Kidderminster Harriers 2(0) v (0)1 Woking

Football Conference - Aggborough - 13 August 2005

Attendance: 1926

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Woking
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
John Danby 60(3)0100[1]Shwan Jalal 400000
Wayne Evans 60012(1h)1[2]Simon Jackson 500010
Wayne Hatswell 500011[5/11]Liam Cockerill 50011(1p)0
Mark Jackson 500210[4/5]Jimmy Aggrey 500000
Daryl Burgess 600010[6]Gary MacDonald 500100
Martin O'Connor 600120[7]Ian Selley 61(1)0100
Terry Fleming 501000[8]Karl Murray 500200
Simon Russell 603100[15/10]Lloyd Blackman 50012(1h)0
Iyseden Christie 7114(1p)20[9/18]Craig McAllister 61(1)0101
Michael Blackwood 602111[11/9]Justin Richards 62(1)2230
Lee Thompson 5 00000[10/16]Steve Evans 5 00051
Steve Burton     [3]Karim El-Salahi 600100
Laurie Wilson     [12/4]Neil Smith     
Gareth Sheldon 501010[14]Chris Sharpling 500100
Taiwo Atieno 720010[18/15]Steve Ferguson     
Daniel Lewis     [13/21]Clint Davies      
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster123538
Woking122142
GOALS
Kidderminster Woking
82Taiwo AtienoPenalty54Justin Richards 
90+Taiwo Atieno     
Formations
Kidderminster
  Danby  
EvansJackson BurgessHatswell
     
 FlemingO'ConnorThompson 
     
 RussellChristieBlackwood 
Woking
  Jalal  
JacksonAggrey MacDonaldCockerill
     
 MurraySelleyEvans 
  Blackman  
 McAllister Richards 
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Woking
76SheldonRussellSheldon to right wing. 10El-SalahiAggreyEl-Salahi to right central defender.
79AtienoThompsonAtieno to striker Blackwood to left central midfield. 66SharplingMcAllisterSharpling to striker.
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Woking
Evans 53 Handball
Christie 90+ Unsporting Behaviour
 Richards 56 Foul
Cockerill 81 Foul
 
Referee: R. Desmond (Wiltshire)
Match Report by St@tto

Two goals from super-sub Taiwo Atieno in the last eight minutes gave Harriers a great start to their Conference campaign as they came from behind to beat Woking.

The young striker, on-loan from Walsall, had to be content with a place on the bench as Stuart Watkiss began with Simon Russell and Michael Blackwood in attack supporting Iyseden Christie.  As expected Wayne Hatswell started the game at left back and Gareth Sheldon had to wait for his chance on the bench with Atieno.

Driving rain, most inclement weather for a game on opening day - compare with the baking sunshine at Rushden last season - spoiled the game making it very difficult for either side to play attractive, flowing, football.  Woking adapted to the conditions quicker and thought that they had had a dream start when Justin Richards fired the ball into the net in the second minute but the goal was disallowed because Lloyd Blackman had fouled John Danby as they both challenged for the ball as it was swung in from a corner on the right.  The visitors had another good chance early on with a 25-yard free-kick that Ian Selley curled over the wall but straight at Danby.  The new-look Harriers, with six debutants in the starting line-up, started to get into the game and were trying to knock the ball around despite the conditions.  On 20 minutes Blackwood picked up the ball on the left and kinked past two defenders before rolling it square to Terry Fleming on the right whose low drive from long range went wide of the far post.

The game ebbed and flowed and The Cards went straight back onto the attack with Craig McAllister who slipped the ball through to Richards but Danby was quick off his line to block the shot with his legs.  As Harriers attacked again Christie was played in through the inside right channel and tried to get past substitute Karim El-Salahi but was denied by a great tackle at the last moment.

As the half wore on Harriers began to get on top; Christie and Simon Russell combined with Wayne Evans who delivered a cross from the right to the far post where Blackwood headed wide.  In the last minute of the period Christie played the ball through the visitors' defence for Lee Thompson to run onto but he was brought down by Simon Jackson but referee Desmond waved play on.

Harriers began the second half as they had finished the first and nearly went ahead when Russell won a race to the ball against Woking keeper Shwan Jalal but his attempted chip was not high enough and the keeper managed to grab it above his head.  Disaster struck for Harriers moments later; there was confusion in the Harriers defence when a breakdown in communication between Danby and his defenders allowed Richards to nip in between them and roll the ball into the empty net.

This setback slowed Harriers down for a few minutes but on the hour they had their best chance to score their first goal of the season; Thompson's corner from the left found Christie at the far post but his goalbound header was cleared off the line by Liam Cockerill.  Harriers began to regain their composure and pressed for an equaliser, Russell slipped the ball through to Blackwood who tried a chip that drifted just over the angle of post and bar.   With Harriers pushing forward they were left exposed at the back and Danby was stranded as Richards lobbed him, fortunately for Harriers the shot went well wide of the far post.

Eventually the breakthrough came, with just eight minutes remaining; Christie was brought down in the penalty area by Cockerill and substitute Atieno, who had only been on the field for a couple of minutes, stepped forward to stroke the penalty just past the reach of Jalal as he dived to his left.  Having fought their way back into the game Harriers would probably have settled for a draw at this point but well into stoppage time Atieno popped up again on the end of Wayne Hatswell's deep left-wing cross to send a looping header over Jalal and just under the bar to win the game for Harriers.