|
Harriers cruised to their biggest home win of the season to clinch at least a third place finish in the league. With one game remaining, against second-placed West Brom, they could yet take the Runners-Up spot with another win.
Goals flowed from the start, and from some unlikely sources, and Harriers took the lead after just five minutes; James Dyke won the ball in the centre of the Sutton half and slipped it through the inside right channel for Jordan Blair to run on to, he took a touch and then drilled it past Simon Hands in the visitors' goal. Ten minutes later the advantage was doubled; Harriers were awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal that Simon Fitter took, his shot was powerfully struck and even though Hands got to it he was unable to prevent it from from going in. At this time Sutton were still in the game and created some chances; both Chris Hughes and Shaun Walsh went close before Michael Caine reduced the deficit running on to a through ball and holding off his marker before firing past Sean Mapson.
The revival only lasted a couple of minutes before Harriers restored the two-goal advantage; Richard Evans played the ball in from the left to the near post where Liam Teraud found himself in an unusually forward position, he took one touch to control the ball and spun and shot past Hands. As the half drew to a close Harriers took complete control of the game. Fitter brought the ball forward and picked out Curtis Shaw, his shot was parried by Hands but Fitter had continued his run and fired in the loose ball. A minute later Blair nipped in ahead of Hands to turn Aaron Farrell's left-wing cross home.
After the interval leading scorer Farrell got his name on the scoresheet for the first time; Dyke started the move and played the ball in to Shaw who knocked it sideways to Farrell who slotted it past Caine who had taken over between posts for the visitors at the break. Despite the scoreline Sutton didn't let their heads drop and could have pulled another goal back midway through the half; Luke Fuller's corner from the right was headed wide of the far post by Rob Bolas.
A Harriers counter-attack led to the seventh goal, three red shirted players bore down on just to Sutton players with Farrell taking the ball forward and slotting it inside the far post with Blair and Shaw in support. Farrell's second goal took him level at the top of the scoring chart for the division with Gould of Boldmere and Moore of Bedworth; the rest of the half turned into a personal crusade for him to become the leading scorer in his own right. Three more chances fell his way but he was unable to find the target with any of them. Teraud was also enjoying himself in front of goal, shortly before the end of the game he headed over from Fitter's free kick and then six minutes into stoppage time was more accurate, heading home from a right wing corner to complete the rout. |