FA Cup report: AFC Fylde 4 Kidderminster Harriers 2

Having drawn Football League sides on the three previous occasions they had reached the first round, the Coasters made the most of a home draw against lower-ranked opposition to book a place in Monday evening’s draw.Leading 1-0 at half-time, they moved into an unassailable four-goal lead through Danny Rowe’s second and strikes by Jonny Smith and Sam Finley.It was Fylde's fourth straight victory in all competitions and manager Dave Challinor stuck with the side that won the last two.The first opening fell to the hosts, when Jack Muldoon went one-on-one with Harriers keeper Brandon Hall but his left-footed strike across goal was marginally wide. Fylde took a deserved lead on 14 minutes, when Rowe expertly brought down Muldoon’s cross and beat his marker before powering his strike past the helpless Hall.Top scorer Rowe was proving a menace and almost added a second when he burst down the right and fizzed an effort wide of the far post.The visitors went close to an equaliser when Joe Ironside’s header across goal was an inch beyond the reach of James O’Connor, with the goal gaping.The Harriers went agonisingly close on the stoke of half-time, when James Pearson nodded narrowly wide and then saw his low header claimed by home keeper Jay Lynch at the second time of asking. After the restart, dangerman Rowe forced Hall into a smart save and would get the better of the Kidderminster custodian on 48 minutes.Finley’s cross fell to Smith, who poked the ball towards Rowe and the frontman lashed home from five yards. The difference in class was now apparent and the hosts piled on the visitors’ misery six minutes later as Smith raced from inside his own half to curl a beauty in off the far post.Kidderminster almost pulled one back on the hour, when the last of three successive corners was headed against the bar by O’Connor. The influential Finley fired narrowly over after a cute one-two with Muldoon, then rubbed salt in the Harriers’ wounds on 64 minutes. Smith broke down the left and squared the ball for the midfielder to find the bottom corner from the edge of the box. There was still life in the Harriers and Ironside should have scored when Pearson flashed an inviting ball across the goal-line.They pulled one back on 74 minutes, when full-back Joel Taylor was allowed far too much space in the Fylde box and curled a fine strike into the top corner.Ironside thought he had given the visitors hope inside the final 10 minutes but the linesman ruled out his back-post effort, then the unlucky frontman saw his header clip the woodwork.Muldoon should have iced Fylde’s cake when sent clear by Andy Bond but shot tamely straight at Hall.Andre Brown controlled a cross from the right to volley Kidderminster’s second from close range two minutes into stoppage time.

AFC Fylde: Lynch, Burke (Ezewele 45), Tunnicliffe, Edmundson, Francis-Angol, J. Taylor, Bond, Finley (Montrose 79), Smith (Grand 84), Muldoon, Rowe; Not used: Taylor, Blinkhorn, Tasdemir, Stott. Kidderminster: Hall, Pearson, Taylor, Croasdale, O’Connor, Horsfall, McQuilkin, Ngwatala, Sonupe (Weeks 70), Wright (Brown 60), Ironside; Not used: Finch, Truelove, Williams, Austin, Danko.Att: 1,480; Ref: Daniel Middleton