RUSS Penn bemoaned the “shambolic” goals that cost his team at AFC Fylde as his side fell to a 2-1 defeat at AFC Fylde on Tuesday night.

A generally positive performance – including a sublime first Harriers goal for Kieran Phillips – was tainted by uncharacteristically poor goals at the other end as the home side struck twice in the last 11 minutes.

On the day skipper Shane Byrne underwent successful knee surgery, Harriers were again forced into changes to their starting line-up after Matt Preston was ruled out of action with a calf problem.

That’s expected to keep Preston on the sidelines for the next week or two, his spot in the eleven taken by Alex Penny, while Tom Palmer was drafted on to the bench at Mill Farm.

In a tussle of a first half, both sides traded mistakes and chances. After Zak Brown had forced Fylde goalkeeper Theo Richardson into an eighth minute save with a volley from inside the area, Luke Charman drew similar from Christian Dibble, a diving parry from the custodian to keep out an effort that looked like it might end up in the far corner.

An odd incident in between those two chances saw both Managers shown a yellow card. Haughton looked to have blocked a Dibble clearance unfairly, but the hosts charged forward, only to be thwarted by a good challenge from Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and an offside flag. Adam Murray seemed livid at the flag while Penn was presumably unhappy at The Coasters’ opportunism.

Eight before the break, Oxlade-Chamberlain got into good space but spurned the opening by firing over when Ashley Hemmings, inside the area, looked to represent a better option.

Early in the second half Harriers went close to an opener; Brown laying in Hemmings whose drive toward the bottom corner was kept out by Richardson. Harriers kept up their pressure and went close again through debutant Jack Lambert and Caleb Richard’s looping attempt.

Though Harriers racked up the clearer chances during that spell, they had to sustain considerable pressure at the other end – pressure that would tell on 79 minutes as the side conceded for the first time this season, Charman tucking a loose ball between the legs of Dibble.

It was almost two in as many minutes when home sub Omotayo nodded a deep cross on to the bar, but a superb finish from Phillips restored parity as he raced on to a ball forward before coolly chipping Richardson from distance to the delight of the travelling fans.

Just over a minute later the pendulum swung the way of the hosts once more. A ball into the box was poorly defended, Luke Conlan on hand to turn it home from inside the area.

After all of that, Harriers still had a chance to win it deep in injury time when Kai Lissimore stabbed over the bar and Oxlade-Chamberlain had an effort blocked.

After two lengthy journeys on the road in their most recent outings, Harriers are back to home comforts on Saaturday when they host Bromley at Aggborough, 3:00pm.