Harriers 2
AFC Wimbledon 0

GREAT Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, Vinnie Jones, The Crazy Gang, the LTA you Wimbledon boys really took a beating...

Brilliant Harriers sent the Londoners packing back to the common with their tail between their legs after totally outplaying a team hotly-tipped to be in the Blue Square Bet Premier title shake-up on Sunday.

It should not be forgotten that three days before Steve Burr’s team gave Wimbledon a chastening football lesson, Terry Brown’s impressive side had beaten Conference big-spenders Crawley Town.

In fact, Wimbledon had came to Aggborough looking for the point they needed to return them to the top of the table. As it was they left empty handed, while the home side gave Harriers’ long-suffering fans something to smile about.

Before this stunning display, Harriers had not performed at home and saved their best displays for away days, but they swept aside their Aggborough-phobia in emphatic fashion.

Harriers’ start was confident and they out passed and out fought Wimbledon, with Jack Byrne heading over early on and David Hankin seeing a cross tipped over by keeper Seb Brown.

Chris McPhee was also inches away from a Lee Morris cross, which was smothered by Wimbledon’s alert shot-stopper.

Such was Harriers’ dominance it looked a matter of time before they would score, but captain Keith Briggs squandered a chance to give them a deserved lead, leaping well to meet Callum Gittings’ cross only to head it wide.

That chance proved only to be a warning shot as Harriers made the breakthrough in the 44th minute. Morris was looking very sharp after a injury-hit time since joining the club and he showed a good turn of pace to get down the right, cut inside and square the ball to McPhee, who beat Brown with a firm low shot.

That 1-0 advantage would have been added to if not for the heroics of Brown, who pulled off two fine saves in the second half.

The keeper showed sharp reflexes to grasp Briggs’ strong snapshot. He then topped that save when he flung himself to his right to claw away Ollie Thorne’s goalbound far post header.

Hankin could have scored when Briggs teed him up for a lightning raid but his shot rolled across the face of goal.

But the three points was made safe in the 83rd minute, when substitutes Marc Williams and Matty Blair combined to devastating effect.

Williams did his case for a start no harm when he raced onto Blair’s throughball and despite his first low shot being saved by Brown, the striker had the presence of mind to turn home the ball into the back of the net via a deflection off Ed Harris, who was standing on the line.

If the goals put the finishing touches to a great performance, it was built on the bedrock of a defence marshalled by the immense Thorne.

The 20-year-old’s presence has done much to plug the leaks that had previously plagued Harriers and he produced his best performance yet, as he won every vital encounter, header and snuffed out the threat of Wimbledon’s nine-goal top scorer and former Harriers trialist Danny Kedwell.

Burr said: “That was our best performance at home and that’s what I wanted after our performance at Fleetwood.

“The lads have got their rewards, against a side like Wimbledon, who are really on a high. I was glad we have transmitted our good away form to Aggborough, I thought we played very well.

“We had a number of good chances in both halfs, they were pushing for a goal in the second but we could have scored more.

“We’ve been on a run of not losing and being hard to beat and I feel we’re starting to find our feet.

“One or two players have got used to the level as well and the rhythm and movement is a lot better than a month ago.

“They’re working hard, which you have to week-in week-out in this division, but we’ve got a good platform to build on.”

Harriers: Lewis 7; Vaughan 7; Mike Williams 7; Hankin 7 (Blair, 74); Briggs 8; Morris 7 (Marc Williams, 76); McPhee 7; Byrne 7; Briscoe 7; Gittings 7 (Shaw, 92); Thorne 9. Unused substitutes: Albrighton; Stevens.

AFC Wimbledon: Brown; Hatton; Bush (Wellard, 66); Gregory; Franks; Harris; Yussuff (Blackman, 61); Moore; Kedwell; Nwokeji (Main, 66); Jackson. Unused substitutes: Turner; Jones. Referee: Darren Handley (Lancashire). Attendance: 1,565 (470)