Kidderminster Harriers 2(0) v (1)1 Burton Albion

Football Conference National - Aggborough - 13 April 2009

Attendance: 3025

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Burton
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
Adam Bartlett     [1/13]Saul Deeney     
Keith Lowe     [21/8]Andy Corbett     
Lee Baker     [3]Aaron Webster     
Martin Riley     [18/5]Tony James     
Mark Creighton     [5/16]Jake Buxton     
Dean Bennett     [20/6]John McGrath     
Russ Penn     [10/9]Shaun Harrad     
Darryl Knights     [8/4]Michael Simpson     
Matt Barnes-Homer     [9/17]Lee Morris     
Chris McPhee     [26/7]Darren Stride     
Andy Ferrell     [4/11]Keith Gilroy     
Luke Jones     [6/14]Marc Goodfellow     
Stefan Moore     [7/15]Ryan Austin     
Brian Smikle     [14/22]Jon Newby     
Martin Brittain     [16/25]Martin Butler     
Michael Carr     [25/27]Mark Byrne     
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster142454
Burton122423
GOALS
Kidderminster Burton
68Matt Barnes-Homer 45+Lee Morris 
80Brian Smikle    
Formations
Kidderminster
  Bartlett  
LoweRiley CreightonBaker
  Bennett  
Penn   Ferrell
  Knights  
 Barnes-Homer McPhee 
Burton
  Deeney  
CorbettJames BuxtonWebster
     
HarradSimpson McGrathGilroy
     
 Morris Stride 
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Burton
53SmikleKnightsSmikle to left midfield.73AustinStrideAustin to right midfield, Harrad to striker.
53BrittainFerrellBrittain to right midfield, Bennett to left central midfield, Penn to right central midfield.  Now 4-4-2.73ButlerMorrisButler to striker.
90+JonesPennJones to central midfield, McPhee to right central midfield.  Now 4-5-1.88NewbyHarradNewby to striker.
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Burton
    
Referee: Steve Rushton (Staffordshire)
Match Report by St@tto

Harriers strengthened  their position in the play-offs with a well-earned victory over Champions-elect Burton, coming from behind for the fifth game in a row.

Mark Yates changed the team around again, bringing back Lee Baker, Mark Creighton, Darryl Knights and Matt Barnes-Homer to the starting line-up.  The squad rotation used over the last couple of games seemed to have paid off as although Harriers were not at their best they didn't look as tired as they had in some of the recent fixtures.

The first half was scrappy; Burton looked nervous - overawed by the occasion, perhaps - and certainly didn't have the look of a team that is about to be crowned Champions.  Midway through the half Barnes-Homer got away on the left, his low cross was headed across the face of goal by Knights.  Shortly before the break Andy Ferrell saw a low 20-yard effort held by Saul Deeney in the Albion goal.  In stoppage time the game came to life as the visitors took the lead; Aaron Webster's free-kick from deep on the left was headed back across the face of goal by Jake Buxton at the far post and Lee Morris rose to head in from close range.

After the break the game continued in a similar vein, scrappy but with Harriers probably just edging it in terms of possession and number of chances created.  On 65 minutes Barnes-Homer got into the penalty area on the right but his shot towards the near post was easy for Deeney to beat away.  The same player was on hand two minutes later, however, to score Harriers' equaliser; Martin Brittain crossed from the right to Brian Smikle at the far post, his header was tipped away by Deeney but dropped to Barnes-Homer who poked it in from six yards out to register his 21st goal of the season.

Once the cores were level again there was only one team that looked like getting a winning goal, Harriers taking control of the game, and so it proved with ten minutes remaining.  Keith Lowe's long throw from the right was flicked on at the near post by Creighton to the far post where Smikle hooked the ball goalwards, Deeney got a hand to the shot but could not prevent it from dropping into the net.

There is still plenty for Harriers to do in their remaining three games, but their destiny is still in their own hands although at this stage the only sequence of events that will guarantee them their place in the play-offs is three wins from those three games.