11-02-23. Match report Vs Spennymoor Town

An AMS stunner sets the Harriers up nicely

Report: Phil Lench

A stunning strike from Amari Morgan-Smith set the Harriers on the way to another hard earned away win at Spennymoor Town making that our ninth victory away from home and also making it the best in the division. A second goal from Reiss McNally just before the break wrapped up the points for the Reds and that goal was also McNallys first for us and only the second in his career.

In-between those Paul Blackett drew his side back level following a calamitous error from Tom Palmer but we rode out the remainder of the game well to secure the points.

The team news before the start told us that Joe Foulkes was back from injury and in the starting line-up but Nathaniel Knight-Percival was missing with a slight hamstring pull. The worry was that Joe had been forced to return too early but the lad coped well, didn’t show any problem signs and had a good, solid game.Taking NKP’s place was Kyle Morrison and he also looked steady.

The game kicked off in bright sunshine with the Harriers kicking up the slope. We had been told before the game that some work had been done to reduce the angle but I think that all they did was swap the pitch round and put the slope at the other end.

As is our methodology of late the game got underway at high speed and remained that way for most of the first half. Kai Lissimore was the first to show with a shot from outside the area that was never going to trouble Dan Langley in the Moors goal but did go out for a corner. Just a warm up really.

That warm up got hot, hot, hot when in a seemingly routine bit of interpassing on the touchline between Ashley Hemmings and AMS the latter decided to go for goal from over there. He must of spotted Langley slightly out of position so took advantage with one heck of a kick that soared into the air then dropped like a stone against the far goalpost and into the back of the net. A true stunner and one that’s already got the goal of the season vote writ large all over it.

With our tails up we went in search of a second goal but all we could produce were a load of fruitless corners. Our best chance in that period was a shot from Joe McGlynn that was diverted out for one of those corners. Then came to all expected defensive error.

Langley kicked the ball down the slope to the other end of the pitch where the ball was watched by our centre backs as it landed on the head of Glen Taylor. He nodded it down to Blackett who, un-hindered, lobbed it over the head of Palmer who was stood twelve yards off his line. Palmer tried his best to reach backwards for the ball but he had no hope of getting to it.

Spennymoor followed that up with a shot from Taylor that Palmer held onto well but then play moved back up the slope to where we earned yet another corner. We had to be in double figures by then. Shane Byrne took the kick and, as usual, it was aimed at the keeper. Luckily for us he fumbled it (maybe I’m too harsh on Tom Palmer 🙁 ) and the ball dropped to the floor. Langley dropped down too trying to grab hold of it but it looked to be already over the line. McNally was on hand to give it that extra help and claimed the goal for himself although I think it was an own goal.

In the scramble to stop the ball going in Glen Taylor got a knock on the nose and spent a while receiving treatment. He didn’t return for the second half and his place was taken by Lebrun Mbeka.

HT: 1 – 2

The second half was still just as frantic as the first. We were now heading downhill and it was expected by the watching Reds supporters that we would try to increase the lead but that wasn’t the case. We seemed content enough to keep the Moors at bay although we did get the occasional chance to score.

It took until the seventy fifth minute before we saw anything worth reporting on but it was well worthy of praise. First we’d tried our luck with a shot from McGlynn that rebounded back for AMS but his shot was held then, for the home side, Corey McKeown collected a ball in from Reece Kendall and, taking it forwards, found space to fire in a shot that hit Palmer on the leg and bounced up towards the net. Thankfully Krystian Pearce was on standing guard on the line to head it over and keep us in the lead.

With time running out the usual substitutions got underway. One of those subs, Mark Anderson on for Bobby Faulkner, sent the ball way over the bar while a minute later Palmer turned in his best save of the day in tipping a Joe Tait over the bar. Palmer was then booked for time wasting and Ethan Freemantle, on for McGlynn, was also booked for a silly tackle in the middle of the park.

With six minutes of injury time found from somewhere it was backs to the wall for us a teeth on edge for the seventy five Harriers fans begging for the final whistle. It eventually came and with it three valuable points and our first ever win at Spennymoor.

Now we have Brackley Town at home on Tuesday evening and with it a faint hope that we can carry our away day confidence back to Aggborough against a team that we never seem to get anything from.

FT: 1 – 2

Goal for Spennymoor Town: Blackett 14

Goals for Harriers: Morgan-Smith 9, McNally 38

The Harriers Online MotM is: Amari Morgan-Smith

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Spennymoor Town	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Langley
Lufudu
Ross
Kendall
Tait
Curtis
Faulkner			69
Blackett
Taylor			46
Ramshaw
McKeown			78
Subs:
Flatters
Wombwell
Mbeka			46
Anderson			69
Shanks			78
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Palmer
Foulkes
Hemmings
Morrison
Pearce
McNally
Owen-Evans			94
Lissimore
Morgan-Smith
Byrne
McGlynn			78
Subs:
Dibble
Leak			94
Brown
Freemantle			78
Bearne
Referee:
Mr John Mulligan
Carlisle