10-12-19 – Report – Guiseley AFC 1 Kidderminster Harriers 2

A rare Sammy Austin goal gives the Harriers an equally rare win

Report: Phil Lench

The Harriers got their first win in all competitions since October 22nd when we beat Farsley Celtic 2-0 at Aggborough. That was eight games ago so this fantastic win at Guiseley AFC this evening was well overdue. Even more overdue was a goal from Sammy Austin with his only other goal coming in the 6-0 home win against Tamworth way, way back in September 2016.

It was also a good night for Ashley Chambers too with the opening goal for us bringing to an end his goal famine since the away defeat at Spennymoor Town at the end of September this year.

We had to start the game with another enforced change when Ashley Hemmings failed to recover from the injury he picked up at home to Boston Utd on Saturday. Also still out injured was Ed Williams and Richard Peniket. Oliver Shenton stepped up to replace Hemmings while Alex Prosser continued to cover for Williams and Peniket.

Minutes before the game was due to get underway there was an emergency pitch inspection when the heavens opened to add to the rain that had been over Leeds all day long. The referee, in his wisdom, decreed the game could go ahead.

It took seven minutes for the first sign of action when Hamza Bencherif pounced on the ball that we had failed to clear in a goalmouth scramble but luckily for us Rhys Williams was on hand to block it and then clear it away upfield.

It took us until twenty minutes in to register our first attempt on the Guiseley goal when Prosser saw his shot blocked after being set up by Declan Weeks. Minutes after we had another chance, this time for Chambers when he pounced on a loose ball and played it on for Prosser but again his shot was blocked. Weeks followed it up only to see it get blocked out again.

Midway through the half and it was Prossers turn to provide Chambers with a chance but he dragged his shot wide of the upright. Two minutes later and a mistake from the home side allowed Chambers to run onto the ball and take it into the area but he fluffed his lines and blasted the ball wide. He just needs a goal to get his confidence back.

Suddenly, totally against the run of play, the hosts took the lead. Slack defending by the Harriers saw the ball break free in our area and, in the blink of an eye, Kaine Felix had pounced and put the ball away beyond the reach of Will Mannion in the Harriers goal.

Knocked out of our stride for a while we allowed Guiseley to take charge of the game but thankfully for us only the one real chance came their way when Lee Shaw forced Mannion into two great saves as, first, he stopped the initial shot and then saved the rebound before Shaw could get to it.

HT: 1 – 0

The second half of the game started in a Yorkshire monsoon but it was the Harriers who were the first to acclimatise to the conditions. The ball dropped for Milan Butterfield but it got stuck under his feet and he couldn’t scramble it home from close range.

Mannion thought he had come to our rescue again soon after when he raced out of his area to clear a through ball away to safety but it only got as far as Gabriel Johnson who fired the ball back in. Luckily for the Harriers Cliff Moyo was there with a diving header to stop it entering the goal and put us even further behind.

Even more luckily for us we Chambers got his long overdue goal and we finally drew level. Butterfield played the ball through for Prosser to then feed Sam Austin to take the ball forward. His pinpoint cross found the number nine and he finished the move off with ease. 

Even better was to come when just eight minutes later came the Sammy Austin goal. Picking the ball up outside the area he let fly and the ball cannoned into the net via the crossbar to give him his first goal in years but, more importantly, put us on the road to winning.

Guiseley quickly re-organised themselves and put another man upfront and it almost paid dividends when a shot from Lee Shaw went just wide of Mannions post.

Ollie Shenton had a chance to get his first goal for us when he fired towards goal only to see it blocked on the line again while Chambers did get the ball into the net but it was ruled out for offside. He had another chance seconds after when he pounced on a poor back pass but Brad Nicholson snuffed the danger out with a fine tackle to dispossess the Harriers striker.

In the dying minutes of the game we had to hold tight as Guiseley threw the kitchen sink at us and the high spot was a fine interception from Moyo to stop them scoring.

Towards the end Declan Weeks went down injured and tried to carry on but couldn’t. On came Dennis Digie, the brother of Kennedy who is now with Guiseley, for his debut while in injury time big Brandon Diau came on for another one minute cameo to replace Chambers.

The whistle finally went and signalled plenty of celebrating with our first win in ages and a first for new manager Jimmy Shan. Now we have to wait another two weeks again until our next game at Altrincham but at least we’ve climbed back up the table slightly into sixteenth place. Let’s just hope the tide has turned.

FT: 1 – 2

Goal for Guiseley AFC: Felix 40

Goals for Harriers: Chambers 55, Austin 63

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Guiseley AFC	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Dewhurst
McNally
Nicholson			83
Barkers			83
Bencherif
Garner
Soleman
Cantrill
Shaw			73
Felix
G Johnson
Subs:
Smith			83
K Digie
Jones
Clayton			73
Newall			83
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Mannion
Austin
Davidson
R Williams
Moyo
R Johnson
Weeks			86
Butterfield
Chambers			92
Shenton
Prosser
Subs:
Palmer
D Digie			86
Taylor-Randle
Diau			92
Neligwa
Referee:
Mr James Westgate
Durham