Harriers 1, Aston Villa 1

HARRIERS played out a draw against Aston Villa at Aggborough as they continued their pre-season preparations.

Boss Neil MacFarlane's men faced a strong Villa side that featured the likes of Jack Grealish, Albert Adomah, Henri Lansbury and Alan Hutton.

It was the visitors that worked the first chance as Gary Gardner flashed a fourth minute free-kick narrowly wide.

Harriers were also keen to get on the front foot and began to enjoy a good spell of possession early on.

They opened the scoring in the ninth minute when a well-worked free-kick of their own eventually found Fraser Horsfall to tap home from close range after Jimmy O'Connor kept the ball alive in a packed penalty area.

However, it took Villa just two minutes to level as Harriers were caught out on the break.

Grealish weaved his way into the box before teeing up Harvey Knibbs to provide the finish.

Soon it was the Championship side that was dominating the ball as Harriers dropped deep to deal with the danger.

Grealish was Villa's main threat as he drifted into pockets of space in midfield.

He fired wide from distance on the half hour mark before Gardner rattled the woodwork from the edge of the box as the visitors turned the screw without finding a second before the break.

Harriers fielded a completely different team in the second period except for goalkeeper Hall. Kennedy Digie, Joel Taylor and Liam Truslove featured alongside a host of trialists.

The half was a much more even affair as both sides struggled to work clear openings.

Grealish wasted a free-kick in a dangerous position just past the hour mark as his effort from 20 yards cleared the Reds wall but also the bar.

Harriers carried a threat in the final third as Ed Williams and Dan Sweeney linked up in attack and pressed well without the ball.

Jack Clarke dragged an effort wide for Villa before Truslove fired a late Harriers free-kick into the wall as the clash ended all square.

It proved another good workout for MacFarlane's men who stood up well to the Villa challenge.

Starting XIs: Harriers: Hall, Vaughan, Austin, O'Connor, Horsfall, Johnson, Weeks, Daniels, Bradley, Chambers, Stratford.

Villa: Bunn, Taylor, Lansbury, Grealish, Sulliman, Hutton, Elphick, Gardner, Adomah, Clarke, Knibbs.

Att: 2,146 (1023).