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

Football Conference National - Aggborough - 2 April 2011

Attendance: 2756

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Luton
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
Danny Lewis     [1] Mark Tyler     
Lee Vaughan     [2] Dan Gleeson     
Mike Williams     [3] Fred Murray     
Michael Briscoe      [16/13] Zdenek Kroca     
Mark Albrighton      [6] George Pilkington     
Chris McPhee      [10/4] Keith Keane     
Matt Blair      [17/15] Jake Howells     
Keith Briggs      [8/14] Alex Lawless     
Sean Canham      [23/9] Matt Barnes-Homer     
Callum Gittings      [18/19] Danny Crow     
Nick Wright      [14/11] Robbie Willmott     
Dave Hankin      [7/5] Luke Graham     
Lee Morris      [9/7] Adam Newton     
Jack Byrne      [11/18] Claude Gnapka     
Jamille Matt      [20/23] Jason Walker     
Andy Stevens      [33/30] Kevin Pilkington     
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster 13 0 3 5 4
Luton 10 0 9 4 6
GOALS
Kidderminster Luton
25 Chris McPhee (pen) 57 Robbie Willmott
86 Lee Morris 80 Claude Gnapka
90+2 Mike Williams 90 Jason Walker
Formations
Kidderminster
   Lewis  
Vaughan Briscoe  Albrighton Williams
     
  Briggs  McPhee 
Blair  Gittings  Wright
   Canham  
Luton
   Tyler  
Gleeson Kroca  G. Pilkington Murray
     
Howells Lawless  Keane Willmott
     
  Barnes-Homer  Crow 
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Luton
20   McPhee to striker, Gittings to left central midfield.  Now 4-4-2. 15 Gnapka Murray Gnapka to right midfield, Howells to left back.
64 Byrne Wright Byrne to left central midfield, Gittings to left wing. 46 Walker Barnes-Homer Walker to striker.
75 Morris Gittings Morris to left wing. 89 Newton Crow Newton to right midfield, Gnapka to striker.
83 Matt Canham Matt to striker, McPhee to attacking midfield.  Now 4-2-3-1.     
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Luton
Albrighton 28 Foul
Vaughan 84 Unsporting Behaviour
   
Referee: Andy Madley (West Yorkshire)
Match Report by St@tto

Harriers stretched their unbeaten run to 13 games but had to come from behind twice in the last five minutes against their play-off rivals to preserve their run.  Unfortunately for them, however, results elsewhere saw Fleetwood leapfrog over them to take the last play-off place on goal difference.

The early stages of the game were quite dour with the teams cancelling each other out.  Luton possibly edged the possession in the opening half but didn't do much with it, former Harrier Matt Barnes-Homer was subdued in attack and full-back Fred Murray was lost to injury after quarter of an hour.

Harriers took the lead after 25 minutes; Matt Blair made a surging run into the town penalty area and was upended by Hatters skipper George Pilkington, referee Andy Madley having no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot.  Chris McPhee took the penalty and despatched it beyond the reach of Mark Tyler to record his 17th goal of the season.  Before the interval Harriers could have increased their lead; Nick Wright crossed from the left and found Blair who headed back across the face of goal and wide and then in similar circumstances Sean Canham glanced a header wide across the face of goal from Callum Gittings' corner from the right.

After the break Luton came out of their shell more and pressed forward in search of an equaliser which came three minutes before the hour mark.  Harriers gave away a needless free-kick 30 yards from goal that Robbie Willmott sent arcing over the wall and into the top corner of the net giving Danny Lewis no chance of reaching.  Four minutes later Danny Crow headed into the side netting at the far post after substitute Jason Walker had flicked on a corner from the right.

At the other end Harriers should have regained the lead on 68 minutes when Gittings' corner from the left picked out an unmarked McPhee who had more time than he realised and headed tamely straight at Tyler.  The drama began with ten minutes remaining; another needless free-kick conceded by Harriers led to Crow knocking the ball through the inside-left channel for Claude Gnapka to chase, he got the the byline and cut back inside his marker and lashed a shot beyond Lewis into the far corner.

Harriers thought that they had saved themselves a point with five minutes left; McPhee picked out Blair on the right, he mis-hit his cross to the far post where Keith Briggs headed it back into the goalmouth and Jamille Matt helped it on to Lee Morris who headed in his fifth goal of the season.

The action was not yet over, however, as Luton took the lead again with 11 seconds of normal time remaining; the lively Walker sweeping in a shot from the edge of the penalty area after Gnapka's initial effort had been blocked by Michael Briscoe.  Two minutes into stoppage time Harriers levelled again; Morris and McPhee combined on the left, playing the ball into the penalty area for Matt who knocked it back into the path of Mike Williams who rifled in his first goal in a Harriers shirt to complete the scoring of an extraordinary match.