Kidderminster 2 Swansea 2

Even on the back of the excellent result at Southend on Tuesday, many people's (well ours at least) thoughts as they headed towards Kidderminster today were of the way that today's opponents destroyed us at the Vetch last October, and whether we could realistically expect any return from this game.

The plus side of this thought process is that only three players who started that match were also in today's starting line up – a real reflection of how things have changed at the Vetch in five months.

Anyway, a decent plate of food, and a couple of drinks at the Viaduct pub, together with some melodic singing from the Swans fans in the bar, sent us off to the ground with only today's game and a search for a parking space in mind.

The team:

The match was refereed by Uriah Rennie, making one of his obligatory descents from the Premiership into a lower division.

I very lively start to the game with play moving from end to end. The travelling Swans, who must have numbered around 750, were in fine voice, and their chant of 'you're supposed to be at home' to the opposing fans was very accurate in terms of the vocal support that each team was receiving. Add this to the differing campaigns that the teams are currently battling through, and you really do wonder what crowds the Swans would draw, at home and away, if they were on a promotion run.

Without any real penetration, Kidderminster took the lead on 7 minutes when Shilton put over a cross from the left. Cutler judged that it was going over, only for the ball to dip savagely, hit the upright and find its way across the line.

Not the start we needed or deserved, but very quickly the battling spirit that had been shown on Tuesday came to the surface again.

Thomas spooned an excellent chance over the bar on 16 minutes when he should have at least tested Frazer Digby in the Kidderminster goal, but five minutes later a superb volley by Martinez from just outside the area was parried by Digby, and Johnrose beat Nugent to the ball to score the equaliser from close range.

Kidderminster must have realised by then that this was going to be no repeat of the last meeting, and for long periods in the first half we put pressure on their defence, again without really threatening. We out performed them in terms of attempts on goal in the first half by 6 – 4, but when going forward Kidderminster always looked threatening, particularly with their crosses when attacking down their right flank.

Hylton was having his best game for the Swans since he arrived from Aston Villa, and thankfully with the help of Johnrose, limited the number of crosses that Kidderminster were able to deliver. As the game progressed, Martinez took complete control of the midfield, surely THE most singularly influential player we have seen for a long time.

On 31 minutes, Kidderminster took the lead once again, when Smith netted from 6 yards following a save from Cutler. We certainly didn't deserve to be behind at this stage, and we put matters right just 2 minutes later, when Martinez curled a free kick over and round the wall from some 20 yards, wrong footing Digby completely.

The half drew to a close, and seemed to have lasted a lot less than its 45 minute duration such was the excitement in this first period.

At half time the pitch was covered with people, too many to work out exactly what was going on. The one moment which was memorable was when the saying 'if you can keep your head when all those around you are losing theirs' seemed to escape Harry the Harrier, the Kidderminster mascot, as he was decapitated by Cyril. A couple of rounds of mud wrestling followed before they were separated.

There were no team changes at half time, but the second period did not match the first in terms of excitement or quality. The shot count of two apiece illustrates that the match was played out in midfield, and despite Martinez again controlling matters, the second half was a far more mundane affair.

Britton showed a few touches but was largely kept out of the game through tight marking. Maylett is yet to convince the fans that he has the pace or the aggression that is need to get some decent service to our front two, who themselves showed a distinct lack of pace throughout the match.

We played some good balls over the top of the Kidderminster defence but did not have the legs to get to the ball. Another excellent feature of today's game was the quality of our long range cross field balls, which went accurately to the target man, and were invariably controlled with skill when received.

Jenkins was sound throughout, as was Tate. O'Leary had only a couple of blemishes against what was an otherwise solid performance in the centre of defence. We played ourselves out of some situations with excellent footballing skills, but I am sure that with a faster front line, we could have kicked the ball 50 yards on some occasions, and split their defence with a little more regularity.

Cutler was not at fault for either goal, and made one excellent save whilst on the ground towards the end of the match.

An injury to Hylton 10 minutes from time saw Michael Howard get his first taste of competitive football for a little while, but he did not have sufficient time to make any real impact.

A good point gained, without a doubt, and four points from two away games in a week is an excellent return, spoiled in part only by the other results not going our way. It's a pity that we failed to capitalise on games against more lowly opposition at home which has left us needing these away points just to tread water as opposed to moving up the table.

Oxford at home next Friday is the next big thing, and maybe if we all stood down the away end, the team would get confused and give us a performance at the Vetch equal to what they seem to be able to produce away from home on a more regular basis.

Player ratings:

• Cutler – 7 – Not at fault for the goals. Solid performance.
• Jenkins – 7 – Good match, in defence and going forward
• Tate – 7 – Good all round performance, calm when it was needed most
• O'Leary – 7 – A couple of slips, but generally matched well with Tate in the centre
• Hylton – 7 – By far his best game to date. Featured regularly in attack, and limited opportunities for crosses
• Britton – 6 – Quiet game and not involved on more than a couple of occasions with any conviction
• Martinez – 8 – Easily man of the match, supreme control, superb goal, a joy to watch.
• Johnrose – 6 – Not back to the from he has shown, but still improving and effective in many phases
• Maylett – 5 – Still has not explained why he was signed to add pace and crosses
• Thomas – 6 – No real penetration, one missed chance, showed lack of pace
• Nugent – 6 – Pretty much a copy of Thomas' comments
• Howard – not on long enough to rate.

It was interesting to watch Uriah Rennie control this game. He had a natural ability to allow the game to flow, which was to his credit, through playing advantage. It was also very evident that he penalising not only the blatant indiscretions, but also the subtle ones which can sometimes fire up emotions in the players and spoil games.

It was a comfort to us all however, that he too missed some glaring incidents, and took clearly wrong decisions, confirming the fact that we supporters are far better referees than these men in the middle will ever be !!.

Kidderminster 2 Swansea 2

For a change it was a leisurely drive to one of the closest games. Another warm spring day as over 600 fans made the journey to Kidderminster. With only three sides of the ground open, one side demolished ready for a new stand, it seemed as the Swans would have about a third of the gate.

The players seemed relaxed as they warmed up, laughing and joking with the fans as well as Cyril the Swan who made one of his few appearances at an away ground.

The team lined up with

Most off the game was being played in midfield, but with the defenders dealing with most things, Kidderminster took the lead on 8 mins. A deep cross from the Kidderminster right seemed to be going past the goal and to safety, when it dipped, ending in the far top corner of the net. A sickening blow, as there had been no threat. The Swans to the credit fought back and were matching the higher position team. Success came when a strong shot by Martinez from outside the area, was parried by Digby, Nugent & Johnrose followed in, Johnrose got there first, and the Swans were back on level terms. The away end erupted with joy. With Kidderminster threatening to deceive, the Swans were giving as good as they got, but yet again we were caught cold. A shot in a crowded area was blocked by Cutler only for Smith to react quickest sending the return into an unguarded net. Two cruel goals against a team at home going for a play-off position. How would the team react?. We did not have long to wait for the answer. With only a further 3mins gone, the Swans were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area. Martinez weighed his options before sending a glorious shot over the wall bending into the top corner. Once again the away fans celebrated as we were back on level terms. Much of the remaining 10mins were played out with Kidderminster edging the procession without causing Cutler too many problems. WE did nearly make it three when a shot from Nugent was saved by Digby the ball hitting the side netting for a corner. Half time came with the team warmly applauded off the pitch. The half-time entertainment was 2 games played by youngsters, and both the Kiddie mascot as well as Cyril having shots at the goal in front of the away fans. Things did get a bit boisterous with a few rugby tackles and their mascot losing his head, until advised to retreat by a steward.

The first half had flown, with the game being 'nip and tuck', OK Huw it was a roller coaster half. (private joke).

The second half was a much duller affair, but the pattern was much the same as the first. Both teams tried, Kidderminster with long range shots, which never troubled the goal apart from one heart stopping moment, when with Cutler on the floor, a shot was aimed at goal only to see two desperate arms shoot up to save the day. The tension mounted as the minutes ticked away. The fans had been in full voice in the first, but it was not until the final 15mins that it picked up again. Hylton went down under a late tackle and things looked bad as a stretcher was called for. When off the field he did try to walk, but with no chance of resuming he was replaced by Howard. Hylton received warm applause as he hobbled past the away fans. Cutler had been taking full advantage of time wasting with every goal kick and was finally spoken to by referee Rennie. With the heart rate increasing the game headed for a draw. The board showed 3 mins added play, strange as it had looked as if the Hylton injury had taken longer than that. For those minutes the Swans held the ball apart from a slip in defence when trying to keep possession nearly let Kiddie in. On my watch I think we only played 2 ½ of those 3 mins.

Another good away result, with a battling performance in the run in. 7 more games to go until our fate is decided, with a mixture of other results today.

The team performed well against a team that on paper should have taken all 3 points. We didn't see the home game, with reports of Kiddie being one of the better teams in the division. On today's viewing, they are a hard working team, without an abundance of skill. The main tactic was a long ball forward, with 4 or 5 players eager to get on the receiving end. Whilst saying ours was a good team performance, there were some heart stopping moments as we wanted that extra second to clear the ball. Luck was with us on some occasions, but after the season we have had, surely it was long overdue. It was a second half of many nearlies. The ball could have bounced Kiddies way as they attacked but likewise a split second or half a yard could have seen the Swans in on goal.

Let's hope the team does not freeze for the remaining 4 home games, as we are capable of staying unbeaten for the remaining 3 away games.

Regards
Clive, Gareth & David

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