Kidderminster Harriers boss says leaders 'happy to be shot at' after Warrington win
Proud boss Phil Brown believes Kidderminster Harriers demonstrated they can deal with the pressure of being National League North’s top dogs in Saturday’s 2-0 home win over Warrington Town.
Second half goals from Reiss McNally and Maz Kouhyar made it six wins in seven league matches for Brown’s boys and ensured they remain top of the pile, heading into Tuesday night’s visit of Darlington.
The boss believes that far from feeling the heat, his players are relishing being the team everyone else has to catch.
He said: “I mentioned the target on our back, being top of the league. The players have to show they can deal with that kind of pressure and today they did.
“They showed they belong there, they want to be there and they want to be shot at.”
Brown was encouraged by the way Harriers remained patient in the face of stubborn Warrington resistance, which was eventually broken when McNally converted from a free-kick 10 minutes into the second half.
Kouhyar then doubled the lead soon after when he finished off a flowing move.
The boss said: “It was coming. I felt there was an energy and belief about us. The earlier the game came in the second half the better.
“It is not often I can say it as a manager but I really enjoyed watching my team play today.
“We won the game 2-0 and it could have been a lot more comfortable. But pay the opposition respect, they stayed in the game. It was a real professional performance, with and without the ball.
“The pace in the game went up in the second half because we scored that goal.”
Rushall Olympic boss Richard Sneekes hopes Saturday’s chastening 7-0 defeat at Spennymoor Town turns out to be a “blessing in disguise” for his team.
The Pics went into the match full of confidence after three straight wins had moved them within sight of scrambling out of the bottom four.
But after being unlucky to be 1-0 down at the break, they conceded six times in the second half.
“First half we were excellent, I couldn’t understand how we were 1-0 down,” said Sneekes.
“I reiterated at times we were getting a little over-confident and maybe were a bit too open.
“It literally took two minutes for us to be punished. From then on, it was just an eye-opener.
“We got punished by a good side and we have to re-set. But 7-0 is unacceptable. “Disorganisation is unacceptable. It has given us a massive kick up the backside. It was a total embarrassment.”
Halesowen Town missed the chance to go second in Southern League Central Premier Division when they were held to a 0-0 draw at AFC Sudbury, the club’s first goal-less draw since August, 2023.
But there was joy for Stourbridge who claimed a rare victory over bogey side Lowestoft Town in dramatic fashion, O’Shea Ellis grabbing a stoppage time winner as the Glassboys fought back from a goal down to win 2-1.
