Sun, sea, sand and stalemate (From Worcester News)

Sun, sea, sand and stalemate

9:48am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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Eastbourne 0
Harriers 0

A TRIP to the seaside was ruined by Harriers’ wretched away form in the Blue Square Premier as battling Eastbourne kept them at bay.

The away fans who made the 400 mile round trip to East Sussex watched as out off sorts Harriers failed to carve open the battling home side, despite hitting the woodwork three times.

Instead they would have to settle for a stick of rock, kiss me quick hats, a visit to Beachy Head and resist the temptation to jump off, after watching their team draw a blank against a side that had conceded six goals at Priory Lane five days before.

That result was against title-chasing Stevenage, which did light a fire in Garry Wilson’s men that Harriers struggled to extinguish in a game affected by an icy wind blowing from the coast.

But this result was another example of Harriers throwing away vital points away from fortress Aggborough.

Apart from fine FA Trophy wins on their travels, Harriers have struggled in the league and Saturday’s game represented their best chance for three points away since their stirring win at Kettering in November.

An early goal for Steve Burr’s side could have rattled the hosts and led to a victory, but instead Eastbourne started impressively and knocked Harriers onto their heels.

With assistant/player John Finnigan watching the game on the bench because of a calf injury, Marcus Bignot made his first start in midfield, but Harriers fell into the trap of matching Eastbourne’s energy, instead of drawing their sting.

Jamie Taylor spotted Ross Atkins off his line and tried an ambitious lob over the bar 20-yards out.

Atkins was called into action in the third minute, alertly sprinting off his line to block Liam Enver-Marum’s shot after Joe Benjamin had played him in.

Hitman Adam Boyes made his first start since joining on-loan from Scunthorpe and his determination and tenacity was spurring Harriers on and he created two rare openings in a frustrating first half.

He did well to shrug off two defenders near the touch line, turned and ran at Borough’s defence, before swapping passes with Dean Bennett. Unfortunately, his firm low shot was straight at keeper Danny Knowles.

Just before half-time, Boyes had a hand in Harriers’ best chance of the game.

The striker raced into the box and controlled Bignot’s fine searching ball. He drove in a shot from the angle that Knowles could parry into the path of in-form fox-in-the-box Brian Smikle, but his snapshot was straight at Ben Austin on the line.

The woodwork then had a big role to play in the second half, where Harriers upped their game.

Boyes came close to capping a fine display in the 55th minute when he let-fly with a curling effort from the edge of the box which struck the bar.

The bar thwarted the hosts as well, with Matt Crabb’s volley striking it.

Harriers’ dominance was total but they could not find a way through. Lee Baker fired in a low effort that with the benefit of a deflection, struck Knowles’ bottom left post.

The upright rescued Harriers after Gavin Caines was adjudged to have brought down Taylor, for which he received a yellow card, and Crabb’s excellent free-kick curled onto the woodwork.

But the away side pressed even further only to be denied again in the 91st minute.

Bennett, who had seen a first-half effort screwed wide, thought he had bagged a winner when a corner fell to him 20-yards out. His right-footed shot looked destined for goal, only to hit the bar.

After the game, manager Steve Burr took the positives.

He said: “I felt we did enough to win the game, we hit the woodwork three times and obviously they had a few as well.

“I thought in the second half we did enough to win.

“I said to the lads before the game that we’ve got to go out there and do well, they’ll be fired up after losing heavily like they did.

“Adam [Boyes] was excellent, particularly in the first half, he tired in the second and that’s why we brought him off.

“It was just one of those games where the ball didn’t fall for us but if you can’t win them make sure you don't lose.”

With the play-off chase out of the way, for now, Harriers will be hoping drawing a blank at a side Stevenage thrashed will lure their FA Trophy semi-finals rivals into a false sense of security ahead of Saturday’s semi-final first leg at Aggborough (3pm kick-off).

Harriers: Atkins 6; Courtney 7; Baker 7; Caines 6; Riley 6; McPhee 6; Bennett 7; Knights 6 (Goodfellow, 62); Smikle 6; Bignot 6 (Matthews, 75); Boyes 8 (Lawrie, 75). Unused substitutes: Singh; Sharpe.

Eastbourne: Knowles; Jenkins; Smart; Austin; Pullan (Rowe, 34); Armstrong; Enver-Marum (Atkin, 84); M Crabb; Taylor; Benjamin (N Crabb, 90); Elphick. Unused substitutes: Johnson; Weatherstone. Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire). Attendance: 913