Saturday, October 2, 2004

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers blew their chance to move off the foot of the Coca-Cola League Two table when they conceded a dramatic last-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Cambridge United.

A 67th-minute goal from skipper Wayne Hatswell looked like giving them their third win of the season on Saturday until Kingsley Mbome snatched a share of the spoils at Aggborough.

It was a sickening blow for Harriers who again paid the price for not having a reliable sharp-shooter in their ranks.

They dominated the game throughout and should have won by a healthy margin but let Cambridge off the hook by missing a hatful of chances.

Fortunately for Jan Molby's basement boys they remain in striking distance of moving off the bottom, thanks to a glut of draws involving clubs immediately above them in the table.

There were signs on Saturday, however, that a number of players are starting to find form but their fragile confidence was highlighted as early as the sixth minute when Lee Jenkins wasted a golden opportunity by shooting straight at keeper John Ruddy.

Molby said: "We were presented with a game we should have won and at some stage we have to start winning those sort of games. This was most definitely one of them.

"When you are only leading 1-0 you run the risk of conceding a goal and the only shot they had was the one they scored from. We created more chances in this game than any other this season and we played better than I expected considering our lack of confidence."

Harriers, whose first-half dominance led to seven attempts on goal, deservedly broke the deadlock when a corner from Dean Keates was headed in by Hatswell.

It looked like being enough to secure three precious points, but in the closing stages second-from-bottom Cambridge began to test their nerve which finally snapped in the last minute.

A long throw-in finally reached Mbome who lashed in a powerful 20-yard shot that gave 'keeper John Danby no chance of stopping.

Molby added: "They had had a number of long throws during the game. This one was allowed to bounce and fell to Mbome.

"He hit it and it came off Chris McHale, so without the deflection I don't think it would have found it's way into the net."

Harriers: Danby 7, Cooper 7, McHale 7, Hatswell 7, Burton 6, Jenkins 6, *Keates 8, Appleby 5 (Christiansen 66, 6), Brown 7, Foster 6, Diop 5 (Langmead 76). Subs not used: Lewis, Advice-Desruisseaux, McMahon.

Attendance: 2,356.