Kidderminster Harriers 2 Barrow 0
5:30pm Sunday 23rd January 2011
- Share
- Comments(0)
TRANSFER-listed hitman Chris McPhee grabbed his 10th goal of the season at Aggborough as Kidderminster Harriers ended their Barrow hoodoo.
McPhee had been put up for sale by the cash-strapped club, who are desperate to generate cash to stave off the threat of administration.
But Harriers’ top-scorer had his thunder stolen by Lee Morris as the former Derby County striker produced his best performance of the season.
Morris helped Harriers to end their five-game losing run again the Cumbrian outfit and earned a much-needed win for Burr’s side in Blue Square Bet Premier.
But the hosts had to ride their luck at times as the Bluebirds saw the ball cleared off the line on three occassions.
Barrow looked lively but with on-loan Blackpool man Louis Almond, who scored a fine brace to see off Harriers at Holker Street seven days before, the home side concentrated their efforts on
nullifying the talented teenager.
That allowed his strike partner Nick Chadwick more space to operate and he almost forced two goals in the opening 10 minutes.
The former Everton man’s determination chasing a hopeful ball forward forced keeper Danny Lewis and Michael Briscoe to get in each other’s way. Paul Rutherford then lofted in a goalbound 30-yard
effort which Lee Vaughan headed off the line.
The hosts nearly hit back when Keith Briggs drove a low shot across the face of the box, after good work by Morris, but keeper Clark Masters was equal to it.
Almond demonstrated his threat in the 14th minute as he burst into the box before drilling in a shot which Lewis turned behind.
Harriers were struggling to get going but Briggs had their first shot on target in the 27th minute.
Nick Wright did well to divert Matty Blair’s cross into his captain’s path but Briggs’ header was well-saved.
Blair almost created an opening in the 32nd minute. He raced past Simon Spender, burst into the box and saw his shot blocked. The ball fell to Morris, who didn’t react quickly enough and the chance
went begging.
Morris came closest to opening the scoring in the 37th minute.
McPhee and Wright combined well to find the ex-Hereford striker but his firm, low drive was saved by Masters, who showed razor-sharp reactions to change his direction and block the shot.
But Morris produced a moment of magic to fire Harriers ahead in the 40th minute. The former Derby hitman received the ball off Wright before dancing past several tackles and firing a rising shot
into the top left corner.
Twice in the opening five minutes of the second-half Harriers cleared efforts off the line.
Vaughan was on hand again to rescue Harriers when he blocked Ciaran Donnelly’s flick-on header.
Centre-back Mark Albrighton’s good positioning then denied dangerman Almond. The striker had raced into the box menacingly and beat Lewis with a low shot but the defender had done well to get back
and block his effort.
After the early Barrow barrage, Harriers settled as the game became an even end-to-end encounter.
Blair could have done better when Masters had parried substitute Callum Gittings’ cross into the path of the wideman but the keeper recovered well to deny him.
McPhee and Jack Byrne both fired long range efforts off-target as Harriers pressed.
Barrow were reduced to 10 men when Masters brought down McPhee and was shown a straight red card.
The move had came from a Barrow free-kick. Mike Williams intercepted Spender’s poor set-piece amd released Morris down the left and he found McPhee.
The striker’s effort was blocked but as he pounced on the rebound Masters hauled him down and McPhee fired the spot-kick home and then celebrated with the elated Harriers fans.
Harriers: Lewis, Vaughan, Briscoe, Albrighton, Williams, Wright (Gittings 60), Briggs, Byrne, Blair (Hankin 87), Morris, McPhee. Subs not used: Stevens, Matt, Shaw.
Barrow: Masters, Spender, Edwards, Pearson, Bolland, Rutherford, Owen, Smith (Cook 75), Chadwick (Pearson 83), Almond, Donnelly. Subs not used: Jones, Goodfellow, Grant.
Referee: A Hendley (West Midlands).
Attendance: 1,232 (104)
- Share
- Comments(0)
Your sayYour Worcester
Add your comment
Register for a FREE Worcester News account and you can have your say on today’s news and sport by adding comments on articles we publish. The best comments may even get published in the paper.
Please register now or sign in below to continue.