Kidderminster Harriers 1(0) v (0)0 Forest Green Rovers

Football Conference National - Aggborough - 1 January 2008

Attendance: 1852

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Forest Green
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
Scott Bevan 6 0(2) 0 0 0 0[1] Ryan Robinson 5 0(2) 0 0 0 0
Paul Bignot 6 0 0 0 0 0 [18/4] Darren Jones 5 0 0 1 0 0
Michael Blackwood 7 0 0 0 1 0 [11/3] Anthony Tonkin 5 0 0 1 1 0
Gavin Hurren 6 0 0 1 0 0 [4/10] Michael Brough 5 0 1 0 2 0
Mark Creighton 6 0 1 1 0 0 [5/11] John Hardiker 5 0 0 1 2 0
Andy Ferrell 5 0 0 1 3 0 [17/8] Simon Clist 5 0 0 2 2 0
Simon Russell 6 1 1 0 2 0 [7/2] Alex Lawless 5 0 2 0 0 0
Russ Penn 5 0 0 1 6 0 [10/6] Jamie Pitman 5 0 0 3 1 0
Justin Richards 7 1(1) 1 2 1 1 [9/7] Mark Beesley 5 1(w) 1 0 1 0
James Constable 5 0 0 2 1 2 [8/14] Stuart Fleetwood 5 0 1 2 2 4
Michael McGrath 6 1(1) 1 3 1 0 [15/19] Paul Stonehouse 6 2(1,1w) 1 3 1 0
Jeff Kenna      [2/9] Adriano Rigoglioso 5 1 0 1 0 0
Stuart Whitehead      [6/12] Mark Preece 5 0 0 0 1 0
Brian Smikle 5 0 0 0 0 0 [14/17] Les Afful     
Matt Barnes-Homer 5 0 0 0 0 0 [21/23] Danny Carey-Bertram 5 0 1 1 0 0
Iyseden Christie 5 0 0 1 0 0 [23/25] Terry Burton      
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster 15 3 7 3 4
Forest Green 13 4 10 4 7
GOALS
Kidderminster Forest Green
57 Simon Russell    
Formations
Kidderminster
   Bevan  
Bignot Hurren  Creighton Blackwood
     
Russell Penn  Ferrell McGrath
     
  Richards  Constable  
Forest Green
   Robinson  
Jones Brough  Hardiker Tonkin
     
Lawless Pitman  Clist Stonehouse
   Beesley   
    Fleetwood    
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Forest Green
83 Christie Constable Christie to striker. 46 Rigoglioso Lawless Rigoglioso to right midfield.
90 Smikle McGrath Smikle to left midfield. 75 Preece Jones Preece to right central defender, Brough to right back.
90+ Barnes-Homer Richards Barnes-Homer to striker. 80 Carey-Bertram Beesley Carey-Bertram to striker.  Now 4-4-2.
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Forest Green
Ferrell 17 Foul
Penn 65 Foul
  Brough 67 Foul 
Referee: Phil Gibbs (Birmingham)
Match Report by St@tto

Harriers finally recorded a league win over Forest Green, at the tenth time of asking, thanks to Simon Russell's second half, deflected, header.

Mark Yates made a number of changes to the side that had drawn at Oxford, Paul Bignot and Justin Richards returned to the side in place of Jeff Kenna and Iyseden Christie respectively while skipper Stuart Whitehead had to be content with a place on the bench on his return from suspension.

Neither side played as well as they had done in the previous meeting between them a week earlier on Boxing Day and the game was much more scrappy and disjointed, particularly in the early stages.  The visitors could have taken the lead after a quarter of an hour when Harriers failed to clear a corner from the right and the ball fell to Mark Beesley beyond the far post, his shot flew back across the face of goal and hit the post.

Harriers didn't threaten for over half an hour; Simon Russell eventually picking out Michael McGrath at the far post with a deep cross from the right, McGrath took a touch and then fired a shot across the goalmouth and narrowly wide of the far post.  McGrath was involved again at the end of Harriers' best move of the half; Paul Bignot's throw from the right was quickly headed on by both Richards and James Constable to McGrath in the inside-right channel but his shot towards the near post was well saved by Ryan Robinson.

Richards almost broke the deadlock early in the second half, receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area with his back to goal he made a good turn and chipped the ball over Robinson who managed to scramble backwards and tip it over the bar for a corner.  At the other end the woodwork came to Harriers' rescue again when a corner from the right found Paul Stonehouse unmarked at the far post and his volley beat everyone but cannoned off the outside of the post to safety.

Moments later Harriers took the lead; McGrath threaded the ball through the inside-left channel to Richards on the wing, he cut inside and crossed to the far post where Russell met the ball with a weak header that was turned into the net by Anthony Tonkin's attempted clearance.  Harriers were unable to build upon their advantage and as the game wore on Rovers got into the match more.

In the closing minutes the visitors threw everything forward in search of an equaliser.  Stonehouse forced a save our of Scott Bevan but the best chance fell to 30-goal top scorer Stuart Fleetwood; a cross from the left was knocked down and back across goal by substitute Danny Carey-Bertram to Fleetwood six yards out from goal but he managed to fire over the bar with Bevan beaten.