Saturday, October 16, 2004

WAFER-thin Kidderminster Harriers found the necessary steel to see off promotion-chasing Iron and climb off the bottom of Coca-Cola League Two.

Harriers were down to just 14 fit players against Scunthorpe with the injured Steve Burton and reserve 'keeper Danny Lewis making up the numbers on the bench.

But their spirit was typified by Scouse striker Ian Foster who was told to rest a dodgy knee but went on to run himself into the ground with a brave two-goal show.

In contrast to the previous week's miserable 3-0 defeat at Lincoln City, Harriers were full of energy, enthusiasm and effort, even if their passing game did not always come off.

And bustling forward Kelvin Langmead buried handy Scunthorpe's hopes of hitting the top of the table with a superbly taken last-minute winner, his first goal in eight loan games so far.

A relieved Jan Molby admitted: "The players were lambasted at Lincoln last week and rightly so for not giving their all. But that wasn't the case this time.

"All I asked them to do was to compete and give me everything they had. If they were going to be beaten 6-0 giving everything then I could live with that.

"The dressing room is bouncing. We are off the bottom which I always maintain is psychologically very important. We have difficult games now at Bristol Rovers and Chester but a good win against a very good side can only give you confidence.

"Scunthorpe are an excellent side. I'd probably go as far as to say they are the best team I've seen in the league this season. To beat them under these circumstances was very good.

"It was the most exciting thing we've seen at Aggborough for a long, long time. For once, we didn't have fans leaving before the end. The ones who attempted to got caught just as we scored the winner!"

Molby had every right to be happy with only Harriers' second win in the last ten league games as they twice fought back from a goal down, scoring more than one for the first time this season in the process.

The visitors took the lead on 19 minutes after Richard Kell's shot was deflected wide for a corner and Ian Barraclough's flag-kick picked out Steve Torpey unmarked at the far post.

Scunthorpe's big experienced target man made no mistake with a low finish into the opposite corner of the net through a ruck of players.

'Keeper John Danby blocked well from Paul Hayes before Harriers levelled in the 26th minute through Foster's 15-yard shot which took a wicked deflection off away skipper Andy Crosby to wrong-foot Paul Musselwhite.

Though Scunthorpe impressed more at keeping possession, Harriers worked extremely hard in the first-half but it looked to have been wasted on 58 minutes.

Danby had already denied lively winger Cleveland Taylor when pinball in the home area ended with Hayes firing home from eight yards as nervy Harriers failed to clear.

But Foster pounced for another equaliser 11 minutes later with a classic poacher's strike at the near post from a deflected cross by sub Steve McMahon who had only been on the pitch for 120 seconds.

And Langmead ensured Harriers completed the unexpected with a deserved goal in injury-time, latching onto left-back Shaun Cooper's excellent pass over the top to crash an angled 18-yard finish across Musselwhite.

Harriers: Danby 7; Jenkins 6, Sall 6, Hatswell 6, Cooper 7; Brown 7 (Russell 70, 6), Advice-Desruisseaux 5 (McMahon 70, 6), Keates 7, Christiansen 7; Langmead 7, *Foster 8. Subs not used: Lewis, Burton, McHale.

Attendance: 2,167.