Champions Harriers ended their Floodlit Youth League campaign with a 1-1 draw with
runners-up West Brom in game that had a real end-of-season feel.
In-form Matt Lewis rounded off the best week of his season with the Harriers goal,
his fifth in the lasst three games, taking his tally for the season to thirteen
in the under-18 side. The goal was Harriers best chance of the first half,
a free-kick 25 yards out that Lewis took and thundered past Dan Crane in the Abion
goal with such force and movement that the keeper was left waving at fresh air as
the ball nestled in the back of the net.
West Brom were giving Harriers more of a test than they are used to getting and
created a string of goalscoring chances in the first half that they wasted. Chief
culprit was centre forward Luke Marcus who three times blazed shots over the crossbar.
The equaliser did come shortly after Harriers had taken the lead, Albion's top
scorer Kyle Patterson showing a great turn of speed to outrun the Harriers defence
and tuck his shot low past Andrew Yarnold to record his eighteenth goal of the
season.
After the break, Harriers exerted themselves on the game more and had plenty of
opportunities to regain the lead. Ashley Pringle had a header saved by Crane
at a corner and the keeper also denied Ross Braiden and substitutes Rob Alman and
Michael Xiourouppa. The best chance fell to Albion, however, a corner from
the right caused confusion in the Harriers goalmouth and after the ball had come
back off the far post, Patterson's goalbound shot was blocked on the line by Braiden.
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