PETTIT’S BIG MOMENT IS HEARTACHE FOR KIDDY
MAIDENHEAD United’s impressive unbeaten run couldn’t be halted by relegation threatened Kidderminster Harriers as Casey Pettit’s second-half strike secured the points.
A game of few chances and notable moments was settled by a real piece of quality from Ashley Nathaniel-George who set up Pettit for his 67th-minute winner.
Having pulled out wide the winger dodged inside and outside of his man before laying the ball off beautifully for Pettit to sidefoot home first time, the ball arching inside Christian Dibble’s near post.
“The boys were phenomenal,” Maidenhead’s assistant boss Ryan Peters said. “This game last season we would have lost, but the character in the dressing room this season is very good. The run we are on has given us belief and we’re going into this Christmas period full of confidence.”
Kidderminster boss Russ Penn felt his side should have taken something from the game – and they gave the Magpies’ defence one or two awkward moments even though their attacking threats were well marshalled by club captain Alan Massey, who was brilliant on his return to the starting line-up.
Harriers very nearly snatched an equaliser late into stoppage time when a corner was swung over, and substitute Gold Omotayo headed narrowly wide.
“I thought there was nothing in the game to be honest so I’m extremely disappointed to have lost,” Penn said. “The two teams cancelled each other out.
“We had a few half chances in the first half, a really big chance in the second half and a penalty (claim) that I thought was stonewall. We’ve ended up coming out of the game with nothing which is desperately disappointing.”
Having conceded late on to draw with 10-man York City in their last home game, manager Alan Devonshire must have let out a big sigh of relief.
Both keepers were forced into action early – Maidenhead’s Craig Ross dashimg out of his goal smartly to save at the feet of Ryan McLean, then Reece Smith prompting an equally alert stop from Dibble.
Kidderminster felt they should have had a penalty on the halfhour when Ashley Hemmings had his heels clipped inadvertently by Will De Havilland in the box, but referee Ben Wyatt waved away their appeals.
Maidenhead looked more like themselves in the second half with only a superb sliding challenge from Matt Preston denying Tobi Sho-Silva a clear sight on goal.
Nathaniel-George tested Dibble with a strike from distance on 55 minutes before he instigated Maidenhead’s winning goal. Peeling away to the left he bamboozled his marker and charged into the area before deftly laying the ball back for Pettit to fire home in unerring fashion.