Monday, August 26, 2002

IAN Britton offered glowing praise for his surprise defence after injury-hit Kidderminster Harriers pulled off a battling 0-0 Nationwide League Division Three draw at Leyton Orient yesterday.

Harriers, already without Craig Hinton due to a fractured nose, were forced to reshuffle when centre-back Abdou Sall cried off with an ankle problem.

Boss Britton created a shock by conjuring a 3-5-2 formation with Scott Stamps, Lee Ayres and Adie Smith the last line of defence but it worked wonders against unimaginative Orient.

Harriers never looked like suffering a first ever defeat at Brisbane Road though they also showed few signs of scoring in a game that had 0-0 written all over it.

However, Britton was down to the bare bones of his squad with only 15 fit senior players as top scorer Bo Henriksen drop-ped to the bench with a leg strain.

And he said: "The system is something I've been toying with but haven't really worked on and it was forced on me. But the back three were absolutely superb and defended very well. They were just doing their jobs and we thoroughly deserved the point. Everybody did their part.

"Stuart Brock came for a few crosses in the first half which he took very well but he did not have a shot to save. We came more and more into the game in the second half though we didn't really create anything."

Keeper Brock fielded a weak header from Kevin Nugent on 20 minutes and held a Matt Lockwood free-kick that flew straight at him close to half-time.

Orient midfielder Carl Hutchings fired wide from a good position in the second half but Harriers otherwise completely snuffed out the home side's threat.

They were grateful to Suffolk referee Mick Thorpe for showing leniency when Drewe Broughton reacted to a foul from substitute John Martin on 67 minutes. Though both ended up with a yellow card, Broughton may have feared a second red of the season after grabbing his opponent around the throat and sparking a confrontation involving most of the players.

The big striker remained on the pitch and came closest for the visitors with a late 20-yarder turned away for a corner.

Harriers: Brock 7; Smith 8, Ayres 8, Stamps 9; Doyle 7 (Shilton, 77), Williams 7, Flynn 7, Parrish 7, Joy 8; Broughton 8, Foster 7 (Lewis, 86). Subs not used: Henriksen, Danby, Ducros.

Star man: Scott Stamps.

Attendance: 4,147.