Witham end their long wait for a win

Ryman League premier division

Witham Town finally ended their long wait for a Ryman League premier division win and what a win it could prove to be.

December 13 was the last time Witham had taken three points – when beating Hampton and Richmond Borough – so it was a huge relief to win again after 11 games without one.

The fact that it came against one of their relegation rivals made it even sweeter for boss Garry Kimble and his team, but they did make their fans sweat for it.

Having got themselves a two-goal lead in the first half, Witham then contrived to out their supporters through the emotional wringer.

They conceded a soft goal before the break and were then pushed back by a resolute Harrow side for much of the second period.

In fact it was only a lack of finishing touch in the final third of the pitch that kept the visitors from finding the equaliser that they must surely have felt they deserved.

However, it refused to come and Witham took three points that could go a long way to helping them stay in the premier division this year.

Witham made two changes from the side that started the 1-1 draw at Maidstone on Saturday, with Lewis Godbold and Ryan Charles returning and Ryan Blackman and Marvin Ekpiteta dropping to the bench.

And one of those changes had an almost instant impact as Charles put the hosts ahead in the seventh minute.

They had just survived a chance for Borough at the other end when Martyn Guest made a good save from an effort by Marc Charles-Smith.

However, Witham broke straight down the other end, with Charles cutting in from the left and curling a beautiful shot into the top corner past the despairing dive of Harrow keeper Nick Jupp.

It was just the start Witham wanted, but Harrow Borough responded well to their setback and only a full-stretch save by Guest kept out a Ryan Hope effort from outside the box.

They lacked a clinical edge, though, and Witham made them pay in the 33rd minute with a goal that owed a lot to the persistence of Charles.

The Town winger first charged down a clearance, before receiving the ball from Jamie Guy, cutting inside a couple of challenges and laying it off to Danny Emmanuel, who had the simple task of slotting it into the net.

It was the first time that Witham had held a two-goal lead since being 3-1 ahead in their 3-2 win against Hampton and Richmond Borough on December 13.

However, that margin of advantage didn’t last until half-time.

Harrow got one back in the 41st minute when a corner was flicked on by John Sonuga and Dan Moody was on hand to bury the loose ball in the home net to keep the visitors in the game.

It was a scrappy start to the second half on a tricky pitch and Witham thought they had regained their two-goal lead when Guy had the ball in the net, but an offside flag quickly stifled celebrations in the 55th minute.

It meant the hosts weren’t able to develop a comfort zone and with the visitors sensing they could get something from the game, they pushed Witham into increasingly deeper positions.

Guest had to tip over a cross that was falling under his bar in the 71st minute as Witham just couldn’t make the ball stick in advanced areas of the pitch.

A free-kick saw Moody head inches wide of the target, the same player then sent a shot just over when he tried his luck from 35 yards and Charles-Smith’s header just cleared the crossbar.

As Harrow committed men forward, the inevitable gaps appeared at the back for them, but Witham were unable to capitalise, most notably when John Watson failed to find the target when well-placed.

That was until deep into stoppage-time when Luke Callander stepped forward to drill a free-kick home after Charles had been felled on the edge of the box and the home fans could finally breathe a little easier.