Harriers suffer narrow home defeat as a late goal is ruled out

They fell behind to a brace from Lee Ndlovu before recent signing Gold Omotayo pulled one back with his first goal for the club.

All three goals were scored during the first half.

The defeat leaves second-from-bottom Harriers with only two home league victories to their credit so far this season.

It followed their 1-1 stalemate at Boreham Wood on Boxing Day when Ashley Hemmings came off the substitutes’ bench to score a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser from the penalty spot.

Harriers made two changes from the side which shared the points at Meadow Park earlier in the week, with Hemmings returning to the starting line-up along with Ryan McLean.

The visitors caused an anxious moment early on when a free kick into the danger zone by Erico Sousa was confidently punched away to safety by goalkeeper Christian Dibble.

Harriers responded with a teasing sixth-minute corner by Jack Lambert which was confidently dealt with by the Boreham Wood defence.

Lambert was then in the thick of the action again in the next minute when he pulled the trigger on a long range shot which was well pushed away for an unproductive corner by goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore.

The prominent Lambert tried his luck again with another shot shortly afterwards, but this time his effort went harmlessly wide.

Mo Sagaf then got in on the shooting act with a fierce drive from the edge of the area which fizzed narrowly wide before his side took the lead in the 27th minute through Ndlovu. Wood took the lead in the 27th minute when Ndlovu forced his way into the area and drove the ball past Christian Dibble to finish off a chance created by Tom Whelan.

Harriers quickly set about trying to repair the damage and Lambert set up Hemmings for a shot on goal which was not powerful enough to prevent Ashmore from saving.

The hosts kept up a spell of pressure by forcing four corners in a short space of time, but all proved fruitless.

The visitors, however, made it 2-0 one minute into first-half stoppage time when a cross from Sousa was finished off by Ndlovu from close range.

Stunned Harriers hit back almost immediately when Omotayo did well to head home a cross from Sammy Robinson to make it 2-1 at half-time. The hosts brought on substitute Amari Morgan-Smith for McLean at the start of the second period in a bid to put more pressure on the Wood rearguard.

Lambert continued his shoot-on-sight policy and had a couple of unsuccessful efforts before Omotayo forced a good low save from Ashmore.

Skipper Shane Byrne had a pile-driver shave the angle of post and bar before seeing his first-time shot soon afterwards well saved by Ashmore as Harriers battled hard to find an equaliser.

Ashmore also saved well from unlucky Lambert who then had another terrific shot rebound to safety off the woodwork in the 76th minute.

Omotayo was also denied by Ashmore, but for all their attacking efforts Harriers again fell to another damaging narrow defeat after having a Morgan-Smith goal disallowed for a foul at the death.