Kidderminster Harriers Youth 1(1) v (0)1 Sutton Coldfield Town Youth

Harriers' youth team began their Midland Floodlit Youth League season with a draw against reigning champions Sutton Coldfield Town at Aggborough.

A new-look side with seven players making their debuts and a further four on the bench held their own against an older and physically stronger Sutton side.  After surviving an early scare when Ricardo Richards fired over the bar, Harriers almost took the lead when last season's leading scorer Daniel Ludlow curled a 20-yard free kick over the wall and onto the roof of the net in just the second minute.

Sutton had another good chance soon after that but Kyle Byrne couldn't control his shot and missed the target.  Harriers took the lead after 16 minutes; Richard Young threaded the ball through the inside left channel and Ludlow outpaced the visiting defence and slotted it past Daniel Cobb.

Ludlow was a key player for Harriers in the first half and was involved in most of their best moves as the half wore on.  Tom Meyrick wasted two of those chances heading Ludlow's cross wide when unmarked in front of goal and then prodding another one wide of the near post.  In the last minutes of the half Ludlow went close to scoring again himself, running through the Town defence but shooting into the side netting.  At the other end a great pass from Matthew Graham set Richards free but his shot on the turn went wide of the far post.

Early in the second half, as Sutton stepped up their game, Graham went close with a free kick that beat the wall.  Fortunately for Harriers Paul Arthur in goal was alert to it and pushed it round the post for a corner

Harriers nearly doubled their lead in comical circumstances; Cobb allowed Jermaine Bowen's shot to squirm through his hands but was relieved to see it roll just past the post.  The equaliser came twenty minutes from time and had an air of inevitability about it as Sutton had been building up the pressure for some time.  A cross from the left was flicked on by Richards to Chris Hughes at the far post who drilled it low across the face of goal and into the bottom corner of the net.

After wasting so many chances in the first half Harriers didn't create much in the second and although they looked to regain the lead it was the visitors who looked the most likely to add to their score.  Arthur came to the rescue again when he saved well at the feet of Stuart Capaldi who had broken clear of the home defence and at the death he saved Harriers again when he saved from Richards to deny the visitors all three points.