harriers-online match report
Vs Mansfield 
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Adie, a gazelle above the static stags.


On the way up to this game the general feeling was that if we came away with a point we should be grateful.

In the end we came away happy but with a nagging feeling that we had let go of three points.

There were no surprises with the line-up, for once, Larkin was out to be replaced by Fozzie and there was no sign of Mark Blake either.

The game started at 100 mph and from the word go we took the game to Mansfield, it wasn't what they were expecting and it took them at least twenty minutes to admit to it.

Ian Clarkson was the first to test Pemberton in the Mansfield goal with a drive that looked for all the world as if it was going over until it suddenly dropped and was just about deflected over by a defender for a corner.

The pressure from the Harriers in the Mansfield half was non-stop and we hardly saw them threaten our goal.

What threat there was, was all from outside the area and usually went wide or was easily collected by Brockie.

The main threat to the game was coming from the dire referee, Paul Danson.

This idiot was a complete joke for both sides booking players for no real reason.
There was not one bad tackle or incident in the whole 90 minutes yet he chose to brandish his yellow card six times and the red once.

The opening goal came in the 19th minute when Adie Smith met Richie Appleby's cross at the far post.

He rose like a gazelle above the static stags and powered his header against the other post for his first goal of the season.

Just after the restart he was the first to find his name in the book when, after an innocent tackle, he picked up the ball and tossed it all of three yards to one of theirs.

In the eyes of Danson this was criminality of the first degree.

Mansfields Chris Greenacre followed soon after for another trivial offence, and so did Danny Williams and Dean Bennett for us.

It was after Adie's goal that Mansfield started to play, Bradley went close and then a shot from Hassell was cleared off the line.

Mansfield were leaving our defenders wanting repeatedly. Time and time again we backed off from them and gave them all the room and time they needed but in the end we kept them at bay.

Almost on half-time Lawrence went close to equalising but Brockie pulled off another superb save to end the first 45 minutes with our noses in front.

The ref went off to jeers from both sides.

HT. 0-1

We were treated to a much different second half. Mansfield came out looking like they were supposed to.

They attacked from the start with their best player, Hassell, firing wide from 25yds out and seconds later Corden shot over from the same distance.

Reds fans hearts were in their mouths when we saw two touchline clearances in as many minutes.

Greenacre had tried to drill the ball through the crowded area but it was cleared back as far as Shayne Bradley who saw his piledriver cleared by Abdou Sall.

In their next attack the same thing happened again, the Harriers goal was leading a charmed life.

We were starting to visibly tire, Henriksen, who had been disappointing all night was the first change when Broughton came on for him.

Appleby, who had also received a knock went three minutes after for Sam Shilton. Fozzie was also looking knackered but he stayed on.

We were still managing to soak up the non-stop pressure though and through some 'professional time management techniques' it looked like we were on our way to all three points, but a goal had to come.

It came just after the ineffective Greenacre was sent off for an innocuous challenge on Danny Williams. Bradley headed the ball into the area and Pemberton was there to mis-kick the ball into the bottom right hand corner.

With five minutes of added time left the Harriers launched an assault on the Mansfield goal and almost grabbed the decider at the end.

First Fozzie was taken out as he skipped along the edge of the area looking for an opportunity to shoot. The cretin booked him for diving for God's sake and then Pilkington dived full length and crashed against the post as he tried to stop Drewe's looping header.

At the end the ref blew for full-time, or was it for another innocent challenge?, and walked off to jeers from both sides.

FT. 1-1



Harriers-Online Man of the Match is :

Danny Williams

Held the midfield together under enormous pressure in the second half.


TEAMS:

Harriers.
Brock, Clarkson, Sall, Smith, Hinton, Stamps, Appleby, Henriksen, Bennett, Williams, Foster.
Subs;  Danby, Shilton, Davies, Ayres, Broughton.

Mansfield.
Pilkington, Barrett, Hassell, Tankard, Reddington, Corden, Bradley, Pemberton, Greenacre, Lawrence, Williamson.
Subs;  Bingham, Bacon, White, Jervis, Asher.

CARDS;
Yellow. Harriers 5. Smith, Bennett, Williams, Foster, Broughton.
Yellow. Mansfield 1. Greenacre.

Red. Harriers 0.
Red. Mansfield 1. Greenacre.

Referee;Mr P Danson (Leicester) BIT LOCAL, WHY?.


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