HARRIERS 1 YEOVIL 1

Chris Oldnall reports from Aggborough

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers can bounce back next season if they repeat the kind of battling performance they produced during the closing stages of Saturday' s clash with title-chasing Yeovil Town.

That was the firm belief of the Aggborough faithful after watching Stuart Watkiss' fired-up troops go within a whisker of pulling off a shock victory.

The deadlock, however, virtually condemned Harriers to a return to the Conference after five eventful years in the Football League.

But at least they showed the kind of effort and commitment they will need to regain their League Two status if - or when - relegation is finally confirmed during their last three matches of the season against Boston, Grimsby and Northampton.

After Yeovil had gone ahead with a 61st minute goal from Aaron Davies, Harriers set the scene for a rousing grandstand finish with a late equaliser from Mark Rawle.

During the tense closing stages the Glovers came under heavy bombardment, but just managed to hold out for a hard earned draw.

Simon Weaver had a header hit the post before Rawle, Wayne Hatswell and Simon Russell all had efforts expertly saved by Yeovil goalkeeper Steve Collis. Indeed, Harriers' last-ditch assault was so intense that it left fans wondering what might have been if similar never-say-die performances had been produced throughout the season.

If they had then Watkiss' men would not facing the bitterly disappointing prospect of losing their Football League life, which began with a 2-0 home win over Torquay at on August 12, 2000.

But now the Conference is beckoning and Harriers must take heart from Saturday's display which left them six points adrift in the dreaded relegation area.

On several crucial occasions this term they have paid dearly for their mistakes and this time it was a stray pass from John McGrath which allowed Terry Skiverton to fashion a well taken goal for Davies.

Striker Rawle, a 68th minute replacement for Chris Beardsley, equalised on 83 minutes with a superbly struck left foot volley.

It signalled the start of a dramatic climax which just failed to produce a precious winner for Harriers, who lost 2-1 at Yeovil in early December when Watkiss was in charge for the first time.

This time, however, they just missed out on turning the tables during a match in which the league's leading scorer Phil Jevons was unable to add to his impressive tally of 25 goals.

The deadly hot-shot, a transfer target for Harriers during the summer, was kept well under control. It's just a pity the same couldn't be said for Davies when he was given the opportunity to help nudge the Aggborough outfit another step closer to the dreaded drop.

HARRIERS: Danby 6, Weaver 7, JACKSON 8, Mullins 5 (Hatswell, 33, 6), Jones

7, Cozic 7, Bennett 6, Keates 7, McGrath 6 (Russell, 75, 6), Beardsley 6

(Rawle, 68, 7), Sturrock 7. Subs not used: Sall, Jenkins.

YEOVIL: Collis, Lockwood (Amankwaah, 59), Sodje, Skiverton, Rose, Johnson,

Terry, Way, Gall (Stolcers, 87), Davies, Jevons (Tarachulski, 76). Subs not

used: Weale, Lindegaard.

REFEREE: Richard Beeby (Northampton).

ATTENDANCE: 4,014 (1,572 away fans).