20-08-24. Kidderminster Harriers 1 Brackley Town 0. Match report

Harriers dominant but still only get a single goal

Report: Phil Lench

This was the first time that we had locked horns with Brackley Town since that memorable sunny day in May 2023 that saw the Harriers make their return to the National League. It was thanks to Ashley Hemmings goals that day and, again, last night it was thanks to our number ten that we were victorious once again. The only drawbacks are that we are no longer in the National League and also that it was our only goal of the game.

Games against Brackley have never been of the high scoring variety but we came close in a first half that could have seen the Reds go into the break four goals to the good.

With the highly anticipated return of Shane Byrne to Aggborough and against a team that we have an overall poor record against the scene was set. Byrne was on the bench and it was Brackley that dominated the first quarter or so. We looked slightly nervous during that time but in no real danger of conceding even with a Morgan Roberts shot that Christian Dibble dealt with easily. Apart from that he had nothing else to do. 

The first sign of the Harriers finally staking a claim on the match was when Caleb Richards skipped down the wing and played the ball over to Zak Brown. He didn’t quite make contact as he slid in but put enough on the ball to deflect it goalwards. It just agonisingly skimmed the outside of the far post.

A minute later and the only goal of the game arrived. It was Richards again who played the same move and this time Ashley Hemmings was there waiting to slot the ball home. There could have been more as the Harriers went on the rampage but good keeping from Jonny Maxted kept us from increasing our scoreline. Maliq Cadogan was up next after getting onto the end of a rebounding Hemmings effort but again Maxted was equal to the task.

Our next chance to increase the lead came from a Maz Kouhyar and Hemmings move that saw the keeper in action once again as he denied Ash the opportunity to double his tally. Kouhyar was again having a field day out wide, leaving defenders for dead and confusing them with his trickery and persistence. We’ve not had a winger like him since the days of Martin Brittain and before that Neil Doherty back in the nineteen nineties.

With time running down to the break, and still only a single goal to the good it was now the turn of Joe Foulkes to join in and have his say. His shot from the edge of the area was blocked but it came back to Hemmings who fired back in only for Maxted to flip it over the bar. 

We went into the break with just the one goal to show for our efforts but surely there were more to come?  

HT: 1 – 0

Sadly there wasn’t more to come. Brackley responded to the danger of Maz by taking off defender George Carline and bringing on an attacking midfielder in Matt Lowe. It seemed to work because the danger from our danger man was no longer there although Maz did try swapping sides occasionally but it didn’t pay off.

The move also stifled our attack and we had very few chances to speak of.  Cadogan had a chance with another powerful shot from a Hemmings free kick, surprisingly, played square, that had been played across to him by Foulkes. His attempt to get his first goal for us was just over the bar though.

For the visitors their only real chance of the half came the way of Roberts again but his shot went way over and that was it for them apart from the introduction of Byrne to a mix of applause from the majority of Harriers fans and the expected, stupid, jeers from a minority.

Ash Hemmings saw a couple of chances go begging with one shot going across Maxteds goal and another saved easily by the custodian. The game was seen out safely by us and a further three points in the bag.

The difference between this Phil Brown side compared to the side that Russ Penn created last season was stark. Although we’d got four points by this stage we just didn’t look like a team with goals in us and struggled to hold on defensively to what we had got. Now we look like a well oiled machine just waiting to go into overdrive.

Watch out Warrington Town. You’re next!

FT: 1 – 0

Goal for Harriers: Hemmings 21

The Harriers Online MotM is: Luke Summerfield

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Dibble
Foulkes
Richards
Penny
Downing
Cadogan
Brown			81
Summerfield
Beresford			70
Hemmings			86
Kouhyar
Subs:
Palmer
Devine
McNally			86
Thompson			70
Davis			81
Brackley Town	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Maxted
Carline			46
Calder
Lyttle
O’Sullivan			70
Dean			63
Lilly
Bates
Newton
Roberts
Hall			76
Subs:
Byrne			70
Craig			63
Pollock			76
Cross
Lowe			46
Referee:
Mr Harry Warner
Staffordshire