Another bad tempered game sees Harriers crash

Kidderminster Harriers were convincingly beaten on a cool autumn evening on the Lancashire coast in an ill tempered affair.  But oh, how it could have been so very different had Steve Guinan kept his cool and allowed Harriers the benefit of having eleven men on the field against ten from the Cod Army.

With just two changes to the side from the one that beat Alfreton in an equally bad tempered game last Saturday, James Vincent in for Jack Byrne and Dave Hankin for Nick Wright, Kidderminster started the brighter of the two teams and were easily the better side in the first half.

Lee Vaughan seemed to have been singled out by Fleetwood, as he was fouled on many occasions in the first period - the first being in the very first minute of the game which immediately drew a yellow card for Gareth Seddon.  To his credit Vaughan managed to keep his cool throughout the ninety minutes.

The Harriers' first real chance fell to Vincent in the nineteenth minute when a good shooting opportunity only resulted in the ball sailing over the bar.  Seven minutes later the game erupted when Fleetwood's James Vardy lunged with both feet at Vaughan and clearly this challenge was going to result in a straight red card for the previously consummate Fleetwood goal-scorer.

Incensed, Kyle Storer embarked upon petitioning the referee and Steve Guinan decided to take matters into his own hands by flailing his arms in the direction of Jamie McGuire.  Both management teams then became embroiled in the highly unseemly fracas and inevitably Guinan was also shown a red card and booed off the pitch by the home crowd.

Thereafter an assemblance of order was regained, and in the thirty eighth minute Marc Williams came close for the Harriers.  In a one on one situation with the Fleetwood goalkeeper, Scott Davies, the home sides stopper managed to deflect the ball away from goal and out for a Kidderminster corner.

Throughout the first half Dave Hankin clearly had one of his best ever games in a red and white shirt - winning headers on a regular basis, finding space, working hard and putting in some dangerous crosses.  It was quite clear that the Harriers had had the best of the first forty five minutes and so a sinking feeling hit home when, on the stroke of half time, Fleetwood surged forward and a Gareth Seddon shot deflected off Kyle Storer to beat Danny Lewis.

Half time saw an early change to the line-up and Steve Burr brought Jack Byrne on in place of James Vincent.

Disappointment then turned to despair very early in the second half when, just a couple of minutes in, Magno Viera broke free of his shackles and latched onto a long through ball before decisively firing past a helpless Lewis.  At this point Kidderminster were far from deserving of being two nil down.

In response, in order to try to add additional fire power the Harriers manager, Steve Burr, brought on Jamille Matt and Wright in place of Marc Williams and Dave Hankin but just a few minutes later Fleetwood added a third.  Harriers defence seemed flat footed and caught in possession when the ball finally fell to Andy Mangan who made no mistake in firing home.

This third goal summed up much of the second half - a nimble Fleetwood midfield and attacking line outpacing the Kidderminster defence, often leaving it trailing, caught in possession or out of position.

The Harriers did come close a few minutes later when Nick Wright weaved his way through the Fleetwood back line but his threatening cross found no-one in the box to meet it and it was parried away by the Fleetwood keeper.

Then half way through the second half the home side once again surged forward and the former Harriers playmaker Keith Briggs fired a trademark shot at the away sides goal which Danny Lewis could only parry out to Richard Brodie.  Brodie squared the ball to Magno Viera to finish off for his second of the evening.

In the sixty ninth minute the Harriers managed to get a goal back when Nick Wright was adjudged to have been fouled in the area resulting in a penalty and allowing Lee Vaughan to step up to convert the spot kick.  Davies was booked for his part in bringing down Wright.

Fleetwoods fifth then came in the seventy sixth minute from another deflected shot.  Following a free kick resulting from a Mike Williams foul, the ball broke to Richard Brodie who had no problem in adding his name to the score sheet.

Then finally in injury time to complete the seven goal tally, Jamille Matt managed to pull another one back for the visitors following some good forward thrusting play from Nick Wright.  By this time though it was clearly only ever going to be a consolation goal to enable the Harriers to retain a degree of respectability.

Further scuffles at the final whistle and then in the tunnel did not help the tone at the conclusion of the game which in the end Fleetwood deserved to win but which could have been oh so different.

The travelling Harriers supporters did Kidderminster proud making plenty of noise right to the final whistle chanting 'you're not singing any more' when the away sides second goal went in to make it 5-2 and then 'we're gonna beat you 6-5' when there was only two minutes of injury time left.

 Goals for Fleetwood: Seddon 45, Vieira 46, 67, Mangan 56, Brodie 77
 Goals for Harriers: Vaughan 69 (pen), Matt 90

REFEREE:

Mr T Harrington Cleveland