Harrogate Town 2 Kidderminster Harriers 2 - Report

A Joe Ironside brace, his second a late equaliser four minutes into added time scrambled a deserved point after Simon Ainge had looked to have secured a 90th minute winner.

Harriers made one change from the team that beat Gainsborough Trinity 3-0 on Saturday, James Pearson suffered a slight hamstring strain so Tyrone Williams came in at right back.

Both sides are considered as contenders for promotion to the Vanarama National League, Harrogate had suffered only three league defeats with two of those coming in the last three games, whilst Harriers had not lost since a 2-1 reversal at Tamworth in September.

The game flowed from end to end right from the start, Ryan Croasdale warmed the fingers of home keeper James Belshaw before Simon Ainge steered an effort across the face of the visitors goal.

Elton Ngwatala was next to send an effort narrowly wide for Harriers who were indebted to Fraser Horsfall’s goal-line clearance from another Ainge effort.

James Belshaw was called into action to tip over James McQuilkin’s effort but Harriers were undone again only for Jordan Thewlis to fire his strike against the outside of an upright.

Controversy flowed in added time at the end of the half when Terry Kennedy’s header beat Brandon Hall who appeared to be unsighted by Ainge clearly in an offside position to give Harrogate a slender advantage at the interval.

Declan Weeks almost pulled Harriers level when he collected Belshaw’s clearance only to send his sixty yard effort crashing against the home bar.

Harriers defended in numbers to deny Harrogate in a goalmouth melee, Kennedy seeing his effort kicked clear by the alert Weeks as both sides went in search of goals.

Ironside converted Mani Sonupe’s centre on 68 minutes to bring Harriers level, his fifth goal in five games as Harriers pressed forward.

But as in the first half Harriers let their guard drop as Simon Ainge looped a header over Hall from

Falkingham’s free kick, but few were aware of the drama to come and the Harriers fans were cheering long after the final whistle as the side moved up to sixth in the table

Harrogate Town: Belshaw, Vann, Parker (Swain 76), Falkingham, Kennedy, Burrell, Thomson, Agnew, Ainge, Thewlis (Mulhern 71), Hudson. Subs Not Used: O’Hanlon, Cracknell (gk), Barr.

Harriers: Hall, Williams (Taylor 50), O’Connor, Horsfall, Austin, Croasdale, Ngwatala (Klukowski 77), Ironside, Weeks (Sonupe 64), McQuilkin, Brown. Subs Not Used: Wright, Truslove.