Kidderminster Harriers stars praised for impact in emphatic FA Cup upset success
Harriers swept aside Doncaster of two divisions above in an emphatic FA Cup first round upset at Aggborough.
Paul Wotton praised the impact of new arrival Maz Kouhyar after he scored one and made another in Kidderminster’s 3-0 FA Cup victory against League One Doncaster.
The National League outfit opened the scoring after 22 minutes when ex-Walsall youngster Kouhyar pulled the ball back to Lewis Walker and he fired home at the second attempt after his initial shot had hit the upright.
The Harriers striker continued to cause problems, putting an effort over the crossbar and another just wide, but in the 36th minute he turned provider, charging upfield before teeing up Kouhyar and the on-loan Notts County midfielder slotted home.
On-loan Notts County midfielder Kouhyar, together with Southend loanee Sam Austin, made a huge impact for the National League side at a raucous Aggborough as Harriers continued another run in the competition with a place in round two.
Boss Wotton said: “When you bring in really good players, the rest of the squad have to step up and you could see that today.
“Lewis Walker has been good all season but today he was a real handful, a menace. We started well, scored the goal and got the crowd up. It was just a really good day.
“They are a League One team at the end of the day, no matter what the scoreline suggests. They are two leagues higher than us, so they are going to have moments in the game, but we stood up to it.
“We’ve been playing well but just not getting our rewards. Today we got our rewards. It’s been a really good day for the football club and a really good day for the fans, which is what it’s all about – you could just see the atmosphere at the end.”
Walker and skipper David Davis were also on target for Harriers and Doncaster boss Grant McCann admitted the best team won on the day.
“We deservedly got beat,” he said.
“When you play non-League teams or any team below you, you have to do the basics right, but they were more physical than us, picked up more second balls than us and they ran more than us.
“They did the basics and the dark arts of football so much better than us and they deserve to be in the next round.
“It’s such a hard job, football management.
“I always hold my hands up and I thought Kidderminster were outstanding today. You have to fight when you come to non-League grounds and we didn’t do that today, which is why we are out of the cup.”