Two second half goals from Andy Bishop and Danny Williams ended Harriers' winless streak and laid the Carlisle
United bogey. Harriers tasted victory for the first time in ten games and for the first time ever in a
Football League game against Carlisle United.
Harriers were lifted by the return of JJ Melligan who quickly showed the spark that he brought to the side
last season has not been lost and there was a buzz around the ground every time he received the ball. The
home team were soon on the offensive and after just four minutes Danny Williams had split the United defence
wide open with a pass that set Bo Henriksen racing towards goal but at the last moment he was denied by a
well-timed tackle from Darren Kelly. Melligan was seeing a lot of the ball in the early stages and five
minutes later his pass put Henriksen in a scoring position again, this time the Dane saw his shot saved and
Andy Bishop following up was only able to steer the rebound wide. In Harriers' next attack it was
Henriksen who set Melligan off on a run and his low cross across the face of the goalmouth just evaded the
outstretched leg of Bishop.
Carlisle eventually managed to muster an attack and were left to rue a glorious chance that was wasted by
Will McDonagh who got himself into an unmarked position at the near post to met Richie Foran's pull back
but blazed his shot high over the crossbar from just six yards out. Back at the other end the lively
Melligan was denied a goal when he got on the end of Adie Smith's knock down and met it with a crisp volley
that was blocked by Lee Andrews.
After the interval Carlisle stepped up their performance and went close to taking the lead three minutes into
the half when Scott Stamps got his head to the ball but headed it towards his own goal and was only rescued
by Stuart Brock who acrobatically tipped it onto the crossbar and then gathered the rebound.
Harriers deservedly took the lead after 56 minutes, good work by Henriksen won him the ball on the left wing
and he picked out Melligan on the opposite side of the field with a raking pass. The Irishman combined
with Graham Ward and Danny Williams with the latter crossing to the far post where Bishop rose and headed it
firmly past Matt Glennon in the United goal. It was Harriers' first headed goal of the season. Instead
of building on their advantage, however, Harriers allowed the lead to slip just six minutes later; Brendan McGill
won the ball on the right and launched a counter-attack carrying the ball deep into Harriers territory before
switching play to the other flank with a pass to Peter Murphy who beat Brock at his near post with a low
shot from 25 yards.
Briefly Harriers looked as though they would lose their way again and that all of their good work so far would
be thrown away. Gradually, however, they began to regain their composure and went in search of another
goal to regain the lead. As always, it was Melligan at the heart of the action, his pass over the top
of the visiting defence found Sam Shilton and his cross found Henriksen who glanced a header wide of the far
post. Another great chance fell to Carlisle's Foran who was unmarked at the far post to get on the end
of Murphy's deep left wing cross but somehow he managed to head it across the face of goal and wide.
Harriers began to build up the pressure again in the final ten minutes, Henriksen found Melligan who ran through
the Carlisle defence but was forced wide by Glennon, the youngster managed to keep possession and take it
round the keeper but his cross was cleared off the line by Andrews. Nine minutes from time Harriers were
awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area, Danny Williams took the kick which deflected off the wall
and was headed off the line by Foran. Harriers were not to be denied, though, and a minute later they
won another free kick 20 yards from goal, again Williams took it and again it took a deflection but this time
there was nobody to block it and it flew into the roof of the net and Harriers had won. |
