Kidderminster Harriers 1(1) v (0)0 Morecambe

Football Conference - Aggborough - 8 October 2005

Attendance: 1461

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Morecambe
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
John Danby 70(2)0100[1]Ryan Robinson 50(3)0100
Wayne Evans 600010[2/23]Kieran Walmsley 500030
Wayne Hatswell 602260[5/3]David Perkins 500000
Mark Jackson 500400[4/12]Darran Kempson 60013(1h)0
Daryl Burgess 600320[6/5]Jim Bentley 61(1)2140
Martin O'Connor 500220[7/17]Gary Hunter 500000
Simon Russell 61(1)0300[15/11]Gary Thompson 500620
Terry Fleming 600000[8/6]Jimmy Kelly 500020
Gareth Sheldon 711320[14/15]Danny Carleton 500132
Iyseden Christie 81(1)152(1h)2[9/7]Michael Twiss 500341
Michael Blackwood 51(1)1200[11/9]Wayne Curtis 51(1)0050
Steve Burton     [3/4]Michael Howard     
Lee Thompson     [10/8]Michael Stringfellow 500010
Laurie Wilson 500000[12/10]Sean O'Connor 500100
Taiwo Atieno 500000[18/14]Chris Blackburn 500000
Simon Heslop 50011(h)0[23/13]Scott Davies     
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster162545
Morecambe273422
GOALS
Kidderminster Morecambe
45+Gareth Sheldon    
Formations
Kidderminster
  Danby  
EvansJackson BurgessHatswell
     
RussellFleming O'ConnorBlackwood
     
 Sheldon Christie 
Morecambe
  Robinson  
WalmsleyKempson BentleyPerkins
     
ThompsonKelly HunterCurtis
  Twiss  
  Carleton  
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Morecambe
77HeslopBlackwoodHeslop to right midfield, Russell to left midfield. 61BlackburnKellyBlackburn to right back, Walmsley to right central midfield.
81WilsonO'ConnorWilson to left central midfield. 65O'ConnorCarletonO'Connor to striker.
85AtienoSheldonAtieno to striker. 84StringfellowThompsonThompson to right central midfield, Walmsley to right midfield, Perkins to left midfield, Curtis to striker, Kempson to central defender.  Now 3-4-3.
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Morecambe
Jackson 64 Dissent Carleton 61 Foul
Curtis 66 Dissent
Kempson 89 Foul
Walmsley 90+ Foul
 
Referee: Mike Mullarkey (Devon)
Match Report by St@tto

Harriers ended their run of three successive home defeats with a well-earned and hard-fought victory over high-flying Morecambe thanks to Gareth Sheldon's goal in first-half stoppage-time.

Stuart Watkiss was boosted by the return of Martin O'Connor and Terry Fleming to the squad, O'Connor from injury and Fleming from suspension, while also returning to the starting line-up were Wayne Evans, Simon Russell and Michael Blackwood as the boss made wholesale changes from the team that lost against Tamworth.

Although the weather - there was light rain throughout making the surface slick - didn't help matters the game was poor again to begin with and the first half-hour was very scrappy.  Harriers had already had an early warning of the threat that Morecambe posed from set-pieces, Jim Bentley heading across the face of goal, when the visitors were awarded another free-kick on 18 minutes that found Bentley again at the far post, the former Telford defender out-jumped Iyseden Christie but headed into the side netting.

The Harriers defence was looking far better than in recent games, from open play at least, but the midfield and attack, despite changing to 4-4-2, were not firing on all cylinders and it was late in the first half before they created a clear goalscoring chance, Russell shooting straight at Shrimps keeper Ryan Robinson.  Once they had been in the opposition penalty area, however, Harries came to life and finished the half the stronger team.  Sheldon went close with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that flashed wide of the far post after a short corner from the left and then in the last minute of the half Darran Kempson almost sliced the ball into his own net after Wayne Hatswell played a long-range ball into the goalmouth.

The winning goal came in stoppage time, the ball was pumped forward from defence and Christie did well to flick it on into Sheldon's path while being clattered from behind by Bentley; Sheldon took the ball forward and slotted it past Robinson and into the bottom corner of the net.

After the break Harriers improved further and took control of the game.  The hard-working Christie had the ball in the net on 53 minutes from Sheldon's right-wing free-kick but the linesman's flag had been up for offside for some time and the goal did not stand.  Shortly afterwards Blackwood tried his luck from distance with a low shot that Robinson could only parry but there was no Harriers player following up to pounce on the loose ball.

The best move of the game should have increased Harriers' advantage; Fleming fed the ball forward to Sheldon who knocked it through the inside-right channel for Christie to chase, he got there first and cut inside carrying the ball across the front of the penalty area before unleashing a shot that cannoned back of Robinson's right-hand post.

Hatswell went close with a free-kick from 25 yards after Christie had been brought down but his shot was too high and beat the crossbar as well as the defensive wall and in the final few minutes Christie was denied again but a good challenge from Bentley after he had done well to create the space for himself to get a shot in.  Although they were unable to increase their lead Harriers were quite comfortable as they held on to their advantage and ran the clock out wasting time by the corner flag.  For the first time all season Harriers took the lead in a home game and also kept their first clean sheet at Aggborough of the season.