FA Cup 3rd qualifying round
Match report Vs Stourbridge FCVenue: War Memorial ParkDate: 06-10-18Att: 1527 (away fans: 640)

06-10-18 - Report - FA Cup 3rd Qual Rd - Stourbridge FC 3 Kidderminster Harriers 2

Harriers FA Cup dream in splinters again

Report: Harriershane

Is this 2015?

Harriers suffered the ignominy of being eliminated in the illustrious FA Cup competition by their lower ranked rivals once again in a game which saw us beat ourselves. It was revealed pre-match that influential defender Fraser Horsfall had picked up a knock and that Kennedy Digie would take his place.

The away end was full of vocal Harriers fans hoping to take a place in the final qualifying round and they certainly made their feelings known at the final whistle. Harriers started relatively brightly, with Ashley Chambers forcing a smart save from James Wren. The former Harrier Rob Thompson-Brown tested Brandon Hall with an effort before the home side fell behind. A ball out wide found Lee Vaughan who put in a deep cross; Chambers cushioning the ball back into the path of Ed Williams, who finished with aplomb.

Three times after the goal Dan Bradley almost doubled the lead, Wren again denying the mercurial Harriers man.

Stourbridge then started to come into the game and exerted a bit of pressure as the game got scrappier and were denied what I viewed as a clear penalty. Kennedy Digie, on a yellow card, upended Kaiman Anderson in the box but fortunately for Harriers the inconsistent referee turned a blind eye.

Worryingly Bradley was withdrawn on the stroke of half time with an injury and was replaced by Joe Ironside, who almost made an immediate impact by pouncing on Wren’s poor touch but could only shoot past the post.

HT: 0 – 1

The second stanza began as the first ended – scrappy and low on quality. The first real piece of commendable play saw Chambers one on one with Wren, but wrestled and held, nee restrained, by Aaron Hayden who made no attempt to play the ball. Bafflingly the referee only booked the culprit before Ironside converted the penalty.

On the hour mark, the deficit was halved; Ryan Johnson losing the ball on the edge of his box to substitute Luke Benbow who squared for Anderson to stroke home. If this was a warning sign for Harriers they certainly didn’t heed it as eight minutes later the game was level; Anderson again the saviour as he pounced onto the rebound of a long range effort that Brandon Hall had spilled.

The home side were now in the ascendancy and sensed blood. The turnaround was complete in the 77th minute when again Johnson was caught out. This time he was adjudged to have handled the ball giving Aaron Forde the chance to stroke home from 12 yards and complete the turnaround. He made no mistake.

This is where I would tell you, dear reader, about the valiant efforts shown by the Harriers in their desperation to equalise. Alas, that would be dishonest of me.

The full time whistle blew with Wren unduly troubled and the War Memorial Ground filled with boo’s from the away end following an unacceptably abject performance and collapse. That’s £15,000 down the drain and the chance of playing higher opposition. Let us be graceful in defeat though and congratulate Stourbridge on another FA Cup win as they go in search of another giant killing campaign.

Congratulations and good luck.

FT: 3 – 2


Goals for Stourbridge FC: Anderson 61, 71, Forde 77 (pen)

Goals for Harriers: Williams 13, Ironside 53 (pen)


The Harriers Online MotM is: Ashley Chambers

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here


Stourbridge FCGoalsSubsTimeCards
Wren    
Hayden   
Brown    
McCone    
Westlake    
Forde   
Powell 56 
Broadhurst    
Anderson  
Thompson-Brown   
Birch 56 
 
Subs: 
Maher    
Benbow 56 
Mills    
Christophorou 56 
Pierpoint    
Steele    
Evans    
 
HarriersGoalsSubsTimeCards
Hall    
Vaughan    
Austin    
O’Connor    
Digie 77
Johnson    
Weeks    
Daniels    
Bradley 42 
Chambers    
Williams   
 
Subs: 
Palmer    
Richards 77 
Ironside42 
Baxendale    
White    
Taylor    
Brooks    
     
Referee: 
Mr Sam Mulhall
Cheshire