Mansfield Town 2(1) v (1)1 Kidderminster Harriers

Football League Two - Field Mill - 21 August 2004

Attendance: 3859

Individual Stats
Mansfield
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
Kevin Pilkington 6 0(3)0000[1/15]John Danby 8 0(7)0000
Scott McNiven 5 10100[2]Lee Jenkins 5 00010
Jake Buxton 5 00110[16/3]Steve Burton 5 00000
David Artell 5 00300[25/22]Wayne Hatswell 5 00010
Alex John-Baptiste 5 00000[15/21]Adrian Viveash 5 00100
Tom Curtis 5 00430[4/11]Dean Keates 5 01310
Adam Murray 5 2(1)0230[8/23]Stuart Roberts 8 2(1)0200
Colin Larkin 7 20000[9/8]Micky Mellon 6 01030
Joe O'Neill 5 02120[18/12]Jesper Christiansen 6 00260
Derek Asamoah 7 3(3)2111[10/6]Frédéric Advice 6 1(1)0240
Neil MacKenzie 7 3(2, 1w) 4110[14/16]Ian Foster 5 1(1)0100
Rhys Day      [5/14]Richie Appleby 5 00010
Alex Neil      [7/18]Jamie Gleeson      
Wayne Corden 5 01110[11/19]Simon Russell      
Chris Tate      [17/20]Scott Rickards 5 00200
Lee Williamson 5 00110[24/1]Daniel Lewis      
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Mansfield1318119
Kidderminster170342
GOALS
Mansfield Kidderminster
16Colin Larkin A low cross from the right caught out the defence and found an unmarked Larkin who slotted it through Danby's legs. 1Stuart Roberts Raced onto a ball through the inside right channel and lobbed it over the advancing Pilkington.
48Colin Larkin A failed Harriers free kick found its way to Pilkington who launched a long kick straight down the field to Larkin who hit a volley on the turn over the head of Danby.    
Formations
Mansfield
  Pilkington  
McNivenArtell John-BaptisteBuxton
     
 MurrayCurtisMacKenzie 
     
 LarkinO'NeillAsamoah 
Kidderminster
  Danby  
JenkinsHatswell ViveashBurton
     
 Mellon Keates 
Roberts Advice Foster
  Christiansen  
SUBSTITUTIONS
Mansfield Kidderminster
72WilliamsonMurrayWilliamson to left central midfield.62RickardsFosterRickards to left wing.
72CordenO'NeillCorden to left midfield, MacKenzie to right central midfield, Curtis to right midfield.  Now 4-4-2. 72ApplebyKeatesAppleby to attacking midfield, Mellon to left central midfield, Advice-Desruisseaux to right central midfield.
BOOKINGS
Mansfield Kidderminster
Murray 61 Foul
Buxton 76 Foul
 Christiansen 30 Foul
Foster 61 Unsporting Behaviour
Mellon 90+ Foul
 
Referee: C. Boyeson (Yorkshire)
Match Report by St@tto

Two goals from former Harrier Colin Larkin were enough to end Harriers' unbeaten start to the season after a goal from debutant Stuart Roberts had put the visitors ahead.

With Simon Brown serving a suspension for his sending-off in the previous game Roberts was brought in as emergency cover, signing on a non-contract basis just in time to play in the game.  There was a recall to the starting line-up for Jesper Christiansen, in for the injured Youssou Diop.  Roberts had a dream start, scoring Harriers' fastest Football League goal after just 35 seconds, chasing a long ball through the inside-right channel and beating the goalkeeper to it lobbing it over Kevin Pilkington's head as he rushed out.

Mansfield did not look as good a side as the one that visited Aggborough on Opening Day of last season and had a number of new faces that have yet to gel and although they were probably the better side over the ninety minutes they didn't really look as though they were going to take the game by the scruff of the neck and put it out of Harriers' reach.  The opening exchanges were scrappy with little pattern to them from either side and Mansfield's equaliser was a sloppy one from a Harriers point of view; the ball was played in low from the right, after Micky Mellon had missed a tackle in midfield, and got in behind the Harriers defence to Larkin who was unmarked and slotted it through John Danby's legs to end the keeper's run without conceding at 425 minutes.

Mellon had a chance to atone for his mistake shortly afterwards; Frédéric Advice-Desruisseaux found Roberts on the right who beat Jake Buxton and pulled the ball back to Mellon on the edge of the penalty area  but his shot went wide of the far post.  In the last minute of the half Mellon played a pass that split The Stags' defence wide open, Christiansen chased it and pulled it back to Ian Foster whose snap-shot from the edge of the penalty area was straight at Pilkington.

Mansfield had as good a start to the second half as Harriers had had in the first; a Harriers free-kick was played forward rather aimlessly by Adrian Viveash and Mansfield regained possession, the ball was knocked back to Pilkington who launched a massive kick straight down the field that deceived Viveash and dropped invitingly for Larkin who hit a volley on the turn over the head of Danby.  Not long afterwards another former Harrier, Adam Murray, had a shot that took a wicked deflection and Danby got down well to push it round the post for a corner.

Harriers felt that they should have had a penalty just before the hour mark; good work by Christiansen created space for himself and his crossfield pass sent Advice-Desruisseaux scurrying away on the right, the Frenchman cut into the penalty area and went down under the challenge of Alex John-Baptiste but the referee was not interested and waved play on.  A heavy challenge by Murray on Ian Foster lead to bookings for both players after a brief scuffle in which Foster's reaction could have had him sent off, the Harriers man was substituted moments later by Scott Rickards.

Mansfield continued to strike the ball around well and look good in attack, Derek Asamoah cut the ball back for the third ex-Harrier in the side, Neil MacKenzie, who saw his shot well saved by Danby.  At the other end Rickards set up Roberts for a low shot that was saved at the foot of the post by Pilkington.  Danby was being called upon more and more as the game wore on to keep Harriers in the game; he made a good double save to beat away Asamoah's shot and then MacKenzie's follow up with ten minutes left on the clock.

Harriers mustered another chance in the dying moments that almost saved a point, Christiansen won a challenge on the left after chasing a long ball out of defence and crossed to the far post, it was too high for any Harriers players but was only half cleared and fell to Advice-Desruisseaux whose shot from 25 yards was saved at the foot of the post by Pilkington who almost fumbled it over the line.  At the other end MacKenzie hit a shot that came back off the post and Danby did well to save from Asamoah who followed up to reach the rebound.  Harriers can have no complaints about the result and they will need to find mot of a cutting edge in attack if they are to ensure that they don't get too many more like it.