10-07-24. Pre-season starts off with a win

Cardiff City 0 Harriers 1

At the same time that the England football team were heading for the final of the 2024 Euros the Harriers were also on the international stage in Wales and winning their first friendly of the season by beating Cardiff City 1-0. 

An own goal by Joel Colwill decided the game, just before the break, after Ashley Hemmings header was pushed away by the City keeper, Jak Alnwick, only to bounce off his team mate into the goal. Before that it had been an even game with both sides seeing early chances to score.

Joe Ralls and David Turnbull both had chances but spurned them by firing softly at Christian Dibble and then the latter firing high over the bar. Our two chances also went over the bar following a Hemmings free kick and Seb Thompsons shot also going over.

The closest attempt to score came soon after from Hemmings when his shot forced Alnwick into an excellent save. Colwill then hit the post just minutes before putting through his own goal.

Harriers 1st half team: Dibble, Penny, Richards, Downing, Summerfield, Hemmings, Cadogan, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trialist A, Thompson, Hewett.

Cardiff 1st half team: Alnwick, J Colwill, Goutas, McGuinness, T Davies, Ralls, Turnbull, R Colwill. Méïté, Ashford, I Davies.

The second half saw a complete change of team for the Harriers but they couldn’t increase our lead although Jack Lambert did come close with a rising shot from distance. Before that City had seen chances fall the way of Adeteye Gbadehan and Callum Robinson with both going wide of the target.

Harriers 2nd half team: Bishop, Trialist B, Foulkes, McNally, Lambert, Brown, Morgan-Smith, Trialist C, Trialist D, Trialist E, Rubio.

Cardiff 2nd half team: Dennis, Gbadehan, Fagan-Walcott, Bagan, Giles, Mafico, Rinomhota, Wintle, Tanner, Conte, Robinson.