Last-gasp goal denies Buxton victory as Kidderminster take a share

To come so close to victory was no mean feat as the second-placed Harriers had arrived as the division's form team with eight wins and a draw from their last nine outings, and 26 goals scored.

There was no winner on the field but the bumper crowd certainly was as the evenly-fought, action-packed second half produced thrills galore, even to the very last kick of the match, from which home 'keeper Paul Cooper showed fine anticipation to dive low to save and hold a far-post drive by substitute Beresford.

The entertainment was first-class in marked contrast to an opening period that was both cagey and scrappy as each side seemed wary of the other and only sparked into life in its last five minutes.

Firstly, a long ball forward, carried on the wind, set up visiting striker Hemmings but he shot wide from 16 yards. Buxton responded in added time with a powerful Oli Ewing run through midfield that released Ben Sault for a low cross from the left that lacked a team-mate to finish the move.

The even state of the first-half play certainly justified the three Buxton changes that had been made. Josh Williams replaced the unwell Will Trueman at full-back, midfielder Connor Kirby returned from suspension in place of Kez Martin, who was back from international duty with Bermuda, while Sault was given a forward role for the first time in two months as Johnny Johnston took his place on the substitutes' bench. Indeed Ben proved a lively, effective target man as the hosts built attacks.

Yet the second-half had an immediately different feel about it as both teams urgently sought ways of winning the match. Buxton had slightly tweaked the formation as Martin replaced Williams to function on the right, while Luke Brennan switched to the left.

Possession was again evenly shared, with the Bucks now benefiting from the strong easterly breeze at their backs as they attacked the Railway End with promise, notably when Kirby and Brennan combined, then when Sault was close to latching onto an angled through ball, but Brennan scuffed a 16-yard shot wide. With the exchanges increasingly feisty, the home defensive trio of Mann, Faulkner and Burton showed great strength, particularly in limiting the effectiveness of visiting attack-leader Morgan-Smith.

The Bucks found a new attacking dimension at the hour with the introduction of striker Johnston, who now used his pace to considerable effect, timing his runs without once straying offside, while Ewing was an impressively dominant figure in midfield.

With Harriers equally threatening it was still something of a surprise when Buxton took an 82nd-minute lead. Cian Coleman, who seems to specialise in spectacular and important goals, was the scorer with a superbly-curled, 18-yard shot into the far top corner after Ethan Mann had supplied the pass from the left.

While Harriers attacked desperately in search of an equaliser, even sending forward 'keeper Dibble at a corner-kick, the Bucks went close to a decisive second goal, firstly from a corner-kick, then as Tommy Elliott shot wide.

However, it was the visitors who netted through regular marksman Brown, with a perfectly-placed header beyond Cooper's reach following a corner-kick.

So the game reached its totally thrilling climax, with Harriers yet to achieve a Silverlands victory after four attempts and Buxton still with hope of making a play-off position.