Kidderminster Harriers 3 Exeter City 1.

Saturday 9 March 2002.

Referee: M Ryan

Att: 2615

Match Report from KidderminsterHarriers.com

Harriers ensured Third Division football for next season with their first win over Exeter City.

Harriers started in a much better fashion than they had the previous week against Hartlepool and took the lead after just ten minutes. lan Foster cut in from the left and curled his shot inside the far post.

The home side pressed forward against their disappointing guests and could have gone further ahead when lan Clarkson's long range shot stung the hands of Arjan van Heusden in the Exeter goal.

Stuart Brock wasn't a complete bystander, however, and saved from former Manchester United man Graeme Tomlinson and the dangerous Andy Roscoe. It was Harriers who found the net next, though, Shilton's pass set Larkin off on a run on the left, he pulled the ball back into the centre of the penalty area where Drewe Broughton steered it home for his seventh goal of the season.

The goal sparked a walk-out of Exeter fans and there was only thirty minutes of the game gone. At the end of the half Harriers were fortunate not to be reduced to ten men, lan Clarkson who had already been booked obstructed Graeme Power in the penalty area. Referee Ryan awarded an indirect free-kick and then reached for his notebook but for some reason showed the yellow card not to Clarkson but to Abdou Sall.

After the break the visitors appeared more determined to get back into the game and were given an unexpected lifeline after just four minutes. The ball was crossed from the right and Abdou Sall needlessly handled, leaving the referee with no option but to award a penalty.

Barry McConnell stepped up to take the kick and sent Brock the wrong way to score. Paul Buckle almost grabbed a spectacular equaliser when his blistering shot from out on the right wing beat Brock and crashed against the crossbar.

Harriers weathered the brief storm, but were not playing as fluently as in the first half. They continued to create chances but were not as ruthless in the penalty area as they should have been.

Some of the best chances came from free- kicks; Abdou Sall took a couple from just outside the penalty area using just raw power, but neither troubled Van Heusden.

Eventually, Harriers killed the game off when Foster scored his second of the match with a well-judged shot from just outside the penalty area on the left that found the far top corner.