Saturday, April 3, 2004

FOR the second week running Simon Brown was Kidderminster Harriers' goalscoring hero as they clipped high-flying Hull City's wings at Aggborough.

Fleet-footed Brown, on a month's loan from West Bromwich Albion, put Harriers ahead in the first half before the Tigers grabbed an 68th minute equaliser through hot-shot Ben Burgess.

The deadlock ended Hull's run of four successive victories and left them three points behind Nationwide League Division Three leaders Doncaster Rovers with a game in hand.

Harriers director of football Jan Molby, whose side are now 17th, five points clear of the relegation zone, admitted afterwards that the draw was 'just about the right result' against the club he quit Aggborough for in March, 2002.

The Dane's reign in charge of the Tigers, however, lasted only six months before he was sacked.

He returned to Aggborough in October, shortly after Harriers had been thrashed 6-1 at Hull, their heaviest defeat since joining the Football League.

On Saturday, however, it was a far more even contest with Molby's men being unlucky in the last minute when striker John Williams' shot glanced off the bar.

The outcome, however, meant that Hull have now failed to win a League match at Aggborough in four attempts.

Molby said: "I was obviously disappointed because we hit the bar towards the end which was a great bit of play by Williams, but I think on reflection it was just about the right result.

"They are a difficult team to play against because they play a tight, narrow game. They squeeze everything and don't allow you to play. They get it forward as quickly as they can and if you are going to be unkind about the way they play it's route one and it's difficult to play against.

"I thought we worked hard, we competed well and we showed a little bit of quality every now and again, although we didn't play as well as I would have liked. But credit to Hull for the way they set their stall out when they are away from home. All in all it's probably the right result.

"We would obviously have preferred to have won, but we have got to take heart from the fact that, as I said before the game, if Hull were going to beat us they would have to play well. It's going to take a good tem to beat us because we are solid at the moment."

Hull suffered a sickening setback in the tenth minute when they had defender Lee Marshall stretchered off with his right leg broken in two places following a collision with Scott Stamps.

Harriers went ahead in the 22nd minute when a superb through ball by Adam Murray allowed Brown to add to the goal he scored the previous week in a 1-1 draw at Lincoln City.

Hull were unlucky in the 35th minute when Stuart Green saw his curling free kick from in front of goal hit the bar.

They finally grabbed a point when Adrian Viveash dwelt too long on the ball and allowed himself to be robbed by Stuart Elliott, who set up the chance for Burgess to notch his 16th goal of the season.

But Harriers almost snatched it in the last minute when Williams' shot bounced off the top of the bar.