| Match report Vs Spennymoor Town Venue: The Brewery Field Date: 15-03-22 Att: 1127 (away fans: 79) |
Harriers stop the rot at Spennymoor
Report: Phil Lench
Cliff Moyo made his long overdue return from injury this evening at Spennymoor Town. Sadly his time on the pitch was short when he seemed to tweak his hamstring just before half time and didn’t return for the second.
There was no sign of our recent loan signing Ryan Nolan and some felt following the home defeat against AFC Fylde on Saturday that he wasn’t quite ready for real football just yet. In another change Omari Sterling-James went to the bench to make way for Geraldo Bajrami when he returned to midfield to allow Keith Lowe back into the centre of the defence.
A quiet start for both sides saw the first action coming from the referee dishing out an early yellow card for Lewis Montrose following a solid tackle on Ethan Pye. The main chances coming the Moors way were for Jamie Curtis heading one over the bar and then soon after Glen Taylor sent a free kick into the safe hands of Luke Simpson.
Our first chance in the game came when Joe Tait opted to play a backpass to his keeper, Jordan Amissah, who then picked the ball up and give the free kick away in the box. The ref inexplicably indicated the free kick to be taken on the edge of the area some way from where the offence took place. Sammy Austin took it but after a bit of recycling it eventually fell to the feet of Amari Morgan-Smith who fired across the goal.
Five minutes before the break and the Moors had a good chance to take the lead through Kenton Richardson after Taylor teed him up but his powerful volley was well saved by Simpson.
In the final minute of the half we could have taken the lead into the break with us when an Austin cross to the far post saw Morgan-Smith throwing himself at it but, with the keeper beaten, Pye scooped it off the line.
HT: 0 – 0
Joe Foulkes came on for Moyo at the start of the half dropping into the full back position with Alex Penny moving into the space vacated by Moyo. It seemed to galvanise the team and this half saw a more attacking aspect to it.
Sam Austin grabbed the first chance of the half by testing the keeper who parried the ball away. We continued by pressing the Moors backline and at the same time keeping their dangermen of Taylor, Dan Preston and Jordan Thewlis quiet.
It took until the hour mark for the next major chance when Morgan-Smith played Sammy in again but this time his shot was pulled wide. Ashley Hemmings then broke free from his marker to pick up a loose ball but his shot was rushed and it was easily saved by Amissah. Spenny responded with an effort that Thewlis scuffed wide of Simpsons goal.
A flurry of substitutions took place for both sides with Omari Sterling-James coming on for Hemmings, obviously in an effort to get a few more balls into the box. One of those chances fell for Penny but, with the ball at his feet and not his head, he fired the ball aimlessly across the face of the goal.
Going into the final five minutes Morgan-Smith made way for Ethan Freemantle but nothing came the youngsters way and the game drew to a close all square.
It was a well won point on the road for the Harriers at what is always a hard place to go to. To also take a healthy following of fans (79) there on a Tuesday evening was also a good sign coming on the back of the recent poor form and a previous trip to this neck of the woods two weeks ago too.
We now face another tough away day at second place Brackley Town this coming Saturday and that’s another tough place to go to. Not in distance or access but in the fact that we’ve never officially won a game there after last seasons ‘2-0 win’ was null and void.
FT: 0 – 0
Talk about the game here
Latest table and stats here
| Spennymoor Town | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Amissah | ||||
| Richardson | ||||
| Pye | ||||
| Ramshaw | ||||
| Tait | ||||
| Curtis | ||||
| Spokes | ||||
| Thewlis | ||||
| Taylor | ||||
| Preston |  | 85 | ||
| Anderson |  | 75 | ||
| Subs: | ||||
| Flatters | ||||
| Mason | ||||
| Ofosu | ||||
| Hall |  | 85 | ||
| Oyibo |  | 75 | ||
| Harriers | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Simpson | ||||
| Penny | ||||
| Richards | ||||
| Moyo | | 46 | ||
| Lowe | ||||
| Montrose |  | |||
| Austin | ||||
| Bajrami | ||||
| Morgan-Smith |  | 86 | ||
| Redmond | ||||
| Hemmings | | 75 | ||
| Subs: | ||||
| Carrington | ||||
| Sterling-James | | 75 | ||
| Foulkes | | 46 | ||
| Martin | ||||
| Freemantle |  | 86 | ||
| Referee: | ||||
| Mr James Bancroft | ||||
| Durham | ||||