THE KIDDS ARE ALL FRIGHT!
Minnows rock Irons... until Rice’s rescue act
DAVID MOYES compared Declan Rice to Steven Gerrard at the end of this throwback tie.
He was well within his rights to do so – if for no other reason than Rice saved his club from acute embarrassment.
Hammers boss Moyes is experienced enough to know that when the chips are down, big players step up.
And, OK, this wasn’t in the same league as the Liverpool legend’s intervention in the 2006 FA Cup Final – but Rice’s goal was just as vital.
With his side one goal adrift against these tricky Conference North opponents, the midfielder gathered himself for one last assault as the clock ticked over the regulation 90 minutes and into stoppage time.
Taking the ball just inside his own half, he drove forward for the umpteenth time, swapping passes with Pablo Fornals.
The Spaniard measured the return to perfection.
Rice took it, calmly stepped inside a despairing block from Harriers centre-back Matt
Preston and then lashed a shot into the roof of the net.
On a bobbly pitch against dangerously well-organised and determined opponents, it was a touch of undiluted class.
It enabled Jarrod Bowen to steal the glory in the final minute of extra-time – a horrible and illdeserved final kick in the teeth for Russell Penn’s valiant bunch – but the truth was there for all to see.
Moyes said: “What Declan did was there for everyone to see.
“He makes a difference – as he has been doing regularly for West Ham.
“It looked like no one else could get the goal we needed, especially at that time in the game. Then he did.
“He’s incredible, the boy. He reminds me so much of Steven Gerrard when he was in his pomp at Liverpool.
“The way he steps in to dominate games is very similar.
“He’s maturing, too. He’s having a bigger influence on games, he’s a special edition player.”
Rice was named among the substitutes, but, after an insipid 45 minutes in which Harriers took the lead, Moyes had to throw his star man into the fray.
Kiddy grabbed a lead in the 19th minute and held on for all they were worth. Issa Diop’s hack out on the flank on Amari Morgan-smith gave Omari Sterling-james the chance to swing over a free-kick that West Ham’s keeper Alphonse Areola made a half-hearted lunge towards.
He missed it. The ball pingponged off Diop and Harriers defender Nathan Cameron before it fell to full-back Alex Penny, who steered it into the empty net from 10 yards.
After the interval, the visitors improved. It was down to Rice’s prompting and he grabbed the leveller.
Thirty minutes of extra-time provided little by way of goalmouth action until the dying seconds when Aaron Cresswell took advantage of a deflected Andriy Yarmolenko shot to fire across goal and leave Bowen with an easy tap-in.
Kidderminster boss Penn (left) said: “Of course we’re disappointed by the timing of the goals, but I couldn’t be any more proud. They delivered heart and soul.
“David (Moyes) has been great. He said some really kind words at full-time, he said his side didn’t deserve to win.”