They`ve Played for Your Club…..Harrow Borough

Continuing the series on players who have represented the current clubs in the Southern Football League.

Originally known as Roxonian FC in 1933, the club spent their first season in the Harrow & District League, finishing runners-up in Division One.

They were accepted into the Spartan League, which coincided with the move to Earlsmead.

Just before the outset of the Second World War, the club was re-named Harrow Town.

The club continued to play in, first, the West Middlesex Combination, then the Middlesex Senior League during the war but peace brought a return to the Spartan League until 1958 when runners-up spot enabled the club to move to the Delphian League.

Five seasons were spent in the Delphian League until mergers saw Town accepted into Division Two of the Athenian League in 1963.

In their first season at this level, they finished runners-up, denied the championship only by goal difference. However, only three seasons were spent in Division One, whence a name change to Harrow Borough coincided with relegation in 1967.

Eight seasons were played as occupants of Division Two, during which it seemed that the club might withdraw from senior football, and only the efforts of a few hardy individuals kept the club alive.

Negotiations with the local council saw the club sell its second pitch, now the site of a school, and build a new clubhouse, floodlights and terracing.

This progress was matched on the field as Harrow were elected to the Isthmian League in 1975 after having to wait a year for the complex to be completed.

Four years later they won promotion to the Premier Division as runners-up.

The early 1980s saw the club’s most successful spell so far as the Middlesex Charity Cup was won in 1980, the Middlesex Senior Cup three years later and also in 1983, Harrow reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy, losing to the eventual winners, Telford United, over two legs.

A year later, the club’s `Golden Jubilee` was celebrated with a drawn match against Manchester United, and the club enjoyed its best FA Cup run so far, losing to Newport County, then of the old Division Three, in the Second Round and, winning the Isthmian League Premier Division championship by a staggering 17-point margin.

Under astute manager Micky Tomkys, Harrow had enjoyed continuous success but his retirement in 1985 saw a gradual decline in the club’s fortunes.

On three occasions, only a win in the final game of the season saw them retain their Premier Division status.

Season 1992/93, however, saw a dramatic improvement with both the Middlesex Senior Cup and Middlesex Charity Cup returning to Earlsmead - the semi-final of the latter saw Chelsea defeated 4-1.

A league placing of eighth was also their best for six seasons, and this form continued over the next three seasons under the management team of Harry Manoe.

A dip in the club’s fortunes saw Manoe`s departure, to be followed by a succession of managers.

A disastrous run of form during the 1999/00 season saw the club avoid relegation by just a single goal.

Despite an encouraging start to the 2000/01 season, which saw Boro reach the First Round of the FA Cup for only the second time - losing 3-0 at Wycombe Wanderers - a poor run of performances after Christmas saw the Club finish fourth-from-bottom again with just two points to spare.

Under the stewardship of manager David Howell, the former Enfield, Barnet and England semi-professional international, Boro’ continued their youth and community development and they now have links with a number of local youth football clubs and schools.

Season 2006/07 saw Boro finish in a relegation position only for their Premier Division place to be saved by Northern Premier League side Lancaster City, whose financial difficulties saw them being relegated instead.

Season 2005/06 saw Harrow win the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup for the third time with a 2-0 success over Enfield Town and the following campaign saw the feat replicated with victory over Brook House 5-4 on penalties following a goalless scoreline after extra-time.

Season 2009/10 saw Boro finish in a very creditable 14th position in the Isthmian Premier Division and added to the fact that the club cleared their long-standing debt with HM Revenue & Customs, they entered the 2010/11 season with new-found optimism.

A final position of fifth at the end of that season was their highest placing for a considerable number of years and earned the club a place in the end of season play-offs for promotion to the Conference South.

Defeat at Tonbridge Angels in extra-time in the semi-finals saw an end for the time being of that dream but it was still an excellent season for the club.

Harrow were also the highest goalscorers in the Isthmian Premier Division with 77 goals scored and also reached the First Round of the FA Cup, losing out narrowly to the eventual League Two champions, Chesterfield.

But during the summer of 2011, Boro received shock news that manager David Howell had decided to resign his position, taking with him his assistant, Ken Charlery, reserve team manager Stuart Crawford and physio Samantha Backhouse.

This meant a hard summer for the club`s Board of Directors and for new manager Dave Anderson, who had returned to the club he had served previously as reserve manager and then assistant manager on three separate occasions.

In January 2015, Harrow appointed Steve Baker as Anderson`s replacement.

He moved to Earlsmead after a successful spell with Isthmian South side Chipstead for whom he had been manager since 2013.

During his playing career, he carved out a good reputation with Hayes, Yeading, Hendon and Egham Town before becoming player-coach with Chertsey Town.

He had begun his coaching career working for franchise soccer schools in conjunction with Arsenal and Chelsea and continued to develop them as first team coach at St Albans City.

After two years as manager at Egham, he continued to hone his coaching skills with Beaconsfield SYCOB and Wingate & Finchley before moving back into management with Walton & Hersham in 2013.

His stay at Stompond Lane was short lived before he moved on to Chipstead.

Harrow's lengthy stay in the Premier Division was set to come to an end when they lost 2-0 to Lowestoft Town on the final day of the 2016/17 season and saw them finish in the relegation zone.

However, after the end of the season, following alterations higher up the Pyramid involving promotions and relegations, Harrow were offered a reprieve and the relegation was reversed, which saw the club remain in the Premier Division for the 2017/18 season.

At the end of the 2017/18 campaign when they finished 12th, Harrow`s 43-year spell as an Isthmian League club cam to an end when they were switched to the Southern League Premier Division South after an FA re-structuring.

The pandemic has mean Baker`s side has only managed to finish one season – their first in 2018/19 – when they achieved a very creditable seventh.

Striker David Pearce is Harrow`s record scorer with 153 goals.

He began his career with Millwall and made just one senior appearance for the Lions in Division Two against Bristol Rovers in November 1977.

He was loaned out to Southern League Margate in February 1979 and played 8 times, netting 2 goals.

At the end of that season, he was released by Millwall and signed for Wealdstone at the beginning of 1979/80 before moving to neighbours Harrow in February 1980.

He scored 33 goals for Boro in 1980/81 and a record 46 in 1982/83.

He helped Harrow to win the Isthmian League title in 1983/84 and won his one England semi-professional international cap against Italy towards the end of that season.

In January 1985, Pearce moved to Barnet for a £4,000 fee before moving on to have spells with Dagenham, Wokingham Town for a four-figure fee, scoring 79 goals in two seasons for the Satsumas.

After being with Kingstonian, where he was player of the year for 1990/91, he became a member of Hayes` promotion-winning squad of 1995/96.

A short stay at Chertsey Town preceded a move to Sutton United in November 1996 and he scored a hat-trick on his full debut for the U`s.

Spells with Hampton and then Worthing followed before he finally hung up his boots in 1998, having notched more than 350 goals.

Elliot Onochie was a Nigerian-born forward who represented England Schools under-18s.

After leaving Wimbledon in 2001, he first came to the fore with Kingstonian in the early 2000s before having two seasons with Tooting & Mitcham United.

Following a brief return to Kingstonian, he had spells with Staines Town and Croydon Athletic before signing for Harrow in 2004/05.

He enjoyed four seasons with Boro before leaving for Boreham Wood.

He re-joined Staines in 2007 and stayed until the end of the 2010/11 season when he finished off his playing days at Carshalton Athletic.

One of the best-known players to have worn a Harrow Borough shirt is current Queens Park Rangers winger Albert Adomah.

Adomah was 16 when he turned up for a trial with Harrow having played amateur football.

After impressing at Harrow, where he went on to make over 80 appearances and score 15 goals, he was picked up by Barnet in 2008.

He played 115 times for the Bees, netting 19 goals and had spells at Bristol City, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa before signing for Nottingham Forest in July 2019.

He quickly fell out of favour at the City Ground and spent the second half of the 2019/20 season on loan at Cardiff City.

Then, in October 2020, following his departure from Forest, Adomah signed for his boyhood club Queens Park Rangers.

To date, Adomah has been capped 19 times and scored 2 goals for Ghana, winning his first call up in September 2011.

Striker Victor Asombang began his career started as a schoolboy at Queens Park Rangers.

He was released after five years and did his YTS at Stevenage Borough, followed by a brief spell at Hayes.

He then played at Hanwell Town, Kettering Town, Braintree Town, Harefield United and Hampton & Richmond Borough before signing for Harrow in 2005.

He spent three years at Earlsmead before going on to have spells with Staines Town, Northwood and Holmer Green.

Asombang represented Great Britain in the World University Games, held in Turkey in the summer of 2005, and also played Futsal for England.

Although a midfielder Steve Emmanuel enjoyed a `well-travelled` career, he did make 478 appearances in several spells with Harrow.

He began his career with Watford before signing for Boro for the first time in 1979.

He was at Earlsmead until 1988 before embarking on a brief stint at Staines Town, and then joining Hayes in November 1988.

He stayed with Hayes for two seasons, making 76 appearances and scoring 5 goals, and gaining representative honours from the Isthmian League.

He later played for Chesham United, Harlow Town, Maidenhead United and Harrow again.

He went into management with Northwood and, briefly, with Chesham.

One of Harrow`s longest-serving players, Les Currell played 582 games for the club in goal.

Currell originally had two years as an apprentice at Chelsea.

After being released by the Stamford Bridge outfit he made his way to Earlsmead for his first spell with Harrow.

He departed for neighbours Wealdstone and then Rayners Lane.

Currell joined Northwood in August 1976 and played in the side which won the Middlesex League Cup and were league runners-up.

He returned to Harrow the following season and was named as player of the year for 1980/81.

Currell left for a spell with Slough Town before returning to Boro for a third time to end his playing days.

He went on to become a successful roofing company director.

As a player, Colin Payne came through the youth ranks at Harrow.

A midfielder who could also play at the back, he went on to make more than 350 appearances for Harrow.

After eventually leaving Earlsmead, he had spells with played for Yeading, Northwood, Berkhamsted and Ruislip Manor.

He had a period in charge of Berkhamsted and then, after switching to Chertsey Town in December 1996, found himself thrust into temporary management again a month or so later.

He went on to manage Ruislip Manor and Boreham Wood, where he helped them to win the Isthmian League Division One title.

After a spell in the hot seat at Edgware Town, he was in charge of Northwood from September 2005 until October 2008 before, in February 2009, he was appointed manager of Hitchin Town.

During the summer of 2010, Payne was appointed as manager of then-Southern Premier Division side Hemel Hempstead Town.

He resigned in September 2011.

Andy Pape was a tall and commanding goalkeeper who started his career with Queens Park Rangers.

He made one senior appearance for the R`s before moving to Charlton Athletic in 1980.

A short spell in Denmark with Ikast was followed by a season with Crystal Palace but like at Charlton, Pape found himself as the number two keeper and didn`t make any League appearances.

He returned to Ikast in the English summer of 1982 and then spent the 1982/83 season with Feltham.

He signed for Harrow in July 1983 and spent two seasons at Earlsmead before joining Enfield in 1985 and enjoyed a terrific spell at Southbury Road, winning the Conference title and the FA Trophy and won 15 England semi-professional international caps between 1986 and 1990.

He was signed by Barnet and spent four seasons at Underhill, playing 40 times in Division Three and Two.

He returned to Enfield in March 1994 and went on to have spells with Sutton United and Aldershot Town before a brief second stint with Harrow in 2002.

He finished his playing days with another spell at Sutton and had coaching and assistant manager roles at Hendon before leaving due to mounting work commitments.

There`s not much left to say about George Duck that hasn`t already been said!

One of non-League football`s best-known forwards, he started his career with Southend United where he failed to make the grade.

However, the Shrimpers must have look on in embarrassment as he went on to become a phenomenal goalscorer.

He was as instrumental as anyone in having the championship flag flying at Wealdstone as he contributed a record 62 goals in 1973/74 alone!

In total, Duck scored 223 goals for the Stones in 349 appearances and went on to enjoy a successful career after leaving Wealdstone in 1979 at Dagenham, for who he scored in the FA Trophy Final under Eddie Presland, and at Harrow Borough, with whom he won an Isthmian League championship.

Goalkeeper James Shea came through the academy at Arsenal and had loan spells with Southampton and Dagenham & Redbridge, for whom he played his first League game, before plying his trade in non-League football with Needham Market and then Harrow after his release by the Gunners in 2013.

He continued to train with Arsenal on a full-time basis during his year outside the professional game, playing 35 times for Boro in 2013/14.

He returned to the Football League by signing for AFC Wimbledon in 2014 and helped the Dons to promotion from League Two in 2015/16 and then made 43 appearances for them in all competitions the following term, taking him to over a century with the south-west London club.

Signed a one-year deal with Luton Town as a free agent in July 2017, which was extended.

He forced his way into the first team at the tail end of the season, making 8 appearances, to win a second promotion from the fourth tier.

He finished the 2018/19 campaign with the `golden glove` award for League One after keeping 19 clean sheets in what was an outstanding season for the ‘keeper.

He went on to make his Championship debut in October 2019 in a 3-0 win against Bristol City and played an additional 12 games during the rest of the 2019/20 campaign.

To date he has totalled 73 appearances for the Hatters.

Left-back Graham Pearce was born in Hammersmith and started his career with Brentford in 1971.

Unable to break into the senior side, he left Griffin Park in 1976 and joined Southern League side Hillingdon Borough.

He had three years with Hillingdon before being signed by Barry Fry for Barnet.

He played almost 100 games for the Bees and was then sold to Brighton & Hove Albion, for whom he played 88 times, including the 1983 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.

He moved to Gillingham in 1986 and added a further 65 games to his tally before returning to his first club, Brentford, in 1989.

Eighteen years after first signing for the club, he finally made his League debut for Brentford in 1989/90 and played 18 times before taking up the reserve team manager`s role at Griffin Park.

Whilst occupying that post, Pearce continued his playing career with Maidstone United, Enfield, where he spent two years as player-manager, Kingstonian and then, in 1995, Harrow.

He spent a couple of seasons at Earlsmead and made around 50 appearances before spending a year or so as manager of Molesey and then ended his playing days with Corinthian-Casuals.

Pearce was also a physical education teacher at Homefield Preparatory School in Sutton, Surrey.

Striker Fejiri Okenabirhie was at Arsenal as a youngster and then joined Stevenage as an apprentice in 2012.

Whilst on Stevenage`s books, he enjoyed loan spells in the Southern League sides Bedford Town, Cambridge City and Royston Town as well as then-Conference outfit Farnborough.

In May 2015 upon his return to Stevenage, he was one of several players to be released by the club at the end of the 2014/15 campaign and, after an unsuccessful trial with Millwall, Okenabirhie signed for Harrow.

He notched 10 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions as Boro finished near the foot of the Isthmian Premier table.

In June 2016, he was signed by Dagenham & Redbridge, who had just suffered relegation from the Conference.

He played 68 times for the Daggers, scoring 19 goals, and also won 5 England C international caps, scoring 5 times.

He then joined League One side Shrewsbury Town in the summer of 2018.

After 55 games and 12 goals for the Shrews, he was signed by Doncaster Rovers for a fee of around £75,000 and, to date, has played 42 games and netted 13 goals at the Keepmoat.

Goalkeeper Karamoko Keita only played at non-League level in England after coming over as a youngster from Mali.

He began at Yeading and then Wembley before signing for Harrow in 2001.

After spending five years at Earlsmead, during which time he earned two international caps for Mali between 2001 and 2002, representing them at the 2002 African Cup of Nations, he left for spells with Hayes and then Wealdstone.

Then in 2009, Keita returned to Harrow and spent another couple of seasons with the club, taking his total of appearances to over 100.

He finished his playing career at Wembley while working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Pat Gavin was a forward who began and ended his playing career in non-League football.

He started out with then-Spartan League side Hanwell Town whilst working as a postman – no guesses as to his nickname then!

Towards the end of the 1988/89 season, he was signed by Third Division Gillingham and Hanwell received their first ever fee for a player.

He made 13 appearances for the Gills and scored 7 goals before being the subject of a somewhat controversial move to Leicester City in June 1989.

Leicester thought he was a free agent, while the Kent club claimed he was still under contract with them.

He was initially barred from training with either club until the wrangle over his registration had been sorted out.

Eventually, a compromise saw Leicester loan Gavin back to Gillingham for the 1989/90 season where, unfortunately, he struggled to consolidate his initial impact, scoring only one goal in 34 matches.

His total of 3 Second Division games for the Foxes amounted to a total of just 83 minutes before he became a £15,000 deadline day transfer to Peterborough United in March 1991.

Five goals immediately helped Posh to promotion from Division Four but success there was short-lived too, and it was not until his final game for Northampton Town in May 1993, when the Cobblers had to win at Shrewsbury Town to be sure of retaining their Football League status that Gavin again hit the headlines.

The reward for his crucial two-goal contribution as a substitute, however, was the cancellation of his contract only days later!

He had a year or so with Wigan Athletic, making 42 appearances and scoring 8 goals, before he returned to non-League football in 1995 with then-Conference side Farnborough Town.

In 1997, Gavin returned to north London and signed for Harrow.

He went on to give great service to Boro for over seven years before leaving in 2003 at the age of 35 to briefly join Chelmsford City.

In November 2003, he signed for Hendon and after short spells with Hayes and Aylesbury United, before returning to his first club Hanwell, now in the Southern League, in 2005, initially as player-coach, but in January 2006 he stepped up to the role of joint manager, but his tenure ended in February 2007.

Harrow have had several former international players wearing their colours over the years.

Winger Howard Newton won ten caps for Guyana after he had left Boro in 2006 for Staines Town following two seasons at Earlsmead.

Much-travelled five-times capped Barara international Arjan Tajbakhsh had a short spell with Harrow in 2012, while Jamaican international centre-back Ramil Sheriff was with the club in 2014/15.

Another Jamaican international to have been with Boro was former Bradford City, Leicester City and Walsall winger Jamie Lawrence.

Capped twenty-four times, he had a couple of seasons at Earlsmead before going into management with Ashford Town.

Striker or wide player Miles Jones won the first of his five international caps for Barbados whilst on Boro`s books in 2008.

Jones spent a season and a bit at Earlsmead, making around 25 appearances and scoring 4 goals.

A big favourite with Harrow supporters, both as a player and assistant manager, was St Lucia international striker Ken Charlery.

After a career making over 600 appearances and scoring 167 goals in both League and non-League football, Charlery, who had several spells with Barry Fry`s various teams, joined Harrow in 2004.

Also capped as an England semi-professional, Charlery had two spells with Boro as number two, his second running from 2006 until 2011.

Defender Marvin McCoy was on Harrow`s books in 2007/08 and then later, whilst with Wycombe Wanderers, he earned 8 caps for Antigua & Barbuda.

Harrow also feature amongst striker Ellis Remy`s numerous clubs.

Capped six times by Montserrat, he turned out for Boro during the 2006/07 season.

Another well-travelled player, Byron Bubb had a short stint at Harrow in 2007.

He was then a current Grenada international, winning his first cap in 2004 whilst at Hemel Hempstead Town.

He won fourteen in total, netting 4 goals, before calling it a day.

A former team-mate of Bubb`s in the Grenada side was goalkeeper Andray Baptiste.

He joined Harrow in August 2008 from Sport London Benfica.

Previously at triallist with Arsenal, he also played for the Police Sports Club in his home country and played 44 games for Boro and was also on dual forms with Southern League Ashford Town.

He won sixteen caps between 2002 and 2011.

Heading the list of international players who spent time on loan with Harrow is current Burnley and England goalkeeper Nick Pope, who has seven full caps to his name to date and is fully expected to be in Gareth Southgate`s squad for the upcoming Euros.

In August 2011, Pope, who had joined Charlton Athletic from then-Southern League side Bury Town the previous May, joined Harrow on loan and made 19 appearances, saving two penalties!

Another current goalkeeper whose loan spell with Harrow gave him a little boost in his career is Jordan Archer, for whom Boro gave him his first taste of senior football on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in 2011.

Archer went on to play over 150 times for Millwall and is currently with Middlesbrough.

He has been capped by Scotland at under-19, 20 and under-21 level and has made one full international appearance to date.

Striker Daryl Murphy, who went on to become a firm favourite with Sunderland and Ipswich Town and still plays currently back in his home country of Ireland with Waterford, spent time on loan with Harrow from Luton Town back in 2001/02 before he had made his Football League debut.

He went on to win thirty-two full international caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring 3 goals, to add to his 9 appearances and 3 goals for the under-21s.

Forward Calum Willock, who was on loan with Boro in 2013 from National league side Boreham Wood is a St Kitts & Nevis international and another attacking player, Manny Williams, was another loanee at Earlsmead, this time from National League South outfit Slough Town, in 2019.

Another loanee was Antigua & Barbuda international defender Aaron Tumwa, who spent a month at Harrow in 2011/12 from Watford, while current Welling United forward Marcel Barrington made his senior bow with Boro in 2013 on loan from Stoke City.

He played six games and scored on goal and is a current Guyana international with five caps and 2 goals to his name to date.

Harrow Borough Web Site