Harriers' play-off bid hit by loss
Stevenage 3 Kidderminster 1
Stevenage 3 Kidderminster 1
Kidderminster boss Mark Yates remained positive despite Harriers slumping to their first defeat in 15 games last night as they fell out of the play-off places last night.
"We're disappointed but I said there would be twists and turns and we are not out of anything yet," he said.
"We got beaten fair and square as we weren't at our best while Stevenage were at full throttle and are a very good side.
"We've got a big game on Sunday, but so have others and we're still in there fighting."
Harriers now need to beat Kettering Town at Aggborough on Sunday and hope that Stevenage (who travel to Mansfield) or Torquay United (who host Burton Albion) can do no better than draw their final fixtures to take their place in the extended round of fixtures for promotion to the Football League.
Harriers can have no complaints about the defeat which saw Stevenage leap frog them into the play-off places.
Slow to start, the visitors conceded a goal on three minutes when Steve Morison was left unmarked inside the six-yard box and from then on it was an uphill struggle.
Rebound
The lively Morison rattled the Harriers crossbar and only a fine save from Adam Bartlett denied Mitchell Cole from extending the lead as he turned aside the midfielder's drive from the rebound.
After being restricted to long range efforts from Russ Penn and Chris McPhee, Harriers got into gear with Justin Richards forcing keeper Chris Day to parry a drive.
It was Richards who gave Harriers a lifeline on the stroke of half-time, turning in the area onto McPhee's pass before drilling a low left footed shot past Day to bring Harriers level.
That should have been the catalyst for Harriers, knowing that a victory would guarantee a place in the play-offs, but, as in the first-half, slack marking allowed Stevenage to regain the lead.
Former Cambridge striker Lee Boylan caught out Bartlett with a 30-yard drive that flew inside the keeper's left hand upright on 47 minutes and again the visitors were on the back foot.
The game was won on 65 minutes when Mitchell Cole delivered a left wing centre and Boylan found himself unmarked to sweep the ball home from close range for his second of the night.
Harriers: Bartlett, Lowe (Knights 76), Baker, Riley, Creighton, Penn (Smikle 69), Bennett, Brittain, McPhee, Barnes-Homer (Moore 88), Richards. Subs Not Used: Ferrell, Jones.
