Saturday, October 5, 2002

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers put Jan Molby's job as manager of Hull City under severe threat when they clinched a 1-0 victory over the toothless Tigers in Saturday's Nationwide League Division Three clash at Aggborough.

The former Harriers chief's hopes of boosting his side's flagging fortunes were dashed when fellow Dane Bo Henriksen grabbed a 60th minute winner.

It stretched eighth-in-the-table Kidderminster's unbeaten league run to nine games and left Molby's strugglers with just two wins in 12 outings.

Afterwards the former Liverpool star admitted Harriers could easily have won by a greater margin.

He said: "If the chances Drewe Broughton had, had fallen to Henriksen then we could have been on the end of a real hiding. Bo, in terms of movement, technical ability and tactically is way above this level. He showed that.

"Kidderminster are bright, they are fit, they have got a lot of pace in their side and they work hard. They have some excellent players.

"The difference is that for the Kidderminster players their livelihoods depend on their performances because every game they play they are playing for their next contract. I'm not sure every Hull player looks at it the same way."

Molby, who angered the Kidderminster fans by the way he left the club in March, was the target for the Aggborough boo-boys when he emerged from the tunnel.

"I expected a reception worse than the one I got," he said. "When I took over the job at Aggborough it was to get them out of the Conference and establish them in the Football League. I did that and they have got an excellent squad.

"At the time it was the right decision. Hindsight is easy and even in hindsight it's still the right decision. I think you have to test yourself at the highest possible level and that was obviously part of my thinking when I left Kidderminster."

His replacement Ian Britton was delighted with the win, saying: "We could have won quite easily, by three or four. I think we showed what a good side we are and we thoroughly deserved our result."

Of under-fire Molby, he said: "You can't forget what he has done here. At the end of the day he took us into the League and he laid the foundations. You can't knock him for that."

Kidderminster's all-important goal was the product of a deep cross from Craig Hinton which enabled Henriksen to notch his fifth goal of the season with a shot on the turn.

Hull's hero was goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite. During the first half he denied Henriksen, Hinton and Broughton, who had a 'goal' disallowed inside the opening 30 seconds.

After Harriers had broken the deadlock hard working Broughton had a lob headed off the line by Ian Ashbee before Musselwhite again thwarted Henriksen.