Friday, September 29, 2000

DISAPPOINTED Kidderminster Harriers boss Jan Molby accepted that his players were given a footballing lesson by a better team in last night's televised 4-1 Nationwide league Division Three drubbing against lowly Blackpool at Aggborough.

Harriers paid a hefty price for poor defending, which allowed the Seasiders, managed by his old Liverpool team mate Steve McMahon, to romp to their first away league triumph of the season.

Molby said: "Prior to the match we had the best defensive record in the league, but this time the defence let us down big time. For their first three goals you wouldn't expect to see defending like that on a park on a Sunday morning."

Blackpool secured an impressive win, thanks to two goals each from former Wolves' midfielder Paul Simpson and Brett Ormerod.

Simpson broke the deadlock on 19 minutes with an angled 25-yard drive after being foiled just before by a superb point-blank save from goalkeeper Stuart Brock.

It was 2-0 after 27 minutes when a perfect cross-field pass by Simpson found Ormerod who skipped past Craig Hinton before firing home.

Harriers were virtually dead and buried two minutes after half-time when Simpson scored again. It was followed by another strike from Ormerod in the 59th minute after a John Murphy effort had hit the post.

During the first-half Harriers' best efforts fell to Tony Bird, but it was substitute Dean Bennett who was unlucky not to score in the 69th minute with an effort which hit the post.

Andy Ducros finally broke through with a sweetly struck 25-yard free-kick which hit the post before entering the net.

Afterwards Molby told McMahon that the visitors were the best side he had seen so far this season.

"They were excellent. We were waiting for the first really good team to play against this season and we thought it might have been Brighton or Cardiff. They might prove to be very good teams, but the performance by Blackpool is the best I've seen all season.

"I think my players will accept that this was a footballing lesson by a better team.

"But I just don't want the fans to go away disappointed and saying 'Kiddy are no good,' because that wasn't the case. At times we played some great football but Blackpool were excellent.

"We didn't expect to get beaten 4-1 at home by anyone, but we expected to come up against somebody where we were going to be given a lesson in everything and that was tonight."

Molby felt the presence of the live national television cameras did not affect his side but might have lifted Blackpool.

"They have got big game players and they showed it, but I don't think it had any effect on us."

Kidderminster: Brock 5, Clarkson 4, (Smith (61) 5, Stamps 5, Webb 5, Bennett (61) 6, Hinton 5, Horne 5, Bird 6, Ducros 7, Shail 5, Bogie 5, Hadley 5. Subs (not used): Murphy, Davies, Corbett. H Star player: Andy Ducros

Attendance: 3,891