Kidderminster Harriers Reserves 1(1) v (0)0 Stafford Rangers Reserves

A very strong Harriers side made further progress in the Central Conference League Cup but had to be content with a narrow victory against a stubborn Stafford side.

Harriers started the game as the more lively side and created a string of chances in the first half.  Blair Sturrock had already missed two chances and Michael Alexis one when Simon Russell's ball split the visiting defence open for Gary Birch who beat Stafford keeper Elliot Richards to it but then snatched at his shot and fired high and wide of the open goal.  Sturrock then set up Alexis but Richards came out of his goal to save at his feet before he could get a shot in and Harriers had to settle for a corner.

It was all Harriers in the first half but they were unable to break the visitors down; when they did get past Richards the frame of the goal came to his rescue.  Birch shook off his marker and chipped over Richards only to see his shot bounce off the top of the bar and then shortly afterwards Ian Foster and Birch combined to create and opening for Sturrock but his shot came back off Richards' left-hand post.  Just as it seemed that Harriers might regret missing so many chances they finally broke the deadlock in the last seconds of the half; Russell picked up the ball on the left and lofted a gentle chip over the keeper that dropped just under the bar.

After the break Harriers continued to dominate possession but couldn't add to their advantage.  Birch went close with a shot from outside the penalty area that curled just wide of the far post within five minutes of the restart but the game soon began to drift.  As rain began to fall the quality of the game dropped even more and for twenty minutes there was little goalmouth action to warm the shivering spectators.  Birch could have added to the score fifteen minutes from the end; Billy Jones crossed from the left, the ball spun up off the greasy surface in front of the keeper but Birch couldn't control it either and fired wide.

In the closing moments Stafford began to show some urgency as they looked for an equaliser and twice went close through Gary Fife but on neither occasion was Danny Lewis troubled in the Harriers goal.