experienced, professional organisation, head over to thefintrack.co.uk

Thank you to our sponsors Somerset & Sinclair Chartered Surveyors and Fintrack for supporting Harrow Hive for the 25/26 season. To find out more about them, head to:

somersetsinclair.co.uk

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Roundup: A 3-2 defeat for the Hive today. Taking my emotion out of things, I think two things can be true: 1) Hive actually played pretty well and on another day would’ve won that game. 20+ shots is a sign of how good we were at times. 2) We were masters of our own downfall. Didn’t defend well enough from top to bottom, didn’t win enough duels and the last 15 minutes was a masterclass in how not to chase an equaliser. Can’t fault the boys efforts, just not our day. Let’s get into the ratings.

Starting XI

Abel 3 – it was great to have Abel back in goal and he did pull off some good saves. However, those saves are probably saving him from a lower rating. He knows he’s messed up for the first goal; also thought he could’ve been stronger coming off his line too. Not his day but he’ll come again.

James 5 – He’ll have worse games, he’ll have better games. It seemed that the reluctance to play more direct was coming from him but it wasn’t the sole reason we lost, let’s be clear. Passing was a bit meh but fought to the very end to try and get us the win. Can’t fault the effort.

Matt 5 – Heard a few say he could’ve done better for the 2nd Atletico goal, which I think is a bit harsh but he’ll know he could’ve been better. What annoyed me today (will be a running theme) was: we have one of the best long passing centre backs in our clubs in history. And we scored our first goal from a long pass, it seemed the tactic to use *today*. We didn’t utilise our passing centre-half once. Scandalous.

Maïki 4 – Not a great game from Maïki. He made a couple of errors that could and should have been goals for Atletico, so got away with a couple. He seems very keen on trying to control the ball with his crotch, I would advise less of that going forward. I lost my mind in the 96th minute when he passed it back to Abel instead of whacking it forward. Sorry lad.

Aaron 5 – Came off at half-time. Didn’t do much wrong when he was on, in fact he was getting down the left and was in loads of space fairly regularly and he was not being used. Summed up our day.

Tochi 4.5 – His day just never got going. He made a couple of runs that took 4/5 players out of the game both times, but the runs ended up with Atletico taking the ball. Not a terrible game but I think Tochi has high standards; don’t think he hit those standards today. 

Max 7 – Today’s Man of the match. Composed in possession, some dangerous through balls and I actually felt like he was playing in midfield on his own at times. Covered a lot of ground, won a lot of tackles and I don’t think he deserved to be on the losing side today (not that anyone did but you get what I mean). 

Gary 6.5 – Goal and assist. His assist was superb (long ball over the top that we proceeded to try 0 more times in the game but never mind) but he did get dispossessed sloppily at times and he knows his final ball could’ve been better. Taken off with 10 to go, thought we should’ve kept him on.

Femi 6 – His finish for the first goal was exceptional but after that didn’t get enough of the ball for his liking. Tried to offer width but wasn’t sought out often. To balance things, I would’ve liked to see him take his man on a bit more than he did. 

Mark 5 – Similar to Femi, just didn’t get enough of the ball. Looked threatening when he did, had some shots blocked which looked dangerous. Last 20 minutes he tried to get crosses into the box, unfortunately few too many landed into the keepers gloves.

Francesco 4 – Had a shot from distance that crashed into the bar but apart from that, not much to ride home for, for Fran. 7 shots on goal, only 1 was on target. Took a shot from distance that wasn’t really on, then moaned at Mark for doing the same thing a minute later (which in hindsight is a bit funny) He’s a top finisher so he needs to be nearer the goal and not drop as deep as he often does. But hey, what do I know. I’m just a fatty with a blog.  

Subs

Hayden 4.5 – He just couldn’t get going, his touch was there and it was a bit of a slog for him. Did whip in a dangerous cross that led to our second goal. 

Mo 5 – Worked hard but like the rest, wasn’t his day. He had a lob towards the end of the game that I thought was going in, but sadly was headed off the line. 

Tom S 4 – Called Fran a cunt, walked into Femi’s space, and moaned at the moaning. Wasn’t on long enough to make any impact. Adam said to him ‘I’m counting on you to make a difference here, or I’m fucked’. Adam: you’re fucked. 

Leo N/A – Was told by Adam that things are different this year, be ready to play. Didn’t get on. Well in gaffer.

Manager 

Adam 3 – Not his best day at the office. Substitutions weren’t great, tactics seemed static, we were losing 3-2 for 35+ minutes and didn’t do much different for the remainder of the time. He wants to be positive, and it’s better than being negative, but his take that ‘we were class today’ was fairly deluded. Also, told Leo he’d play then forgot to play him.

Manager Adam’s take on today’s game

Where did today go wrong?

Atletico score first, I think from there it’s an uphill climb from there. I think we lost our heads a bit at times, which is natural in a cup game, but we have to stay composed.

How do we bounce back?

Focus on the next game as always. Not the biggest of setbacks, disappointing to be out of the cup but we still have other competitions to focus on. We just need to stay positive and support each other.

What have you learnt from today?

That you (Ali) are very emotional, I prefer people to be collected in their thoughts. Coming in at full time shouting your head off isn’t productive. It didn’t change the final score. We can give ourselves a 10/15 minutes to calm down after a game and discuss then. I thought some things you said were right, but the manner in which you said them was silly.

Thank you to our sponsors Somerset & Sinclair Chartered Surveyors and Fintrack for supporting Harrow Hive for the 25/26 season. To find out more about them, head to:

somersetsinclair.co.uk

thefintrack.co.uk

Thank you to our sponsors Somerset & Sinclair Chartered Surveyors and Fintrack for supporting Harrow Hive for the 25/26 season. To find out more about them, head to:

somersetsinclair.co.uk

thefintrack.co.uk

We are back! After over a month of no competitive Hive action, Hive are return with a chance to make the London Cup quarter-finals! Lofty heights for the Hive but after a penalty shootout win in the last round, the boys in blue are on a high and dreaming of another London Cup victory. Let’s get into the team news.

A welcome return between the sticks as Abel (has 2 of Hive’s 3 clean sheets this season) is back in goal.

James, Aaron, Maïki (joint most MOTMs with 2) and Matt (Only player who has played all 14 Hive games this season) make up the back 4.

Midfield 3 of Max (moves level with Jareer on 42 appearances, joint 11th on the list), Tochi and Gary.

Francesco (top scorer in 25/26 with 14), Mark (most assists in 25/26 with 13) and Femi lead the line.

Mo, Hayden, Tom S and Leo are on the bench. 1.00pm kick-off. Up the Hive!

Predictions – Gary: 5-1 Hive Max: 3-1 Hive Tom: 4-2 Hive Mark: 2-1 Hive – Matt Kaye winner. Tochi: 2-1 Hive Mo: 3-1 Hive Maïki: Clean sheet today!

20 minutes to kick-off; I think today will be a close, entertaining affair. Atletico Madridlesbrough (what a name btw) seem like nice lads, which I think suits us rather than playing against a bunch wasters. Pitch is big so will be fascinating to see whose hands that plays into.

Adam: This stupid bureaucracy of writing names down to play football is ridiculous.

Kick-off is just moments away. So excited watching Hive these days, such a buoyant atmosphere.

KICK-OFF! UP THE HIVE!

3’ 0-0 Hive with all the ball at the moment. Massive pitch, keeping the ball will suit us; good footballers for that type of match.

5’ 0-0 Free-kick for Hive. Mark takes, it’s punched clear and Atletico counter. Aaron does well to delay and Abel tips the shot behind for a corner.

6’ 0-1 Atletico. Free header from the corner, Abel appears to claim it but it slips out of his hands and it’s gone in. Another early goal conceded from the Hive.

9’ 0-1 Free kick from Mark puts the keeper under a little bit of pressure but nothing major. No shots in anger from the Hive as of yet but early days.

12’ 0-1 Great through ball by James into Femi but his cross is intercepted.

14’ 0-1 Mark the danger man so far. He’s turned his man and run towards goal, he’s been hacked down and it’s a yellow card.

15’ 0-1 Free-kick hits the wall. Mark looks to have won another free-kick but it’s just a throw.

17’ 0-1 Gary blocks a shot and it’s out for a 3rd Atletico corner. Tense moments. Tochi clears.

19’ 0-1 Great play by James to get forward and find Fran; he turns on the edge of the box and gets a shot away which is deflected for a corner.

20’ 0-1 Max gets his head on it but keeper does well to put him off and it’s a goal kick.

22’ 0-1 Hive have played well so far. Would say, we’re not putting much pressure on their defence when they have the ball. All a bit too easy back there.

26’ 0-1 Should be 2-0. Gary gives it away in attack, Maïki makes a mess of a clearance and they are in. Somehow they’ve dragged the shot wide. What a let off.

28’ 0-1 It’s a dangerous cross from Mark but nobody is making any movement towards it. Goalkeeper and defender end up on the floor, it’s technically an open goal but there’s nobody near the 6 yard box.

29’ 0-1 Corner for Atletico. Header blocked, shot blocked on the line by Aaron.

31’ GOAAAAL!!!!! 1-1. What a pass from Gary, finds Femi in behind with a 40 yard pass, it’s a great touch from Femi who twists and turns and finds the net with an emphatic finish. What a goal!

33’ 1-1 Calls for a Hive pen, Femi is through and his bought down. Ref says he’s won the ball but looked like he’s come through the back of Femi to do that.

34’ 1-1 Ahhh brilliant cross across the 6 yard box but it’s cleared, probably would want him to be on the end of it rather than being the crosser but great ball nonetheless.

35’ 1-2 Goal for Atletico. No pressure on the cross (again), Matt tries to intercept but can’t get there and Atletico retake the lead.

38’ 1-2 Great play from Aaron to find Mark; gets a shot away and it’s blocked. Max plays a superb cross in and still there is nobody moving in the box for Hive.

42’ 1-2 Summing up the main problem of the half: Max has just tackled and fought off 3 people to try and win the ball for about 30 seconds… and there was nobody there to offer support.

43’ 1-2 Dangerous cross, Tochi rises and heads one on goal but keeper collects.

45’ 1-2 Mark has a shot, keeper fumbles and unfortunately Fran is on his toes and not following up. If he was, I think he gets a tap-in.

45+1 1-2 Cross comes in from Gary, Fran heads it over from close range but think the keeper has done well to put him off there.

Half – time. Harrow Hive 1 (Femi 31’) Atletico Madridlesbrough 2 ( 6’, 35’)

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With the ball, Hive have been okay. It’s without the ball that’s costing them right now. Press is a bit of a mess, when we’ve pressed as a team we’ve put them under pressure. Sadly, it’s been too few times. Big 45 incoming.

Substitution – Hayden has come on for Aaron at the break.

2nd half begins. UP THE HIVE!!

47’ 1-2 Goal-kick from Atletico and no Hive player is anywhere near it when it drops. Femi’s hands are in the air in disbelief.

49’ 1-3. And now I’m disbelief. Long ball that isn’t closed down AGAIN, their striker doesn’t look like he’s getting there but he sticks a leg out, lobs Abel and it’s in off the post.

51’ Substitution – Tochi is off and Mo is on.

52’ 1-3 Outstanding cross from Fran, defender gets a hair on it. Mark puts it back across goal and Gary just can’t get a toe on it.

54’ 1-3 The same Atletico defender has just headed it 3 times; unchallenged. At the other end; Abel makes a smart save to stop it being 4-1.

57’ 2-3 GOALL!!!!! Shot from Femi is saved, shot from Fran is saved but Gary smashes in the 3rd attempt. Game on!

60’ 2-3 Little bit of sustained pressure from the Hive. Shot from Mo is blocked.

63’ 2-3 Fran takes a lovely touch to create some room on the edge of the box, it’s a shot hit with venom that hits the bar.

65’ 2-3 Shouts for a Hive penalty, Gary and Mark seem absolutely convinced it’s handball but ref waves it away.

67’ 2-3 Hayden gets a toe on a through ball that could’ve led to a 1 on 1. Good defending, Max clears the corner.

70’ 2-3 Driving run from Mark on the left, picks out Gary in the middle who heads it towards goal but his effort is met with a superb one handed save from their keeper. Fair play, that was a brilliant save.

72’ Substitution- Tom S on for Francesco

74’ 2-3 Looping shot from Atletico but comfortable enough for Abel.

75’ 2-3 As it stands, Hive will have some regrets about today. Too many first and second balls lost out on.

78’ 2-3 Atletico nearly score an overheard kick on the break. That would’ve been filth.

80’ 2-3 Massive save from their keeper. Dives right at the feet of Femi and smothers the shot. Brave keeping that.

82’ 2-3 Shot from distance by Gary, hits the bar and nobody is there to challenge the keeper.

83’ 2-3 We’re 3-2 down, Femi gets a cross and there is 1 person in the box. 6 Hive players on halfway. What are we doing??!!

87’ 2-3 Shot from Atletico goes just wide. Hive not doing anywhere near enough with the ball. Everybody is screaming to be patient, we’re going absolutely nowhere with the ball.

90’ 2-3 We could and should’ve moved this ball much quicker today.

90+2 2-3 Shots cleared off the line. We’ve had our chances

90+4 2-3 8 Hive players outside the box. Seriously what is this nonsense man.

90+5 2-3 Fran heads it across goal, nobody is there. Because this time there’s 7 Hive shirts outside the box.

Full-time. Harrow Hive 2-3 Atletico Madridlesbrough. Femi 31’, Gary 57’. Atletico 6’, 35’, 49’.

What a wasted opportunity. Didn’t even play badly, but we were so wasteful with the ball. It’s easy to be critical from the sidelines, and I’m not out there for a reason; I’m not good enough. Just didn’t do enough to win the game

This season, our updates are sponsored by Fintrack. If you need your finances managed by an experienced, professional organisation, head over to thefintrack.co.uk

A massive thank you to those of you that came down to our annual charity match. We’ve reached our target of £400 and as ever, it was a great day for a great cause. You can still donate at https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/5th-annual-hive-charity-match

Time for a quick, tongue in cheek player ratings from today. Enjoy.

Blue team

Sri 8 – His worldie save was the highlight of the day. Nearly died.

James 7 – Nutmegged Mark, got into some lofty attacking positions and did diddly squat.

Dario 9 – Didn’t stop defending all day, including clearing his pen in the shootout.

Sean 3 – Spent the game being racist.

Raunak 5 – Must learn the offside rule. Brilliant air kick

Max 7 – Good sport and let Adam have the ball because it was a charity game.

Tochi 9 – Wanted to kill Ade after the 15th miss but refrained. Well done.

Ben 8 – Scored a perfectly legitimate goal and was a rock alongside Adam.

Femi 8 – Poor lad. Tried to actually get the team playing but eventually realised there was no point. Charity and that.

Ade 10 – 10 shots, 10 misses. 10/10 for the champ.

Adam 1 – picked the wrong team, wore the wrong shoes, everything was just wrong. Gets an extra 1 because he organised a great event.

Other Adam 5 – rocked up late and called his team terrorists. Not wrong.

Kramik 0 – He came 5 minutes before the end and took the worst penalty I’ve ever seen. Fair play.

Paul 5 – We needed a real man, not a boy.

Yellow team

Will 7 – Made some saves, skied his pen and nearly crashed his car on the way.

Leo 9 – Charity game and he’s still running up and down like it’s the real thing. Warra lad.

Matt 2 – Shocking dive to try and sneak a free kick and nearly killed Sri. Might’ve been a 10 but the word ‘nearly’ has cost him.

Jack 10 – The actual man of the match. Where did we find him?? Outstanding performance.

David 7 – Blaming the mud for toeing a cross out on an astroturf pitch was exemplary behaviour.

Andrew 9 – How have we never signed him up for the Hive ffs. Ball winning tackles in a charity game? Have a heart. Crap pen.

Gary 1 – Too much stick towards the ref. Scored a fluke. Team won in spite of him.

Nik 9 – Scored against Sri. Unlucky Sri. No broken legs today.

Mark 3 – Racism, disallowed goals and a spurs fan. Poor day out.

Harry 5 – Scored a goal, completed 2 passes in the 90 and forced Gary into subbing him.

Alistair 9 – 4/10 for his performance, 10/10 for comedy so he gets a 9.

Rory 9 – Brilliant save in the shootout, loves a scoop shot.

Tom S 10 – Gave me a lift and did one whole header today. Stonking pen too.

Ref 10 – Got every decision right today and scored a pen. Should’ve had an assist too.

Caitlin and Ashleigh 100/10 – Stayed to support and watch this nonsense. Got us a lovely hot chocolate too.