Kidderminster 4-1 Spennymoor - Report
Kidderminster Harriers gave their stuttering start to the season a shot in the arm by coming from behind to clinch an impressive 4-1 National League North win over Spennymoor Town at Aggborough.
They sealed victory with goals by Nathan Lowe, Krystian Pearce, Ethan Freemantle and Ashley Hemmings after Moors had taken a dramatic first minute lead through Glen Taylor.
For manager Russ Penn’s men it was a timely return to winning ways following their bitterly disappointing 2-0 Bank Holiday Monday defeat at Brackley Town.
It was also his new-look side’s second home triumph on the bounce after their opening two encounters at Aggborough had ended in a draw with Leamington and a defeat against Curzon Ashton.
For Spennymoor, winners of their previous two away games, it was their first defeat of the season.
Harriers made three changes from the side which tumbled to defeat at Brackley with defender Joe Foulkes, midfielder Hemmings and front-runner Freemantle coming into the starting line-up in place of Ben Margetson, Zak Brown and Amari Morgan-Smith.
Twenty year old forward Jack Bearne was on the substitutes’ bench following his season-long loan move from Liverpool.
Spennymoor got off to a spectacular start by going ahead inside the first 60 seconds when a handling offence by Foulkes led to a tap free kick by Joe Wheatley to Taylor, who drilled the ball low into the net past diving goalkeeper Tom Palmer.
It was a stunning blow for Harriers who responded with a couple of efforts by Hemmings and Yusifu Ceesay, but both were well off the mark.
They soon equalised, however, when man-of-the-match Lowe deceived visiting goalkeeper Max Metcalfe with an angled 25 yard free kick on 12 minutes.
The goal sparked a spell of pressure by Kidderminster who forced three corners with one finally leading to a stabbed shot being booted away from the danger area by Jordan Thewlis.
Harriers were rewarded for their lively efforts by grabbing the lead on 38 minutes when Pearce firmly headed home following a corner which was awarded after Metcalfe had fumbled away a deflected shot from Lowe.
It was defender Pearce’s first goal for the club.
Harriers were soon pushing forward again after the break and quickly gained a spate of corners, one of which headed against the post by Nat Knight-Percival on 53 minutes.
Soon after Keziah Martin fired wide before Harriers made it 3-1 with a sweetly struck shot struck shot from Freemantle after 59 minutes.
The scoring was completed after 66 minutes when Martin provided the opportunity for Hemmings to cut inside and fire in a shot which Metcalfe could only half stop.
Kidderminster: Palmer; Foulkes, Pearce, Knight-Percival, Richards; Byrne, Lowe (Brown, 69); Ceesay (Rogers, 85), Hemmings, Martin; Freemantle (Morgan-Smith). Subs not used: Margetson, Bearne.
Spennymoor: Metcalfe; Cousin-Dawson, Tait, Curtis, Duxbury; Greenfield (Preston, 71), Ramshaw, Wheatley; Thewlis (Payne, 79), Oyibo (Watt, 58); Taylor. Subs not used: Ledger, Cummings.
Referee: Stuart Morland.
Attendance: 1,974 (42 away fans)
