City 3 Harriers 2 (aet)
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| Worcester striker Craig Wilding is foiled by Dean Coleman as the Kidderminster keeper blocks his shot. |
MARK Danks' goal seven minutes from the end of extra-time secured Worcester City a 3-2 victory over Kidderminster Harriers and a place in the Worcestershire Senior Cup final.
Level at 2-2 at the end of normal time, the St George's Lane semi-final was heading for penalties before Danks met Jamie Price's left-wing corner and keeper Dean Coleman was unable to stop the substitute's powerful header from going over the line.
Matt Dinsmore had earlier put City ahead after just four minutes during a lively start for the hosts but Ian Foster, Harriers' physio, brought the Aggbor-ough club level with a freak cross-cum-shot on 29 minutes.
Price's excellent free-kick restored the lead for Richard Dryden's side eight minutes into the second-half but Kidderminster assistant boss Neil Howarth equalised again following a 67th-minute corner.
Dryden named a strong side with Nick Colley starting in midfield with David Burtoft, while Ryan Clarke partnered Chris Smith in the centre of defence. Shabir Khan also appeared as a 78th-minute substitute for Gary Walker.
City started like a train and took a deserved lead. Clarke pumped a long free-kick into the box, Harriers defender Paul Bignot could only flick it into Dinsmore's path and the teenage striker turned the ball past Coleman from close range.
The hosts continued to pressure and Craig Wilding squandered a great chance for a second when he over-ran the ball while in the clear and keeper Coleman was able to block.
Russ Penn fired wide from 20 yards after a neat back heel from the lively Brian Smikle on 25 minutes before Harriers drew level in bizarre circumstances 16 minutes before half-time. Foster floated in a harmless-looking cross from the left but Belford misjudged the flight of the ball and it sailed in over his head off the far post.
Price put Worcester back in front with a belting 53rd-minute free-kick. The Welsh midfielder placed the ball near to the left touchline and hit an unstoppable in-swinging effort past Coleman into the roof of the net.
Wilding and Burtoft then went close for the hosts before Harriers manager Mark Yates brought a good save out of Belford on 67 minutes and from the resulting corner Howarth prodded the ball home following a scramble in the six-yard box.
Belford palmed away Penn's drive on 81 minutes and twice saved well from Matthew Barnes-Homer in the first period of extra-time.
Chris Smith's header was pushed over by Coleman four minutes into the second period from Price's corner before Danks set up a final against Redditch United with his powerful header.
City: Belford 7, Ward (Brown 98) 6, Price 8, Smith 7, Clarke 8, Wood 8, Colley 7, Burtoft (Danks 84) 7, Dinsmore 8*, Wilding 7, Walker (Shabir 78) 6. Subs not used: Heeley, Tyack.
Harriers: Coleman 7, Bignot 7, Harkness 6, Hurren 6, McGrath 6, Howarth (Russell 90) 7, Smikle 8, Ferrell 7, Yates (Christie 90) 7, Foster (Barnes-Homer 46) 7, Penn 7. Subs not used: Bennett, Creighton.
Attendance: 544.
Referee: Adam Watts (Kidderminster).
10:25pm Monday 17th March 2008
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