ASHLEY Hemmings was on target to keep Harriers survival hopes well and truly alive as they secured a 1-1 draw at Wealdstone.

Hemmings ended his own ten-game personal goal drought by firing in a late leveller at Grosvenor Vale to even up a game in which the visitors had been second best.

The Stones had been in front after bossing the first period, but a strong finish from Phil Brown’s charges ensured nearly 400 away fans had at least something to take on the long journey home.

Brown had made two changes to his starting eleven with Jack Lambert and Regan Griffiths restored to the side. New signing Charlie Weston was handed a spot on the bench after joining on loan from Blackburn Rovers.

In front of a bumper crowd, Wealdstone started strongly and went close to a goal after six minutes, Christian Dibble called upon to turn as Sam Bowen’s free kick took a wicked deflection.

With 17 on the clock they’d have been baffled as to how they hadn’t netted. Charlie Barker’s low shot was deflected on the line as they pressed forward, Kallum Cesay then hitting a looping shot that dropped on to the bar with Dibble beaten, a third effort as a follow up then clipping the upright.

Ten before the break, Amari Morgan-Smith had the visitors first chance of the day when his bustling run ended with an angled shot that whistled past the far post.

Wealdstone took a lead into half time, finding a breakthrough in added time when Kretzschmar confidently fired across Dibble and into the far corner.

Harriers emerged from the changing room with some added enthusiasm, Morgan-Smith having a shot well smothered by Marcus Dewhurst, but it took the arrival of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on the hour for the men from Aggborough to really settle on the ball.

With 70 played, he superbly spread the ball out wide before continuing his run, the striker’s final effort kept out at almost point-blank range by Dewhurst.

12 minutes later Harriers were rewarded for their first real spell of pressure with an equaliser. Jack Lambert threaded the ball through to Hemmings who took a touch before firing low, the ball clipping the post and finding the net.

At that stage, Harriers actually looked the far more likely of the two teams to find a winning goal as they turned the screw on Wealdstone.

That winner was within a coat of paint of coming in the second of five minutes of added time, a corner delivery nudged into the direction of Krystian Pearce, whose header bounced off the bar.

Though Harriers desperately need some wins from their final five league matches to be in with a chance of surviving, another point on the road isn’t to be sniffed at as the Reds prepare for the visit of Altrincham to Aggborough on good Friday, 3pm.