Saturday, January 31, 2004

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers were blown back towards the relegation area by high-flying Oxford United at a wind battered Kassam Stadium.

The 2-1 defeat knocked them down to fourth from bottom in the Nationwide League Division Three table, just six points away from the drop zone.

The gale force wind and rain, however, made the match a lottery in which Harriers had the worst of the atrocious conditions.

Indeed, the weather was so bad that the start of the second half was delayed for nearly 25 minutes due to safety concerns about the main South Stand which suffered minor structural damage in the roof.

Spectators were urged to move to the opposite stand before the match resumed with the scores deadlocked on 1-1.

Harriers, who had the wind at their backs in the first period, were unfortunate during the second half when the gale became even stronger.

Aggborough director of football Jan Molby branded the conditions "farcical".

"But we were here, we played the game and we lost it in the end," he said.

"But if Oxford had had to go the way we went in the second half we'd have probably been on top and might have won. But that's life."

The defeat, which leaves Molby's men without a win in their last four league outings, was made more damaging by second-from-bottom Darlington's 1-0 home win over Rochdale.

Harriers, however, have a game in hand over the Quakers and now face two home matches against Yeovil on Saturday and fellow relegation battlers Cheltenham Town the following Tuesday.

"We'll make sure the players are ready for those," said Molby, who felt his side more than matched third-placed Oxford in first 45 minutes.

He said: "We played well in the first half when we had two efforts against the bar and one cleared off the line. In the second half we had another effort cleared off the line from a Dean Bennett shot, so in terms of chances we had the better ones.

"You have to say, though, that the conditions suited the way Oxford play because they have a more direct style and they are a very big and strong side."

Molby believed the delay in getting the second half underway was disrupting. "It was a situation that was poorly dealt with in the end because there was no need for a 40 minute half time break. It could have been dealt with a lot swifter than it was and that was a disappointment."

The U's took the lead in the seventh minute through a Steve Basham header.

Harriers, however, were unlucky when Oxford defender Andy Crosby headed a Matt Gadsby cross against his own bar.

Graham Ward's 25 yard shot in the 24th minute suffered a similar fate before Harriers equalised on the stroke of half time when Adam Murray hammered in a fierce 30 yard shot which flew into the top corner after keeper Andy Woodman slipped.

Molby said: "It was a great strike. He hit it well. The keeper slipped but I don't think it would have mattered if he had slipped or not, he still wouldn't have got anywhere near it."

After Bennett had had an effort stopped on the line, Oxford grabbed the winner with a Paul McCarthy header.