Shaymen scrape through to last 16 of FA Trophy after edging past Harrow on penalties

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Town now face a trip to Maidenhead next Saturday after making hard work of getting past their opponents of two divisions lower.

Rob Harker twice gave Town the lead, but it was twice wiped out by terrific strikes by George Moore, the second of which came deep into added time.

This represents a very small step in the right direction for The Shaymen, but also must be the start of an upturn in fortunes.

Wembley is only 15 minutes from Harrow; Halifax will be hoping they come round this way again soon.

If it was 5-4-1 on Saturday, this was more of a back three with wing-backs, with Tylor Golden and, surprisingly, Milli Alli - one of four to come in along with Harker, Festus Arthur and Angelo Capello - pushing high up the flanks.

The zippy, nimble Capello looked lively in-behind Harker, but there wasn't enough composure in the early stages from Town.

Harrow competed well but Halifax were untidy in possession and losing the ball when they went long over the top.

Moore whistled a shot a yard wide for Harrow 20 minutes in, with the hosts giving as good as they got.

Town were seeing more of the ball than they did on Saturday but were doing precious little with it, time and again forward passes failing to find a team-mate.

The Shaymen had a goal ruled out half-an-hour in for an infringement by Arthur at a free-kick, but Town were making hard work of asserting their dominance on the tie.

There were flashes of skill from Alli on the left, but otherwise little to hint at Town's higher-league status.

A poor game sprang into life eight minutes before the break when Sam Johnson parried away a decent shot on target, and on the break from the corner, Jack Senior played in Capello, whose shot was saved by Jacob Knightbridge.

Town were either too hesitant or inaccurate in their distribution from deep, leaving Harker a frustrated spectator requiring far better service, repeatedly making runs that weren't seen.

The visitors did gradually wrestle control of the game as half-time approached, with the ball coming back into Harrow's half increasingly regularly.

And when Harvey Gilmour's cross wasn't cleared properly, Harker latched onto the loose ball on the right of the box and drilled an excellent low strike into the far corner for his first goal in almost two months and Town's in more than five hours.

Harker and his team needed that.

Only a smart save by Knightbridge to keep out a fierce shot by Capello prevented Town causing further damage before half-time though, with the break coming at a good time for the hosts.

Harker nearly added another just after the interval but his attempted chip from the edge of the box went over.

Johnson made another good save from a Ezra Ikabuasi shot from six yards.

But there was nothing the Town keeper could do to keep out Moore's thunderbolt of a free-kick from 40-yards-plus after a clumsy foul by Arthur.

It was probably deserved for a spirited response from Harrow, while Town just hadn't built on Harker's goal since the restart.

Halifax had relinquished their grip of the game and allowed their intensity levels to drop.

It was Harrow playing with intensity now, the goal giving them a shot in the arm and a spring in their step.

Mani Dierseruvwe was brought on alongside Harker, with the momentum threatening to shift in Harrow's favour.

Neither side were showing enough quality to find a winner, but Harrow looked the likelier source as the game got more stretched, with Halifax shaky at the back.

Arthur had another goal ruled out by the referee seven minutes from the end before Harker came to the rescue.

Gilmour played a clever short free-kick low into the box from 30 yards out, and after taking a touch, Harker produced another clinical finish low into the net.

Harrow could have levelled again but somehow put the ball wide from two yards amid a heart-in-mouth penalty box scramble.

But Harrow dug deep and equalised again in the fourth of five added minutes when a corner was headed up rather than away and then blasted in by Moore from just inside the box.

Jack Senior missed Town's first penalty, but Harker, Dierseruvwe, Alli, Tom Clarke, Jamie Stott and Jordan Keane all netted to send them through. Just.

Harrow: Knightbridge, Ikabuasi, Biler, Preddie (Assidjo 64), Taylor (Bloom 55), Williams, Moore, Leonard, Brown (Ndambi 88), Brosnan, Adenola. Subs not used: Kandolo, Taylor, Allotey, Sharman.

Scorer: Moore (66, 90)

Shots on target: 4

Shots off target: 8

Corners: 4

Halifax: Johnson, Golden, Arthur (Clarke 90), Stott, Senior, Capello (Dierseruvwe 71), Hunter, Gilmour, Keane, Alli, Harker. Subs not used: Lavelle

Scorer: Harker (44, 86)

Shots on target: 3

Shots off target: 2

Corners: 5

Referee: Gary Parsons

Town man of the match: Rob Harker. Two excellent finishes from the Town striker. Enough said.