Kidderminster Harriers Reserves 3(1) v (0)0 Bromsgrove Rovers Reserves

A strong Harriers team comfortably saw off the challenge of Bromsgrove with both Iyseden Christie and Reuben Hazell getting through another 90 minutes in their comebacks from injury.

Once again Harriers fielded ten first team squad players in the starting line-up with only trialist Michael Alexis making up the numbers.  Being a much stronger side Harriers dominated the game totally and should have won more comfortably.  Alexis started a move that could have ended with the opening goal, his pass found Steve Burton on the left wing and the cross to the far post picked out Christie but he was stretching and couldn't control his shot.

At the other end Rovers' best chance fell to former Harrier Michael McGrath but his 25-yard free-kick was hit straight at Daniel Lewis who dealt with it easily.  A Billy Jones cross from the left found Mark Rawle whose close range shot was pushed over the bar by Paul Maynard in the Rovers goal who probably didn't know too much about it.  Rovers were still lively while the scores were lever; Leon Mitchell beat the offside trap and got to the byline on the right, his low cross, however, was too far ahead of Shaun Maynard and Jamie Hyde and Harriers were able to clear.  Harriers took the lead eight minutes before the break; Rawle set Burton free on the left and his cross into the middle of the penalty area was met by the head of Christie for his first goal in a Harriers shirt.  In stoppage time Christie set up Simon Russell but after he had created the space for himself he saw his shot saved.

Early in the second half Burton almost doubled the advantage; his mis-hit cross from the left almost deceived maynard at the near post but the keeper managed to claw it away.  Next, a Russell cross from the right was arcing towards the head of Christie and a certain goal but Steve Frost managed to head it away at the last moment.  The second Harriers goal arrived just after the hour mark; a Billy Jones free kick was whipped in from the right and André Joseph, under no pressure, headed it into his own net.

Soon afterwards substitute Jimmi-Lee Jones almost added the third, after dispossessing Mark Clements on the edge of the penalty area he shot narrowly wide of Maynard's left-hand post.  Eight minutes from the end Alexis got his name on the scoresheet for the second game in a row; Burton got to the goalline on the left and crossed beyond the far post to Russell who pulled it back to the trialist who swept it into the roof of the net.  Harriers should have had more, Jimmi-Lee Jones brought a save out of Maynard and Christie missed the target, but they had to settle for just three.  Stuart Watkiss, watching from the touchline, will have been pleased that both Hazell and Christie got through the game without mishap and showed their fitness for Saturday's crunch match agaisnt Rushden.