| FA Trophy 3rd round |
| Venue: Aggborough Date: 09-12-23 Harriers 4 Stourbridge FC 1 Att: 2159 (away fans: 612) |
Harriers lay the Glassboy hoodoo to rest
Report: Phil Lench
A first ever Harriers hat trick for Ashley Hemmings saw off the Stourbridge fans dreams of beating us in a cup game for the fourth time running and sent them home a well beaten side. Following a spirited start from the visitors the Harriers soon exposed their brittle as glass defence and were 3-0 up by the break.
Our first goal came from Ryan McLean – a first for him with the Harriers too – when he pounced on a defensive error and rounded their keeper Charlie Price to slot the ball home in the fourteenth minute. Ten minutes later Price wasn’t going to let McLean repeat himself when, again, the awful Stourbridge defenders let him waltz through but this time Price didn’t give him the chance to go round him and he went straight through him instead for a penalty.
Hemmings stepped up to take the spot kick, and scored, but a Harriers player had encroached into the area – Ben Tollitt? – and the kick was ordered to be re-taken with the same outcome minus the extra player in the box. At that point some die hard Stourbridge fans walked out.
Another ten minutes later and it was three when Hemmings grabbed his second goal, ably helped by McLean who threaded the ball through to him to slot under the keeper for the match killing goal that gave the Glassboys no real way back.
HT: 3 – 0
The second half got underway with Stourbridge looking a little more fired up but it wasn’t long until another exodus of visiting fans was signalled when Hemmings pounced on yet another defensive error on the halfway line, took the ball forward, rounded the hapless keeper – again – and slotted the ball home.
Job done and on came Gold Omotayo for our first glimpse of him in Red and then soon after a long overdue return to action for Shane Byrne following his opening day of the season injury at York City. Shane probably had the best applause of the day.
Stourbridge managed to get a consolation goal a minute from the end, that was missed by the two hundred Stourbridge fans that had already gone home, when Niall Flint struck a beautiful volley that gave Christian Dibble no chance of stopping. Probably the best goal of the game from the only decent Stourbridge player on the pitch.
The draw for the next round is on Monday and the game will be played in the New Year.
FT: 4 – 1
Goals for Harriers: McLean 14, Hemmings 23 (pen), 34, 70
Goal for Stourbridge: Flint 89
The Harriers Online MotM is: Ashley Hemmings
Talk about the game here
Latest table and stats here
| Harriers | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Dibble | ||||
| McLean |  |  | 60 | |
| Richards | ||||
| Penny | ||||
| Preston | ||||
| McNally |  | 74 | ||
| Ben Tollitt | ||||
| Kai Lissimore | ||||
| Ashley Hemmings | | |||
| Zak Brown | ||||
| Jack Lambert |  | 65 |  | |
| Subs: | ||||
| Palmer | ||||
| Pearce | ||||
| Oxlade-Chamberlain | ||||
| McDonagh | ||||
| Maguire |  | 65 | ||
| Byrne |  | 74 | ||
| Omotayo |  | 60 | ||
| Stourbridge FC | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Price | | |||
| Shambrook | | 40 | ||
| Wilson | ||||
| Prosser | ||||
| Kettle | ||||
| Bavanganga | ||||
| Walters | | 40 | ||
| King | ||||
| Benbow | | 81 | ||
| Fletcher | ||||
| Flint | | |||
| Subs: | ||||
| Forde | ||||
| Portman | | 40 | ||
| Solly | ||||
| Knights | ||||
| Steward | | 40 | ||
| Dowd | | 81 | ||
| Referee: | ||||
| Mr Richard Aspinall | ||||
| Blackpool | ||||