Video: Altrincham 1 Kidderminster Harriers 1

Kidderminster Harriers are on the brink of relegation despite Ben Whitfield overcoming illness to score a late equaliser against fellow strugglers Altrincham.

The Aggborough marksman pounced on 89 minutes in a disappointing deadlock, which leaves Harriers 12 points from safety with just five games left.

Altrincham had taken a ninth-minute lead through Damian Reevesm before being denied maximum points.

Whitfield shrugged aside stomach trouble to became Kidderminster's joint leading scorer in the National League Premier this season with five goals.

Illness had forced the talented on-loan youngster to miss bottom-of-the-table Harriers' 2-0 home defeat against play-off chasing Tranmere Rovers earlier in the week.

He returned to the side despite still feeling under the weather and gave Harriers a welcome tonic by netting with a beautifully-struck shot.

Whitfield, who also scored when Harriers drew 2-2 at Altrincham in October, said: "I didn't feel too good second-half.

"My stomach was rumbling again, but it was nice to get a goal. It's been coming for a while, so I'm happy to have scored."

Aggborough chief Colin Gordon saluted Whitfield for his tireless effort: "He's worked his socks off and he's running on empty.

"He's absolutely drained. How we have got 90 minutes out of him I'll never know.

"But that's just Ben. He's so honest he'll do everything he can for the team.

"He had stomach cramps before the game but he just told me he was going to keep going.

"You keep thinking you should take him off, but you can't and he proved why you can't at the end there."

Fourth-from-bottom Altrincham took the lead when hesitancy by goalkeeper Max O'Leary allowed Reeves to score with a smartly-taken lobbed shot.

Kidderminster tried hard to get back on terms and went close during the first period, with efforts from Elton Ngwatala and Luke Maxwell.

Both sides went near after the break before Harriers snatched a point when Whitfield beat goalkeeper Tim Deasy with a sweetly-struck drive.

Chief executive and caretaker boss Gordon said: "We deserved to take the game, but there was a ridiculous goal we conceded.

"It was a long-ball punt and we should have dealt with it. It was a horrible goal to concede.

"It just takes every bit of confidence out of you before you even start and we're forever having to do this.

"But we don't have, and never have had, a 20 goals a season man. It think that's the type of player we need at the club and, if we had, then I think that's a great platform to go forward."