Harriers win on the road again

On the hottest October day on record, with the thermostat hovering around 30 degrees, Kidderminster Harriers put up a solid if not spectacular display against a Kettering Town team in a degree of turmoil.

The Harriers manager Steve Burr and assistant Gary Whild made two enforced changes to the starting line up following the mid week one all home draw against Grimsby Town.  Dean Lyness came in for Danny Lewis who had picked up a knee injury in training and Scott Phelan replaced Kyle Storer who had been sent off against Grimsby for two bookable offences.

Kettering Town also implemented a number of changes.  Some were enforced and some were out of choice following two players having been sent off for fighting with each other towards the end of their own preceding mid week game against Hayes and Yeading.

Kettering started the slightly better of the two teams when Steve Meechan fired a shot fractionally over the bar in the open seconds of the game.  Nevertheless, Dean Lyness looked competent throughout and appears a great temporary replacement for Daniel Lewis.  Lyness judged incoming crosses exceptionally well and soon kept Harriers level when he confidently smothered a Ben Smith shot just after the half hour point in the game.

Then, shortly afterwards, Harriers pressed hard at the other end of the pitch and a Phelan shot fizzed smartly past the Kettering right upright.  The run of play was pretty even throughout the first half but with Harriers showing an extra slice of confidence and a touch of class by comparison to their Northamptonshire opponents.

Around the fortieth minute it seemed Harriers were denied a really good shout for a penalty when the Kettering defender Stephan O'Leary got a hand to Luke Medley's cross but O'Leary only ended up conceding a corner.

Great foresight by Jack Byrne then set up Kidderminsters goal just a couple of minutes before the scheduled half time break.  A ball over the top was well latched onto by Jamille Matt and the former Sutton Coldfield man used great body strength and close ball control skills to guide the ball past the Kettering keeper who seemed somewhat floundering and well out of position as he could only watch as the ball entered his net.

The match again was pretty much in the balance throughout the second half.

A couple of minutes into the second period the Kettering keeper took his eye off a back pass from Marcus Kelly as it went under his foot and, luckily for him, out for a Kidderminster corner.  A few moments later Luke Medley hit a fierce strike that was heading for the bottom corner of the net only for Laurie Walker to get a hand to the ball and prevent the Poppies from going further behind.

Both sides continued to creat chances.  For the Harriers, Dean Lyness looked solid and assured as shots came in at various junctures without any seeming to be overly threatening.

As time went on, and with the intense heat, Harriers sat back and appeared happy to defend their slender lead.  Nevertheless, the away team did always look like they could be dangerous on the break.

Nick Wright probably had Kidderminsters best chance in the latter stages of the game.  He cleverly carried the ball to a good shooting angle along the edge of the Poppies eighteen yard line only to see his powerful strike pushed wide by a diving Kettering goal keeper.

Steve Burr made a number of changes in an attempt to keep the Harriers legs fresh, bringing on James Vincent in place of Scott Phelan, Marc Williams in place of Nick Wright and Tommy Wright in place of Jamille Matt.

As the final whistle got closer the nerves began to jangle.  The run of play seemed only too familiar to the events that led to late concessions in favour of Ebbsfleet and Grimsby in recent weeks.  Once or twice Luke Jones made solid challenges in defence which on another day may have brought a penalty decision in favour of the home team from any other referee.

However, a valiant effort in the scorching heat allowed Steve Burr's charges to hang on for what was just about a deserved win, sending the boys up to fifth place in the Blue Square Premier.

Next week it's a toughie - Luton Town at fortress Aggborough.  Although our away form is actually better the Harriers have not lost at home since the opening day of the season.  The Luton fixture will also mark six games in a row against clubs ending in 'Town'.

When was the last time that happened?? Answers on a postcard please.

 Goal for Harriers: Matt 42

A flustered Harriers broke into the play-offs after seeing off Kettering 1-0 in todays clash at Nene Park.

The Harriers, without an injured Danny Lewis and Dean Lyness in his place on his debut for the club, played a heavily changed Kettering side after their poor performance mid-week.  It was a game that struggled to produce any real quality.

After a few exchanged chances early in the first half the real first chance on goal came after a well worked Jack Byrne shot from the edge of the area.  Nick Wright worked well to set Jack up and his shot required a decent Laurie Walker save for Kettering.

The intense heat seemed to evaporate any quality from the game as both sides struggled to gain a foothold, that was until Ketterings Jaime Navarro forced a couple of saves out of the impressive stand-in keeper Lyness from distance.

The game then showed a rare sign of hope and creativity when a lovely through ball from Jack Bryne unleashed Jamille Matt through the Kettering defence to make it 1-0.  Matt controlled it well to take it past the two defenders to bury home for the Harriers and send them into the break with the lead.

The second half seemed to carry on from the first half with both teams continuing with their lacklustre performances.

The Harriers had to rely on a flurry of Kettering errors to provide a chance.  A fumbled back pass led to a Harriers corner that Callum Gittings allowed Scott Phelan to take and tee up Luke Medley who ripped a lovely shot.  It seemed it would creep in but for a save from the Kettering stopper Walker.

Then Kettering started producing chances of their own.  Firstly from a Keiran Hughes-Mason run through the defence forcing Lyness into a solid save.  Then, through good pressure and a succession of corners, Kettering had a couple of half chances deep in the Harriers box, but Lyness was comfortably behind them.

Then, against the run of play, Gittings and James Vincent, on earlier for Phelan, played well to get the ball to Nick Wright whose curled effort was saved by Walker.

In the last fifteen minutes Harriers began to see Kettering off by playing some simple football and keeping possession of the ball.  Amongst this Harriers were producing some chances but these chances were not getting turned into goals because of a few poor final balls.

That was the story of the game, with no creativity in the final third for either side.  The notable chances were a Medley wide effort and a Marc Williams shot over.

The game finished 1-0 to the Harriers and, although this game will be quickly forgotten by the travelling Harriers fans, they can be happy with coming away from Kettering with three points in the bag.  Three points that saw us go into the play-off spots.

Coming up to next week are two tricky games at home to Luton and Telford that could see us narrow the three point gap between us and top side Gateshead.

 Goal for Harriers: Matt 42

REFEREE:

Mr K Johnson Weston super Mare