Cobblers pegged back to draw by Kidderminster in entertaining pre-season friendly

Cobblers were pegged back to a 2-2 draw by Kidderminster Harriers in their penultimate pre-season friendly at Aggborough on Tuesday evening.

Well-taken goals from Sam Hoskins and Mitch Pinnock had Town ahead at the break, and manager Jon Brady would have been pleased with the improved cohesion of his side’s play, particularly in possession.

He would have been less impressed by a more disjointed second half though as Kiddy hit back, scoring twice in 15 minutes to secure themselves a draw. Town now have one more friendly to play – at MK Dons on Saturday – before the real stuff starts the following weekend.

A trialist played in goal for the first 45 minutes followed by a different trialist goalkeeper in the second half. Khanya Leshabela, another trialist, started again in midfield, and Ali Koiki, Jack Sowerby and Akin Odimayo all made their first starts of pre-season.

Kiddy made the slightly brighter start but Cobblers took the lead with their first attack of the game on five minutes when Mitch Pinnock released Akin Odimayo on the right and his excellent cross was deftly turned home by Hoskins.

Christian Dibble was alert to save from Louis Appéré but he could do nothing about Town’s second goal after 19 minutes as Shaun McWilliams was fouled and Pinnock stepped up to curl a superb free-kick up and over the wall and into the top corner.

Cobblers were largely in control throughout the first half, keeping the ball well and stringing together some nice phases of possession without creating much else as they took a two-goal lead into half-time.

Brady made five changes at half-time, including a different trialist between the sticks, with Josh Harrop (trialist), Aaron McGowan, Max Dyche and Patrick Brough also on, replacing Ali Koiki, Jack Sowerby, Manny Monthé and Odimayo.

Those alterations inevitably led to a more disjointed second half display, and Kidderminster should have halved the deficit on the hour-mark but an unmarked Amari Morgan-Smith headed wide at the back post.

The hosts were enjoying their best spell of the game and after Town’s trialist goalkeeper denied Zak Brown with a good stop, they were back in the game through Krystian Pearce’s towering header.

Kiddy secured themselves a draw with 15 minutes to play through Ashley Hemmings’ deflected strike.

Kidderminster: Dibble, Penny, Richards, Knight-Percival, Pearce, Phillips, Leesley, Morgan-Smith, Brown, Lissimore, Byrne ©

Subs: Palmer, Bishop, Hemmings, Lambert, Oxlaide-Chamberlain, McDonagh, Preston, Freemantle, Hewett, Hall, Maginness

Cobblers: Trialist A (Trialist D 45), Odimayo (McGowan 45), Sherring, Monthé (Dyche 45), Koiki (Brough 45), Sowerby (Harrop 45), McWilliams (Fox 60), Trialist B, Pinnock (Scott 83), Hoskins ©, Appere (Wyatt 83)

Subs not used: Dadge

Attendance: 840