Late strike spares Harriers’ blushes (From Worcester News)

Late strike spares Harriers’ blushes

11:24am Thursday 28th January 2010

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Harriers 3
Lewes 2

ABSENCE normally makes the heart grow fonder but Harriers just felt relief after they ended a three-week break without action with a last gasp win over struggling Lewes on Tuesday.

The Aggborough outfit looked as though they were getting into the spirit of the January sales with a give away of their own after throwing away a two-goal lead in what had been a one-sided FA Trophy second round clash.

But centreback Gavin Caines saved their bacon in the 90th minute when he lashed home a dramatic and deserved winner.

Victory may well have brought down the curtain on caretaker manager John Finnigan’s reign in dramatic fashion, with the club set to name a permanent boss by the end of the week.

Finnigan, also a contender for the job, has guided Harriers to two wins out of three over a frustrating duration in charge, hampered by snow and freezing conditions, but rumours were rife around the ground as candidates Jim Harvey and Jeff Kenna watched from the sidelines.

“The boys were coasting really and when they’re playing well like that you’ve got to learn to keep going,” chided Finnigan.

“For a 10 minute spell we were sloppy and doing things we wouldn’t normally do in tight games and it nearly cost us in the end.

“Overall there was no doubt we deserved to win a lot more comfortably than we did.

“At 2-2 our heads could have dropped but we kept going and we had a couple of chances just before the winner but we’re delighted that Cainesy smashed that one in.”

In truth, Harriers could and should have won this game by a cricket score against the relegation battlers from the Blue Square South, after they opened the scoring in fortunate fashion in the 11th minute.

Robbie Matthews was given a sight of goal after a foul by Chris Breach on powerhouse Damian Spencer and the mercurial forward’s well-placed low free-kick deflected wickedly off the wall and slipped past flailing keeper Rikki Banks.

That goal should have signalled a landslide of goals as livewires Darryl Knights and Brian Smikle tore Lewes apart.

Smikle was chief tormentor and could have wrapped up the game in a dazzling 15 minute spell of Harriers dominance.

He ran the length of the pitch on a lightning raid, only to try and square the ball to the supporting Knights instead of shooting himself and saw the moment go to waste.

A stooping header from a corner seemed to take a deflection and fly wide, before moments later he teed up captain Chris McPhee for a shot that fizzed over the bar.

Matthews was desperately close to scoring as he slid in but was a fraction away from connecting with the winger’s raking ball moments later.

Harriers thought they had wrapped up victory six minutes into the second half when Knights ended a 16-month scoring drought with a fine finish after McPhee’s determined run had set him up.

Lewes had hardly mustered a meaningful attack until the hour mark when Jack Walder flashed a low shot wide.

But Harriers had been lulled into a false sense of security when some inspired substitutions by Lewes boss Steve Ibbitson breathed life into his side.

Martin Riley’s poor header was pounced on by replacement Kane Louis, who evaded the desperate lunge of keeper Dean Coleman and set up Aaron Hopkinson for the simplest of goals in the 80th minute.

Harriers were struggling to find the higher gears and when Louis Pople outpaced the home defence and angled a fine effort into the back of the net, an embarrassing result looked on the card.

But the hosts roared back into life and grabbed a last-ditch winner to break Lewes’ hearts.

Banks had already parried shots from Knights and Aaron Farrell when the ball fell to Caines, who fired his fifth goal of the season into the back of the net.

Afterwards the former Cheltenham man admitted his goal-scoring efforts had inspired him to set himself a goal target for the season.

He said: “I thought for the majority of the game we were cruising and we conceded two sloppy goals, but luckily enough I managed to get one in the last minute to put us through to the next round.

“I’ve got five already and I’ve set a target to score five more in the second half of the season.”

Harriers: Coleman 6; Courtney 6; Baker 6; Caines 6; Riley 5; McPhee 6; Bennett 5 (Hayward, 46); KNIGHTS 8; Smikle 7; Matthews 6 (Farrell, 58); Spencer 6. Unused substitutes: Finnigan; Singh; Dolman.

Lewes: Banks; Barness; Pearson; Peauroux (Crellin, 62); Breach; Hopkinson; Walder; Rivers (Royce, 64); Foreman (Louis, 56); Royce. Unused substitutes: Keehan; Sutton.

Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire). Attendance: 654

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