Kidderminster Harriers 1(1) v (1)2 Northwich Victoria

Football Conference National - Aggborough - 15 February 2009

Attendance: 1410

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Northwich
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
Adam Bartlett      [1/35] Ryan Clarke     
Keith Lowe      [2/19] Jamie Stevens     
Craig Armstrong      [25] Simon Grand     
Luke Jones      [6/5] Steve Robinson     
Mark Creighton      [5/15] Matt Bailey     
Michael Carr      [25/8] Joel Byrom     
Martin Brittain      [16/36] Lee Elam     
Darryl Knights      [8/6] Matty Crowell     
Justin Richards      [11/26] Damien Reeves     
Matt Barnes-Homer      [9/38] Dean McDonald     
Andy Ferrell      [4/7] Jamie Mullen     
Lee Baker      [3/9] Lee Steele     
Stefan Moore      [7/17] Mike Aspin     
Brian Smikle      [14/22] Dean Lodge     
David McDermott      [17/24] Darryn Stamp     
Dean Bennett      [20/31] Jay Conroy     
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster 12 7 7 3 8
Northwich 10 3 6 8 2
GOALS
Kidderminster Northwich
9 Matt Barnes-Homer  30 Damien Reeves 
    82 Lee McDonald 
Formations
Kidderminster
   Bartlett  
Lowe Jones  Creighton Armstrong
   Carr  
Brittain    Ferrell
   Knights  
  Richards  Barnes-Homer 
Northwich
   Clarke  
Stevens Robinson  Bailey Grand
     
Elam Crowell   Byrom Mullen
     
  Reeves  McDonald 
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Northwich
64 Bennett Carr Bennett to defensive midfield. 77 Lodge Mullen Lodge to left midfield.
70 Smikle Knights Smikle to left midfield, Ferrell to left central midfield, Bennett to right central midfield.  Now 4-4-2. 90+Steele McDonald Steel to striker.
82 Moore Ferrell Moore to striker, Bennett to central midfield.  Now 4-3-3.    
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Northwich
   Robinson 53 Foul 
Referee: Andy Bennett (Devon)
Match Report by St@tto

Harriers' play-off hopes took a serious blow with defeat to the league's bottom club, a Northwich side that had not won in the Conference since October and lifted themselves off the foot of the table.

Michael Carr came in for his debut against his former club, Craig Armstrong returned to the side in place of the unfortunate Lee Baker and Luke Jones came in for Martin Riley who is away on International duty as Harriers made a number of changes to the team that had gone out of the FA Trophy at York in midweek.

Harriers got off to a great start taking the lead in the ninth minute; Matt Bailey's poor pass was intercepted by Darryl Knights who slipped it into the path of Matt Barnes-Homer who tucked his shot low to the right of former Harrier Ryan clarke in the Vics' goal.  Defensively Northwich were one of the poorest teams to visit Aggborough this season and looked capable of conceding more goals every time Harriers came forward but somehow Harriers contrived to not force Clarke into a save throughout the rest of the half.

Northwich drew level on the half-hour mark; Joel Byrom's shot was pushed away well by Adam Bartlett who then spilled Dean McDonald's follow-up into the path of Damien Reeves who leveled the scored with a close-range effort.  Ten minutes before the break Harriers carved open the Northwich defence; Knights' pass through he inside-left channel put in Barnes-Homer, he knocked the ball back to Armstrong whose cross from the left was just out of the reach of Justin Richards at the far post.

Late in the half Bartlett had to be alert to tip Jamie Mullen's shot over the bar and three minutes from the break Harriers another lucky escape; Reeves' crossfield pass picked out McDonald on the left who saw his rasping shot hit the underside of the crossbar before bouncing out to safety.

Ten minutes after the interval Richards' pass set up Barnes-Homer who got into the box on the right but his shot from a narrow angle was parried by Clarke at the expense of a corner.  Midway through the half good work by Barnes-Homer got him to the byline on the right, he pulled the ball back to Richards who fired over the bar at the near post.  Andy Ferrell set up Barnes-Homer soon afterwards but he shot wide across the face of goal.

The visitors grabbed their winner weight minutes from time; a corner from the right was meat by the head of Bailey and punched clear by Bartlett, Harriers failed to complete the clearance and when the ball was played back in to the penalty area McDonald was in acres of space and had plenty of time to sweep the ball past Bartlett.