30-10-18 – Report – Leamington FC 0 Kidderminster Harriers 4

Convincing Harriers destroy the Brakes

Report: Phil Lench

The Harriers put the pressure on league leaders Chorley FC in style this evening with a stunning 4-0 victory at Leamington FC. Three first half goals from Dan Bradley, Declan Weeks and Ashley Chambers gave us a commanding lead at halftime and a further goal from defender Lee Vaughan in the second half wrapped the game up. The win takes us within a point of Chorley at the top after they lost 3-0 at Stockport County.

It was an unchanged side from the one that took the field at Guiseley on Saturday and at for the first ten minutes of the game the signs were ominous with some scrappy play from both sides. The Brakes had adopted a defensive formation in the hope of earning a point from the very first minute but it wasn’t long before we began to tear them apart.

Ashley Chambers found a space to beat the offside trap as the ball was played through to him. Through on goal his shot was initially saved by the former Harriers keeper Tony Breeden but he then dropped the ball  and it rolled out to Dan Bradley who made no mistake returning the ball back at him and into the net. Two minutes later and the Reds were two up with a goal from nowhere and the evenings first contender for goal of the season.

This time it was Bradley as the provider when, in front of goal, he played the ball back outside the area to Declan Weeks who’s swooping volley went high over the keepers head and clipped the underside of the bar as it rocketed in. It was one of those goals that make you go ‘WOW!!!’

The home side cottoned onto the fact that they wouldn’t be getting anything from this game by playing so deep and defensively and slowly began to create some attacking situations for themselves. Another former Harrier, Joe Clarke, forced a smart save from Brandon Hall while Anthony Dwyer should have done better with a shot that ballooned over the corner flag.

It was time to turn the screw and that was done so in fine style with Chambers sixth goal of the season. Joel Taylor, having a good game exposing the Leamington defence, beat his man yet again and sent the ball into the path of Chambers who sent a swerving shot around Breeden to put the Harriers 3-0 up.

We took our foot off the gas for a while then and the game became a limitation exercise for the hosts as they reverted back to a more defensive formation. The only threat on our goal came just before the break from one of our own. Yet another former Harriers, this time Ahmed Obeng, beat Taylor to the ball towards the corner flag and, advancing forwards, sent over a cross for someone to get onto the end of. It looked a routine collection for hall but James O’Connor decided the ball was his and headed it away from Hall and onto the crossbar. The ball fell kindly for Connor Taylor but thankfully he was wasteful and sent his shot across the face of the goal.

HT: 0 – 3

The second half was a more relaxed affair from our point of view but we were still looking to add to the goal tally. Very little occurred from both sides until a flurry of substitutions put a new spark into the game.

On the hour mark Leamington made a couple of changes bringing on Kieran Dunbar and Reece Flanagan for Connor Taylor and Jack Edwards but they had hardly enough time to settle before we had increased our lead. A long crossfield ball over to Lee Vaughan saw the defender try his luck but this was no luck as his fierce, swooping drive went crashing in off the underside of Breedns crossbar and straight back down onto the ground but the right side of the line. For the second time in the game we had a contender for goal of the season.

With no way back in Leamington had basically given up by now and we took the chance to change it round a bit. On came Kane Richards and Joe Ironside for Bradley and Chambers just as news began filtering through that Chorley had gone a goal down at Stockport.

Soon after Ed Williams, having a quiet game by his standards, left the filed for James Baxendale to come on and the news that Chorley had gone further behind. As an attacking force we weren’t the same and you could see why Richards and Ironside don’t start games. Richards fired the ball over for us while another Brakes sub – Colby Bishop on for Anthony Dwyer – bought the first real save of the game from Brandon Hall when he headed the ball goalwards for Hall to collect comparatively easily.

With those four goal and three points the gap at the top has now been closed to one point although we have played one more goal from Chorley and the icing on the cake of a great game and two ‘worldie’ goals was that Chorley let in another goal at the end of their game to lose 3-0. We have bottom club Southport at home on Saturday and we all know what happens when the Harriers play a club at the foot of the table. Hopefully not this time.

FT: 0 – 4

Goals for Harriers: Bradley 18, Weeks 20, Chambers 34, Vaughan 61

The Harriers Online MotM is: Declan Weeks

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Leamington FC	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Breeden
English
Gudger
Clarke
Mace
Lane
C Taylor			60
Gittings
Dwyer			66
Edwards			60
Obeng
Subs:
Bishop			66
Flanagan			60
Hood
Bowen
Dunbar			60
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Hall
Vaughan
J Taylor
O’Connor
Horsfall
Johnson
Weeks
Daniels
Bradley			67
Chambers			67
Williams			73
Subs:
Richards			67
Ironside			67
Baxendale			73
Austin
Digie
Referee:
Mr Scott Simpson
Stoke on Trent