04-02-23. Match report Vs Scarborough Athletic

Toothless Harriers beaten by an average Scarborough

Report: Phil Lench

The Harriers were on, possibly, the best form of our season so far and with the visit of one of the teams in the play-offs we were expected to build on the recent form that had seen us unbeaten in 2023 and the last three games producing three wins. Scarborough Athletic, on the other hand, had seen a drop off in form lately but had kept their place within the play-offs despite losing three times since the start of the year.

One problem. We were at home.

Before the game the late Stewart Logan received a perfect send off from both sets of fans with a minutes applause for the Harriers legend who had passed away at the age of 85 during the week. The game then got underway with an unchanged starting eleven from the one that had beaten Blyth Spartans convincingly on Tuesday evening. On the bench was our new loan signing from AFC Fylde, Kyle Morrison, while Zak Brown returned from injury. Keziah Martin and Tom Leak made way for them.

As is our wont in recent weeks the game started at high speed but with very little composure on show from either side. Within the opening seconds we had a free kick that was sent close by Ashley Hemmings but pushed away for a corner by the visiting keeper Joe Cracknell.

It took until the twenty minute mark before we had our next real showing after two chances previously were over hit. Jack Bearne seeing his shot blocked on the line by Kieran Weledji. Soon after came our first setback and it was one that really wasn’t wanted again.

On the thirty minute mark Alex Penny kicked the ball into touch as he went down clutching his leg following a routine challenge. It was obviously not a foul on him but he looked to be in pain. Following a few minutes of treatment he bravely soldiered on but a few minutes later he went down again with no one near him and it was certain that he couldn’t carry on and Morrison came on in his place. God knows that Alex has had enough injuries this season but we just have to hope that this third one doesn’t keep him out of action for months and months like the others.

The game calmed down a bit following the injury and half chances became scarce for both sides. Not that they were prolific in the first place and the game had a feeling of two teams scrapping their way out of relegation rather than fighting for promotion. 

HT: 0 – 0

It was hoped that the second half might have produced a more cohesive showing from the Harriers but it was no better than what had gone before. Passes going astray, crosses not getting near their intended target and a strange phobia about actually getting into the Seasdogs area.

Matters weren’t being helped by the below standard referee that the game had been lumbered with but it was all about him wasn’t it? In a ten minute period he must have handed out a handful of yellow cards with some deserved but some not so.

It became harder to break through the Scarborough defence and began to make substitutions to change that. On came Joe McGlynn in an attempt to change it up but their defence held firm. We still rarely troubled Cracknell in their goal but a free kick did give him something to do when Nathaniel Knight-Percival flicked on a Hemmings free kick that he did well to hold on to.

The visitors showed their intention when they bought on Jake Charles to put pressure on our goal. His first move was a double chance when he forced Tom Palmer to save from close range and then followed the rebound up only to steer it wide of the upright. It was different a short while later.

A set piece kick was sent into the area but we failed to deal with it and the ball fell for the unmarked Charles who had the simple task of guiding it into the back of the net. With ten minutes left we tried to up our game but we weren’t convincing at all. On came Zak Brown in place of a defender, Reiss McNally, and he did have a shot from distance that only just cleared the bar.

Tom Palmer came up for a late corner that got cleared away and NKP tried to force the ball home from close range but in the end it was nowhere near enough for a team that are supposed to be aiming for the play-offs.

We now have a long trip up to Spennymoor Town next Saturday in the hope of doing a little better than we did today. 

FT: 0 – 1

Goal for Scarborough: Charles 80

The Harriers Online MotM is: Krystian Pearce

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Palmer
Penny			34
McNally			86
Knight-Percival
Pearce
Byrne
Owen-Evans
Lissimore
Morgan-Smith
Hemmings
Bearne			66
Subs:
Dibble
Brown			86
Freemantle
Morrison			34
McGlynn			66
Scarborough Athletic	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Cracknell
Weledji
Qualter
Maloney
Burton
Gooda
Coulson			66
McGluckin			88
Wiles
Glynn			79
Colville
Subs:
Jackson
Watson			88
Heslop
Greenfield			79
Charles			66
Referee:
Mr Niall Smith
Rugeley