Guinans last gasp leveller saves Harriers blushes

Substitute Steve Guinan came on with four minutes of normal time, and the Harriers trailing 1-0, to rescue the side with a last minute equaliser for the Reds after trailing for most of the game through a goal from veteran journeyman Jefferson Louis.  The goal came totally against the run of play and ended up being the visitors one and only shot on goal.

Up until then the Harriers had looked sharp and slick but the goal, combined with an injury to new boy Marvin Johnson, seemed to knock them back a bit and they allowed the visitors to take control.

As mentioned we had started with Johnson, the three goal hero from the Senior Cup win in mid week, and on the bench was yesterdays signing, Ryan Rowe, from Stourbridge.  There was no place for another scorer from Wednesday with Jack Byrne not getting a look in at all.

With the Harriers kicking off in the wrong direction it didn't take long to get our first shot on goal and what a shot it was.  Dan Bradley let fly a venomous shot from outside the area that somehow the City keeper, Joe Anyon, got a hand to and tipped it over the corner of the goal.

Jamille Matt also came close to opening the scoring just minutes later but his close range header went well wide.  Just after that came the goal.

We had already seen what was to come with the referee turning down valid free kicks in our favour but then giving Lincoln a free kick on the edge of the area for the kind of foul that had been waved away minutes earlier.  Louis Almond took the kick and the ball sailed to the isolated head of Jefferson Louis at the far post.  He had no problem nodding the ball home.

Soon after Johnson seemed to stub his foot in a challenge and went down injured.  He seemed to have suffered no ill effect with a superb long range shot that flew inches over the bar and then played on until almost to the end of the half but eventually had to be withdrawn.

We had a shout for a penalty turned down when Lee Hendrie was un-ceremoniously clattered from behind in the area, similar to a challenge earlier on Matt that was also waved away.  Matt had also been the victim of a curious decision from the ref soon after when he had been allowed advantage following a foul even though the tall Harriers striker was stumbling from the challenge and would never have been able to reach the ball anyway.

The half drew to a close with City seemingly playing as if the game was over already with another forty five minutes to go.  Negative tactics will always backfire and, with an unchanged attitude in the second period that's just what happened.

The disappointing thing from a Harriers perspective was that we failed to pressure the visitors to any real extent in the second half and at times we looked pedestrian and lacking in ideas.  Ryan Rowe had come on in place of Johnson but he seemed to struggle, even though there was no pace to the game, and looked slightly out of his depth.  Give him time and he should settle down but today wasn't that time.

We got the ball in the net a hour into the game when Nick Wright managed to climb highest to a cross from Kyle Storer but the goal was ruled out for his possible climbing on the defenders shoulders.

Changes were made to the on field personnel by both managers but still there was no spark to the game but with time running out, and the Harriers still trailing, we somehow managed to avert defeat through Guinan.

He had come on in place of the under par Matt just a few minutes earlier and the move paid a valuable dividend with the game well into injury time.  The wily old fox found himself some space to collect a ball from Luke Jones and fire the ball beyond the keeper for the goaal that gave us the deserved point and also keep us in touch with the play-offs.

We'll have to play better on Tuesday at home to Wrexham that we ever did today.  Lincolns tactics proved that we're not clever enough to break down a well organised defence and that's just what we'll be up against on Tuesday but with a lethal strikeforce added in for good measure.

 Goal for Harriers: Guinan 90+2
 Goal for Lincoln: Louis 21

REFEREE:

Mr S Martin Staffordshire