Harriers 4, Newport County 2

ALL hail Harriers’ triumphant FA Cup heroes!

Superb Kidderminster sprinkled their magic onto the second round as League Two high-flyers Newport succumbed to their irresistible home form.

Steve Burr’s side produced their best performance of the season and provided one of the weekend’s few upsets, as Callum Gittings and Michael Gash bagged brilliant braces.

Those who questioned the importance of the grand old competition would have had their cynicism erased by the electric atmosphere generated by the passionate home crowd, who out sung Newport County’s vocal fans.

The Carpetmen set up a home clash against League One Peterborough in the third round, but Newport’s evisceration was also the club’s first win over a Football League team in the cup since beating Preston North End 1-0 in 1994.

Burr said: “I said to the lads before the game at 5pm somebody from the level we play at will be a hero and as a team let’s be heroes. Callum and Michael got the goals but as a team we were fantastic.”

Things might have been different if Connor Washington had not spurned a glorious chance in the fourth minute after a slip by Chey Dunkley, but the striker rolled his effort wide.

The clincal hosts opened the scoring in the 19th minute, when Gash beat two defenders and used the outside of his right foot to curl an unstoppable effort past helpless keeper Lenny Pidgeley.

In the 28th minute, Pidgeley could only parry a fine angled effort from the effervescent Joe Lolley into the path of Gittings who smashed in a shot via a deflection off a defender.

Lolley was provider again in the 43rd minute, when his laser-like pass allowed the hard running Gittings to sweep home the third.

The home fans were sent into raptures in the 63rd minute when Gash’s fine free-kick flew like a missile through a gap in the wall into the bottom corner.

Only Robbie Willmott posed a threat for County and made the scoreline more flattering for the visitors with efforts in the 79th and 83rd minutes - but it could not take the shine off a memorable day for Harriers.

Harriers: Lewis 7, Vaughan 7, Storer 7, Dunkley 8, Fowler 8, GASH 9, Jackman 7, Gittings 8 (Byrne, 73), Lolley 8, Morgan-Smith 7 (Johnson, 70), Gowling 8. Subs not used: Demetriou, Malbon, Blissett, Dance, N Vaughan.

Newport: Pidgeley, Hughes, Chapman, Minshull (Jolley, 46), Crow (Sandell,64), Willmott, Washington, Jackson, Naylor, Oshilaja (Flynn, 66), Worley. Subs not used: Stephens, Pipe, Jones, Barker.

Referee: Mark Heywood (Cheshire). Attendance: 2636 (537)