| FA Trophy 3rd round |
| Venue: Mill Farm Date: 07-12-24 AFC Fylde 2 Harriers 2 (0-3 pens) Att: 446 (away fans: 60) |
Harriers win(dy) game on penalties again
Report: Phil Lench
In shockingly bad conditions at AFC Fylde today the Harriers made their way through, after penalties, to the 4th round of the FA Trophy in what was almost a repeat of a rainy night on the marshes two seasons ago when that game, at the same stage, also ended with penalties and the one and only Nick Haughton skying his take over the bar. This time though the rest of his team mates also missed theirs and the three that the Harriers scored meant that the Reds went through to the next round in January.
This was a game that was on the knife edge of being called off due to the wet and galeforce conditions caused by Storm Darragh. After being told repeatedly by Fylde that the game was on we still arrived there fully expecting it still to be called off. Inside the ground the high winds meant that there was little chance of seeing any creative football as the winds swerved in every direction possible.
A return to the team for Maz Kouhyar and a first start for Taylor Foran saw the Harriers put out their strongest side possible meanwhile Fylde dropped Haughton, John Ustabasi and Offrande Zanzala to the bench much to our advantage.
The scoring was opened by the Harriers soon after taking the game to the hosts from the start and we looked like worldbeaters while they looked like the relegation certs they are. We had obviously listened to the instructions given by Phil Brown and his staff in the minutes before the game got underway which obviously instructed them to keep the ball on the ground, pass short and don’t launch it.
Our first chance of the game came the way of the Man of the Match Ryley Reynolds when he collected Joe Foulkes cross in the centre of the area and unleashed a shot that had Theo Richardson diving at thin air. The keeper then rolled a ball out to one of his defenders who then messed up totally allowing Amari Morgan-Smith to collect the loose ball and rifle it home for the opening goal.
Five minutes later and it was Ryleys turn to grab his first professional goal but before that he sent in a high, looping effort that came off the top of the bar. His goal came when he was played through by Zak Brown following an aborted Fylde attack. Zak collected the ball from a defensive clearance by Paul Downing then threaded it through for Ryley to run onto and sweep the ball home past the hapless Richardson.
With the Harriers now in charge we tried to add to the tally but Fylde recovered from their earlier incompetence and tightened up at the back although they were still getting no joy from upfront. Another poor ‘clearance’ that went vertically into the air was collected and passed on to Ashley Hemmings but his shot was parried away by the keeper towards AMS but his return shot rolled just past the far post.
Half hour in and The National League strugglers finally got their act together and pulled a goal back. From the goal kick following Amaris’ chance Richardson rolled the ball out and Fylde actually passed the ball to each other leaving the Harriers defenders flat footed and out of position. On the edge of the area the ball was played in and Charlie Jolley swept the ball home easily after Christian Dibble saw it too late and dived aimlessly at it.
Again we had another chance to increase our lead when another cross came over for AMS but, falling backwards, his header was easily collected. That was followed up when Joe Foulkes headed over another cross for Hemmings who then played it back for Zak but his shot went over the bar.
Our half with the wind came to an end and next it would be a chance to see how we’d cope with the wind against us.
HT: 1 – 2
The second half got underway with a big change in personnel for the home team. On came two that had been rested in the first half, Haughton and Ustabasi, and immediately they looked a different team. We struggled with the wind while Fylde made good use of it with their first attack of the half. The handy looking Max Bardell swung a cross over for Haughton and he sent the ball home for the equalising goal.
From then on it was backs to the wall for the Harriers.
We made a sub to counteract the change with David Davis on for Taylor Foran but Davis seemed to make things worse with his tendency to hoof the ball clear when under pressure when what was needed was a cool head like Downing. We were doing ok still though and just about managed to keep it tight at the back with Dibble making two fine saves as well.
A spate of petty yellow cards came as the referee seemed to lose his senses with Joe Foulkes, Zak Brown and Reynolds all going into his book for slight shirt pulls in safe areas while the same tricks from Fylde were getting ignored. He did book Emeka Obi for blocking out Brown though.
With the game heading to penalties we came the closest to deciding the game in the final minute when the ball came in across the Fylde area and AMS got a foot to it but on the line a defender cleared it away for a corner but instead the referee blew his whistle to end the first ninety minutes and we went to penalties.
FT: 2 – 2
Goals for AFC Fylde: Jolley 30, Haughton 50
Goals for Harriers: Morgan-Smith 6, Reynolds 11
The penalties:
Fylde, sensibly, opted to take them at the away end where the wind would be with them. Amari Morgan-Smith stepped up to take our first and once the ball had settled fired high into the top of the net. For Fylde it was Haughton and amazingly he repeated his penalty take from two years ago and sent the ball wildly over the the goal.
Tope Obadeyi was next, for us, but his take hit the foot of the post and thoughts went straight away that this was going to set a trend for us and Fylde would get their act together. Thankfully it didn’t and they missed their next penalty too when Ethan Mitchell saw his kick saved as dibble dived to his right and pushed the ball around the post. 1-0 to the Harriers after four kicks then.
Taking his place for us next was Downing and with his usual composure he sent Richardson the wrong way as the ball settled in the other corner. For Fylde it was Joe Riley up next and not having learned anything at all from his previous team mate and repeated his kick while Dibble repeated his save. 2-0 to the Harriers.
All that was called for now was for Zak Brown to finish the job properly and we could all go home. Zak obliged and made sure the ball was going in with a powerful kick that had shades of Harry Kane about it. 3-0 and we go through to the next round with the draw coming on Monday afternoon.
Get your ears peeled and we might just get a decent home draw.
The Harriers Online MotM is: Ryley Reynolds
Talk about the game here
Latest table and stats here
| AFC Fylde | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Richardson | ||||
| Gamble | ||||
| Massey |  |
46 | ||
| Riley | ||||
| Obi |  |
|||
| Long |  |
46 | ||
| Jolley |  |
 |
67 | |
| O’Kane |  |
46 | ||
| McFayden | ||||
| Ormerod |  |
46 | ||
| Bardell | ||||
| Subs: | ||||
| Winterbottom | ||||
| Mitchell |  |
46 | |
|
| Zanzala |  |
46 | ||
| Haughton | |
 |
46 | |
| Ustabasi |  |
46 | ||
| Roberts | ||||
| Hailwood |  |
67 | ||
| Harriers | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Dibble | |
|||
| Foulkes | |
|||
| Richards | ||||
| Downing | ||||
| McNally | ||||
| Foran | |
56 | ||
| Brown | |
|||
| Reynolds | |
|
||
| Morgan-Smith | |
|||
| Hemmings | |
89 | ||
| Kouhyar | |
77 | ||
| Subs: | ||||
| Palmer | ||||
| Devine | ||||
| Cadogan | ||||
| Obadeyi | |
77 | ||
| Kellermann | ||||
| Davis | |
56 | ||
| Hall | |
89 | ||
| Referee: | ||||
| Mr Aaron Jackson | ||||
| Liverpool | ||||