Recap: AFC Telford 1-2 Harriers

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HARRIERS produced another stirring late comeback, downing AFC Telford United 2-1 at the New Bucks Head.

For the second game in succession – and in the space of just a few days – the men from Aggborough showed their mettle to turn a deficit into a winning position, and this time with all three points on the line.

It was far from one-way traffic on the night. Rooted to the bottom of the table, Telford belied their position for much of the first half. Harriers had gone close through Ashley Hemmings’ shot wide, but the Bucks were in front when Brendon Daniels powered home from the spot after Joe Foulkes had been adjudged to have fouled Mo Faal in the area.

That seemed to knock the stuffing out of Harriers for a good 20 minutes, and it was a Telford lead that was almost doubled on 34 minutes when Faal intercepted a header back to Tom Billson with his own headed attempt – this one flying wide of the post.

Just as at St Albans on Saturday, the visitors were far brighter after the break and set quickly about their task of getting back on level terms. Inside the first five minutes of the period, Hemmings had twice gone close. First, a corner was knocked down to him in the area and a shot from close range smacked the post, before an effort aimed towards the far corner was collected by Bucks custodian Pilling.

Telford, determined to pick up what would’ve been just a second league win of the season, defended determinedly to keep Harriers at bay for much of what remained of the second half. The visitors, too, tightened up at the back and Billson remained unchallenged for virtually the entire 45, though he did scoop up a Daniels free kick on the hour.

The visitors kept plugging away and were rewarded with an equaliser six minutes from time. There seemed to be little avenue toward danger for Zak Brown with bodies in front of him in the area, but he showed his quality by expertly driving a low shot around them and into the far corner, past Pilling’s despairing drive.

Despite their relative solidity for much of the match up to then, Telford’s confidence crumbled at that point and Harriers, sensing blood, went for the kill and, with just three minutes left on the clock, Freemantle rose highest in the area to head home a Joe Leesley corner to take his own tally for the term to seven.

Disappointment turned to anger for the hosts in six minutes of added time. Daniels, who’d been a touch overzealous with his goal celebration in front of the Harriers fans an hour or so earlier, was made to trudge past them having been given his marching orders for an out-of-control lunge on Freemantle that got what it deserved.

Get full team line-ups and key match facts at The Match Centre.

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