Kidderminster Harriers 3(0) v (1)1 Halifax Town

FA Trophy Quarter-Final - Aggborough - 24 February 2007

Attendance: 1580

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Halifax
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
Scott Bevan 5 0(2) 0 0 0 0 [1] Craig Mawson 5 0(3) 0 3 0 0
Jeff Kenna 6 0 1 0 0 0 [2/22] Gus Uhlenbeek 5 0 1 3 2 0
Jonny Harkness 6 0 0 1 0 0 [3] Matt Doughty 5 0 0 0 2 0
Stuart Whitehead 6 0 0 3 2 0 [6/19] Neal Trotman 6 1 0 0 0 0
Mark Creighton 5 0 0 5 2 0 [5/16] Ryan Cresswell 5 0 0 4 4 0
Gavin Hurren 6 1 1 1 5 0 [4/6] Tom Kearney 6 1(1) 0 3 3 0
Simon Russell 6 0 3 3 1 0 [15/7] Danny Forrest 6 2(1) 0 0 1 0
Russ Penn 6 1 1 2 1 0 [16/11] Chris Billy 5 0 0 1 1 0
James Constable 7 3(1) 1 2 4 0 [26/25] Darryn Stamp 5 0 0 1 3 2
Gary Hay 5 0 1 0 2 2 [10] Lewis Killeen 5 0 2 4 2 2
Michael Blackwood 6 1(1) 0 1 2 0 [11/13] Felix Bastians 5 0 0 2 0 0
Jake Sedgemore 5 0 0 0 0 0 [7/2] Steve Haslam 5 0 0 0 0 0
Andy White       [9/12] Ryan Toulson      
Brian Smikle       [18/14] Jake Wright 5 0 0 0 1 0
Iyseden Christie 6 1(1) 0 0 2 0 [22/20] Steve Torpey      
Steve Taylor       [13/24] Lee Butler      
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster 21 2 3 7 8
Halifax 19 4 5 4 3
GOALS
Kidderminster Halifax
51 James Constable   45+ Neal Trotman  
57 Gavin Hurren     
90+ Russ Penn     
Formations
Kidderminster
   Bevan   
Kenna Whitehead   Creighton Harkness
     
Russell Penn   Hurren Blackwood
     
  Constable   Hay  
Halifax
   Mawson   
Uhlenbeek Trotman   Cresswell Doughty
     
Forrest Billy   Kearney Bastians
     
  Stamp   Killeen  
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Halifax
74 Christie Hay Christie to striker. 60 Haslam Stamp Haslam to right back, Uhlenbeek  to right midfield, Forrest to striker.
90 Sedgemore Constable Sedgemore to left central midfield, Hurren to central midfield.  Now 4-5-1. 82 Wright Doughty Wright to left back.
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Halifax
Penn 35 Foul
Christie 80 Dissent
  Trotman 50 Dissent  
Referee: Gary Lewis (Cambridge)
Match Report by St@tto

Harriers hit back with three second-half goals to come from behind and book their place in the last four of the FA Trophy for the first time since 1995.

Despite a heavy defeat against league leaders Dagenham in midweek, Harriers named an unchanged starting line-up; the only change to the squad was the return on the subs' bench from injury of Iyseden Christie.  Halifax included former Harrier Darryn Stamp in their line up.

The two teams were fairly evenly matched and largely cancelled each other out in a turgid first half of little incident. In the league meeting of the two clubs at The Shay in October Shaymen winger Danny Forrest had given Jonny Harkness such a torrid time that the Harriers man was substituted at half time.  this time it was Harkness who had the better of the encounter and it was not until five minutes before the break that Forrest managed to get the better of him and create the visitors' first clear-cut goal-scoring chance.  Getting to the byline he pulled the ball back to Lewis Killeen who fired his shot over the bar.  In stoppage time, however, Halifax grabbed the opening goal;  Tom Kearney's corner from the right dropped neatly into the heart of the penalty area for Neal Trotman who had lost his marker and was allowed an unchallenged header.

Harriers came out after the break far more fired up and could have leveled the scores just two minutes into the half.  A high ball into the penalty area was headed on by Mark Creighton into the path of James Constable whose low shot was straight at Town keeper Craig Mawson.  Constable did find the net to equalise after 50 minutes, though.  Simon Russell's cross from the right found Michael Blackwood unmarked beyond the far post, his volley was parried by Mawson only as far as Constable who lashed in his 11th goal of the season.

At the other end Halifax responded with a counter-attack that set Forrest clear through the middle but Scott Bevan stood up and spread himself well to deny him the chance.  Russell could have put Harriers ahead soon afterwards when he wriggled into space in the inside-right channel but fired his 25-yard shot just over the bar.

Russell was involved again as Harriers took the lead; his pass found James Constable on the right wing who lofted the ball into the penalty area to Gavin Hurren. Mawson got down to Hurren's header but somehow allowed it to squirm under his body and into the back of the net.  Gary Hay should have opened his Harriers scoring account on 65 minutes; picked out by Jeff Kenna's long ball into the penalty area he was stretching to reach the ball and lofted his volley over the bar.

Harriers were lifted by the appearance of Christie in place of Hay on 74 minutes and he was soon showing the class that Harriers have been missing while he has been injured.  His return to action will be brief, however, as a yellow card for dissent means that he will miss the next game against GRavesend.

As the game wore on Town threw men forward and had Harriers pegged back in their own half in the closing minutes.  The visitors were unable to break down the resolute Harriers defence, however, and eventually the home team were able to get the ball away and down towards the corner flag in Halifax territory in stoppage time.  Russell did well to waste some time before being forced to knock the ball back into play; it found its way to Russ Penn who struck a speculative shot from 35-yards out that Mawson spilled from his grasp and into the net to ease the tension and seal the win for Harriers.