A stunning away win for the Reds

Iyseden Christie powered the Harriers into an early two goal lead within ten minutes of the start of this game tonight and then two further goals from Matt Barnes-Homer and Simon Russell put us into an un-assailable half time lead to give us our first away League win since November when we beat Burton Albion 2-0.

Mark Yates went with the same team that started the game against Rushden on Easter Monday with Darryl Knights playing just behind Christie and Barnes-Homer.  Our two new signings of Michael Wylde and Jake Moult were not eligible to play but could make an appearance at Cambridge in two days time.

Why change a winning side though?

The game kicked off with the home side on the attack and they could easily have taken the lead in just the third minute when Jon-Paul Pitman capitalised on a mix up between Chris MacKenzie and Mark Creighton after Creighton headed the ball back over the keepers head.  Pitman nipped in but with a gaping net at his mercy he put the ball over the bar.

Two minutes later Iyseden Christie made them pay for that mistake when Crawley gave him free rein to run straight through their defence and lob Ashley Bayes for the opening goal.  Two minutes later and he drove in his second goal of the night when Darryl Knights played him in with a sweet pass and again the defence stood off to allow Iyseden the time and space to poke the ball under the Crawley keeper.

Crawley tried hard to get back into the game but the Harriers are under no real pressure and cope with everything that the home side can throw at them.

By the twentieth minute the game was over when Barnes-Homer collected a knock down from Gavin Hurren and fired the ball goalwards only to see it blocked by Danny Bulman.  The ball rebounded back at him and this time he made no mistake in converting it into the net.

He could have scored a second soon after when he sent in a rising shot but this time Bayes had it covered.

Still Town didn't give up and chances from Pitman, Bulman, Pinault and Cook came in but luckily for us Chris MacKenzie was in good form and kept out everything that they could come up with.

Another chance fell MBH's way and he should have added another goal to the scoreline when he caught Bayes off his line but lobbed the ball over the Crawley bar.  In the thirty eighth minute came the first set back to the Harriers hopes when MacKenzie twisted his ankle kicking a ball out.  Immediately Dean Coleman was sent on to replace him.

In the fortieth minute we came close to scoring again when Simon Russell sent over a corner for Dean Bennett to play back to Hurren who then put the ball out to MBH at the far post but again with an open goal beckoning the striker put the ball over the crossbar.

It didn't really matter because a few minutes later we completed our scoring for the night with our fourth goal.  Knights broke free from his marker to send in a cross for MBH to fire in but it was pushed away by Bayes but only as far as Russell who blasted the ball back towards goal and into the net.

A minute before half time the former Harrier Glenn Wilson, now playing for Crawley, was taken off injured with what looked like a re-occurrence of a recent hamstring injury.  He was replaced by Kieran Murphy.

The half ended with the side going off to well earned applause from the 57 Harriers fans in attendance.