HARRIERS’ miserable home record continued with yet another dire defeat, Banbury United’s 2-0 victory inflicting on them their ninth home reverse of the term.

For the umpteenth time this season there was bad news at the team sheet exchange for Harriers – an injury curse that has impacted almost every member of the squad at some stage this season continued with Krystian Pearce pulling out with an injury.

His place in the starting eleven was taken by Nat Knight-Percival who himself returned from injury, while Christian Dibble was handed a first Harriers start at the expense of Tom Palmer who dropped to the substitutes’ bench.

It was Knight-Percival who had the game’s first chance with eight minutes gone as he carefully guided a shot towards the target that clipped the post. Tom Owen-Evans, a few minutes later, struck over from inside the area.

Those openings were as close as Harriers came to finding a first half breakthrough with some Ashley Hemmings efforts over the bar all that came after, and it was against an air of resignation that the visitors took the lead after the half-hour. With their first chance to get the ball into the box, a long throw wasn’t dealt with and ended up being turned home by Henry Landers.

Russ Penn signalled his frustration with the first half by making a double change at half time, throwing Zak Brown and Jack Bearne into the mix. It was Landers, though, who had the first chance of the half when his rising effort was tipped over the bar by Dibble.

Further chances came the way of the visitors when Jaanai Gordon headed into the hands of Dibble and Giorgio Rasulo hit over, Harriers finally getting on the radar either side of the hour when Morgan-Smith saw a header and low shot saved well by Jack Harding.

That being the sum total of the hosts’ attack in the half was always likely to come back to bite them and it did so with ten minutes remaining as Banbury notched their second and, with it, all three points. Jack Stevens, off the bench, made clear of his intent to put his free kick towards the top corner and the ball squeezed past Dibble courtesy of the stopper’s shoulder.

Harriers tired to push forward and were almost exposed for a third with five minutes left to play, but another sub in Slavi Spasov was thwarted by the post after rushing through one on one with Dibble.

Harriers now head to the road for a long-distance double in National League North, with treks to Chorley (Tuesday) and Darlington (Saturday, 25th) next up.