05-04-22 – Report – Kidderminster Harriers 0 Alfreton Town 1

Harriers rough housed to another defeat

Report: Phil Lench

The Harriers stumbled once again on an evening that showed that we just cannot compete with physical sides that come to Aggborough looking to rough us up a bit and then sit back and reap the benefits just as Alfreton Town did and in fact Alfreton Town do every time we play them. It was such tactics that landed Matt Preston in hospital and they obviously felt that they didn’t need to learn from that and played the same way again tonight.

By the end of the evening five yellow cards had been handed their way and it should have been more for the amount of timewasting.

The game got under way with Jaiden White getting his first start in a while at the expense of Ashley Hemmings. Hemmings has been disappointing lately and dropping him to the bench was a good move. Nathan Cameron also came in for his first start after coming on as a sub at Bradford (PA) and that was for the injured Alex Penny.

The game, in the first half, had very little to inspire the senses with it continually stopping for the brandishment of yellow cards. We had a couple of free kicks that came to nothing while the best chance came for the visitors early on when Yusifu Ceesay hurdled over Cameron to win the ball and bear down on goal. Luckily for Luke Simpson the eventual shot was hurried and wide of the mark.

It was Alfreton that were getting the better scoring chances and one shot in particular from Adam Lund through a ruck of players saw Simpson save superbly as he dived across the goal to keep the ball out. We were probably getting most of the possession but we were doing nothing with it.

It was Lund again just before the break with a shot that hit the bar. We could have been going into the break two goals down but for solid goalkeeping and the woodwork. 

HT: 0 – 0

It was hoped that the second half would have seen something better from us but it never came. In fact it wasn’t allowed to happen as Alfretons tactics continued but now included time wasting. God knows why with them in mid table and safe from relegation and the play-offs.

We did look to get in some better shooting positions but Alfretons defence was holding firm and the likes of Sam Austin and Amari Morgan-Smith were having a quiet night. Omari Sterling-James was the most likely to score and he had a couple of chances fifty minutes in with one shot getting blocked away for a corner and another going just wide of the mark.

A free kick from Omari soon after found the head of Amari and he glanced the bar with probably the only chance he had all night. In an effort to liven us up Jaiden White made way for Matt Stenson but he wasn’t getting much luck either

In the seventy third minute it was basically game over for us when the veteran Matt Rhead got his head to a free kick and looped it goalwards. It went past Simpson and hit the base of the far post then spun in behind the Harriers keeper. On the balance of play it was probably deserved due to our lack of penetration and decision in front of goal.

The goal was the que for plenty more timewasting and it was down to a fullback, Joe Foulkes, to try and get the team moving with some forays forward. One ending with a shot on goal that the visiting keeper, George Willis, had to look sharp to save.

With six minutes of added time for their timewasting it was hoped that the Reds would go all out to score but, as is our luck, Sammy Austin got injured on the stroke of ninety minutes and had to be helped off the pitch with what could be an aggravation of the achilles injury that he’s had since Christmas.

The six extra minutes was a damp squib and wasted in truth without a single foray forward from us. 

We now lie four points behind third place AFC Fylde and without the game in hand. Chorley FC beat Boston Utd  and stay in fifth behind us but with a game in hand and also four points difference. Win their game advantage and we could be looking over our shoulder at fifth place if we fail to beat Southport at Aggborough on Saturday.

It doesn’t bear thinking about.

FT: 0 – 1

Goal for Alfreton: Rhead 73

The Harriers Online MotM is: Joe Foulkes

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Simpson
Foulkes
Richards
Cameron
Lowe
Carrington			81
Austin			90
Martin
Morgan-Smith
White			70
Sterling-James
Subs:
Hemmings			81
Freemantle
Moyo
Redmond			90
Stenson			70
Alfreton Town	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Willis
Clackstone
Wilde
Branson
Sutton
Wiley
Ceesay
Lund
Rhead
Southwell
Hobson
Subs:
Smith-Eccles
Preston
Butterfield
Johnson
Reeves
Referee:
Mr Ruebyn Ricardo
Leicestershire