Match Report: South Shields 0-5 Kidderminster Harriers

South Shields were well-beaten by Kidderminster Harriers, who soared to a 5-0 win at 1st Cloud Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Ashley Hemmings backed a hat-trick as he went three goals past Shields’ Paul Blackett in all competitions, and he now leads in the Vanarama National League North golden boot race.

Strikes by Kyle Morrison and Maz Kouhyar added to what was a deflating day for Elliott Dickman’s side.

Shields came into the game with confidence, off the back of a 2-0 win on the road against Peterborough Sports, but they were unable to replicate that performance this time around.

Kidderminster were the stronger team from the off - their first chance came when an inswinging cross by Reece Devine found Hemmings waiting in the wings, but his header was saved by Seymour.

They repeated the endeavour two minutes later, however, and got their rewards from a free-kick to give the visitors the lead. 

Shields passed the ball well in typical fashion but created little in the first-half, besides a chance for Blackett who was sent one-on-one, but he was unable to put it past Christian Dibble. 

The visitors doubled their lead from a surging counter-attack: within seconds it flew from well within Kidderminster’s defending-half into the back of the net; Hemmings with his first of the game.

Iestyn Hughes had a decent chance for Shields just before the break but his attempt was well-saved. 

It took just 90 seconds for Kidderminster to find their third of the afternoon, through Maz Kouhyar. 

Seymour’s goal-kick had been intercepted and it didn’t take long for Kouhyar to charge up the field, before knocking it past the young goalkeeper into an empty net. 

Before too long, their miseries were compounded when only five minutes later, Hemmings headed in Kidderminster’s fourth strike. 

Hemmings grabbed his third, and the team’s fifth goal, with a low overhead-kick in the box in the 67th minute.

The Mariners will want to quickly move on from Saturday’s game, and Tuesday’s home game against Oxford City should give them the perfect opportunity to do so. 

South Shields: Seymour, Hughes, Briggs, Broadbent, Shepherd, Myers-Smith (Smith 57'), Carson, Ward (Stephenson 56'), Jenkins, Crossley, Blackett.

Unused substitutes: Boney, Sloan, McGowan.

Kidderminster Harriers: Dibble, Richards, Devine, McNally, Worrall, Morgan-Smith (Downing 79'), Hemmings (Lutz 68'), Brown (Reynolds 76'), Kouhyar (Davis 59'), Morrison, Kandola.

Unused substitutes: Palmer.

Goals: Morrison (13'), Hemmings (37', 52', 67'), Kouhyar (52').

Attendance: 2,150. 

Image credit: Kev Wilson (@KevWilson19)