PHIL Brown feels it is ‘two points dropped’ rather than a point gained after Kidderminster Harriers conceded in injury time to draw 1-1 at Oxford City.
Harriers took the lead on 12 minutes when Ashley Hemmings headed home only for Jalen Jones to equalise for Oxford two minutes into injury time at the MGroup Stadium.
The result sees Kidderminster drop to third in the National League North table, two points behind leaders Chester with a game in-hand.
And Brown felt his side struggled to respond to Oxford’s increased physicality in the second half.
Brown said: “A lot of people have said to me to respect the point, not in the slightest, I’ve lost two points, it’s two points dropped.
“They got about us in terms of the physical side of it in the second half, they didn’t really play any football, we’ve got to be better than that, braver than that and stronger than that.
“We went hell for leather to try and get a second goal after they scored, you learn a little bit more about your team in these situation than when you’re winning comfortably.
“I know one or two of the supporters are shouting at me saying ‘we need a striker’, if we had a clinical striker we would probably be running away with the league but we haven’t.
“The lads are doing everything they possibly can to wear the shirt with pride.”
Harriers broke the deadlock after just 12 minutes when Hemmings glanced a header into the bottom left corner at the near post from Joe Foulkes’ cross from the right.
However, the visitors lost Foulkes to injury just two minutes into the second period after Josh Parker raked down the wing-back’s Achilles.
Oxford won a penalty on 68 minutes after the referee deemed Kam Kandola to have fouled Jones in the box.
However, Harriers stopper Christian Dibble saved Josh Ashby’s penalty before superbly scrambling across his goal to keep out the rebound.
The home side eventually drew level at the death as Jones headed Chi Ezennolim’s ball in from the left back across goal and into the bottom left corner despite the best efforts of Dibble.
And Harriers boss Brown felt the game turned in Oxford’s favour following the injury to Foulkes early in the second period.
Brown added: “It turned into a dark arts game of football in the second half.
“It looked a nasty one [the injury to Foulkes] and knocked the wind out of our sails, he was having the time of his life in the first half.
“I don’t whether it’s the dark arts or a plan by Oxford to nullify that in the second half.
“Whether they’ve done that legally or illegally, I’ll let people make their own mind up on that one.”
