Forest Green Rovers 2
Harriers 2

SUPER-SUB Stefan Moore rescued a point for nine-man Harriers on Tuesday night but the repercussions from this tempestuous game could have a telling effect on their play-off aspirations in the Blue Square Premier.

Moore lashed home an 88th minute equaliser to stretch the Aggborough side’s unbeaten run in the league to ten games.

That draw looked miles away after the visitors had Justin Richards and Martin Riley sent off and Mark Yates ordered from the technical area by erratic official David Coote.

Richards misses the next three games after being shown a straight red card for a reckless retaliation on Forest Green Rovers Lee Ayres, while Riley will be suspended for one match after two bookings.

Yates is also waiting to hear from the FA if he will be punished for his dismissal.

The slew of bookings were out of character for a team that has topped the league’s sportsmanship table all season.

Harriers started well against a side they have only beaten once in the previous nine attempts, while the hosts were eager to get stuck into the visitors.

The best moved of the match saw the visitors go ahead on the half hour mark.

Russ Penn found Matthew Barnes-Homer on the left and he rolled the ball into the path of winger Martin Brittain, who rifled the ball into the bottom corner.

Barnes-Homer then had a goal disallowed six minutes later for offside as Harriers bossed the match.

The trouble started in the 40th minute when Forest Green goal-machine Andy Mangan, who has been one of five players charged with gambling by the FA, looked offside when he powered into the box.

He was stopped in his tracks by Lee Baker’s challenge but the ball fell to the offside Conal Platt, who levelled the scores.

Harriers’ sense of injustice boiled over in the 42nd minute when Richards lunged head first at Ayres after being hacked down by a two-footed tackle from behind.

The striker was rightly shown a red card but the Forest Green man escaped with a yellow, much to the annoyance of the enraged visiting fans.

Despite the set back, Harriers regained their composure and did well to stifle the hosts after the break.

Forest Green hitman David Brown shot over from 12-yards out in the 53rd minute.

The lively Barnes-Homer was presented with a half chance after a slip by Ayres but shot tamely wide minutes later.

However, Yates troops looked to be weathering a difficult moment when all hell broke loose.

Dangerman Mangan’s header beat keeper Adam Bartlett in the 77th minute but things got even worse when Yates was dismissed by the referee while trying to shout orders at his players.

Riley then got his marching orders in the 82nd minute but can feel hard done by as the hapless referee lost it completely.

The defender got his first booking of the season after a regulation challenge on Lee Fowler in the 78th minute.

Four minutes later he made minimal contact with Mangan, who slipped on the skiddy surface as he powered towards the box, and was inexplicably shown a red.

But in Harriers’ darkest hour substitute Moore grabbed his first league goal for the club in the 88th minute.

The forward was given far too much space 25-yards out and he unleashed a thundering drive which gave keeper Terry Burton no chance.

Harriers: Bartlett 6; Baker 6 (Moore, 84); Creighton 7; Barnes-Homer 6; Penn 6 (Jones, 84); Richards 4; Brittain 7 (Smikle, 75); Riley 7; Bennett 6; Lowe 7; McPhee 7. Unused substitutes: Knights; Carr.

Forest Green: Burton; Stonehouse; Jones; Mangan; Platt; Smith; Preece; Fowler; Ayres; Brown (Rigoglioso, 85); Llloyd (Mohammed, 56). Unused substitutes: Rigoglioso; Ashford; McDonald; Pass. Referee: David Coote (Notts). Attendance: 907 (383)