| FA Cup 2nd qualifying round |
| Match report Vs Sporting Khalsa 3 Kidderminster Harriers 3 Venue: Noose Lane Date: 18-09-21 Att: 687 (350) |
Harriers put paid to Khalsas’ FA Cup hopes
Report: Phil Lench
A pair from the bench for substitute Nyal Bell enabled the Harriers to enter the next round of the FA Cup at Sporting Khalsa today. His two goals came on top of Sam Austins opening goal ten minutes earlier that had seen relief cross the faces of the Harriers fans in the crowd following a first half that had seen the home side put up a resilient show to keep the Reds out.
In a first ever visit to our near neighbours the game kicked off in hot sunshine on a synthetic pitch that had been heavily crumbed. A tactic possibly used by Khalsa to put us off and it probably worked during the first forty five minutes with the black dust being kicked up into boots and faces. It would put anyone off that normally played on grass. It also meant we had to work harder to move the ball around.
Our first early chances mainly came the way of Amari Morgan-Smith playing as a lone striker. Long balls seemed to be the answer to the pitch problem but with AMS having been out of the game for so long his sharpness wasn’t there and chance after chance went begging or out of the ground. When the shots did get on target then the Khalsa keeper Sam Arnold was always there performing heroics for quite a portly gentleman.
Omari Sterling-James and Austin also had chances to score with Sammy hitting the base of the upright and Omari Sterling-James sending one just wide after also having seen most of his shots going wayward. In the final seconds of the half the post was struck once again when Sterlings shot was parried away by Arnold only for the Harriers striker to see his return shot also hit the post.
For the hosts they had very few chances to score with their main man Josh McKenzie well marshalled by the younger Keith Lowe and a solid showing from Luke Simpson in the Harriers goal. Their two most dangerous looking players, Mason Birch and Jake Gosling, were also being kept quiet by the Reds defenders.
The second half would have to see an improvement from the Harriers if they wanted to progress further.
HT: 0 – 0
Following what must have been a serious team briefing the Harriers, and Khalsa, re-emerged onto the plastic followed by the officials ten minutes later to humorous derision from the fans.
The Harriers were straight into action once more with Lewis Montrose sending a header just over the bar while Austin directed a shot towards goal but straight at their keeper who saved easily. The Khalsa defenders were still solid and managing to keep us out but cracks finally began to show and fifteen minutes in the crack widened soon after Morgan-Smith left the field to be replaced by Nyall Bell.
The Harriers opening goal came from, you guessed it, Sammy Austin who had worked tirelessly throughout the game. He managed to skip around the defenders and finally seeing a gap fired the ball home beyond the reach of Arnold.
Ten minutes later and the game started to become out of reach for the valiant warriors of Khalsa when Bell grabbed the first of his two goals. The first came from a Sterling pass that got deflected by a defender towards Bell who had his back towards goal. Turning smartly he fired the ball home in the narrow gap twixt keeper and post.
His second came soon after when Joe Foulkes, back on home territory, played a through ball for Bell to run onto. Bell took the ball further and, moving to the same side that he had scored from earlier, arrowed the ball twixt the keeper and the far post.
With the Harriers home and dry it looked to be a formality to see the remainder of the game out but then Khalsa sprung a surprise when, in the final minute of normal time, Jumaane Meggoe headed for the byeline looking for someone to cross to. Geraldo Bajrami tracked him through into the area and, with the slightest of contact, Gosling went to ground, Bajrami got booked and Gosling took and converted the penalty.
On to the draw on Monday now and hopefully a team of similar standing as Sporting Khalsa but at Aggborough for a change.
FT: 1 – 3
Goal for Sporting Khalsa: Gosling 90 (pen)
Goals for Harriers: Austin 62, Bell 72, 84
The Harriers Online MotM is: Sam Austin
Talk about the game here
Latest table and stats here
| Sporting Khalsa | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Arnold | ||||
| Birch | ||||
| Okojie |  | |||
| Adam | | |||
| Robinson | ||||
| Ferrier |  | 77 | ||
| Gosling |  | |||
| Whittaker | ||||
| McKenzie |  | 65 | ||
| Singh |  | 65 | ||
| McGrady | ||||
| Subs: | ||||
| Martinez | ||||
| Armstrong |  | 65 | ||
| Meggoe |  | 65 | ||
| Woodhouse |  | 77 | ||
| A White | ||||
| Kinch | ||||
| Sangha | ||||
| Harriers | Goals | Subs | Time | Cards |
| Simpson | ||||
| Foulkes | ||||
| Richards | ||||
| Bajrami | | |||
| Lowe | ||||
| Montrose | ||||
| Austin | | | 77 | |
| Martin | ||||
| Morgan-Smith | | 60 | ||
| Hemmings | | 72 | ||
| Sterling-James | ||||
| Subs: | ||||
| Emery | ||||
| Penny | ||||
| Lissimore | | 77 | ||
| Tolley | ||||
| J White | | 72 | ||
| Freemantle | ||||
| Bell | | | 60 | |
| Referee: | ||||
| Mr Dale Baines | ||||
| Liverpool | ||||