Harriers 0
AFC Wimbledon 1

HARRIERS suffered a sobering defeat that brought them back down to Earth after a heady few weeks in the Blue Premier Square Premier.

If wins over Kettering and Oxford were intoxicating results and the draw at Wrexham last week a dizzying night of defensive debauchery, Harriers must have been suffering the mother of all hangovers against a robust and disciplined AFC Wimbledon side.

Despite the slenderness of the final score, no one who watched this match was under any illusions that Harriers had their moments, as Terry Brown’s team completely out played them.

This result was the polar opposite to the positive of their last home game, when Harriers outplayed Conference leader Oxford with consummate verve and determination. This time, only one or two players came out with anything like credit after a clutch of under par performances.

Unfortunately, it’s this inability to build momentum and a string of unbeaten results in the league that will keep them just outside the promotion play-offs.

Cracking the inconsistency problem is something that defender Martin Riley feels is key to their season.

He said: “We weren’t on our game and we know when we're at our best no one can live with us. At the moment it’s about consistency and doing it every week.

“Everyone’s disappointed, the gaffer and Neil [Howarth] included. It’s not good enough on our part that we perform like we did in the last three games and then play like that against Wimbledon.

“If we can crack the consistency, we'll be right up there this season.

“We didn’t play at all, we're about passing the ball when we can and I think with two big lads up front we got sucked into playing the ball early.”

One man who could not blamed for his defeat was striker Matthew Barnes-Homer, who watched his old team-mates toil from the stands after agreeing a move to Conference rivals Luton.

The nine-goal hitman’s absence was not the reason for the home side’s lamentable performance, although the sale of a key player to a promotion rival may have an effect on a young squad’s moral.

Damian Spencer, who signed on loan from Kettering, replaced him in the team and he added lots of hustle and muscle alongside the equally burly Robbie Matthews, and it was hardly their fault that their team-mates decided to forget their usual neat, passing game and opted for the long ball, which was meat and drink for Wimbledon’s well-drilled and huge defence.

In contrast, the visitors’ strike partnership of Danny Kedwell and Luke Moore were far more effective.

It was former Harriers trialist Kedwell who shot down Harriers and exposed the defence's lack of pace.

Centre back Gavin Caines did not have the legs to keep up with Kedwell, who raced onto Ricky Wellard's through ball, out paced the defender, rounded keeper Dean Coleman and slotted the ball into the back of the net.

If the away side had been more clinical after the break as Harriers almost paid the price for going for broke and Wimbledon carved them open on the counter-attack with ease, then this could have been a more embarrassing scoreline.

Harriers never looked like scoring, despite a flurry of set-pieces late on they only managed two strikes on target all game.

Brian Smikle should have done better in the first half, when Matthews nodded the ball into his path but shot straight at keeper Seb Brown.

Liam Dolman, enjoying his first league start in place of unwell right-back Duane Courtney, also saw a tame strike easily kept by Brown early in the second half, which summed up the host’s powderpuff display.

Harriers: Coleman 6; Caines 4; Riley 5; McPhee 5; BENNETT 7; Knights 5 (McDermott, 54); Smikle 5; Dolman 6 (Farrell, 80); Matthews 5; Andrew 6; Spencer 6 (Charles, 54). Unused substitutes: Baker; Hayward.

Wimbledon: Brown; Conroy; Johnson; Gregory; Lorraine; Judge; Wellard; Taylor; (Hatton, 82) Kedwell; Hendry (Godfrey, 77); Moore (Main, 44). Unused substitutes: Turner; Montague. Referee: Robert Madley. Attendance: 1,788 (397)