Kidderminster Harriers 1(0) v (1)3 Southend United

Another sorry performance from Harriers saw them slip to their 18th defeat of the season, their seventh of the season, as high-flying Southend were able to complete a comfortable victory to remain in fourth place in the league.

For the first time since August Harriers named an unchanged side, Stuart Watkiss sticking with the same eleven that lost to Leyton Orient on Saturday.  Although the line-up was the same, the tactics appeared to be different; the plan seemed to be more adventurous than the defensive shape used away from home but in the first half the players seemed incapable of carrying out their instructions, if, in fact, they actually knew them.  Southend were able to cut through them easily although fortunately they rarely threatened John Danby.

The visitors took the lead after nine minutes; Tom Bennett was somewhat harshly adjudged to have brought down Adam Barrett just outside the penalty area and from the resultant free kick Freddy Eastwood drilled a low shot past the wall and just inside Danby's right-hand post.  For most of the remainder of the half Harriers ran around aimlessly unable to string passes together or create clear cut openings to threaten an equaliser.  It was not until the final five minutes of the half that Harriers managed a shot at goal but Simon Russell's effort was weak and took a deflection allowing Bart Griemink to field it easily.  As the half drew to a close Harriers started to get themselves together; a Bennett free kick found the head of Simon Weaver but he could only direct the ball over.  In stoppage time United almost doubled the advantage when Nic Nicolau was allowed to run unchecked through the Harriers defence but his shot was pushed away by Danby for a corner from which Spencer Prior headed over the bar.

After the break Harriers switched to a 4-3-3 formation in an attempt to get back into the game; Chris Beardsley and Jamie Gleeson came on for the ineffective Russell and Ian Foster, although to single out Russell and Foster as ineffective is a little unfair as the charge could be leveled at most of the rest of the team.  For a spell the change of tactics worked and Harriers looked a different, more lively, team.  In the same way that Leyton Orient had built up pressure before breaking through the Harriers defence in the previous game, so Harriers looked to do today; a Lee Jenkins cross from the right found the head of Gleeson whose goal bound effort was cleared for a corner by Barrett.

The Shrimpers were still well in the game and an exchange between Carl Pettefer and Eastwood carved the Harriers defence open but Danby was quick off his line to spread himself at the feet of Eastwood and cut out the danger.  Harriers continued to build and a free kick from Dean Keates on the left flashed across the face of goal just out of the reach of Weaver.  Southend weathered the storm, however, and it began to look as though there was no way back into the game for Harriers but 12 minutes from the end of the game a Keates corner from the right was lashed goalwards by Gleeson and Beardsley, on the line, turned it past Griemink.  There was almost a second goal for Harriers soon afterwards; another Keates, from the left, found Blair Sturrock who headed wide at the near post.

Harriers' joy was short lived, however, as United regained the lead eight minutes from the end.  Gleeson was brushed aside by Wayne Gray in midfield and he found Lawrie Dudfield on the right who was allowed to run to the byline unchallenged; his cross to the far post found an unmarked Nicolau who lashed the ball past Danby into the roof of the net.  Less than two minutes later they were 3-1 ahead; Pettefer got to the byline on the left and as Danby came charging out he chipped the ball into the goalmouth where Eastwood was on hand to head in from close range.  Harriers had one last chance, Jon Beswetherick's 25-yard effort curled just over the bar but it was by now too late for it to have had any effect on the outcome.