07-09-19 – Report – Blyth Spartans 1 Kidderminster Harriers 1

Harriers fail to beat rock bottom Blyth Spartans

Report: Phil Lench

The Harriers had to be content with a draw at Blyth Spartans today after pre-game problems saw keeper Cameron Gregory being replaced by Tom Palmer after Gregory fell badly during the warm up. Ed Williams also pulled up with a suspected twisted ankle but luckily for us he had worked it off to take his place on the bench because that’s where he had been dropped to by the manager John Pemberton.

Declan Weeks returned to the side following injury with Alex Prosser moving over to the number eight position while Oliver Shenton was the one keeping Williams out. Just over midway through the first half we then went and lost Jamie Sharman to injury leaving us even weaker in numbers.

Blyth are a team in big trouble with just the one point to their credit before the start of the game and, with the Harriers coming into the game on the back of a poor defeat at the hands of Brackley Town on Tuesday evening, it was expected that the home team would want to make sure they got something from this game at our expense.

It was a slow start to the game with both sides playing a cautious game. The Harriers had again dispensed with the passing game and frequently lobbing balls forward for Ashley Chambers and Richard Peniket to chase after. Blyth had the first two chances with Callum Roberts and Adam Wrightson both going close. Wrightson went close again twenty minutes in as he forced a save from Palmer and then Lewis Hawkins sent one wide.

It was once Sharman went off and Ed Williams took his place that we started to pick our game up a bit without threatening the Blyth goal still. Palmer was forced into a good save when he tipped a free kick from Roberts over the bar and then on thirty eighth minutes we had our first clear chance when Chambers sent a shot over the bar.

With that little bit of impetus we followed up with two chances for Peniket, one for Chambers that he should have converted but it got hacked off the line while in the closing minute of the half Prosser blasted a shot over from the edge of the area.

HT: 0 – 0

The last one to get a touch in the first half was the first to get one in the second half. The Harriers took the lead in fine style, just three minutes in, when Prosser fired home from dead centre of the area after Williams opted to pass the ball on rather than score for himself. Possibly a lack of self confidence crept in but as long as the ball was put home who’s worrying.

We then took control of the game for a while with Peniket trying to score through a ruck of Blyth defenders and then Chambers played him through but with the goal at his mercy he fired wide.

On sixty six minutes the home side drew level after Robbie Dale went down easily on the edge of the area and claimed a penalty. The ref said no and pointed to a spot just outside. Dale himself stepped up to take the free kick and gave Palmer no chance with a curving kick that went just inside the joint of crossbar and upright.

Within seconds of the re-start Correy Davidson had put the ball in the net but the goal was ruled out by the linesman for a borderline offside.

We had further chances to score before Blyth made their first change with Scott Fenwick coming on for new signing Levi Amantchi. After that they began to re-take control of the game with Fenwick testing Palmer almost immediately.

With time beginning to run out the Harriers started to play again and could have scored, firstly, through Sam Austin when he saw his shot deflected away for a corner and then Ryan Johnson when he headed a corner down at the post but the Blyth keeper, Mark Foden, somehow got a finger tip to it and kept it out.

Foden was at it again as the game entered injury time when the ball re-bounded off Williams and deflected away but he again got to it to keep it out.

I suppose a draw is better than nothing but, frankly, most were expecting us to go up there and give them a thrashing. I don’t think we’re capable of that anymore.   

FT: 1 – 1

Goal for Blyth Spartans: Dale 66

Goal for Harriers: Prosser 48

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Blyth Spartans	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Foden
Evans
Callaghan
Hawkins
Devitt
Robson
Wrightson			90
Mouanda			87
Amantchi			78
Roberts
Dale
Subs:
Harker
Ritson
Orrell			87
Scott			90
Fenwick			78
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Palmer
Austin
Davidson
Sharman			27
Moyo
Johnson
Weeks
Prosser
Chambers
Shenton			68
Peniket
Subs:
D Lowth
E Williams			27
Higginson
White			68
Referee:
Mr Daniel Locker
Liverpool