When you arrive at the Harlow Arena you initially feel as if you’ve made a wrong turn!

The ground is fantastic with a huge stand on one side and a massive covered terrace on the other, and with an attendance of 240 it made for an intense atmosphere with the locals baying for blood at times!

Harlow started well. So much so that they scored in just the third minute, Eric Koduah hit a left-footed shot which was parried by Ibbi Rashid out to Jesse Epstein to tap in at close range.

Harley Sells attempted to get Everett back on level terms with a blaster from 30 yards which whizzed just past the Harlow left post.

Soon after the Rovers attack, Reece Simpson tried to lob Rashid which was safely gathered by the Everett keeper and within a minute another Harlow long ball put Nico Sanchez through with just Rashid alert enough in the Everett defence to clear their lines. It was clear to see that the Rovers defence were shell-shocked and didn’t expect such pressure from a team only one point above them in the table. But with fifteen minutes gone, Everett found themselves two goals down. Once again a virtual carbon copy of the first goal with no lessons learnt.

Koduah, with plenty of room down the left flank, stuck a low cross into the six yard area.

Neither Tom Ward or Johnny O’Sullivan were able to reach the ball but Harlow’s Sanchez said, “Thank you very much”, to be given the freedom of the area to put the ball in the back of the net.

Everett manager Steve Kightley would have been pulling his hair out (if he had any!) but Rovers slowly got themselves back into the game.

Jay Puzey was put through with a chance of getting a goal back for the visitors but the Harlow defence had done their homework and did well to reduce any chance of a shot.

Sells was soon in on the action too, a deep free kick of his had to be punched away by Harlow’s Vinith Murugamoorthy and that was followed soon after by a Sells stunner of a shot which was just a tad too high to worry the Harlow supporters behind the goal.

Harlow tried to make it more comfortable by adding another goal, one cross in from the right flew across the six yard area but fell to nobody and then Koduah tried his luck again but his effort was third time unlucky as the ball whisked past a diving Rashid, a sliding O’Sullivan, and an upright post. With 37 minutes on the clock, Everett finally had a piece of luck. A ball in from the Rovers left was met by the head of Sells, even though he was 20 yards out.

Murugamoorthy was wrong-footed and as he expected the ball to go past the post he realised to his horror that the ball had managed to bounce the other way and despite his despairing dive, he was unable to stop the ball from crossing the line.

Buoyed by the goal, Everett had something to play for and from a Luke Preedy free kick on the halfway line, Ward headed the ball back for O’Sullivan to stretch for but missed his chance.

Taylor Cobb, picking the ball up on the edge of the penalty area from a Sells corner, had his back to goal but still attempted a cheeky turn with a curling shot which unfortunately went past the post.

Rovers continued to create chances, George Rice, who had had a quiet game until later in the first half, beat his man down the right and got a cross in from the byline but the cross on that occasion came to nothing. The second half started the same as the first.

With the home side going for goal. Kane Low was sent through with Ward playing catch up, leaving Rashid to make the decision to come out.

He spread himself well and got his hands to the ball before Low fell over him in the slim chance of gaining a penalty.

Meanwhile, up the other end, a Sells free kick dropped nicely for O’Sullivan who headed the ball downward, making it difficult for Murugamoorthy to be able to get to, the ball bounced up and off the post, Alex Morgan was unable to get to the ball before a Harlow player hooked it away.

Max Drayton harassed the Harlow defence and with a low cross from the left wing found Sells who got behind the ball too much and saw his shot fly past the post. Then came the moment that Everett Rovers thought they had equalised.

An O’Sullivan long throw was headed on in the penalty area by Morgan which found its way to Sells who put the ball through Murugamoorthy’s legs.

Rovers were elated until they realised that the referee had blown for a foul. A training ground move worked perfectly in the next Everett move.

Jamie Speer, playing on the left instead of his usual right side, hit a long free kick which Morgan headed with a deft flick backwards to find Sells who had run late to dodge the offside trap and was in space with just Murugamoorthy to beat.

He hit the ball sweetly which dipped over the goalkeeper but bounced off the crossbar.

Harlow thought they had scored with 66 minutes gone but Koduah’s effort was ruled out by the assistant referee’s flag. Then, Everett finally scored the equaliser that they had deserved.

A Cobb free kick out on the left was curled into the Harlow penalty area, finding Sells who headed the ball upwards from around 12 yards, the ball went high, and Murugamoorthy and Sells both challenged for the ball, Murugamoorthy let the ball slip between his hands and Sells mopped up by tapping into an empty net.

Preedy slipped the ball through to Sells who only had Murugamoorthy to beat, the pair collided and although Sells went to the floor the referee wasn’t fooled.

Sells, working out on the right instead of the middle, set up Puzey who tried to make enough room to fire a late winner, his shot however was deflected by a Harlow defender.

A well-worked corner for the hosts fooled the Everett players but Azaria Fordjour, a left back, showed why he plays at that position when his shot went high over the crossbar.

As time ticked down and the Everett players visibly tired, Rashid was called into action on numerous occasions, making some important saves, the best of which from Harlow’s Abbas Osman who had two decent chances, the first when Rashid had to dive quickly to his right to save a stinging shot and the other when he made an acrobatic stop to save the day. But Everett had the last chance to take the three points.

From a drop-ball situation, Sells took a shot on the bounce which looked to be going in but for the strong hand of Murugamoorthy. A point apiece which both sides deserved in a thriller of a game.