Aaron the saviour
By Echo reporter

Monday 28th August 2006

GOALKEEPER Aaron Lee-Barrett starred as Weymouth continued their 100 per cent start to the Conference National season at Kidderminster Harriers.

The former Cardiff City youngster was in inspired form at Aggborough, just 24 hours after he received a call-up for the England National Game side next month.

Garry Hill's men had an early penalty from Chukki Eribenne to thank for their fourth win in fourth games, but after that they were forced to survive fierce Harriers pressure.

Kidderminster boasted an experienced line-up with the likes of Jeff Kenna, who won the Premiership with Blackburn Rovers, and former Derby County striker Dean Sturridge in the squad, but it was the visitors who were quickest out of the blocks.

Striker Raphael Nade won a corner as Kenna was forced to deflect his cross behind.

With barely ten minutes gone Weymouth were awarded a penalty after Kidderminster captain Stuart Whitehead was adjudged to have handled Lee Elam's attempted shot, Eribenne showed great composure to send goalkeeper Scott Bevan the wrong way.

Within four minutes the lead could have been doubled as Eribenne continued to make a nuisance of himself among the home defence, he was able to beat his man and fire in a dangerous cross that Bevan clutched on to.

Kidderminster had their first meaningful attack on goal with 20 minutes on the clock as Mark Creighton's header from Jake Sedgemore's sweeping cross was clawed off the line, the ball was quickly re-cycled into the area and Luke Reynolds' back header was tipped over superbly by Lee-Barrett.

Ten minutes later with the hosts throwing men forward, Simon Weatherstone made a mockery of the one-man defence left back by Kiddermin-ster to run down on goal and fire a low shot that Bevan did well to keep out.

Lee-Barrett made two more saves before the interval, the first from Russell Penn's header, and the second a superb stop from another Reynolds' header, the result of a goalmouth scramble in which Simon Downer took a clattering.

The Terras custodian saved his best stop of the game until the 50th minute, though, as Luke Reynolds tricked his way into the area and fired a low shot goalwards that took a wicked deflection off a Kidderminster man.

It wasn't enough to fool Lee-Barrett though who reacted quickly to scoop the ball round the post.

With Weymouth's defence more than capable of soaking up the constant Kidderminster

pressure, second-half attacks were at a premium for the Terras but they still managed to ask questions of the home defence as Kenna was forced to nervously head behind Nick Crittenden's tricky cross.

Moments before, Nade could have arguably wrapped up the points as he beat the offside trap and waited for Bevan to commit himself to ground - the loan striker's low shot trickled just wide.

The visitors played as a tight unit and defended well together, no more evident than when substitute Tony James was called into action to keep Reynolds' low shot from crossing the line with 13 minutes to play.

Lee-Barrett pulled off a smart double-save from Sturridge as the game entered four minutes of injury time, ironically the only time Kidderminster managed to beat the 22-year-old was with Penn's long-range drive hit the bar and deflected away.

It was hard work for Weymouth but for all of Kidderminster's attempts the three points ended up coming back to the Wessex ahead of the big game against Oxford United today.