RUSHDEN AND DIAMONDS 2 HARRIERS 1

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers' FA Cup woes continued as they failed to make the second round of the money-spinning competition for the third time in four seasons on Tuesday.

A 2-1 replay defeat at Rushden and Diamonds denied Harriers £20,000 prize money and a visit to Exeter City next month.

The Diamonds just about deserved to win the battle of the old Conference championship rivals but, despite a below-par display, Ian Britton's men may still have tasted success in a poor game.

Rushden keeper Billy Turley was voted their man-of-the-match after a string of useful saves ensured Harriers suffered only their third away defeat of the season and their second at Nene Park.

It was a major surprise that a disappointing performance like this, when only midfielder Sean Parrish stood out, could have propelled them past one of Division Three's top teams.

Drewe Broughton, who later scored Harriers' consolation goal, should have given the visitors a perfect start on nine minutes but missed an open net from 15 yards after Bo Henriksen robbed keeper Billy Turley.

Harriers, having drawn the original tie 2-2 at Aggborough earlier this month, kept up their recent bad habit of allowing the opposition a half-time head-start.

Robert Duffy, who bagged both Rushden goals in the first match, had already been given a great opportunity on 13 minutes but fired wide after Kenny Coleman's error.

But Duffy out-jumped Lee Ayres to head Rushden in front on 36 minutes from Paul Underwood's left-wing cross.

Though Britton's men enjoyed the better of the opening period, their final ball was so often lacking with Turley's main saves coming from ambitious efforts.

The keeper comfortably held a Dean Bennett hooked shot from inside the area on 17 minutes but had to scramble to stop two half-chances before the break.

Turley turned a Sean Parrish 20-yarder around the post on 38 minutes and then did well to stop Henriksen's close-range overhead kick after a Sam Shilton set-piece.

But, unlike games over the last few weeks, Harriers struggled to get going after their interval team-talk and looked poor until Broughton struck on 72 minutes.

The visitors should have been further behind by the time Stuart Wardley fired home a precise through-ball from former Aggborough favourite Marcus Bignot on 66 minutes.

Only a great goal-line clearance from Ayres denied menacing winger Paul Hall eight minutes before and the simple follow-up was blasted wastefully against the bar by substitute Onandi Lowe.

Wardley was denied by a solid near-post save from Stuart Brock moments later.

Broughton's precise header from a Coleman cross, his fourth goal in six games, breathed new life into Harriers but it did not last for long.

Lowe may have added a third seven minutes before time but nodded Hall's perfect cross over the bar.

Dreams of a big FA Cup third round tie against Premiership opposition have died for yet another year but the key games do not stop for Harriers.

They bid to return to the play-off zone with a trip to leaders Hartlepool United on Saturday.

RUSHDEN: Turley; Bignot, Peters, Hunter, Underwood; Hall, Wardley, Mills, Gray (Bell 51); Duffy, Darby (Lowe 46). Subs: Sollitt, Talbot, Dempster.

HARRIERS: Brock 6; Coleman 5, Ayres 5, Hinton 5; Smith 5, Bennett 5 (Foster 67, 6), Williams 5 (Doyle 83), PARRISH 7, Shilton 5 (Joy 87); Broughton 5, Henriksen 6. Subs: Danby, Khela.

ATTENDANCE: 3,391.

SHOTS ON: Rushden 5, Harriers 6.

SHOTS OFF: Rushden 11, Harriers 3.

CORNERS: Rushden 5, Harriers 11.

GOALS: Duffy 36, Wardley 67, Broughton 73.

YELLOW CARDS: Rushden 2 (Lowe, Duffy), Harriers 2 (Hinton, Henriksen).

SHUTTLE STAR MAN: Sean Parrish. The pick of the midfield by far with a determined display. Mixed hard work and tackling with some energetic bursts forward.