Harriers miss out on a spot of revenge

December saw Harriers fall to two league defeats and an FA Trophy exit including the 3-1 Boxing Day reversal against Saturday’s visitors to Aggborough, Hereford.

Harriers boss Russ Penn brought in Bromsgrove Sporting’s marksman Jason Cowley on loan to bolster his attacking options as cover for the suspended Amari Morgan-Smith, with Ethan Fremantle recalled to lead the Harriers line.

It was Fremantle who had the game’s first opportunity , reacting quickly to Ashley Hemmings defence splitting pass only to see his effort kicked away by Brandon Hall.

The home side benefitted from some rash defending from Yan Klukowski, whose challenge on the lively Fremantle resulted in a penalty. Ashley Hemmings sent Hall the wrong way from the spot as he converted Harriers first penalty of the season on 13 minutes.

Hemmings could have added a second when he curled an effort wide of Hall’s right-hand post. Alex Prosser then got in on the act with a rising shot over the bar as Hereford struggled to create any opportunities in the final third of the pitch.

The second half saw the introduction of Giles Coke for the Bulls and his presence settled the visitors as they enjoyed more possession.

Although they saw more of the ball they were unable to craft out clear goalscoring opportunities, Chris Camwell drilled high and wide while Lennell John-Lewis also wasted a clear effort as he screwed his shot wide on 57 minutes.

But the Bulls were given a route back into the game when they were awarded a penalty. A floated free-kick appeared to be flicked on by John-Lewis with the ball striking the arm of Lewis Montrose. John-Lewis stepped up to drill the ball into the bottom right corner.

The visitors gained momentum going forward but lacked a cutting edge in the final third while Harriers came forward sporadically with Omari Sterling firing into the side netting.

Cowley came on for a 20-minute cameo, showing some good touches but he never got in a position to display his finishing prowess.

Harriers: Simpson, Penny, Richards, Moyo, Lowe, Maxwell, Austin, Montrose, Hemmings Martin 79), Fremantle (Cowley 69), Prosser (Sterling 69). Subs Not Used: Palmer, Arthur.

Hereford: Hall, Hodgkiss, Klukowski (Coke 46), Grimes, Camwell, Finn, Lloyd, McQuilken , Haines, Owen-Evans, John-Lewis . Subs Not Used: White, Mooney, Forsyth, Dylan Jones.

Referee: Michael Crusham.