Kidderminster Harriers hit five to move within one win of promotion
Kidderminster Harriers will go into the final day of the National League North season top of the table with promotion in their hands after thrashing Hereford United 5-1.
The last home game of the campaign saw more than 5,300 fans packed into a sold-out Aggborough Stadium and Phil Brown's side made the perfect start with a goal inside two minutes.
Maz Kouhyar's cross found the unmarked David Worrall, who curled home to take the lead.
By the 18th minute Harriers had taken full control when Amari Morgan-Smith slotted home to make it 2-0, but Hereford added some nerves to proceedings by grabbing a goal before half-time.
Despite that, Harriers purred in the second half and quickly added a third through Kouhyar, who then made it 4-1 with his second shortly after. Morgan-Smith notched his brace in the dying minutes of the game.
Harriers sit top of the league heading into Saturday's trip to Southport, level on points with Brackley Town but with a 22-goal difference advantage, while they are two points clear of third-place Scunthorpe United.
Elsewhere in the league, Rushall Olympic lost 3-1 at Oxford City. The already relegated side were 2-0 down when Theo Williams struck, before the hosts added a third to kill the game off.
In the Southern Central Premier, Halesowen Town drew 1-1 with play-off rivals AFC Telford United.
Dylan Allen-Hadley scored the opener for Telford in the 20th minute but just two minutes into the start of the second half Kieren Donnelly struck for the Yeltz.
Neither side could find a late winner and they shared the points.
Stourbridge did pick up three points, however, with a 4-2 win over Bromsgrove Sporting.
Jake Jervis netted a late equaliser to keep alive Hednesford Town’s title hopes but a 1-1 draw at rivals Stafford Rangers saw them lose ground on Northern League Division One West leaders Widnes.
The Pitmen will head into Saturday’s visit of Runcorn Linnets needing to win, while hoping Widnes lose at home to Trafford if they are to finish top of the pile and avoid the play-offs.
While slimmer than they would prefer, their chances were minutes away from being extinguished completely when they trailed to Kaiman Anderson’s early opener in El Staffico.
But Jervis hammered home Dom McHale’s chance to keep the title race alive.
The Boro, meanwhile, still have hope of a top half finish as their impressive revival under Neil Kitching continued.
Chasetown confirmed their place in the play-offs with a 6-0 thrashing of Hanley Town. George Cater and Jack Clement both bagged second half braces at the Scholars Ground, after goals from Jack Langston and Kieran Fenton had put the hosts two to the good.
In the Midlands Division, a 90th minute goal from Darlaston Town’s Kieran Cook ended Sporting Khalsa’s play-off aspirations as the Black Country derby ended in a 1-1 draw.
Isai Marseila had opened the scoring for Khalsa early in the second half but they were stung at the death.
Lye Town, whose relegation has already been confirmed, claimed a morale-boosting 3-2 win at home to Coleshill Town.
