ADAM Murray praised the way his side handled the ‘pressure moments’ of a penalty shootout after Kidderminster Harriers overcame Worksop Town in the FA Trophy.
Harriers won 4-1 on penalties against their divisional rivals to reach the fourth round of the competition following a goalless draw after 90 minutes at Sandy Lane.
And Murray felt his side rose to the occasion to come out on top in a penalty shootout and expects Harriers to face more pressure moments in the latter part of the campaign.
Murray said: “We’d have liked to have won it in normal time but it was really good to have that pressure moment [of penalties].
“We’re going to experience some pressure moments in the part of the season and it’s important we go through them.
“We came through it with flying colours. In those moments you want your big players to step forward.
“I’ve made it clear I want a cup run this year. The game came at the wrong time. We’ve already got a lot of injuries. I think we had 11 players out.
“We’ve not got a lot of numbers and the options are thin. If we want to compete, we’ve got to have options, you need 20 or 21 players who can raise or keep the standards.
“That’s what you need if you want a promotion. We need to get some bodies either back fit or in [the building] because we’ve got an awful lot of games to go yet.”
Murray watched the game from the stands after receiving a touchline ban for accumulating too many yellow cards over the course of season.
And Murray admits he did not enjoy watching the game away from his regular spot in the Harriers dugout.
Murray added: “We were the better team in the first half and played some good stuff without really creating too much but we had control of the game.
“I didn’t like the second half. It became a little bit scrappy and messy but sometimes away games go like that.
“The first game here earlier in the season was a fight, a battle and a scrap as well and the second half turned into that and the quality dropped.
“It was a good lesson to me as a manager. Don’t be suspended. I hated every second of it. It had it last season and vowed it would never happen again.
“I got caught back in the trap again this season with the yellow cards. It’s my fault and hopefully I’ll learn from it.”
Kidderminster are next in action against AFC Fylde on Saturday, December 20 with kick-off at 3pm at Aggborough.
