Venue: Stainton Park Date: 14-12-24 Radcliffe FC 0 Harriers 4 Att: 926 (away fans: 120) |
Harriers smash four past Radcliffe
Report: Phil Lench
The Harriers returned home from Radcliffe FC with a 4-0 win to add to a 3-0 win at Aggborough earlier in the season. This was our first return game of the season and to seal that with a 7-0 aggregate win was something special. Sadly the game itself was not always special, just routine.
The conditions were much improved on last weeks windy game at AFC Fylde although there were squalls of rain coming in off the West Pennine Moors at times. Strangely our first half play was better the previous week in worse conditions. We struggled to get a grip of the game and it ended up being a bit of a scrap at times.
In fact our opening goal was also a bit scrappy as Ashley Hemmings slid a hopeful ball into the area for someone to latch onto. With both Radcliffe’s Rick Smith and Amari Morgan-Smith coming in it could have gone in off either player but in the end it was deemed that AMS had got the all important touch and the goal was given to him. The game then reverted back to it’s previous state although we never really looked like allowing Radcliffe back in. They looked very poor value for money and will struggle to avoid relegation unless an angel descends over Christmas.
Just after coming close with a header that went just past Christian Dibbles goal Radcliffes the referee and Danny Greenfield provided the most bewildering event seen in football for a long time. They were given a free kick out wide a few yards from the touchline. Greenfield stood waiting for the refs permission to take it but when he did the ref blew his whistle and told him to take it again. He lined it up again in the same spot, waited for the whistle again and lifted the ball over into the area.
Again the referee, Mr Lewis Dawson, blew his whistle but this time marched towards him and showed him a yellow card much to the amusement and bewilderment of everyone watching. He took it again, from the same spot and this time Dawson accepted it. One has to wonder what was going on and why the linesman didn’t bother to ask his boss what was going on because he could then tell the culprit what the hell was going on.
Back to the game itself and our second goal came two minutes into added on time. Tope Obadeyi had already seen a shot come back off the post when, with another bite of the cherry, he was in the right position to power home Hemmings cross.
HT: 0 – 2
With the Reds now aiming for the goal at our end we began to up our game to take almost complete control although the home side did have a purple patch midway through the half without any reward. They came close when they did actually score but it was ruled out for an infringement on Dibble. Ironically we went straight up the other end and also had a goal chalked off when a Caleb Richards cross came in perfectly for Amari to send home but that was also refused due to a dubious offside decision even though, for once, he was actually onside.
The hosts had a rare chance to get back into the game but Lois Maynards chance went just over the bar but then we went up the other end and almost scored too when Hemmings shot came back off the post and into the arms of a grateful Mateusz Hewelt. He did get his goal a few minutes later when AMS exchanged duties to supply a cross to head home perfectly for our third goal. Almost game over but not quite.
In a similar kind of break, Radcliffe had given up by now, we surged forwards once more and this time Hemmo played in Richards, out wide, from deep. Rather than bother passing to anyone else Caleb did it all himself and fired the ball home from the angle. His first goal of the season and well deserved.
The win could have taken us up to second place in the table again but for a couple of late goals at Marine AFC for Scunthorpe Utd scuppered that and put us into third instead.
FT: 0 – 4
Goals for Harriers: Morgan-Smith 13, Obadeyi 45+2, Hemmings 74, Richards 90+3
The Harriers Online MotM is: Ashley Hemmings
Talk about the game here
Latest table and stats here
Radcliffe FC | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
Hewelt | ||||
Jackson | ||||
Duxbury | ![]() |
59 | ||
Smith | ||||
Thornley | ||||
Maynard | ||||
Hancock | ![]() |
83 | ||
Dudley | ||||
Roscoe | ![]() |
59 | ||
Sargent | ||||
Greenfield | ![]() |
|||
Subs: | ||||
Navarro | ![]() |
83 | ||
Walker | ![]() |
59 | ||
Partington | ||||
Doro | ||||
Owolabi | ![]() |
59 | ||
Harriers | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
Dibble | ||||
Foulkes | ![]() |
58 | ![]() |
|
Richards | ![]() |
|||
Kandola | ||||
Downing | ![]() |
|||
McNally | ![]() |
|||
Brown | ||||
Reynolds | ||||
Morgan-Smith | ![]() |
|||
Hemmings | ![]() |
|||
Obadeyi | ![]() |
![]() |
68 | |
Subs: | ||||
Palmer | ||||
Devine | ![]() |
58 | ||
Cadogan | ||||
Kellermann | ![]() |
68 | ||
Hall | ||||
Referee: | ||||
Mr Lewis Dawson | ||||
Halifax |