Kidderminster 2 Albion XI 2

Lateef Elford-Alliyu celebrated his first professional contract by firing a young Albion team’s equaliser against a full-strength Kidderminster.

The Baggies had to fight back from 2-1 down despite taking the lead from a Josh Knight penalty.

Knight scored on 27 minutes but Harriers when level seven minutes later when former Albion trainee Brian Smikle crossed for Matthew Barnes-Homer to head home.

Kyle Hadley fired Mark Yates’ side ahead just before the hour-mark.

Knight had rattled the crossbar before Elford-Alliyu produced a cool finish into the bottom corner with seven minutes to go.

First-team coach Michael Appleton, who watched from the stands as Keith Downing managed Albion, said: “We rode our luck at times but we had three or four boys out there who have never played opponents anywhere near that level in terms of athleticism and physicality.”

“To their immense credit, the lads really stuck at it.”

Harriers: Coleman (Letheren 45), Courtney, Caines (McDermott 63), Riley (Costello 75), Baker (Knights 63), Hadley, McPhee (Hayward 63), Bennett (Dolman 63), Smikle, Barnes-Homer, Farrell (Sharpe 63).

Albion: Allsop, Lovell (Connolly 51), Brown, Labadie, Downing, Malcolm, Knight (Lynch 90), Worrell, Wood, Sawyers (Mantom 67). Subs: Tebbutt, O’Neill, Grier, Mannion, Mulholland.

Attendance: 1,057. Referee: R Lewis (Shropshire).