11-12-21 – Report – Boston Utd 1 Kidderminster Harriers 2

An unusual Hemmings goal wins it for the Harriers

Report: Harriershane

The Harriers made the trip up north to another newly built stadium for this season, this time the Jakeman’s Community Stadium, home of Boston United.

Seventy six Harriers fans made the pilgrimage and were handed a first sighting in a while of Lewis Montrose, who made the bench after his spell out injured. For the home side, who were unbeaten at home since the start of the season when they were beaten by Spennymoor Town, top scorer Danny Elliott had to make do with a place on the bench.

The first action of the game was actually a substitution as Paul Green picked up an injury in the sixth minute and was replaced by Jordan Preston. Boston actually have four players with the same surname, two for each one. Jordan is one of the Preston’s, with Fraser on the bench whilst they have two Jake Wright’s – defender Senior was out but striker Junior featured here, and looked to be offside when he was played in after seven minutes. The flag stayed down though (because the lino was still on the halfway line. Ed) and Luke Simpson had to be alert to thwart the striker after Preston had played him in.

The Harriers’ first chance of note saw the former Boston defender Alex Penny involved, as he found Elliott Bonds with a pullback. The Cheltenham Town loanee’s effort was unfortunately blocked. Penny wasn’t to be denied a couple of minutes later though as he got onto the end of an Ashley Hemmings corner. Not for the first time this season Harriers broke the deadlock from a set piece, as Penny’s header beat Marcus Dewhurst at the far post to hand Harriers the advantage.

A Mark Carrington long range effort flew over the bar as the half ticked towards the twenty minute mark before the hosts began to assert themselves on the game. Kyron Gordon got on the end of a Shane Byrne corner but could only find the side netting before Simpson was forced into an excellent save as he managed to get a good pair of hands to a fierce Joe Leesley effort.

Jordan Burrow was the next to try his luck, but his effort was also off target, as was a Carrington header in a rare Harriers foray forward.

As we entered four minutes of injury time the Harriers almost made it two with a trademark Sam Austin effort. You know the ones, twenty yards out, just off centre, curling into the top corner. Well, not quite, as it just missed the target.

HT: 0 – 1

The first chance of the second half took a few minutes to present itself but when it did it was Harriers who were given the opportunity to cash in – Amari Morgan-Smith winning the ball and supplying Hemmings, but the former Boston man could only bend his effort wide.

The hosts then began another spell of pressure with Simpson saving again from Wright Junior, who sent a header goalwards from a Leesley free kick before Byrne unleashed a fierce effort from range that ferociously flashed past the post in a real warning shot.

After an hour the Reds won a free kick in prime Omari Sterling-James range; unsurprisingly the winger went for it but it was comfortable for Dewhurst.

With sixty four minutes played the game was level once more. Wright Junior had already had a couple of efforts saved by Simpson but it was third time lucky as he stabbed home from close range, despite a feeling that there may have potentially been a foul on Alex Penny in the build up. That being said, they’d deserved that goal.

The game then returned to the battlefield that was the midfield before Harriers retook the lead in the most bizarre and fortuitous of fashions. From range, Hemmings lined up a shot which took a wicked deflection off a Boston man. The ball was still heading goalwards, but looked certain to be looping over the bar. Dewhurst thought so as well but was sorely mistaken as the ball dipped under the crossbar and in. A real howler for the young Sheffield Utd loanee, who had to be consoled by a couple of his more experienced team-mates at full time.

Back behind, Boston looked to apply more pressure in search of a point with Craig Elliott throwing namesake and top scorer Danny on for the defender Matt Tootle. Jordan Burrow and Tom Platt both tried to turn home a Leesley corner but were denied as Harriers restricted their hosts to relatively few sights of goal after retaking the lead – indeed, those efforts from Burrow and Platt were the only notable ones.

After what seemed an age of second half injury time, in which substitute Ethan Freemantle and Bonds both picked up “game managing” yellow cards, the Harriers’ fifth consecutive win was confirmed – a feat not achieved since the halcyon days of 2013.

Those were good memories but this team are making some new ones of their own. Now we need to go back there again next week and make some FA Trophy memories too.

FT: 1 – 2

Goal for Boston Utd: Wright Jnr

Goals for Harriers: Penny 13, Hemmings 76

The Harriers Online MotM is: Nathan Cameron

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Boston Utd	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Dewhurst
Tootle			80
Byrne
Platt
Leesley
Shiels
Gordon
Green			6
Burrow
Wright Jnr			83
Ferguson
Subs:
Crook
Garner
Elliott			80
J Preston			6
F Preston			83
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Simpson
Penny
Richards
Cameron
Bajrami
Carrington
Austin
Bonds
Morgan-Smith			88
Hemmings
Sterling-James
Subs:
Lowe
Montrose
Martin
Freemantle			88
White
Referee:
Mr Richie Watkins
Nuneaton