AFC Wimbledon 1
Harriers 2

SUPERB Harriers recorded a memorable victory at AFC Wimbledon to keep the dream of promotion to the Football League going strong on Saturday.

Goals for Sean Canham and Jamille Matt made sure Harriers stretched their unbeaten run in the Blue Square Bet Premier to 11 games unbeaten.

With Fleetwood losing at home to Crawley, victory for the Aggborough outfit in London further cemented their place in the play-off spots and increased their points cushion to five points.

However, they had to endure a tense end after Dons substitute Lee Minshull pulled a late goal back.

But despite seven minutes of time added on, manager Steve Burr watched his side produce a typically mature display to send the 204 Harriers fans away happy and dreaming of promotion.

Burr made four changes from the side which drew 0-0 with Crawley.

Tom Sharpe (knee) and Mark Albrighton (tooth abssess) were out injured, with Lee Vaughan in at right-back and 15-goal top scorer Chris McPhee moved to centreback. As a result, Lee Morris and Jamille Matt were dropped to the bench, with Sean Canham acting as the lone front man and Nick Wright starting on the wing.

Midfielder Tom Shaw almost handed the away side the perfect start at a packed out Kingsmeadow inside the first minute, but his low right-foot effort was a fraction wide of the post.

Matty Blair came even closer in the fourth minute. He did well to bring down McPhee's long ball, cut in from the left wing and fire in a looping effort which keeper Seb Brown tipped over the bar.

Wright then breached the home defence when he got the better of Brett Johnson on the left of the Wimbledon box but with just Brown to beat he fired wide in the ninth minute.

Dons top scorer Danny Kedwell had a chance in the 14th minute after Callum Gittings fouled Steven Gregory. The striker's effort clipped the wall and keeper Danny Lewis reacted smartly to parry the ball at his left-hand post despite being wrong footed.

The home side were starting to see more of the ball and Steven Gregory's shot deflected off Mike Williams to fly wide of Lewis' goal.

Shaw ensured it was honours even on the half when he cleared a dangerous cross/shot from Wimbledon dangerman Kedwell.

Lewis then produced more heroics for the away side when he punched Kirk Hudson's stinging 25-yard effort away.

The save galvanised the away side and Wright came close to firing Harriers ahead with two chances in the as many minutes. The former Tamworth man raced onto Blair's pass and fired in a low left-footed shot which beat Brown but ricocheted off the ball of the post. Moments later, Wright's firm low effort was saved by Wimbledon's desperately diving custodian.

But Canham fired the visitors ahead in the 42nd minute.Wimbledon's defence seemed to be caught out and Wright's clever flick-on allowed the on-loan Hereford man to run through on goal and hammer a right-footed effort past a helpless Brown.

Wright perhaps should have doubled Harriers' lead seven minutes into the second half. He was allowed to break free after good work by Canham but saw his shot blocked by Stuart's challenge.

Harriers midfielder should have hit the target when he met Wright's cross with a flicked header which Brown took comfortably.

The turned in an end-to-end affair and Hudson shot over Lewis' bar from edge of the box after his run was unchecked by Harriers.

Canham was booked for a foul on Brett Johnson and was replaced almost immediately by striker Matt in the 63rd minute.

However, the game descended into confusion moments later after Wimbledon defender Sammy Moore was left in agony after an inocuous challenge with Shaw. He was eventually stretchered off and replaced by Minshull in the 69th minute.

Matt doubled Harriers' lead in the 73rd minute. He took full advantage of Brett Johnson's slip to race into the box and coolly slip the ball past Brown. The young striker was booked for his overzealous celebrations afterwards.

But the visitor's lead was halved in the 82nd minute, with substitute Lee Minshull's far post header beating Lewis from Gareth Gwillim's cross.

Kedwell then spurned a good chance when he failed to cleanly connect with the ball and fired a first-time effort off target.

Harriers were being pushed back by the hosts and were set for a tense end after the fourth official indicated there would be seven minutes time added on.

However, they maturely held off Wimbledon to seal their best performance of the season.

Harriers: Lewis; Vaughan; Williams; Briscoe; McPhee; Briggs; Wright (Hankin, 94); Shaw; Gittings; Blair; Canham (Matt, 63).

Unused substitutes: Stevens; Morris; Lowe.

Wimbledon: Brown; S Moore (Minshull, 69); Gwillim; Gregory; Johnson; Stuart; Mulley; Yussuff; Kedwell; L Moore (Jackson, 59); Hudson (Broughton, 76).

Unused substitutes: Harris; Turner.

Referee: John Hopkins. Attendance: 3,517 (204)