Harriers battle in the rain

The Harriers hopes of winning all their remaining games, to stop them from the drop, took a little backward step at Woking today when they couldn't add to another James McQuilkin goal to give us all three points.  On a blustery and wet day, that signalled the arrival of Storm Katy, the Reds named one change to the team that beat Lincoln last Saturday with McQuilkin earning a start following his brace at Sincil Bank and Evan Garnett dropping to the bench.  Also on that bench was Elton N'Gwatala making his comeback after a lengthy lay off with injury.

The first fifteen minutes of the game it was the visitors that were seeing most of the ball without really doing much with it apart from keeping Woking from gaining possession.  That wouldn't last though and on their first attack the Cards took the lead.

Chris Arthur crossed the ball from the bye-line for Keiran Murtagh to flick on to the on loan Cambridge striker, Dan Carr, who fired left footed beyond Max O'Leary in the Harriers goal.  Carr should have doubled the scoreline a minute later but he somehow sent his shot wide from close range after being set up by Jake Caprice.

Harriers responded in the correct manner by going in search of a goal to draw themselves level.  Both Ben Whitfield and Arthur Gnahoua came close with shots that the Woking keeper, Jake Cole, was forced to parry away to safety and the Whitfield sent a header over the bar following a good ball in from Lewis Kinsella.

Sadly Gnahoua had to exit the game with a recurrence of his ankle problem on the stroke of half time and he could now miss the remainder of the season at a time we could do with him most of all.  Evan Garnett came on in his place.

As at Lincoln last week the Harriers came out of the blocks at the start of the second half and took the game straight to Woking.  Three corners in a row could all have ended in goals with Coles making desperate saves and shots being blocked on the line.  Another of those blocks should have produced another corner but the referee, Brett Huxtable, thought otherwise and gave a goal kick instead.

We were also blocking goal line chances too with Lewis Kinsella getting his head to a Joey Jones shot after O'Leary found himself beaten.  Moments later O'Leary had to rush out to block John Goddard's effort with his legs.

Woking slowly began to come back into the game more and saw chances for Goddard and Carr go begging when they should have done better.  In response Colin Gordon made a number of substitutions with Jordan Jones coming on for Jared Hodgkiss and then a few minutes later Luke Maxwell made way for the returning Elton N'Gwatala.  The change spurred the Harriers back into the game with renewed vigour to go in search of the equalising goal.

After two attempts on goal by Carr and Matt Butcher the game became the Ben Whitfield and Jake Cole show with the on loan Bournemouth lad peppering the goal and the Woking keeper doing well to keep them out.  It wasn't Ben that scored the actual goal though but the 'man of the moment' James McQuilkin again when Garnetts run and shot was blocked by Joey Jones allowing the ball to run free to Quilks who made no mistake with another stunning strike from distance.  His shot from twenty yards out bent around the static keeper and into the back of the net.

Both sides then went in search of a winner and both left gaps at the back waiting to be exposed.  With the game going from one end to the other it was Woking that should have sealed the game when substitute Joe Quigley skipped past O'Leary and fired goalwards only for yet another block on the line.  This time it was Jordan Jones that came to our rescue and got back just in time to block the goalbound shot on the line.

At the end it was game that we had needed to win and it was a game that we came close to winning but being close is not enough at this stage and we now need to to win a very tough home game on Monday afternoon when we take on play off chasing Tranmere Rovers.  Play like we have in the last two games and we could do it.

 Goal for Woking: Carr 14
 Goal for Harriers: McQuilkin 79

REFEREE:

Mr B Huxtable Plymouth