Yeovil started the game purposefully, and played some bright football at times. They deserved the lead given when Foster netted in the 31st minute. But Kidderminster improved in the second-half, not least when they had a second player dismissed. A golden opportunity was spurned in injury time which would have given the nine-men a draw. Yeovil will be happy with the points this evening, if not with all aspects of the performance.
The home side's bright start brought some early chances; Warren Patmore only just failed to reach the ball at the far post when sliding in on a David Norton cross, and Matt Hayfield hit the outside of the post. Much of Yeovil's better play came through Norton, justifying his first Conference start for the club.
Adrian Foster hit just over the bar after 20 minutes following a great set-up involving Terry Skiverton and Steve Stott, the move being the highlight of the game until Foster scored. He got through on 31 minutes, beating a mostly-effective Kidderminster offside trap, and just as he seemed to have taken to long to line-up a shot, slid it past the Harriers' keeper Stuart Brock.
There were a few yellow cards handed out in the first half, including one for entering the field of play without permission for Harrier Steve Taylor. This was to prove costly in the second half when he picked up another card for a foul, and was dismissed. He was soon followed by team-mate James Collins, who received a straight red card after an assistant brought an offence (apparently verbals) to the attention of the referee.
Bizarrely, Harriers had the upper hand when playing with nine men against Yeovil's eleven. Yeovil's attempts on goal were largely long-range efforts, including a couple of good strikes from David Norton, but the quality of the crossing was poor and Warren Patmore had little chance in the area.
Jason Eaton should have secured the points when through on 90 minutes with just the keeper to beat, but his poor shot rebounded off the outside of the post. This would have proven costly had Kidderminster's Andy Brownrigg not fired over the bar when well placed after a good injury-time cross from Thomas Skovjberg.
So, three valuable points, but a variable performance. We were surprised that Ben Smith wasn't introduced in the second half, as he might have made more of the space afforded to Yeovil by the two missing opponents.
