Harriers moved back into the National League North play-off places with a slender yet deserved 1-0 win at Peterborough Sports.

Amari Morgan-Smith netted his sixth goal of the season to ensure maximum spoils went the way of Phil Brown’s men at Pims Park, the hosts playing the majority of the game with ten men following the controversial sending of former Harriers hero Michael Gash.

It wrapped up a solid trio of games for the Aggborough outfit, the midweek 0-0 draw against Marine sandwiched by impressive displays on the road beginning with the 3-0 triumph at Needham Market.

Tasked with securing a third successive clean sheet was a Harriers side that featured two changes to the side that faced Marine, the outfit reverting to the set-up against Marine as David Davis and Maz Kouhyar re-took their places in the eleven at the expense of Jack Lambert and Maliq Cadogan.

Harriers created good chances throughout the first half, home stopper Peter Crook drawn into a smart stop on 14 minutes as Ashley Hemmings let fly with an acrobatic overhead kick inside the area, the effort turned away from the target.

Through Maz Kouhyar, the side always had a willing attacking outlet and on 37 minutes he drove forward, playing in Joe Foulkes who lifted a cross into the area for David Davis to meet, his header deflected behind.

In the final moments of the first half came arguably the day’s most contentious talking point. Harriers had been piling on the pressure, Kam Kandola having an effort from a corner tipped over by Crook before Kouhyar, teed up by Hemmings inside the area, fired at goal, his attempt cannoning off the underside of the bar and away. In the ensuing moments, the referee flashed a red card in the direction of home Player Manager Gash, seemingly for dissent, despite the veteran striker’s protestations.

That only further served to pile the pressure on Sports as they came out for the second period a man light, Harries making that numerical advantage count within 80 seconds of the restart, Reece Devine and Ashley Hemmings exchanging a neat one-two for the former to slide the ball across the area where Morgan-Smith was waiting to pounce and fire the ball into the net.

The game, while still keenly contested, was effectively over at that point as Harriers never looked like yielding in the defence of a deserved clean sheet.

Four past the hour, they almost had a second goal as Zak Brown watched the ball roll into his path before taking aim from distance, a firm drive from fully 30 yards saved well by Crook, parrying the ball into a crowd of bodies, though a follow-up into the net was ruled out for offside.

Dan Jarvis had a sight of goal for Peterborough on 71 minutes but found Christian Dibble between the sticks unmoved, before Devine unleashed a firm drive at the other end that Crook had to watch flash across his target, relieved when it crash wide.

13 before time, Hemmings and Devine got in a muddle at the far post and both went for a ball into the box and, in the end, the marksman’s effort was lacking in power and went wide, before Kouhyar’s effort, the final one of the day, was smothered by Crook.

Next up for Harriers is a home clash against Buxton on Saturday, 2nd November at 3pm.