FC Halifax took an early lead through Kieron Morris on his home debut, but Kidderminster equalised late to force penalties, where the Harriers prevailed 4-3 to advance to the next round.
The Harriers kicked got the game kicked off, but it was the Shaymen who started aggressively, with Will Harris testing the Kidderminster defence early. The Harriers quickly responded through Reece Devine, whose cross was comfortably collected by Shaymen skipper Sam Johnson. In the opening ten minutes, Kidderminster dominated possession and created several opportunities, but Shaymen’s solid defensive line kept them at bay.
After 11 minutes, Town took the lead following a skillful run from David Kawa. Cutting the ball back into the box, he found Kieron Morris, who struck first time to score his first goal for the Shaymen on his home debut. Despite conceding, the Harriers immediately pressed for an equaliser, though they struggled to find a decisive pass.
The Shaymen became slightly sloppy after taking the lead, giving the Harriers moments of advantage. Around the 20-minute mark, Kidderminster nearly equalised when a corner fell to Toby Onanaye, whose header struck the post. The Shaymen quickly mounted counterattacks, with Will Harris and David Kawa combining well, but chances went narrowly wide. Another corner delivered by Florent Hoti found Harris again, but his shot sailed over the bar. Kidderminster’s counterattacks were repeatedly thwarted by Shaymen defender Shaun Hobson.
The first yellow card of the match was shown to Aj Warburton for an unnecessary challenge on Paul Kalambayi. Town continued to test the Harriers’ defence with swift counters, most notably a flick-on from Harris to Hugill, who drove into the box and crossed, only for no one to capitalize. As the first half drew to a close, Kawa had one more opportunity after a long ball, but the forward failed to convert.
The second half began with Kidderminster attacking immediately, causing confusion in the Shaymen box. Toby Onanaye’s shot was pushed out by Sam Johnson, and a 5-on-4 counterattack saw Cody Johnson thread a pass to Kieran Morris, whose cross toward Kawa was collected by keeper Christian Dibble. The second yellow of the game went to Toby Onanaye for a strong challenge on AJ Warburton.
With around 30 minutes remaining, the Shaymen eased off, allowing Kidderminster to probe for chances. Manager Adam Lakeland made substitutions to create fresh attacking options, replacing Florent Hoti with Owen Bray and David Kawa with Max Wright. The Shaymen responded with a brief attacking spell, supported by Cody Johnson, Harris, Bray, and Wright, though a final pass went wide. On 75 minutes, Kidderminster introduced Jack Clarke for Onanaye and Reece Hall for Kam Kondola, followed shortly by Amari Morgan-Smith for George Walker.
Kidderminster equalised in the 81st minute through Joe Foulkes, whose header from a long ball caused confusion in the Shaymen defence. Cody Johnson received a yellow card in the aftermath. The final ten minutes were dominated by Kidderminster, who looked to maintain possession and control, while the Shaymen struggled to create clear chances. Kieron Morris almost restored the lead for Town, delivering a ball into the box with no takers.
Lakeland made his third substitution, replacing Morris with Adam Adetoro, and Kidderminster made their fourth, bringing on Louis Francis for Owen Evans. In the dying moments, Kidderminster skipper David Davis received a yellow card. As the referee blew for full time, the game ended 1-1, leaving both sides to prepare for a penalty shootout after a tense and evenly contested encounter.
Harris opened the shootout with a successful penalty, with Morgan-Smith’s effort saved by a strong stop from Sam Johnson. Shaun Hobson was next whose penalty was also saved, while Kidderminster skipper David Davis scored his, with Johnson getting a touch. Adam Adetoro’s penalty was saved after a poor attempt, but Reece Devine calmly slotted his into the bottom left corner. Owen Bray followed suit, scoring confidently, and Ryley Reynolds sent Sam Johnson the wrong way to score in the right corner. Aj Warburton found the net, and Joe Foulkes completed the shootout with a decisive goal, making it 4-3 sending Kidderminster through to the next round.
FC Halifax Town
1 Johnson (c) 19 Warburton, 5 Hobson, 15 Smith, 36 Latty-Fairweather, 30 Johnson, 4 Hugill, 18 Hoti (17 Bray 69), 28 Morris (3 Adetoro 90), 22 Kawa (7 Wright 69), 9 Harris
Subs: 12 Ford, 16 Mills, 20 Jenkins, 33 Lavery
Kidderminster Harriers
21 Dibble, 3 Devine, 4 Kandola (15 Hall 74), 5 Obi, 12 Foulkes, 20 Walker (9 Morgan Smith 78) 24 Evans (19 Francis 90), 25 Kalambayi, 26 Davis (c), 29 Onanaye (8 Clarke 74), 30 Reynolds
Subs: 1 Palmer, 27 Sho-Silva, 31 MacDonald
Referee: Andrew Miller
Goals: Morris 11, Foulkes 81
Yellow Cards: Warburton 37, Onanaye 56, C Johnson 81, Davis 90
Red Cards: None
Attendance: 1298 (226 away)
FC Halifax Town 1 Kidderminster Harriers 1
Penalties:
FCHT Harris GOAL 1-0
KHFC Morgan- Smith SAVED 1-0
FCHT Hobson SAVED 1-0
KHFC Davis GOAL 1-1
FCHT Adetoro SAVED 1-1
KHFC Devine GOAL 1-2
FCHT Bray GOAL 2-2
KHFC Reynolds GOAL 2-3
FCHT Warburton GOAL 3-3
KHFC Foulkes 3-4
Read more posts by Charlie Wood
