HARRIERS notched their fifth clean sheet in eight games this season with a hard-working performance against title favourites AFC Fylde at Aggborough.

It was undoubtedly a night on which defences came out on top, and neither goalkeeper found themselves urgently to extended. That said, it still proved an entertaining enough game as two sides high on quality probed one another in search of a breakthrough.

Another 2,000+ Aggborough crowd paid its respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II before kick-off, and after ten minutes, Nick Haughton struck off target for Fylde with the first opening of the game – a chance for Harriers following soon after as Yusifu Ceesay shot from 12 yards, goalkeeper Chris Neal getting down quickly to smother the danger.

With 13 minutes on the clock, Tom Walker almost saw a low, angled effort creep in at the far post only for Tom Palmer to deal with it well, with Connor Barrett in space in the area ten minutes later to chest and volley over the bar with one of the night’s clear sights of goal.

Keziah Martin almost netted an outrageous opener on 35 minutes as he kept the ball confidently before firing from 20 yards with an effort that had Neal beat, but also his target. Ethan Freemantle’s great work to get a cross into the area just after looked to have found Ashley Hemmings, but his effort over the bar was cancelled out by an offside flag.

Harriers had several sights of the target early in the second period but weren’t able to trouble Neal with them – Hemmings going decidedly closer on 55 minutes when his dipping effort needing the custodian’s intervention to head over the bar. Neal did well four minutes later to save a Nat Knight-Percival header.

There were openings for Fylde in the second half, too – the best of them came via the lively Haughton who, with eight gone after the hour, drove an angled attempt that drew Palmer’s best save of the night.

The final 12 minutes produced one last chance apiece; Hemmings spun and volleyed over the bar from inside the area, before Haughton again threatened with a firm shot that flew up and over Palmer’s near post.