Bees character pleases boss Austin as Harborough fight back to seal crucial point
Boss Mitch Austin was pleased with the character shown by Harborough Town as they battled back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with third-placed Real Bedford at the Bee Hive on Saturday.
Ben Stevens had fired the visitors into the lead just after half-time, but substitute Riley O'Sullivan then netted with his first touch to square the match on 68 minutes, and that was how it stayed.
The draw saw the Bees lose top spot in the Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central to rivals Spalding United, with the Tulips netting twice in the last 10 minutes to beat Halesowen Town and regain top spot on goal difference, although Harborough still have two games in hand.
The Bees will go back to the head of the table if they can secure at least a point from their trip to Bromsgrove Sporting on Tuesday night (ko 7.45pm).
Speaking to @HarbTownFC after the draw with Real Bedford, Austin said: "I am happy with the reaction after going a goal down. I thought we were superb in the first half.
"We limited their opportunities but they were still scary on the counter-attack, and they are a great side, you have to give them credit because they move the ball superbly.
"They had some good opportunities and we were wasteful with ours, and on reflection it is probably a good point for both sides.
"We could have suffered a loss there to a team that is third in the league, but we haven't.
"We have shown good character to come back and get that equaliser, but then just couldn't get the winner, which is probably the most disappointing thing for me, as well as the way we gave away the goal."
And he added: "Sometimes we need a kick up the backside, for whatever reason.
"Maybe to bring a bit more grit and determination to the table, which the players do have in abundance, but sometimes you have to find that extra edge, or that extra 10 per cent.
"You can't question work-rate, you can't question commitment, but they couldn't find the edge, which was disappointing if we are over-analysing things.
"But it was a good point and we move on, and we have another tough fixture on Tuesday."
Bromsgrove are currently just two places and two points above the relegatiuon zone, but Austin know his team will be in for a difficult evening.
"At this stage we are not thinking with emotion, we have to think with clarity, and to know what is right for the team and what can be successful on the night," said the Bees boss.
"We have to go into every game with zero pressure, like we have done all season, and we have clarity in our gameplan, what's going to be effective, and let's try and action it.
"We have a lot of away fixtures to play, and let's see what Tuesday brings.
"It is another exciting fixture and with nine games to go we are in this position, but what do the next nine games hold?
"The one thing we do like as a club is that we like to create moments and memories, and the great thing right now is we don't know what's going to happen.
"That is the great thing, and I think that's the great thing about life, you don't know when success is coming, and you don't know if it is coming at all. But let's just enjoy the journey."