Browse Sections

• Local football
• Local cricket

Droylsden 1 Kidderminster Harriers 0

Gary Owen
30/ 1/2008

BLOODS’ boss Dave Pace remained upbeat about his side’s survival chances following this narrow victory at the Butcher’s Arms.

Jody Banim scored the only goal of the game to give Droylsden three points after consecutive 5-0 defeats in their last two games.

Pace said: "I believe we’ll get out of it – I’ve said that all along. In fact, we can still mathematically win the league!

"It was hard to lift the players on the back of two successive 5-0 defeats, but we showed a lot of character today. We worked hard, closed them down, and tried to play with the ball on the floor.

"The transfer window remains open – I’ve already brought a few players in, and two more will follow next week, with a possible third."

It was the game’s first shot on target that brought the only goal, coming on 15 minutes when Banim collected the ball on the edge of the box before cutting inside and beating Scott Bevan with a left-footed drive low into the corner.

Steve Daly then headed over from a corner kick and Banim saw another shot blocked as the hosts began well.

Kidderminster then began to enjoy some good moments but it was 34 minutes before Paul Phillips had a save to make, an easy one from Alex Jeannin’s 30 yard effort.

Jeannin went close minutes later with a volley, but he was just a yard wide of the mark.

Droylsden almost doubled their lead before the break but Bevan twice denied Banim.

While Droylsden shaded matters in the first half, it was the Harriers who forced their hosts into a rearguard action for most of the second period, although Phillips remained largely untested.

Stuart Whitehead was presented with a great opportunity but headed wide from six yards when unmarked.

Droylsden occasionally broke out of their own half, and on one of those rare second-half forays, Conall Murtagh saw his first time volley fly wide.

Although Kidderminster continued to press, there was nobody on hand to convert a low cross into the box by James Constable and Phillips then saved at the second attempt from the Harriers striker.

Banim almost made the game safe in the dying moments, but Bevan was equal to his shot from a tight angle.

Jeannin also screwed an effort wide at the other end as the Bloods held on for victory to secure a precious three points.

While Harriers’ manager Mark Yates was a man of few words afterwards, Bevan acknowledged the visiting fans’ frustrations.

He admitted: "To come here and lose is very disappointing. Perhaps we were a little jaded from Tuesday, but we’re professionals and we were just not good enough today – we lacked quality and at times we defended poorly."