Kidderminster Harriers 0(0) v (1)2 Stevenage Borough

Football Conference National - Aggborough - 17 April 2010

Attendance: 2564

Individual Stats
Kidderminster
Shots
Fouls
Off.
v Stevenage
Shots
Fouls
Off.
 
On
Off
For
Ag
     
On
Off
For
Ag
 
Jasbir Singh      [12/16] Chris Day     
Duane Courtney      [2/25] Ronnie Henry     
Lee Baker     [3] Scott Laird     
Martin Riley      [6/5] Jon Ashton     
Luke Prosser      [33/14] Mark Roberts     
John Finnigan      [4/23] Andy Drury     
Brian Smikle      [14/24] Michael Bostwick     
Jack Byrne      [27/11] Yemi Odubade     
Robbie Matthews      [21/20] Chris Beardsley     
Chris McPhee      [7/9] Charlie Griffin     
Darryl Knights      [10/13] Joel Byrom     
Dean Bennett      [8/2] Lawrie Wilson     
Tom Sharpe      [17] Tim Sills     
James Lawrie      [25/18] David Bridges     
Lloyd Kerry      [31/21] Mitchell Cole     
Ross Atkins      [30/1] Ashley Bayes     
Team Stats
  Fouls Conceded Offside Corners Shots On Shots off
Kidderminster 14 2 3 3 4
Stevenage 17 2 7 5 8
GOALS
Kidderminster Stevenage
   2 Charlie Griffin
   62 Joel Byrom
Formations
Kidderminster
   Singh  
Courtney Riley  Prosser Baker
     
Smikle Byrne  Finnigan Knights
     
  Matthews  McPhee 
Stevenage
   Day  
Henry Ashton  Roberts Laird
     
  Bostwick Drury Byrom 
Odubade    Griffin
   Beardsley  
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kidderminster Stevenage
46   McPhee to right midfield, Smikle to left midfield, Knights to striker. 64 Wilson Odubade Wilson to central midfield, Drury to right wing.
71 Lawrie Knights Lawrie to striker. 69 Bridges Byrom Bridges to left central midfield.
71 Kerry Matthews Kerry to right midfield, McPhee to striker. 87 Sills Griffin Sills to striker, Beardsley to left wing.
BOOKINGS
Kidderminster Stevenage
Finnigan 37 Dissent
Matthews 41 Dissent
  Byrom 60 Foul
Roberts 72 Foul
 
Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire)
Match Report by St@tto

Stevenage took the three points that they needed to clinch the Conference title and promotion to the Football League with a comfortable win at Aggborough.

Showing four changes to the side that drew at Hayes & Yeading two days earlier - Jasbir Singh, Duane Courtney, Robbie Matthews and Jack Byrne all restored to the starting line-up - Harriers got off to the worst possible start.  Inside the first minute Singh was penalised for picking up a back-pass and from the indirect free kick inside the penalty area Scott Laird set up Charlie Griffin who rolled his shot inside Singh's right-hand post.

Harriers had a fair amount of possession but the visitors were easily able to keep them at a safe distance from their goal.  It was the Champions-elect who looked most likely to trouble the scorers again and they should have doubled their advantage on 19 minutes; a free-kick from deep on the right was headed goalwards by former Harrier Chris Beardsley, Singh made a great save to parry the ball and Griffin following up crashed a shot against the post.

Byrne had a good chance to level the scores just four minutes into the second half; Darryl Knights' pass opened up the defence for him and allowed him a run into the penalty area but he blasted his hot high and wide.  At the other end Andy Drury tried a long-range shot that bounced in front of Singh but as the pitch was hard bounced over the bar.

Stevenage wrapped up the game moments later; Joel Byrom picked up the ball on the left, cut inside Courtney into the penalty area and curled a shot beyond Singh and just inside the far post.  Finally, in the closing ten minutes Harriers came to life and tested Chris Day in the Borough goal.  Chris McPhee's pass found Brian Smikle on the left, his cross to the far post fell to Lloyd Kerry who controlled the ball with one movement and hit a crisp shot with the next that Day beat away.  A minute later another Smikle cross found James Lawrie who hit a shot straight at the keeper, the rebound hitting Mark Roberts in the face before being scrambled away to safety.

With four minutes left Lawrie flicked on Singh's long clearance into the path of McPhee on the right but he dragged his shot wide of the far post.  Stevenage's defence was able to stand firm to keep out the weak Harriers attack and maintain their impressive defensive record of only conceding two goals in the previous 12 games.  The final whistle brought a welcome end to another disappointing afternoon for Harriers and spark celebrations among the traveling Stevenage support.