Saturday 31st October 2009 - U's 2-0 Kidderminster: Healthy exorcise
Ah, Hallowe'en. A time for tricks and treats, fun and frolics, ghosts and ghoulies. Although I can take or leave the ghoulies. The modern day Hallowe'en is a bit like our beloved Premier League: a venerable, long-established tradition which over the last two decades has gradually been transformed into a flashy, gimmicky, Americanised parody of whatever it once was, little more than a money-making machine for those in the know while the masses lap up its simplistic, rather mindless entertainment.
Until last season Kidderminster Harriers were a ghost in the machine which had haunted United for the best part of fifty years, a team which they had failed to beat since September 1959. A spectacular League double put many wraiths to rest, 2-1 at the Abbey and 3-1 at Aggborough, and all of a sudden we were wondering what all the fuss had been about in the first place: a similar feeling to the one you get at 10pm on Hallowe'en night and your house has survived the evening without being pelted with eggs... or worse.
After last weekend's cruise (OK, trundle) past Lincoln United there were two changes to the U's side. Courtney Pitt's injury meant a recall to the right wing for Andy Parkinson, Robbie Willmott switching to the left, while Rory McAuley was unfortunate to be dropped after an outstanding performance at Ashby Avenue, with Dan Gleeson returning from his one-match suspension. McAuley's consolation was a place on the bench alongside Jordan Patrick.
Kidderminster arrived at the Abbey on the back of a shock FA Cup defeat at Fleetwood Town in midweek and with two players suspended after clocking up a total of five red cards this season. Their line-up contained only three players who started the last meeting with the U's (Dean Bennett, Matthew Barnes-Homer and Brian Smikle), plus a debutant in Peterborough loanee left-back Danny Andrew and one ex-U in Darryl Knights, stationed in the hole behind front men Robbie Matthews and Barnes-Homer. On an unseasonably balmy October's afternoon, it was rather surprising to note that the latter was the first player to sport gloves this season. Perhaps his Mum had insisted.
Before kickoff there was a poignant minute's applause to celebrate the lives of two young United supporters who passed away recently, Daniel Marsh and Adam Taylor.
United made a decent start and inside a couple of minutes Chris Holroyd had nodded Anthony Tonkin's cross into the arms of Kiddie keeper Dean Coleman. Three minutes later some nice approach play down the right channel saw Gleeson find Parkinson, and he cut inside his marker and flashed a left-footed shot which cannoned off Coleman's chest before the keeper could move his arms.
On 8 there was concern that Martin Ling's decision to name a bench without a reserve keeper had backfired when Danny Potter went down with an ankle injury after a particularly vigorous throw-out, but some TLC from Greg Reid soon sorted him out. United continued to press, with recently out-of-form men Willmott, Parkinson and Jai Reason all looking keen and up for the battle, and their efforts were rewarded on 13.
Paul Carden sent Reason racing into the box down the right channel, he battled to the byline, then just as it appeared that the ball might run out of play, he produced an exquisite arc of a cross which cut out Coleman and dropped perfectly at the far post for the inrushing Holroyd to dive and head home from a matter of feet for his fourteenth goal in eighteen league games. 1-0.
Regrettably the goal seemed to galvanise the visitors more than the hosts, and Harriers began to get a grip on the game with the pleasing passing game which we have come to expect from them. United, by contrast, began to rely increasingly on hopeful long balls from deep rather than passing through midfield, and the lack in quality of such balls and the lack of a target man to hold the ball up meant that there was little or no possession retention and the ball just kept bouncing back to the visitors.
The U's back four, though, coped well with the three-pronged Kidderminster attack, with centre-backs Wayne Hatswell and Brian Saah in particularly impressive form, and the latter made a couple of superb tackles to foil Barnes-Homer when he threatened to barge his way through the middle.
Saah miscued a clearance for a corner on 24, Knights' flag-kick found Smikle unmarked at the near post, and his header looked bound for the top left corner until it was dramatically pawed away by a diving Potter. Bennett eventually fired wide from the ensuing follow-up corner.
United continued to attack with all the subtlety of a Marlon King chat-up line, Holroyd and Danny Crow starved of any quality service, but for all Kiddie's build-up play, they lacked a cutting edge in the final third. Bennett fired wildly over on 28, and the visitors were stunned when the hosts doubled their lead just after the half hour.
Gavin Caines felled Reason by the left-hand touchline halfway into the Kiddie half, Willmott's free-kick delivery was magnificent, whipping it into the danger zone with curl and pace, and there was Hatswell ghosting in to guide the cleverest of headers in at the far post. Super set-piece: 2-0.
Harriers seemed somewhat shellshocked at this latest blow, none more so than Coleman. His kicking in particular fell to pieces, and on 38 three consecutive scuffs saw him find Parkinson with the last one, and his cross found Willmott who could have controlled first but instead thrashed a first-time volley narrowly wide and into the side netting.
Ref Burt had been lenient so far, letting a few robust challenges go without so much as a quiet word, so it was surprising that he broke his duck on the cusp of half-time by carding Caines for a fairly minor foul on Holroyd in the left-hand corner. Willmott stepped up to take and whether he meant it or not, his free-kick was curling in at the far post until tipped away by Coleman.
United's performance had been up and down at best, the proverbial curate's egg, so they had to be happy to go into the interval two goals up. Their greatest enemy now would be complacency, with memories of a similar half-time score against Luton turning into a 4-3 defeat a month ago uppermost in many minds. After planning what to do with that pumpkin tonight, of course.
Barnes-Homer emerged for part two minus those gloves, although the delicate little lamb still kept a long-sleeved top on underneath his short-sleeved shirt. Well you can't be too careful. His manager made one change, introducing David McDermott in place of John Finnigan.
After exchanging early corners, Knight fired narrowly wide on 49, and it soon became apparent that the visitors had come out determined to make a dent in United's lead, while the hosts seemed to be doing little more than going through the motions, content to do just enough to hold onto their lead rather than go out with their tails up and finish the Harriers off in positive style. Sadly we have seen it all before.
A succession of free-kicks and corners ensued, and when Knights' corner was only half-cleared to Martin Riley on 54, he produced a classic centre-back's shot from fifteen yards, blazing into the car park. A minute later Potter saved well from a Knights snap shot in a crowded box, then Caines nodded another corner across the face of goal and wide.
Just after the hour Gleeson became the first United man to see yellow for a foul on Barnes-Homer. Matthews stepped up to take the 25-yard free-kick and it sizzled just over the bar with Potter grasping thin air. A more clinical side than Kiddie would surely have pulled one back by now, but United had to pull themselves together after almost half of the second 45 on the back foot.
On 68 United at last produced a passing move worth mentioning, and Reason, supporting his forwards, hammered into the side netting from a tight angle. A minute later Potter gathered a Smikle ground shot, then when Holroyd was harshly adjudged to have fouled Bennett, Reason foolishly talked himself into a booking.
The U's needed freshening up, and Lee Phillips was introduced on 76, although there was some consternation that he came on for Holroyd, easily the team's most dangerous attacking force, rather than Crow, who had rarely even ventured into the Harriers' penalty area.
Kiddie, though, seemed to have blown themselves out, their cutting edge just too blunt to fashion a way through a determined home back line. On 79 Parkinson essayed a spectacular forty-yard lob when he spotted Coleman off his line, but missed the target, and four minutes later a break down the left channel involving Crow and Phillips set up Parkinson for an easy chance, clear on goal with only Coleman to beat, but he blazed disappointingly over from just inside the box.
On 84 Ling played safe by replacing Willmott, anonymous in the second half, with the industrious Sam Ives, and a minute later Matthews was next into the book for a foul on Tonkin. The jittery Coleman, upon whom United had not applied nearly enough pressure, then fumbled a Parkinson cross, but Crow could not take advantage and landed up in a heap.
Matthews then had the ball in the net, but he had pushed Hatswell to the ref's displeasure, then Knights was carded for felling Carden. On 89 Reason's powerful daisycutter from twenty yards was parried by Coleman and Crow turned in the rebound, but he was flagged offside.
As four minutes added time was indicated, McAuley came on for Parkinson and Bennett was the last man into the book before the final whistle signalled United's third consecutive league win over their erstwhile bogey team.
It had been a bitty performance, with too many players on cruise control too early in the game, but there were at least the positives of three points, a clean sheet, impressive defensive displays and some patchily encouraging appearances from players who have been struggling for form of late. Still plenty of room for improvement, though... and there will be no room for complacency next Saturday. There are plenty of giant-killing skeletons in our Hallowe'en cupboard...
Statto Corner
Wayne Hatswell has now scored in two consecutive games for United for the first time since he came to the Abbey in January 2008. The last defender to notch for two games in a row was Adam Tann, who scored a minute from the end of extra time against Macclesfield in the FA Cup on 16th December 2003 - United lost 4-2 on penalties at the Abbey after a 2-2 draw - then scored again three days later, chalking up the winner two minutes from time in a 2-1 win at Northampton.
The last time any two defenders scored for the U's in consecutive games was in late November/early December 2005: Andy Duncan, in a 1-1 draw at Canvey Island, was followed by Michael Morrison in a 2-1 home win over Scarborough.
Darryl Knights started six games and came on a sub in a further one whilst on loan from Yeovil two seasons ago. He made his debut in a 1-1 home draw with Salisbury on 20th October 2007 and made his farewell on 6th December in a 1-0 defeat at Kidderminster. He scored twice while in U's colours, both goals coming in a 5-1 FA Cup defeat of Stafford Rangers.
Today's attendance figure of 3,508 has occurred only once before in United's history, in a Division Four game on 10th February 1990. The eleventh-placed U's were 2-0 down to second-placed Exeter City at half-time in their first match since the dismissal of general manager Chris Turner, but roared back in the second half to win 3-2 with goals from Michael Cheetham (2) and Lee Philpott. Exeter went on to become champions that season, while United finished sixth and followed them up via the playoffs.
Adam Bartlett had been Kidderminster's keeper in their three previous encounters with the U's before today, but before that Saturday's custodian Dean Coleman was between the sticks for their 3-0 win at the Abbey on 29th March 2008.
John Finnigan had faced United three times before, all for Cheltenham Town, in March and November 2004 and February 2005. He was joined in the latter game, a 1-0 win for United at the Abbey, by today's team-mate Gavin Caines. Robbie Matthews had played against United twice before, for Salisbury in a 1-1 Abbey draw in October 2007, and in Crawley colours, for the same result at the same venue, in February 2009.
Player Ratings
Potter 7. Fairly comfortable afternoon with just one difficult save, from Knights.
Gleeson 6. Quiet return from suspension with little of his usual overlapping support, preferring to hoist the ball long from deep.
Tonkin 7. Got forward a bit more but did his best work at the back for once with some good, solid defending.
Saah 8. Those telescopic legs were used to good effect.
Hatswell 8. Back to near his doughty best and kept up his regular goal habit, too.
Parkinson 6. Dear old Parky had a decent first half but was less effective in the second, resembling a loose dog which has run onto the pitch and runs around enthusiastically without ever catching up with the ball.
Carden 6. Did the basics but did not really have a game to remember.
Reason 8. That's more like it. Last season's Jai seems to be emerging from his chrysalis again, playing with energy, purpose and a good standard of passing.
Willmott 6. Some excellent dead ball delivery, otherwise fairly subdued.
Holroyd 7. Still getting the goals and always a threat with that pace.
Crow 6. Same old story for Danny: creditable effort, a few decent touches, but never remotely close to scoring.
Phillips 6. Another energetic cameo and surely deserves a start soon. And not in place of Holroyd.
Ives 6. Never lets the team down.
McAuley 6. Scant reward for last week's heroics, but looked assured in his brief tenure on the pitch.
Match Summary
Conversion of two top-quality crosses and a solid if unspectacular performance thereafter saw United gain a fairly routine three points against a Kidderminster side which was all build-up and no finish. Greater challenges await in November.
Man of the Match
Brian Saah. Always on hand when danger threatened and some of his last-ditch tackles were a masterclass in cool defending under pressure.
Ref Watch
Burt 5. Erratic and inconsistent, he awarded free-kicks and cards seemingly at random while ignoring other offences which seemed just as worthy of his attention. Not great.
Out of the Mouths of Babes
"It was a fab game and everybody cheered except the other supporters, who booed, but it was a fab game."s (A. Diss)
Soundtrack of the Day
Wolfmother 'New Moon Rising'
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
More Match Photos
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