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Harriers end season with disappointing draw


Although we all knew that this was going to be a typical end of season game, with both teams having nothing to play for, it was still a huge disappointment.

A scrappy first half didn't help much but having to suffer that while surrounded by Bristol Rovers fans was unbelievable.

I had to take time from work to get my ticket last week but when I went to the turnstile I was told to use another one because that one was for cash payments only.  I could have paid on the day.

This game was deemed all ticket by the police, and the club, because of the possibility of Rovers fans, who were unable to get tickets, would try and get into the home end.

To then turn round and allow at least thirty of those Rovers fans in was ludicrous and dangerous.

There was also the cost of policing to take into account.  There must have been at least fifty police there today and the cost of that is paid, in part, by the club.  A club that say that they must save as much money as possible.  If the all ticket policy had been kept then just a handful of police would have been able to control the Rovers fans at the away end of the ground and a couple at the home end just to keep an eye out.

Even with the heavy police presence Rovers fans still got in.  Was this because they were allowed to?  Did these fans know they would be allowed to enter through our turnstiles?  Were they a bit confused by being allowed in one minute and chucked out the next?

Why were Rovers fans allowed to get onto the pitch at the start of the game for a pre-match hug in without anyone stopping them?  If that had been our fans at any other ground then stewards and police would have waded in immediately.

Then to cap it all our Safety ??? Officer, Peter Picken, comes on at the end of the game screaming down the tannoy to get off the bloody pitch!  Talk about embarrassing.

The whole thing smacks of a huge cock-up and heads must roll for this.

As for the game.  The first half was a non-event anyway because we were all watching the action behind the goal but from what we did see of it we were struggling to get anything going against, quite possibly, the worst side I have seen this season.

Rovers were poor and it's plain to see why they have struggled all season and will do so again next season.

JJ Melligan was back from injury and was the scorer of the only goal of the first half when he pounced on Andy Bishops low cross to push the ball home from just a few yards out.

This followed two earlier misses from Rovers.  One from Tait and the other from Hodges but they were both poor efforts and wouldn't have gone in anyway.

Sam Shilton had a chance to extend the scoreline on 26 minutes but his header went just wide of the post.


HT. 1 - 0

The second half was a much better affair and with the Harriers attacking the home end we started to put some passes together and rip the Rovers apart.  It would only be a matter of time before we added to our scoreline, or so we thought.

Dion Scott was the first on target for us with a powerful header that left Howie rooted to the spot and was only just wide of the mark, then minutes later JJ hit a superbly powerful volley from an acute angle that was only just blocked by the Rovers keeper.

Danny Williams, who has won the Harriers-Online player of the year award, was the next to test the Bristol goal with a volley from 25yds out that must get the 'best shot of the season not to actually go in' award.  From out of the blue he struck the ball and it crashed against the crossbar with such force the ground shook.  It cannoned off the bar and hit the ground leaving a crater some 6 feet wide.  Pity it was the wrong side of the line.

Strangely this seemed to awaken Rovers from a deep sleep and the first warning of an equaliser came when Brockie saved brilliantly from Chris Llewellyn's header.  The ball went out for a corner and it was from this that they scored.

Llewellyn took the corner and the ex Northwich striker, Paul Tait, put the ball into the net with his head.

Just after Ian Britton bought on Drewe Broughton for Andy Bishop, a good move because Andy wasn't having the best of games.  Bo made way for Ian Foster for his last appearance for the club, a bad move because I though Fozzie for Shilton would have been a better option.

Not much happened after that and the game petered out to the stalemate that gave us a true reflection of an end of season game.


FT. 1 - 1

The Harriers-Online
Man of the Match is : 
Dean Bennett

Ran rings round a poor Rovers defence.  If he can get his final ball to land in the area and not in the stand next season he'll be one hell of a player.

Best for them:  Chris Llewellyn.  He hasn't got a club Brit and if Danny does go then he would be a good replacement.

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man of the match now

Harriers  subs   cards      Bristol Rovers  subs   cards 
Brock     Howie  
Scott     Austin  
Stamps   Anderson  
Williams   Parker  
Hinton     Barrett  
Melligan     Quinn
Bennett     Carlisle  
Flynn     Bryant  
Bishop     Tait  
Henriksen     Llewellyn
Shilton     Hodges  
SUBS:       SUBS:    
Danby     Gilroy  
Foster     Hogg  
Ayres     Boxall  
Broughton     Street  
Parrish     Grazioli  

REFEREE:
Mr H Webb
Sth Yorkshire

links to some
bristol rovers websites:

official site
brfc return
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