Kidderminster Harriers 5 Darlington 2 - Report

Ed Williams, Fraser Horsfall and Declan Weeks also got on the scoresheet as Harriers deservedly ended their run of three consecutive draws.

The Quakers, who netted through Simon Ainge and Jordan Nicholson, contributed to their own downfall by having midfielder Joe Wheatley sent off during the first half.

Kidderminster made a couple of changes from the side which drew 3-3 at home to Ashton United the previous Saturday. Williams came in for suspended midfielder Dan Bradley while Joel Taylor replaced wing back Sam Austin who was named among the substitutes.

After a period of mid-field play, Harriers made the first threatening move in the seventh minutes when Taylor laid the ball off to Weeks who pulled the trigger on a fierce 25 yard drive which was expertly pushed over by goalkeeper Jonathan Maddison.

Shortly afterwards Williams tried his luck with a 20 yard effort which flew just over the bar before a free kick by Weeks suffered a similar fate

The busy Weeks continued to eye up the chance of a shot at goal and was narrowly wide with a perfectly struck volley on the quarter of an hour mark.

Darlington were reduced to ten men in the 17th minute when Wheatley was dismissed for a rash challenge on Weeks.

The visitors responded with a free kick by Stephen Thompson which whizzed narrowly wide before he had a goalbound shot blocked by Jimmy O’Connor.

Harriers had a great opportunity to edge ahead in the 27th minute when Ashley Chambers headed wide while well positioned following a fine cross from Williams.

They finally broke the deadlock on 30 minutes when a foul by Dominic Collins on Horsfall resulted in a penalty which was firmly driven past Maddison by Ironside.

Kidderminster continued to look the more threatening outfit and in the closing stages of the first half Ironside had a close range header cleared off the line before he put his side 2-0 up on 38 minutes by nodding home a cross from Taylor.

Darlington pulled a goal back eight minutes after half time when Ainge just managed to squeeze the ball over the line after some indecisive defending by the Aggborough back line.

Harriers soon set about trying to regain their two goal cushion and Chambers was unlucky with a fine shot which curled just inches wide. Minutes later another Weeks drive flew just over the bar.

They eventually made it 3-1on 62 minutes with a goal from Williams who ran through the visiting defence before firing into the right hand corner of the net from the edge of the area.

The Quakers again reduced the deficit on 69 minutes when substitute Nicholson capitalised on another bout of poor defending by Harriers.

Ironside then had a header rebound off the bar before Horsfall stabbed the ball home following a free kick by Weeks after 73 minutes.

Man-of-the-match Weeks completed the scoring with a neatly taken goal in stoppage time.

Teams

Kidderminster: Hall; Johnson, Horsfall, O’Connor; Vaughan, Daniels (Baxendale, 76), Weeks, Williams, Taylor (Austin, 68); Ironside, Chambers (Richards, 76). Subs not used: Truslove, Digie.

Darlington: Maddison; Trotman, Collins (O’Hanlon, 40), Burn, Galbraith; Henshall (Hughes, 19), Wheatley, Elliott, Thompson; Styche, Ainge (Nicholson, 64). Subs: Saunders, Syers

Referee: Barry Lamb (Manchester).

Attendance: 1,522 (194 away fans).