Recap: Harriers 1-0 South Shields

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HARRIERS rounded off the regular season with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over South Shields at Aggborough.

It was a result that secured a positive finish heading into the play-offs, while the result – and that at Fylde – denied a superb Shields side the title on the final day of the term.

It was a sharp start from Harriers, who threatened early on four minutes as Josh Robinson recycled a corner into the area and found Ryley Reynolds, whose clever flick struck the underside of the bar.

South Shields responded quickly and, on seven minutes, Will Jenkins was played through one-on-one, but Christian Dibble stood tall to make an important early stop.

The visitors continued to carry a threat, with Cedwyn Scott looking to slip Paul Blackett through on 22 minutes, only for Emeka Obi to read the danger well and intercept.

Harriers were inches away from breaking the deadlock on 26 minutes when Obi nodded a corner into the path of David Davis, whose ambitious overhead effort from close range was well kept out by Jasper Sheik.

The game continued at a high tempo after the break. Kam Kandola, introduced from the bench, arrived onto a loose ball on 51 minutes but lifted his effort over the bar, before Dibble was called into action again a minute later to parry away a strike from Blackett.

The decisive moment came on 59 minutes, and it was a move of real quality. Reece Devine showed excellent vision to pick out Seb Thompson, who calmly rolled the ball into the path of Reynolds. The forward kept his composure and finished confidently to give Harriers the lead.

South Shields pressed for a response, but Dibble was in inspired form. He raced off his line to deny Oliver Bainbridge on 61 minutes, before producing an outstanding save to turn Sean McGurk’s curling free kick around the post two minutes later.

Harriers continued to pose a threat on the break, with George Walker doing well to set up Brayden Johnson on 64 minutes, his effort blocked for a corner. Moments later, Obi was again involved, powering a close-range effort against the bar as the game opened up.

The closing stages required resilience, and Harriers showed it in abundance. On 87 minutes, Dibble made a low save before Ethan Mann’s follow-up was blocked on the line, and deep into stoppage time the goalkeeper produced one final crucial intervention, spreading himself to deny a close-range header with his legs.

It was a committed and disciplined performance from Harriers against a strong Shields outfit, ensuring a winning end to the regular season and building momentum ahead of next week’s play-off challenge.

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