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Hereford failed to ease pressure on themselves at the bottom of Enterprise National League North as they fell to their seventh straight defeat - the first time since the dreadful 1997/98 season when they dropped out of the Football League after 25 years.
Now eight points adrift with eight games to play, including three in hand, Hereford looked destined to seal a much-needed point at Abborough on Good Friday as a curling free kick from D’Ath two minutes from half-time cancelled out Ryley Reynolds’ opener after 22 minutes. But right at the death, Hereford suffered a killer blow as a rasping David Davis strike took two deflections into the top right-hand corner.
Rejecting fatigue as any sort of excuse, Aaron Downes made two changes to the side that lost 2-0 at home to Macclesfield on Tuesday, starting Mikey Lane and Harry Tustin ahead of Andy Williams and Keziah Martin.
With large spells of the game devoid of any sustained periods of quality, the Bulls did start positively as an early free-kick from captain Lawson D’Ath being nodded down by Matt Preston at the back post, only for his centre-back partner Kyle Howkins to see his low drive blocked.
In front of the vocal travelling fans in the South Stand, Harriers thought they had taken the lead when Seb Thompson’s thundering strike from a Reece Devine cross from the right cannoned down off the crossbar before being scrambled away.
While the Bulls did try to create meaningful chances, it was Harriers who looked more like scoring as in the 14th minute, Devine caused more issues for left-back Aaron Skinner, with his Kyle Howkins just beating Kieren Donnelly to the cross.
Eight minutes later, the hosts broke the deadlock. Once again down the right wing, Josh Robinson drove a cross into the box to be met by the surging Ryley Reynolds to poke home.
Refusing to let their heads drop, Lane - often looking completely lost and unenthused out-of-position on the right wing - forced Reece Lovett into tipping a shot over the bar from the restart, only for the linesman to raise his flag for offside. After a break in play after Davis clattered into Howkins in the Hereford box, the game settled - though Hereford’s effort and desire matched their opponents, lacking a cutting edge in the final third looked like it could prove costly.
However, before the break, Tustin’s cross-cum-shot from a long Skinner throw was tipped onto the crossbar by Lovett,
before a sublime curling 25-yard free-kick from D’Ath saw the Bulls pull themselves back level in the 43rd minute.
Half time: Kidderminster Harriers 1 - Hereford 1
Into the second half and the encounter still lacked quality from both sides, with fourth-placed Kidderminster not doing much to prove themselves superior. With the referee brandishing yellow cards for Easter - Preston for a foul and Howkins for dissent, adding to Skinner’s and D’Ath’s in the first half - it was 10 minutes until the first clear-cut chance. This time, ex-Bull Charlie Cooper had an effort fly wide of the upright, before Donnelly also blazed an effort over the bar from a half-cleared corner seven minutes later.
While Hereford had a fruitless corner, neither keeper had a save to make for the majority of the second 45. While Skinner was given his final warning for consistent fouls and D’Ath was struggling with a knock, Downes introduced Martin and Keenan Quansah, and Harriers also shuffled their pack. A cross from the hosts narrowly evaded the onrushing red and white shirts, before Theo Richardson was called into action to tip a speculative free-kick over the bar.
But as the game had a draw written all over it, one that would have been a fair result, Harriers found the winner in the seven minutes of injury time. Four minutes after the board went up, the decisive moment was Robinson doing well to hold onto possession in the danger area before laying off to Davis - while Freddy Wilcox charged to close him down, the shot took a deflection off him, then a wicked one off Tustin, before flying into the top corner to shatter the Bulls’ hopes.
Full time: Kidderminster Harriers 2 - Hereford 1
Attendance: 4,213 (801 away)
While Hereford deserved a point for their efforts at Aggborough on Good Friday, it's clear a lack of confidence and fatigue are affecting the side. Despite Kidderminster not proving themselves as anything special and being matched by the Bulls for most of the afternoon, the visitors were guilty of not creating - or taking - enough chances. As the threat of relegation seems to keep growing, the final month is going to be a very long one unless things can click - and fast.
Kidderminster Harriers: Lovett, Devine (Johnson 83’), Obi, Thompson (Morgan-Smith 83’), Donnelly (Love 90+3’), Faakye, Evans, Davis, Cooper, Reynolds (Walker 90+7’), Robinson.
Subs not used: Arthur, Hall, Bird
Hereford: Richardson, Skinner (Quansah 80’), Preston, D'Ath (Martin 70’), Lane (Donawa 90’), Munday, Daly, James, Willcox, Tustin, Howkins.
Subs not used: Lewis, Williams, Oppong