FOOTBALL - Kidderminster Harriers held by Spennymoor despite Morgan-Smith stunner - The Kidderminster Standard

2nd Nov, 2024

FOOTBALL - Kidderminster Harriers held by Spennymoor despite Morgan-Smith stunner

Aaron Sutcliffe 7th Oct, 2024 Updated: 8th Oct, 2024

PHIL Brown believes it’s a ‘recipe for disaster’ if Kidderminster Harriers fail to turn draws into wins after being held 1-1 at Spennymoor Town.

A stunning equaliser from Amari Morgan-Smith cancelled out Isaac Fletcher’s opener at Brewery Field although the visitors had chances to win the game.

Brown insists his side must find a way to win more games and wants to compete at the top end of the division after the draw left Harriers 10th in the National League North table – seven points behind leaders Scunthorpe United.

Brown said: “The bottom line is we had to deal with two different types of football, we really didn’t come to the party in the first half.

“An uncharacteristic mistake by Christian Dibble who gets caught in no man’s land but he came good in the second half but the whole team did as well.

“Half time was brutal, it was harsh, it was words which needed to be said. In the second half, we not only equalised we should have won the game comfortably.




“I’m sick to death of coming away from games having played well, we should have won the game and haven’t got our just deserts.

“If this carries on it’s a recipe for disaster, we’ll be middle of the table, mediocre, and I want to be better than that, I want to be top of the table.


“I want to be fighting the likes of Scunthorpe and the teams doing it on a regular basis, I know I’ve got enough talent in the dressing room to do that.

“The mentality at times is in question, the mentality came good in the second half because everybody joined in but in the first half it was a group of individuals.

“I might have put the wrong team out, I’m not blaming the players individually, I’m blaming myself.

“We’ve got a target on our backs, we know who we are, everybody wants to put a spanner in the works and we’ve got to deal with that on and off the pitch.”

Spennymoor went close to the opening goal when Corey McKeown headed Reece Staunton’s cross from the left over the bar from close range.

Harriers responded with a chance of their own as Brad James kept out Jack Lambert’s deflected shot from distance before gathering the loose ball ahead of Morgan-Smith.

However, the home side took the lead on 39 minutes when Glen Taylor flicked on James’ goal kick and Fletcher slid the ball through the legs of the onrushing Dibble from just inside the penalty area.

The hosts created another chance soon after as McKeown saw his effort deflected behind by the boot of Caleb Richards.

Spennymoor picked up where they left off after the break as Dibble tipped a curling shot from distance behind.

From the resulting corner, Spennymoor headed against the crossbar before Richards cleared another header off the line moments later.

Brown’s men equalised on the hour mark when Morgan-Smith sent a superb bicycle kick past James from eight-yards after Maz Kouhyar delivered a cross from the right.

Kouhyar almost completed the turnaround later in the half as James made an acrobatic stop to keep out the winger’s curling effort from just inside the penalty area.

And Kouhyar spurned another chance at the death when he burst into the box only to drag a shot inches past the post.

Kidderminster are next in action against Guiseley in the FA Cup on Saturday, October 12 with kick-off at 3pm at Aggborough.