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Match report

Darlington 3 Kidderminster Harriers 0 

Thompson (11 mins, 1-0), Smith (50 mins, 2-0) Nicholson (52 mins, 3-0)

Darlington striker Stephen Thompson now has 88 goals to his credit for the club courtesy of a spectacular goal in a comfortable win over the play off chasing visitors.

Thommo scored a delightful goal on 11 minutes which gave Quakers the confidence to go on and secure a third successive home win that puts them in 13th place in the table, none points above the relegation zone and eight behind the play offs.

There were also goals for loanee Will Smith, his first for the club since joining from Barnsley, and top scorer Jordan Nicholson, who now has nine goals to his credit.

Kidderminster started the game well, passing the ball around and keeping possession. They won a corner on the right in the second minute, but Liam Hughes managed to head the ball away, and in the visitors’ next attack, Hughes charged down a shot by Lee Vaughan.

Thompson, playing up front with Harvey Saunders, won a corner for Quakers on 8 minutes . Galbraith swung the corner for Hughes to have a header deflected wide. From the following corner, Wheatley found Hughes at the far post, but the centre half was under pressure and could only head wide.

Quakers took the lead on 11 minutes with a brilliant goal by Thompson. He cleverly controlled a ball from Hughes 35 yards out, looked up, spotted the keeper off his line, and coolly lobbed the ball over him into the net – his 88^th goal for the club.

Kiddie had a chance to equalise when Kane Richards got behind Hughes, but pulled his right foot shot wide of the post.

It was nearly 2-0 on 20 minutes when Thompson picked the ball up in midfield, ran strongly into the Kidderminster box and struck a right foot shot that came back off the inside of the left hand post.

And again Quakers had a chance when Thompson chipped the ball into the six yard box from the right, and Saunders, charging in, had a header well pushed over the bar by Brandon Hall in the Kidderminster goal.

Another chance dropped Quakers’ way on 26 minutes when Hall came out of his box to clear, but only as far as Thompson, who tried to lob the keeper with his left foot from a tight angle, but he put the ball over.

Quakers had a penalty shout on 38 minutes when Wheatley was tripped as he tangled with a defender for a Galbraith corner, but the referee waved play on.

Williams Kokolo won the ball on the left on 44 minutes, made a good run forward, slipped the ball through to Saunders, but the keeper just beat the striker to the ball.

The half ended with Quakers on top after Kidderminster had enjoyed a very good first ten minutes.

Half time:  Darlington 1 Kidderminster 0

Quakers went 2-0 up on 50 minutes when Galbraith curled a corner from the right and Will Smith, coming in unmarked, glanced the ball into the roof of the net.

It was 3-0 on 52 minutes when Harvey Saunders laid the ball off for Nicholson. who ran forward, and hit a left foot shot across Hall into the bottom right hand corner.

After that, Quakers stayed well in control, and didn't take any risks.

Kiddie nearly got one back when a free kick was threaded through for Richards to run on to, but Maddison spread himself well to save.

It was nearly 4-0 though when Palmer won the ball in midfield and found Thompson, who cut in from the right and hit a left foot shot that Hall saved well.

Final score: Darlington 3 Kidderminster 0

Darlington: 

Maddison, Trotman, Kokolo, Smith, Hughes, Galbraith, Elliott, Wheatley, Saunders (sub Palmer 62), Thompson (sub Wollerton 79), Nicholson (sub Ainge 75)

Subs: Hall, Burn

Booking: Trotman

Kidderminster :

Hall, Vaughan, Austin (sub Baxendale 59), O’Connor (sub Heaton 45), Horsfall, Johnson, Weeks, Penn (sub Butterfield 72), Waring, Chambers, Richards

Subs:  Phillips, White

Bookings: Waring, Richards, Butterfield