Super-Matt sinks City (From Worcester News)

Super-Matt sinks City

10:47am Thursday 8th December 2011 in Reports

Harriers 3
Bath 1

IT’S a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s Super-Matt!

There were plenty of positives to take out of Harriers’ biggest win of the season on Tuesday night but perhaps the continuing heroics of rookie striker Jamille Matt was the most pleasing.

The 21-year-old, enjoying his first season as a full-time professional, made it seven for the season with a crucial brace, which gave them the ideal platform for victory.

Fondly known as ‘Jamma’ at the club he’s taken to the Blue Square Bet Premier like a duck to water and has joined Nick Wright as Harriers’ joint top scorer with seven goals.

It was his hard running which got Harriers out of a tricky situation.

Bath had taken the lead in the sixth minute when Scott Murray’s free-kick took a wicked deflection off Lee Vaughan and beat keeper Tony Breeden.

For 20 minutes, the hosts were all at sea but Steve Guinan levelled the scores in the 23rd minute after impressive set-up play by Kyle Storer.

When Lee Hendrie squandered a gilt-edge chance by driving wide of the right post, it looked as though Harriers’ chance to go into the break ahead had gone but Matt made the difference.

The striker’s persistence paid off in the 45th minute when he outstripped a defender and slotted a right-footed shot which hit the base of the post before dribbling over the line.

The points were in the bag by the 66th minute when once again he broke Bath’s ill-disciplined back line and fired goalwards. His effort hit the post, but Matt flung himself at the ball to head it over the line.

With the visitors fading dramatically, substitute Jack Byrne scored the pick of the goals, driving a right-footed 20-yard effort into the bottom corner late on.

Nick Wright and Marc Williams both had goals ruled out for offside, while a penalty call when Luke Jones was felled by Gethin Jones was ignored for the same reason.

“It’s hard to sum up the game because I thought we didn’t play as well as had done in the last couple of games, but a win is a win and it was nice to see a few goals going in,” commented manager Steve Burr.

“I thought Jack Byrne took his goal well and it was nice that Jamma [Matt] as a centre forward got a couple of goals as well, that was a pleasing point.”

Harriers: Breeden 7; Vaughan7; Jones7; Hankin 6; Guinan 6 (Byrne, 46); Wright 5 (Thompson-Brown, 84); Sharpe 7; MATT 8; Demetriou 6; Storer 7; Hendrie 6 (Marc Williams, 68). Unused substitutes: Mike Williams; Briscoe.

Bath: Matthews; Simpson; Jones; Burnell; Gallinagh (Clough, 46); Connolly; Phillips (Watkins, 68); Hogg; Murray (Bryan, 70); Aamdi-Holloway; Canham. Unused substitutes: Russell; Stonehouse. Referee: Darren Handley (Bolton). Attendance: 1,472 (87)