Saturday, January 11, 2003

BOSS Ian Britton believes Kidderminster Harriers are still in a fighting chance of clinching a Nationwide Lea-gue Division Three play-off spot.

The Aggborough manager re-mained defiant despite having their hopes hit by a 2-0 home defeat against high-riding Rushden & Diamonds on Saturday.

The Diamonds clinched victory thanks to Paul Hall whose two goals enabled his side to move to within two points of table-topping Hartlepool United.

Disappointed Britton said: "All we have done is missed a chance of putting ourselves right in there.

"It isn't the end of everything. We are far away yet where we can say 'no, we aren't going to get into the play-offs'. There will be other chances as we go along in the season where we'll win the game and it will get us right in there again."

The defeat nudged Harriers down a place to 12th in the table, three points away from a top seven play-off position.

For Kidderminster it was their third reversal against former Conference rivals Rushden this season. In the league game at Nene Park manager Brian Talbot's men won 3-1 and then 2-1 in November's home FA Cup first round replay.

Britton said: "A lot of people might say we should have got something out of Saturday's game. I would say 'no'. I'll put my hand on heart and say if we had scored a couple of goals I still don't know if we would have gone on and won the game anyway.

"I think in the end Rushden deserved it. I have said before when we have played them, they have players who do the right thing at the right times. When it absolutely matters we don't do it.

"I think we had six or seven attempts at goal and they had two and scored from both.

"They knew they were going to get a hard game and for half an hour we battered them. If we had got the goals at the right time then we could have gone on and won it."

Rushden soon began to signal their intentions when a seventh minute cross from former Aggborough full-back Marcus Bignot was met by striker Onandi Lowe whose header bounced on top of the bar before going over for a goal kick.

Former Walsall winger Hall, however, was bang on target when he netted with a 15-yard shot after the opening had been carved by Lowe who laid on the vital pass after running through Harriers' static rear-guard.

It was not until the 43rd minute that Harriers were finally able to get in their first on-target effort. It came from Dean Bennett whose goalbound shot was blocked by a combination of Stuart Gray and goalkeeper Billy Turley. Then, in first half stoppage time, front-runner Bo Henriksen fired wide.

After the break Harriers began to put Rushden under the cosh with the visitors being particularly grateful to Turley for pulling off a brilliant point-blank save to thwart Henriksen, who then had another effort pushed away by the ex-Evesham United goalkeeper.

John Melligan was also denied by Turley before Rushden sealed the points against the run of play due to a blunder by keeper Stuart Brock. He allowed a 30 yard Lowe free-kick to rebound off him for Hall to nip in and kill Kidderminster off.

In the dying minutes Bignot kicked a Henriksen effort off the line before Rushden had a Stuart Wardley shot tipped over.