Kidderminster Harriers Reserves 1(1) v (0)2 Halesowen Town

A very young Harriers side bowed out of the Worcestershire Senior Cup at the Quarter Final stage after a brave fight against Southern League side Halesowen Town.

Martin O'Connor used the game to give some of the players on the fringe of the first team squad a game along with five players from the youth team.  Gareth Sheldon played his first game after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered over a month ago and Chris McHale played his first competitive game of the season in a Harriers shirt.

It was a low-key game with little incident in the first half but it was the Harriers kids who had the upper hand.  Troy Manning and Tom Byrne, in particular, were having good games.  Harriers took the lead on 16 minutes; a cross from the left found Mitch Butler who helped it on to Byrne on the right, his first shot was blocked but he lashed his follow-up into the roof of the net.  The only other real action of the first half saw Sheldon's throw find Butler who blasted his shot wide.

Harriers were given an early scare by Town in the second half when Simon Forsdick jinked his way into the penalty area before blasting his shot against John Danby's right hand post.  The visitors drew level after 49 minutes, Manning pulled Howard Forinton's shirt in the penalty area and former Harrier Steve Pope stepped forward to blast the kick into the roof of the net.

Sheldon went close shortly afterwards with a 30-yard free-kick that only just cleared the crossbar but Halesowen shaded a second half that seemed destined for extra time.  The visitors could have wrapped the game up before it got to that stage, however, when Chris Smith headed across goal for Forsdick who beat Danby only for McHale to be on the line to clear.

The game headed, inevitably, into extra time and the visitors took control of the game.  Forsdick was cursing his luck again after another jinking run into the penalty area only to see his shot beat sub keeper Thomas Harper and crash against the crossbar, McHale was able to head the loose ball away to safety.

Laurie Wilson went close with a free kick from 25 yards that was only a fraction wide, and Gavin Hurren knocked Byrne's cross down for McHale who had his shot blocked on the line but Harriers' attacking lacked conviction and they didn't really look like scoring.

Town substitute Nathan Lamey caused all sorts of problems for Harriers in extra time; he went close with a shot from the right that flashed across the face of goal, he made a dangerous run into the penalty area only o be stopped by McHale but the ball ran to Forsdick who yet again saw his shot come back off the frame of the goal.

Lamey did manage to beat Harper four minutes from the end of the game but McHale was on hand again to head off the line but the respite was brief as two minutes later a long clearance from keeper Dean Coleman was knocked down by Forinton to Lamey who hit an arrow of a shot into the top corner with Harper stranded way off his line.  Harriers made one last attempt t level the scores as the game headed into stoppage time; Byrne's cross from the left found David Davis at the far post, his shot was parried by Coleman who managed to gather in the loose ball as Butler looked to pounce.