Saturday, December 14, 2002

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers boss Ian Britton accepted that Drewe Broughton deserved to be sent off during Saturday's 2-1 Nationwide League Division Three defeat against York City at Aggborough.

The bustling striker was given his marching orders in the 38th minute after leading with his elbow during an aerial clash with John Parkin.

He was immediately shown the red card by Hertfordshire referee Paul Taylor who earlier had booked Broughton for persistent misconduct

Britton said: "I've got to say Broughton deservedly got sent off. I don't think it was just that one thing. It was a culmination of things. He didn't learn from it and got sent off. After that we were always up against it."

As well as Broughton's dismissal, busy Mr Taylor also booked eight other players including Kidderminster's Lee Ayres, Andy Bishop and Kenny Coleman.

The match, however, was never a dirty affair, although it was a bitterly disappointing outcome for Harriers whose ten-man performance deserved at least a share of the spoils.

The defeat leaves them in 11th place in the table and without a victory in their last six outings while York moved into the play-off zone with their fourth league triumph on the trot.

Britton, however, was encouraged by his side's battling display. He said: "You can't ask for anymore from them to be honest. They are disappointed because they felt they should have won.

"I said to them at half time 'we can still win the game'. I felt with our pace and fitness that would be our extra man. It proved that in the second half which I thought we virtually dominated.

"We had a couple off the line and two or three more chances. I think we could have won. I'm very disappointed but I can't ask for anything else.

"We played some decent stuff and created chances so you can't knock them. If they play like that for the remainder of the season we will win games. There have been games where we have deserved to lose but this wasn't one of them."

The Minstermen took the lead in the 23rd minute when Steve Brackstone drilled the ball past keeper Stuart Brock after the opening had been created by Michael Reddy and Peter Duffield.

Two minutes after Broughton had been sent off for the second time this season, Harriers drew level when Bishop, on loan from Walsall, marked his home debut by coolly slotting the ball past 'keeper Alan Fettis.

During the second half Harriers had two efforts cleared off the line while York suffered a similar fate on another occasion.

The visitors, however, struck the killer blow in the 86th minute when Lee Nogan flicked the ball over Brock to leave Harriers without a league win since they crushed Swansea 4-0 away on October 29.