30-11-24. Kidderminster Harriers 1 Leamington FC 0. Match report

Harriers win again but it still isn’t convincing

Report: Phil Lench

A dreary game was bought to life with a lovely second half goal from Joe Foulkes to seal the win, and the three points, from a spirited Leamington FC who will feel a little unlucky to have got something from the game. As for the remainder of the game, that we had been hoping for an improvement from the Kings Lynn debacle on Tuesday evening, it was turgid stuff with just a ten minute spell in the second half following the goal that we looked something like.

Again though the lack of anything from our frontline strikers failed to inspire the fans and they must now be wondering when Phil Brown will bite the bullet and finally bring in an experienced striker to lead our line in place of the visibly aging Amari Morgan-Smith and Ashley Hemmings who spurned so many chances you could count them on the finger of no hand. Phil Brown has to bite the bullet and bring in an experienced striker asap.

Leamington bought with them a fair number of fans. In fact they bought their best following since 2019 when they bought the exact same number, 107, for the 2-2 draw on the opening day of that season. They also bought with them the leagues leading scorer Callum Stewart but, apart from an angled shot that went the wrong side of the upright, he did very little to convince.

As said the game was dreary and the first half gave very little to write about. Apart from the Stewart chance the visitors had a couple of wasted calls for penalties but the first real hance of the game came the way of Hemmings with a header over the bar. He had a second chance soon after with a shot that went wide and then Ryley Reynolds had a chance that went wide too. It all looked so un-convincing though.

The half drew to a close with the Stewart chance and we, the fans, just hoped things would improve in the second half.

HT: 0 – 0

It was more of the same at the restart with very few clearcut chances for the Reds. The earliest incident was a yellow card for David Davis that will mean, along with Kam Kandola, he’ll miss out next weeks FA Trophy game at AFC Fylde next weekend. It was Kam that had the first chance of the half with a header just over the bar.

A few minutes later came the highlight of the game and Aggborough, at last, came alive. Hemmings sent in a cross to the far post that went over the top of everyone lining up apart from Joe Foulkes who suddenly came steaming in the hammer the ball home with a downward header. His second goal of the season and a just reward for his hard work.

For the next ten minutes or so we took control of the game but then Brown began to make substitutions. Off went Davis, with the premise of saving him from getting a second yellow card, and on came Kobe Hall with Hemmings dropping back into the berth vacated by Davis. From that point we seemed to revert back to our first half game.

Leamington sensed their chance to get something from the game and if it wasn’t for the relaxed control of his defence by Paul Downing they could have got something from it. Henry Landers came close with a lovely shot from the edge of the area that seemed to go over by itself but deemed by the referee that it had been touched over for a corner by Christian Dibble.

The game fizzled out after that with nothing of note added. Taylor Foran came on for Hemmings to give him some game time for the Fylde game and that was it. Back to winning ways following Kings Lynn and another three points in the bag. 

FT: 1 – 0

Goal for Harriers: Foulkes 60

The Harriers Online MotM is: Paul Downing

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Dibble
Foulkes
Richards
Kandola
McNally
Downing
Brown
Davis			71
Morgan-Smith
Hemmings			86
Reynolds
Subs:
Palmer
Cadogan
Foran			86
Thompson
Hall			71
Leamington FC	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Hawkins
Medrano
Williams			85
Ward
Streete
Evans			81
Landers
Walker
Stewart			71
Shorrock			61
Lynn
Subs:
Berridge			85
Rowe			61
Humphries
Clarke			71
Shambrook			81
Referee:
Mr Kavan Hurn
Accrington