Who said the LDV was boring?  This one definitely wasn't.

After waiting what seemed an eternity for the 9.00 kick off, due to power failure, it would have been easy to say 'yes it is boring, and of little importance'.

The start of the game had already been in doubt before the power loss after a crash on the M5 earlier had delayed the Swindon team coach.  They eventually made it to Aggborough at about 7:15 and the match would kick off as expected.  Instead at 7:35 the lights went down and we were looking at a pitch in semi-darkness with just a few lights glowing dimly on each tower.

It wasn't until 8:50 that they came back on again and by 9 the game was underway.

Right from the start we looked uneasy and played in a similar fashion as we did in the first half against Carlisle.  Crap!!

Swindon had the first chance to open the scoring after only five minutes when the diminutive Young sent a through ball for striker Danny Invincible.  His shot flew just wide of the goal.  It was a warning of what was to come from Invincible.

Abdou was the man who had been assigned to him and after being off for so long he didn't look match fit and was being run ragged by Swindon's Australian striker.

It didn't help that the rest of the Swindon team were being given so much room to pass the ball around.  We needed to get a grip.

A few minutes later Adam Willis was allowed to run un-hindered into the Harriers penalty area but he scuffed his shot weakly at Brock from 25yds out.

The Harriers first real chance of the half came from Drewe Broughton who also fired a shot from 25yds out.  This one with a bit more venom but it didn't trouble Farr, in goal for the Robins.

Disaster struck for the Harriers late in the half when Scott Stamps went down clutching his leg after a nothing challenge on the touchline.  While he was receiving treatment Invincible broke free and easily left Abdou Sall floundering with his pace.  His shot went past Brockie and a feeling of resignation flowed through the Harriers faithful.

Lee Ayres came on to replace Stamps on 41 minutes and Harriers re-shuffled the defence slightly to accommodate him.

Swindon continued to find holes in our back line though with Invincible, Miglioranzi, Jackson and Young making the most of the space given them.  Luckily for us Brockie was in form and managed to keep anything they produced out.

With both sets of fans thinking, "can it get anymore dire than this" the game burst into life.  Swindon went 2 up after a shocking mix up between Craig Hinton and Stuart Brock.  Without being under any real pressure Craig passed the ball back to Brockie who fumbled it back to Hinton.  Hinton then knocked it back to him, it hit his body and fell into the path of little Alan Young to knock it into the net.

It's only the LDV.  Who cares.

We do.  In a blink of an eye we had pulled one back and with another blink we'd drawn level.

From the restart Sean Parrish laid the ball off to 'JJ' who calmly took the ball into the area and slotted it past the static schoolboy, Farr, in goal for Swindon.  Two minutes later it was Drewe on the score sheet.

A fine run from Ian Foster, who'd had another quiet game, produced a pass across the area that seemed to be going out until at the last second Drewe Broughton managed to squeeze it into a tiny gap between the keeper and the post.

After that the game came alight.  We seemed to have lit the touch paper and it was our turn to run them ragged.

At times our passing was breathtaking with crosses whizzing in from all angles and players running off each other to take advantage of the gaps being left by Swindons shell shocked defence.

The best chance to increase our lead fell to Ian Foster in the 73rd minute.  Melligan, again leaving his man for dead, laid the ball off for him to run onto but he skied his shot over the bar from 20yds out.

Time was running out for both sides and you knew that whoever got the next goal would seal it.  Swindon tried to ensure it would be them by bringing on Gurney and top scorer Sam Parkin for Edds and Dykes.

They almost did it too when they were gifted a chance after another mix up.  Another suicidal back pass caught Brock in no man's land and his hurried clearance hit Sally on the back but it was cleared to safety in the melee that followed.

Swindon were now all out looking for a winner and both Young and Invincible went close on 83 minutes but Brockie went down at their feet and managed to push the ball away with his own.

With a late effort from Melligan going weakly past the upright the game went into extra time.

With the Reds kicking off the Golden Goal time facing the way they had finished after 90 minutes it was time for finger nails to be bitten.  Whoever was to score first would get the glory.

Right from the restart Sam Shilton's cross found Melligan whose shot was only inches wide of the target as it screamed across the goalmouth.

It all seemed to be over for us 4 minutes later when, after some heavy Swindon pressure, the Robins grabbed what appeared to be the decisive goal.

David Duke's shot rebounded off the crossbar and was headed goalward by Sam Parkin.  With the ball heading for a certain goal Invincibile decided to give it a bit of help but the linesman ruled him to be in an offside position and the goal didn't count.  If he had left it alone we would have been out.

Then just before the first period of extra time was due to finish up popped Abdou Sall to send the Harriers fans wild.

Ian Foster had just been replaced by Bo Henriksen And that seemed to spur a tiring team back into action.   We won a corner and with the crowd clamouring for Sall to come up and do the business, the enigma didn't fail us.

Shilts took the corner and there was Abdou, like a Stealth Bomber, diving at the far post, three inches above the ground.

The North bank erupted and the fans swarmed down chanting Abdou, Abdou.

Now will you forget Jan Molby's empty promises and repay the fans who adore you.

AET. 3 - 2

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The Harriers-Online Man of the Match is : John Melligan Yet again it's 'JJ'.  Why? Do you need telling why. Best for them:  Danny Invincibile.  Very sharp and never gave up.

vote for your man of the match now

Harriers	subs	cards		Swindon Town	subs	cards
Brock				Farr
Coleman				Willis
Sall				Reeves
Stamps				Heywood
Hinton				Edds
Melligan				Dykes
Flynn				Miglioranzi
Parrish				Robinson
Broughton				Invincible
Foster				Jackson
Shilton				Young
SUBS:				SUBS:
Danby				Griemink
Williams				Hewlett
Henriksen				Gurney
Ayres				Duke
Smith				Parkin

REFEREE:

Mr T Parkes Birmingham

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