Match report Vs Hereford FCVenue: AggboroughDate: 26-12-19Att: 2117 (away fans: 517)

26-12-19 - Report - Kidderminster Harriers 3 Hereford FC 1

Harriers win the first of the Hereford & Worcester derby games

Report: Harriershane

Boxing Day football: one of Britain’s finest footballing traditions. Over 2000 people flocked to Aggborough, 500 of whom came from Hereford, to witness the first part of the Hereford & Worcester double-header.

Hereford, without a win since October 1st, were looking to end that run of poor form with former Harriers Brandon Hall, Jared Hodgkiss and the ever-popular Reece Styche all starting. For the Harriers, Ashley Chambers was unable to shake off the knock sustained at Altrincham, with Ethan Freemantle rewarded for his fine performance that day for his maiden Harriers start.

Richard Peniket, Ed Williams and Harry Higginson all took places on the bench having recovered from injuries. For those on “Diau-watch”, manager Jimmy Shan opted not to name him in the squad.

The game opened in somewhat predictable fashion with Styche receiving a talking to from referee Andrew Sykes for not a lot – presumably the Gibraltar international decided to run his mouth earlier than normal. Former Stevenage player Peter Vincenti had the game’s first sighter of goal, but the loanee’s free kick was blocked by the Harriers wall. The aforementioned Styche saw a turn and shot drift wide before Harriers fired a couple of warning signs to The Bulls backline.

Fine work from Correy Davidson saw a ball delivered that was kept alive by Sam Austin. His effort was deflecting into the air where Freemantle acrobatically helped it on for Oliver Shenton to stab just wide. The Stoke loanee was in the thick of it once more as he connected with Alex Prosser’s clipped cross, but again he could only head wide. He was not to be denied though when he deservedly opened his account for Harriers.

The Harriers wide delivery was causing all kinds of angst in the Hereford backline and, after some bodyline defending, the ball stopped dead fifteen yards out. Shenton ran onto it and dispatched a rasping drive past Brandon Hall to give the Harriers a deserved lead. He nearly doubled his, and Harriers, account just three minutes later but his curling effort from range was comfortable for Hall.

The half hour mark saw Shenton’s second goal in seven minutes. What is it they say about buses? An Austin delivery dropped perfectly for Shenton to control expertly, having seemingly been given the freedom of the Hereford box, before firing underneath Hall who was perhaps unfortunate having managed to get a hand to the effort.

The home side were now rampant as Davidson forced Hall into a smart save from a volley before Ryan Johnson stabbed an effort wide before it should have been three on the stroke of the half time whistle. Davidson, marauding down the left flank, laid the ball back to an advanced Johnson who delivered a peach of a teasing ball but, sadly, it evaded both Ashley Hemmings and Milan Butterfield, who were both the faintest of touches away from winning the game at half time. As it was Jimmy Shan’s charges had to be content with the two goal lead at the half.

HT: 2 – 0

After a lacklustre half, form the visitors you would expect Russell Slade’s side to begin the second stanza with increased conviction but it was the Harriers who resumed on the front foot.

A smart free kick into the area from Hemmings found Johnson who could only fire over first time from ten yards out. Austin and Butterfield both saw efforts denied by the Bulls backline, whilst Johnson picked up a yellow card for a foul that seemed to be forgotten by most later in the game. As the hour mark approached the deficit was halved and it was, of course, the pantomime villain Reece Styche who made no mistake from the far post after the ball was won in midfield and play was expertly switched.

Comically, Styche celebrated by cupping his ears to all four sides of Aggborough and appeared to forget that his side were still, in fact, 2-1 down. Thankfully for the Harriers his adrenaline must have still been running wild when a cross dropped to him just six yards out but he blazed over. Who knows what his reaction would have been like had he scored that?

With twenty minutes to go the Harriers finally put the game to bed and again it was a ball into the box that did the damage. Davidson was able to clip a perfect ball onto the head of Hemmings, who fired a bullet header past Hall.

A fourth goal was threatened with ten minutes to go, but sub Ed Williams couldn’t stretch far enough to connect with Austin’s ball across. The last action of the game saw Johnson receive a second yellow card for innocuously tripping a Hereford attacker ruling him out of the return at Edgar Street on New Years Day.

It was good for us the get this run of games off to a fine start and now we have to take the same work ethic into the game at Brackley Town in two days time. Having never won there we have to be hopeful. There’s always a first time for everything.

FT: 3 – 1


Goals for Harriers: Shenton 22, 29, Hemmings 68

Goal for Hereford FC: Styche 57


The Harriers Online MotM is: Oliver Shenton

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here


HarriersGoalsSubsTimeCards
Mannion    
Austin    
Davidson 80
R Williams    
Moyo    
Johnson   
Prosser    
Butterfield    
Freemantle 67 
Hemmings   
Shenton87 
 
Subs: 
Palmer    
E Williams 67 
Peniket 80 
Scott    
Higginson 87 
 
Hereford FCGoalsSubsTimeCards
Hall    
Hodgkiss    
Greenslade    
Dawson   
Cullinane-Liburd   
Bodenham    
Vincenti 74
Allen 53 
Styche87
Thomas    
Nicholson    
 
Subs: 
Pope    
Bray 53 
Sodeinde 74 
Mooney 87 
O’Sullivan    
     
Referee: 
Mr Andrew Sykes
Lytham St Annes