25-01-20 – Report – Boston Utd 2 Kidderminster Harriers 0

Harriers crumble to another defeat

Report: Phil Lench

The Harriers poor season continued at Boston today in a game that was played in a chilling breeze coming off the North Sea. The chill was getting into the bones of the seventy nine following fans and the players too and seemed to be numbing their thought process as they misplaced pass after pass, failed to close Boston down and generally looked second best over most of the pitch apart from in goal.

Now down to nineteenth place in the table this was a game that we could ill afford to lose and with another away trip to Bostons neighbours Kings Lynn Town next Saturday things are looking quite scary for us down there. On the way there this morning I noticed that Bromsgrove Sporting were playing something called a ‘Coalville Town’ today. That could be us and like all other Harriers fans I do not want to see us playing that level of team next season.

As for our game well what can you say. We were poor yet again and this cannot keep carrying on. In our favour Will Mannion had little to do but what he did do he did well. The only outfield player that could come out with his head held high was Alex Prosser who, at least, tried to find a pass and drive the team on. Defensively we were all over the shop and upfront toothless once again due to this persistence in passing the ball around too much without achieving anything.

With the same starting eleven as at home to Spennymoor Town last Saturday we knew we were going to be struggling. Ollie Shenton is not the worlds best defender even if he is playing as a winger coming from deep. Most of Bostons attacks came down his side of the pitch with Jay Rollins leaving him for dead far too often. Correy Davidson is a far better fit for that rolé.

Mannion made a couple of good saves from Andi Thanoj and their new loan signing Frank Mulhern while at the other end we did come close with a headed effort from the perennially offside Austin Samuels and for Ashley Chambers who saw a shot go off the upright having first come off the back of the keeper Peter Crook. Boston stepped up another gear and went up the other end to score.

We failed to close Rollins down and he was allowed to slip the ball into the area and evade more challenges to give the ball to Mulhern amidst players slipping over as the ball was deflected over for the unmarked Dominic Knowles to head the ball home.

Six minutes later, just before the break, it was game over as Knowles collected the ball, just as Cliff Moyo slipped over in the cloying goalmouth mud, and slotted the ball underneath the wrong footed Mannion.

At least we could look forward to a few substitutions for the second half as Jimmy Shan realised that it was working as expected.

HT: 2 – 0

No, there weren’t any substitutions. In fact there weren’t any until almost the end of the game and it was all too late by then. I think it’s known as a ‘lack of a Plan B’

I don’t know if we had improved, and Boston had worsened, but the second half they seemed to be content with the three points gained knowing that we were very unlikely to score. We did try but the quality just isn’t there anymore.

Samuels probably came the closest to scoring with a shot that looked to be going in apart from Crook managing to get a hand to it.

The game fizzled out and so did we. Through the gates and home.

FT: 2 – 0

Goals for Boston Utd: Knowles 37, 43

The Harriers Online MotM is: Alex Prosser

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Boston Utd	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Crook
Penny
Whittle
Platt
Ainge
Shiels
Rollins
Thanoj
Knowles			80
Thewlis			87
Mulhern			88
Subs:
Tuton			88
Garner
Wafula			80
Jackson			87
Woolford
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Mannion
Austin
Shenton			73
Moyo
Johnson
Lowe
Prosser
Butterfield			88
Chambers
Hemmings
Samuels
Subs:
Palmer
Freemantle
Nabi			73
E Williams			88
Davidson
Referee:
Mr Ed Duckworth
Preston