MY ACCOUNT
Sixth-tier Kidderminster Harriers took West Ham to the brink of a penalty shootout, but Jarrod Bowen’s stoppage-time goal in extra time saw the Hammers into the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 win.
National League North Kidderminster took the lead in the 19th minute. West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola came off his line but failed to get any of the ball as a free-kick was delivered, deflecting off Nathan Cameron and into the path of Alex Penny, who turned into an empty net.
The hosts and their Premier League visitors were separated by 113 places in the English football pyramid, but West Ham were unable to display their superiority.
That was until Declan Rice popped up in the first minute of stoppage time, wriggling into the box and rifling a shot high into the net at the near post to force extra time.
Kidderminster looked set to hold out for the lottery of penalties, but Bowen arrived at the back post to turn a loose ball home and send West Ham into the next round.
West Ham goalscorer Rice gave credit to Kidderminster, suggesting the hosts deserved to progress.
He said: “Massive, massive respect to Kidderminster. We watched some videos of them this week and they’ve been flying. You could see it on the bench with their manager.
“We weren’t at our best today and scraped it with two goals. They probably deserved it if I’m being honest. We need to improve if we want to push on but massive congratulations to them because they were excellent.
“The fans are on top of you and they will fight for every ball. It can be a shock to the system. We know what to expect but it’s hard to get to grips with.
“They were in great shape, pressed hard and they made some great substitutions but we’re through to the next round so that’s the most important thing.”
More to follow…
