NATHAN Tyson, Junior Agogo, Andy Kirk, Simon Brown . . . and now Clive Oliver.

When Kidderminster Harriers survey the wreckage of the 2004-05 season, the Northumberland referee will be high up their list of chief tormentors after Saturday's display.

Throughout the match Oliver demanded to be centre of attention with his fussy, over zealous whistle-blowing.

And the man in a muddle finally got his wish deep into injury time when his strange decision-making cost Kidderminster a valuable lifeline.

Stuart Watkiss was absolutely livid at the final whistle and had to bite his tongue to ensure his criticism of the official did not land him in hot water.

But the Aggborough boss admitted Oliver would probably have been back at his desk on Monday with little thought of his actions, and little chance of being held to account for his mistakes.

For Watkiss, however, it is not that simple. He now faces the near impossible task of lifting his players for an increasingly unlikely survival bid.

Four points in four games is now the gap they need to bridge to catch relegation rivals Rushden - when it really should have been down to two points.

As well as the referee, Harriers have themselves to blame for agonisingly snatching a draw from the jaws of victory.

Both Bury goals came courtesy of slack marking from set-pieces, as first Chris Porter and then Ricky Shakes were left with the freedom of the six-yard box to head home.

The all out attack that Watkiss hoped for failed to materialise as the combination of an awkward surface and Bury's kick and rush tactics sucked Harriers into a scrappy battle.

Oliver's annoying habit of blowing for offences that only he saw also resulted in a frustrating stop-start game which prevented Kiddermi-nster from establishing any kind of rhythm.

Before they knew it Harriers were 1-0 down on nine minutes when Brian Barry Murphy swung over a right wing corner and Porter was left unmarked at the near post to bundle the ball in with his head.

The goal was all the more annoying given that the flag kick only came about when Mullins recovered well to snuff out Dave Flitcroft and on the whole Harriers' defending from open play was solid.

Credit to Kidderminster there was no repeat of the collapses that occurred against Mansfield and Wycombe as they set about dragging themselves back into the game.

The equaliser arrived at a perfect time on 12 minutes from Harriers first real attack of the game as Blair Sturrock marked his return in style by sweeping the ball past Glyn Garner from Simon Russell's volleyed ball over the top. That goal brought the confidence flooding back and justified the boss's decision to bring Russell and Sturrock back, but although hard-working Harriers were now buzzing they lacked the one per cent inspiration to add to the 99 per cent perspiration.

Although hassling and harrying by Russell and Beardsley down both flanks set up Dean Keates for two strikes that Garner repelled with various degrees of ease, the 2,474 crowd was still some way off witnessing a classic kidderminster performance.

And despite having nothing to play for Bury were not prepared to roll over and die and could have snatched an undeserved lead had stand-in skipper Mark Jackson not atoned for presenting Porter with the ball by denying him with a timely tackle.

The first real chance of the second half also fell Bury's way when Dave Challinor hurled another huge throw into the six yard box and from Barry Murphy's cushioned nod down, Colin Kazim-Richards somehow blazed over.

Eventually, in a triumph of belief, Harriers fans willed the ball into the net on 81 minutes when Tom Bennett floated over a cross from the right and Garner's intervention resulted in the Bury keeper diverting it on to the head of Keates.

Not for the first time this season, Harriers saved their worst until last, with the match official doing likewise.

There was always a nagging doubt that the four minutes of stoppage time, resulting from the whistle-happy referee's failure to make Bury's injured players receive treatment off the pitch, would haunt Harriers.

And so it proved as Oiver missed a foul on Mark Rawle and penalised a fair tackle by Chris Beardsley in the run up to the 92nd minute corner with Ricky Shakes heading in Barry Murphy's corner.

HARRIERS: Danby 7, Weaver 6 (Hatswell 79), Jones7, Jackson 7, Mullins 7, Russell 7 (Rawle 69, 6), McGrath 6(Cozic 73, 6), KEATES 8, Bennett 6, Beardsley 6, Sturrock 7. Subs not used: Lewis, Jenkins.

BURY: Garner, Whaley (Buchanan 86), Kennedy, Fitzgerald, Scott, Barry-Murphy, Mattis, Flitcroft, Challinor, Porter (Boshell 46), Kazim-Richards (Shakes 70).

REFEREE: Clive Oliver (Northumberland)

ATTENDANCE: 2,474 (away fans 237).