Bradford Park Avenue 1 Kidderminster Harriers 2 - Report
Kidderminster Harriers put behind their shock Emirates FA Cup exit behind them as they battled to earn a victory at high flying Bradford Park Avenue.
Ed Williams continued his fine form by netting a brace of goals in the final eight minutes to cancel out Conor Branson’s 61st minute opener for the hosts.
The host’s, whose owner Gareth Roberts flew in from Texas to attend the game, were a surprise package last season as they made the play-offs and ended Harriers season with victory at Aggborough twice in four days. They have maintained that form this season, sitting just two points behind the visitors, going into the fixture in third place.
The first half was a war of attrition, the gusting wind making it difficult for both sides leaving chances at a premium, the best of which fell to the home side as Lewis Knight’s right wing cross just eluded the onrushing Oli Johnson.
The second half was barely a few minutes old when Johnson diverted Branson’s shot wide of Brendan Hall’s right hand post.
Ashley Chambers header was cleared off the line by Gianluca Havern before Bradford netted the opener.
Lewis Knight’s free kick was headed down by Mark Beesley and Conor Branson crashed the ball into the centre of the net. Johnson struck the base of the upright as the home side sought a second.
Lee Vaughan, the marauding right back almost picked out the roof of the net with a couple of long range efforts as the home side just dropped their pace off the ball in the closing stages and they were made to pay for it.
Step up Ed Williams, the Harriers star celebrated his England ‘C’ cap in midweek with a superlative finish to level the score, outpacing Johnson and Danny Lowe to curl a rising left footer into the top corner.
He wasn’t finished there, as the home side struggled to contain the visiting forward line it as Williams who settled the game in the 90th minute driving a right footed shot that deflected off Danny Boshell on its way past Steven Drench, to give Harriers a seventh win from twelve and reduce the gap to Chorley to five points.
Bradford (Park Avenue): Drench, Ross, Lowe, Wroe (Boshell 56), Killock, Havern, Spencer (Toulson 90+3), Branson, Beesley (Nowakowski 89), Johnson, Knight. Subs Not Used:Atkinson.
Kidderminster Harriers: Hall, Vaughan, Austin (Taylor 79), O’Connor, Horsfall, Digie, Weeks, Daniels, Williams, Chambers (Baxendale 90+1), Ironside (Richards 64). Subs Not Used: Higginson, Palmer.
