Twenty nine successive wins between them – so something has to give when Harvest Home take on FC Strawberry this weekend

Something has to give in their clash of Mid-Solent League heavyweights Harvest Home and FC Strawberry this weekend.
Harvest Home's Nathan Newer, right, scored the only goal in the Billy Hill Cup final against FC Strawberry last August. Picture: Vernon NashHarvest Home's Nathan Newer, right, scored the only goal in the Billy Hill Cup final against FC Strawberry last August. Picture: Vernon Nash
Harvest Home's Nathan Newer, right, scored the only goal in the Billy Hill Cup final against FC Strawberry last August. Picture: Vernon Nash

Both clubs are still chasing the quadruple of league, Hampshire Vase, Father Purcell Cup and Len Day Cup.

Harvest are currently three points clear at the top of the MSL having won their opening 11 matches.

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Strawberry, though, are hot on their heels and have only lost once - a 2-1 defeat to Harvest back in mid-September.

That was their second loss to Harvest in a fortnight, after a 1-0 loss in the Billy Hill Cup final - Nathan Newer scoring the only goal.

Both teams are through to the last eight of the Vase, while last weekend Strawberry progressed to the semi-finals of the Purcell Cup after trouncing Rowner 10-0.

Top scorer Lew Saville struck a hat-trick in that match - the seventh time this season he has scored three or more goals in a game.

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And in five of those games, he’s netted at least four times - topped by a seven-goal haul against Cowplain in the Purcell Cup.

This weekend, though, one of Harvest or Strawberry will crash out of the Len Day Cup as the pair meet at Cowplain School (2.30pm) at the quarter-final stage.

Harvest are without striker Jake Daniels, who is suspended after being sent off in the Hampshire Vase a fortnight ago.

Boss Ray Ogilvie has other players missing too, but insists: ‘My players pay me to play football - not the other way around.

‘I tell them life, family and work must all come before football.’

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