Kidderminster Harriers Youth 3(0) v (1)1 Gloucester City Youth

Harriers took the League Cup for the first time since beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1989 but not before they had been given a stiff test by Southern Division champions Gloucester.

The visitors came at Harriers from the start with a very direct, robust, style that stopped Harriers from playing their normal game.  At every opportunity The Tigers looked to take advantage of the officials, falling over at the slightest contact from a Harriers player; their plan knocked Harriers out of their stride and they should have taken the lead after a quarter of an hour when a corner from the right caused a scramble in the goalmouth and Harriers were grateful to Nathan Walker who hacked the ball off the line.

The respite was short, however, as City took the lead on 18 minutes when Jamie Reid turned the ball in at the near post from Paul Carter's right wing cross.  Four minutes later they had the ball in the net again, Carter headed in but fouled Joe Corbett in the process and the goal was disallowed.  In stoppage time Reid's pass through the inside left channel split the Harriers defence open again for Eddie Rimmer to run onto but Tom Harper came out quickly to save at his feet.

After the break Harriers didn't allow themselves to be dragged down by Gloucester and instead played their own game; within two minutes they were level.  Ashley Walker's long pass found Tom Byrne on the right, he got to the byline and pulled the ball back into the goalmouth where Man-of-the-Match Scott Eaton was able to poke the ball in from close range.

Eaton then fired Harriers ahead after 54 minutes; Harper's long punt upfield fell nicely for him and he lashed a 20-yard volley past Dave Evans in the visitors' goal.  The game was won a minute later when Nathan Walker's deep cross from the right found Mitch Butler on the left who stroked the ball past Evans into the far corner for his 24th goal of the season.

It was all Harriers from then on, although Reid did go close on a couple of occasions as City tried to fight their way back into the game.  Harriers could have increased their lead in the closing stages; Byrne set Ray Facey away on the left who crossed low to the far post where Eaton was waiting but his volley was straight at Evans.  Butler almost caught out Evans with a flicked shot at the near post after being set up by Eaton who then almost completed his hat-trick in stoppage time with a speculative 30-yard shot that caught out Evans and hit the post.