The away side opened the scoring in the first ten minutes against the run of play, as Phil Draycott put away their only effort on goal in the first half.

Richard Pacquette nodded home the last action of the first half to bring the Hares level at the break and made the scoreline a little more representative.

Jason Shaw’s side finished the game with ten men after a series of unfortunate injuries, but will rue opportunities missed through the full ninety to take home all three points.

A real sense of optimism was shared amongst the home faithful as a result of Harefield’s showing in the opening exchanges, a real marked improvement from recent league performances.

Harefield were able to dominate the ball and therefore looked the most potent of the sides, but were unable to make it count with limited chances on goal.

Crawley Green took the lead through captain Phil Draycott and undone United’s hard work with three simple passes, the final of those splitting through the back line and finding the striker who didn’t hesitate and fired home.

The clinical nature of their counter attack was a stark reminder of why they sit at seventh in the table.

Captain Sean Mangan had a header from a corner whipped in by Sam Shaw cleared off the line, evidence of Harefield’s commendable response as they seldom sat back, constantly endeavouring for a break through.

The lion’s share of possession stayed at the feet of the Hares, and a wonderful ball aided by severely blustery conditions fell to Lenny Farhall, who took the ball in his stride but his effort was well saved by George Rose in the Crawley Green sticks.

The ever-present attacking threat of the two strikers, combined with midfield creative outlets Shaw and Aderi Dede lead to more chances to draw level.

Most notably was Farhall striking the crossbar after being released by Dede, who was initially found by Pacquette after great hold up play to enable the counter.

An unfortunate collision after a set piece on the half hour mark saw Mangan and Glen Cooksley being substituted and looks like a lengthy spell on the sidelines in particular for the Harefield captain with an ankle issue.

The new introduction of sin-bins this season saw a 10-minute dismissal of Crawley Green scorer Draycott for what looked like dissent, opening a topic of discussion with fans as to what really went on.

It seems the new rule will take some time to be etched into the understanding of non-league fans.

The stroke of half time brought Harefield’s moment to level, as the newly appointed captain Pacquette, who took the armband after Mangan’s injury, glanced a near-post header in after an accurate ball from right-back Steven Green, the least Harefield deserved at the break.

The second half saw more of the ball fall to Crawley Green, but Shaw’s side still threatened when they did gain possession as a long-range punt courtesy of Luke Baldwin forced a smart save by Rose who went down low to deny the eventual Man of the Match.

Most of Crawley Green’s game in the second half was falling behind, and good defence at that, but their strikes on goal mostly flew off target and posed little danger until the latter stages.

More chances to convert were in fact diverted when Lenny Farhall’s shot was cleared off the line by Sam Pemberton, after another Rose save took the sting out of the shot and allowed time for tracking back, and Pacquette saw an opportunity for a wonder goal with a lob from distance, that floated wide.

A Gary Edwards tackle denied a counter attacking opportunity for Meyrick and Bicknall’s side, keeping the defence’s side of the bargain in Harefield’s attempt at taking the lead.

The introduction of young attacking prospect Blaise Riley-Snow was a more than competent replacement for Farhall, who carried on the same fantastic forward interplay as in the first 45.

The second unfortunate hit on the injury list came after the former Dominican international Richard Pacquette went down after another collision in an attacking opportunity meant the Hares finished the remaining ten minutes with as many men on the park.

Mangan’s replacement Callum Rogers was further evidence of Jason Shaw’s strength in squad depth, who formed a notably solid partnership with makeshift left back Aderi Dede in the closing stages, blocking a cutting pass that would have found Crawley Green players on the overlap.

Unfortunately for Rogers, the centre-back couldn’t find the target from a corner later on in what can only be described as a high-octane finish on both parts, but the offside trap was found to be the Achilles heel of Harefield, while the final ball for Crawley Green proved to be their undoing in the search for three points.

Notwithstanding the result, the Hares will have a big boost of confidence from their display and will look to maximise their chances against strugglers Potton United on Tuesday, while Crawley Green return to The Brache and take on Wembley.

Harefield United Team:
Reece Mallett
Rowan Larrington
Steven Green
Gary Edwards
Luke Baldwin
Sean Mangan (c)
Aderi Dede
Richard Pacquette
Lenny Farhall
Sam Shaw
Paul Underwood

Subs:
Blaise Riley-Snow (used)
Tash Jordan (used)
Danny Glock
Callum Rogers (used)
Lee McManus

Crawley Green Team:
George Rose
Glen Cooksley
Sam Pemberton
Adam Marsh
Tyler Ingham
Chris Crook
Reece Green
Liam McGovern
Danny Watson
Liam Toomey
Phil Draycott (c)

Subs:
Alex Marius
James Younger (used)
Spencer O’Leary (used)
Jurgen Neziri