11-02-25. Chester FC 1 Kidderminster Harriers 1. Match report

Harriers force a draw at table topping Chester

Report: Kidderminster Shuttle

The Harriers dug in deep to secure a National League North point at Chester FC courtesy of a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night.

Phil Brown might well have feared the worst when, just as in Saturday’s defeat to Chorley FC, his side conceded early with a goal inside six minutes. His men showed great resolve at the Deva Stadium, however, and were level at half-time thanks to another goal from top scorer Ashley Hemmings.

A tense second half failed to find a winner as Harriers pushed back against top-of-the-table Chester to secure a fully deserved share of the spoils.

Brown had made three changes to his starting line-up for the tie, reintroducing Maz Kouhyar, Reece Devine and Jim Kellermann to the side, while Ryley Reynolds, Kielen Robinson and David Davis missed out.

The league leaders were lively to start and had already seen former Harrier Declan Weeks have an effort turned aside when his corner was lifted in and headed home by an unmarked Harrison Burke. Weeks crashed another effort wide with twelve minutes gone but the visitors gradually crew into the game, Hemmings having a header of his own saved on twenty two minutes before his leveller came three after the half hour – following up from an Amari Morgan-Smith header to tuck the ball in at the far post.

HT: 1 – 1

After the break, Dan Mooney fired wide for the hosts after bursting into the area but Hemmings remained a threat throughout, charging down the flank and cutting inside three shy of the hour before angling a low drive just past the far post.

Harriers defended with the solidity and determination Brown had called for in prior weeks, and had Christian Dibble to thank for ensuring it was rewarded with something as he made a superb double save late on. With seventy seven minutes on the clock he scampered across goal to ensure a deflected ball didn’t squirm home, before following up three minutes later with an excellent stop to thwart Weeks who’d driven venomously across target in search of a late winner.

The point saw the Harriers drop down to seventh in the table and on the inside edge of the pay-off places as opposed to the title contention they’d been in weeks ago, but with games still in hand, there’s a steely resolve seemingly back in the ranks that will make the remaining seventeen games of the campaign intriguing. 

FT: 1 – 1

Goal for Chester FC: Burke 6

Goal for Harriers: Hemmings 33

The Harriers Online MotM is: Paul Downing

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Chester FC	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Storer
Woodthorpe
Burke
Weeks
Rawlinson
K Roberts
Peers
Bainbridge			66
Murray
Mooney			66
F Roberts			77
Subs:
Hunter			66
Willoughby			77
Pollock
Woods			66
Daly
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Dibble
Devine			91
Richards
Kandola
Downing
McNally
Brown
Kellermann
Morgan-Smith
Hemmings
Kouhyar			74
Subs:
Palmer
Lutz			91
Robinson
Davis
Reynolds			74
Referee:
Mr Darren Rogers
Warrington