HARRIERS ARE PARTY POOPERS FOR LATICS

FRUSTRATED Micky Mellon said his Oldham Athletic side simply ‘did not compete’ as a rejuvenated Kidderminster Harriers turned party poopers at a packed Boundary Park.

With close to 12,000 watching on – the club’s biggest crowd since 2008 – Oldham’s four-match unbeaten run came to a fightless and limp end as goals from defenders Alex Penny and Reiss McNally, either side of a Nathan Sheron equaliser, returned Phil Brown’s team to winning ways.

“I’m gutted,” Mellon said. “We just did not compete at the level needed for that type of game, it was a battle and in the first half especially we didn’t win enough first balls and didn’t show the character to get forward and play.

“We had chances, and to be successful we have to be scoring them. I’m not making anyone responsible but we’re disappointed that we have to battle. Today just kind of ran away from us.”

Oldham, still in the playoff places, started abysmally and the visitors were able to regularly move the ball quickly forward down the right flank through wing-back Ash Hemmings. But it was centre-back Penny who was able to waltz through the Oldham midfield before toe-poking a shot at goal from the edge of the area beyond the wrong-footed Matt Hudson and into the bottom right corner.

Indeed, the Latics didn’t muster a shot until the third minute of added time in the first half.

After the break, it appeared Mellon’s presumed rocketing team talk had worked as Sheron received a cut back from Josh Lundstram and hit an excellent finish into the far corner from the right of the sixyard box four minutes in to the second period to make it 1-1.

But the comeback wasn’t to be as just ten minutes later Kiddy finally made one of their many corners count as McNally rose above Oldham strike Mike Fondop to head in from close range.

The hosts rarely troubled Christian Dibble in the Harriers net, although a Charlie Raglan header in the dying embers of the contest should have done much better than sailing into the stands behind the goal.

Harriers could have put the result beyond doubt when Sam Bellis rounded Hudson only to hit his effort against the post.

But Brown was still understandably delighted. “We worked from the first minute to the last and that’s what you have to do to come somewhere like Oldham and win the game,” he said.

“To win, maybe not comfortably but convincingly and confidently, shows the effort we’ve put in and the players deserve a huge pat on the back.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself, but it was good today to come here and win the game. And finally getting a goal from a set-piece was a result, too!” STAR MAN: Reiss McNally (Kidderminster) ATT: 11,881 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Richard Eley