Saturday, April 10, 2004

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers go in-to today's home clash with Huddersfield Town with their Nationwide League Division Three status still hanging in the balance after a 1-0 defeat at basement club Carlisle United on Saturday.

Harriers, still just five points away from relegation, were beaten by a 78th minute goal from Craig Farrell.

It was a bitterly disappointing result for director of football Jan Molby's men who managed to keep the score down to a single goal thanks to a man-of-the-match performance from goalkeeper John Danby,

His heroics, however, failed to end Kidderminster's grim record at Car-lisle where they have failed to win a Football League game in four att-empts.

Molby described Saturday's display as 'powder puff' and accepted that the Cumbrians were worth their victory.

He said: "We knew we had to be physically ready as Carlisle were on a run run of good results. We knew they would come flying at us, but for the first 35 minutes were were powder puff.

"John Danby kept us in it. He was magnificent all afternoon."

Molby added: "We had a great chance at the start of the second half with a quick free kick and John Williams missed an easy goal.

"Jesper Christiansen had a good chance he should have scored from, but that would have been unjust. That's football.

"From then on in we thought we might just hold on. A draw would have done us, but Carlisle got what they deserved - they were far better on the day. We allowed them to dictate and in the end they could have won comfortably."

Molby added that one or two of his players 'may just have painted themselves out of the picture' for this afternoon's clash with promotion-chasing Huddersfield.

The Dane said: "It is our job to get them fit and organised, it's up to them to get themselves ready for a physical battle. The players just did not do that on Saturday.

"We have now got to re-group. We have got five games to go, we just have to hope we can pick up the points required. If it goes right to the last game of the season, then that's what we have got do."

Carlisle were kept down to a single goal due to the woodwork which denied both former Worcester City striker Andy Preece and Paul Simpson.

Kidderminster: H Danby 8, Hinton 5, Gadsby 7, Hatswell 6, Stamps 5 (Burton, 62, 6), Murray 5, Yates 5, Jenkins 5 (Parrish 79) Brown 6, Williams 5, Clarke 5 (Christiansen, 59, 6). Subs not used: Brock, Foster.

Attendance: 7,296.