HARROW crashed to their eighth defeat on the trot at a cold New Lodge on Tuesday and, for the first time in this awful run, they looked like a struggling team expecting to lose.

An encouraging opening half-hour was not sustained and come the final whistle the game had taken on the look of men against boys, as Billericay extracted their revenge for the 5-2 defeat that Harrow inflicted on them two months ago.

With James Bent failing a fitness test, Elliot Onochie sidelined by a knock he picked up on Saturday at Margate and Dean Marney unable to get away from work in time to get to Essex, the already depleted Harrow ranks looked even more down to the bare bones when this game kicked off.

However, there was little indication of how bad things were to get as Harrow opened brightly.

Young forwards Jonathan Constant and Albert Adomah were looking lively, causing the home defence problems with some clever interchanging.

In the first minute, Adomah exchanged passes with Danny Leech and forced home keeper Worster to dive full length to his right to save.

A fifth minute Adomah corner saw a Gary Meakin shot fizz across the face of goal. The alert Daniel Nielsen headed it back across goal, and Leech headed narrowly wide.

At the other end a right-wing cross found John in space but he miscued his effort.

Borough then forced a series of corners. One Adomah delivery flashed across the face of goal without anyone able to get the decisive touch, and another saw a clever turn and cross by Constant, with a defender blocking the ball. Nielsen rose to head Adomah's kick powerfully downwards, but Hodges, stationed on the post, cleared off the line.

In the 24th minute, Adomah's through-ball sent Constant clear, but Worster was out quickly to the edge of his penalty area and dived to save as the Borough forward tried to take the ball round him.

After half an hour, the home side began to show their skills, in particular Whelpdale, who first hit a fierce shot over Kieran Jimmy's bar and then curled another effort just wide. Dormer and Whelpdale, again, were off target as the half drew to a close with a few warning signs for David Howell's team.

Alas, those warnings weren't heeded. The second half began badly for Harrow and by the time it was 12 minutes old the game was as good as dead.

Whelpdale headed wide and Hodges was denied by a Jimmy save, but the defences were breached after 55 minutes when a short corner routine was not well defended, and a home attacker had time to pick out Blewitt who netted from close range.

Less than a minute later, the lead was doubled, as McSweeney slipped past Meakin and crossed for Hunter to beat an unprotected Jimmy, again from close in.

Harrow attacks were now rare but from one, Constant's ball inside the full-back sent Adomah through but he was foiled by an alert Worster, again quick off his line.

Jimmy saved from Hodges and when Adomah gave the ball away Whelpdale strode clear to smack a shot just wide. With the Borough defence looking very vulnerable, a third home goal was on the cards and it arrived in the 84th minute.

Again, a corner was the catalyst, this time a flat delivery that the Harrow defence dealt with poorly. The ball came to substitute Burbridge on the right hand edge of the area and he cracked it in off the far post.

With Wayne Walters out for a while and if Marney's rehabilitation continues to move forward only slowly, the defensive line-up looks painfully weak.

Howell might need to look outside his squad for defensive reinforcements if his team's fine start to the season is not to be consigned to history, replaced by the all-to-familiar fight for Ryman Premier survival.

This Saturday, Leyton, a team with the best away record the league, are the visitors to Earlsmead.