Harriers 1, Cheltenham 0

Mat Kendrick reports from Aggborough

SPORTING a new skinhead haircut and with a steely determination in his eyes, Stuart Watkiss had a look of ruthlessness about him on Saturday - so too did his team.

Tenacious in the tackle and first to every second ball, Harriers threw themselves at everything in a second half rightly described by the manager as "our best 45 minutes since I came here".

Having got themselves in the now familiar position of leading the game, Harriers were in no mood to let it slip for the fourth successive match.

It was somewhat appropriate that having banged the drum with a pre-match rallying call in the programme, defender Johnny Mullins was the match-winner.

And after heading the only goal of the game from Dean Keates's inswinging right wing corner on 48 minutes Mullins was influential as Harriers set about defending it for dear life.

John Danby was also in outstanding form and not for the first time this season came to Kidderminster's rescue with some brilliant goalkeeping, in front of the admiring eyes of Manchester City goalkeeping coach and former England international Tim Flowers.

His first save was a brave block at the feet of Steve Gillespie midway through the second half, although he eclipsed that to tip over Gavin Caines header at point blank range.

Not that it was all backs-to-wall defending from Harriers. They just about had the better of a dour first half and should have led within 45 seconds of the kick off when Bertrand Cozic's tame back post effort from John McGrath's left-wing cross was kicked away by Cheltenham keeper Shane Higgs.

McGrath himself went close before the break when a shot with his weaker right foot, from Chris Beardsley's through ball, drifted just wide of the angle of post and bar.

And in the swirling wind and driving rain, Cheltenham almost gifted Harriers a half-time lead when Brian Wilson came within inches of inadvertantly heading Tom Bennett's dangerous cross past his own keeper.

A couple of first half defensive slips by Mark Jackson let in Gillespie and Steve Guinan but to Kidderminster's relief, the Robins' strikers left their shooting boots behind.

With the conditions in their favour after the interval Harriers soon set about bagging the first three of the 21 points Watkiss believes are needed to secure survival.

And after seeing their team throw away winning positions against Shrewsbury, Bristol Rovers and Rochdale in recent weeks, the Aggbororough faithful were chewing their nails again following Mullins' goal.

Blair Sturrock could and should have eased their nerves when he stole the ball of the toe of Beardsley in the penalty box, but his scuffed finish summed up a rare off day for the Scottish striker.

The same could not be said of Mullins with the former Reading defender arriving in the right place at the right time to meet two further Keates corners, although he was unable to provide the right finish and Harriers were forced to hang on.

Showing a bit of nous and a lot of football common sense, Kidderminster intelligently kept possession, hit the ball to the corners and ran the clock down to safeguard the win.

And Cozic could have had the last word against his former club when he cut inside and flashed a fierce drive just wide from the edge of the box.

In the end it mattered not as Kidderminster's third match unbeaten coincided with last gasp defeats for relegation rivals Scunthorpe and Cambridge and as the Harriers heroes left the pitch the clouds over Aggborough moved away and a little glimmer of sunshine shone down.

So that's one down and six to go and if Harriers are to achieve Watkiss's seven-win survival target, they've certainly set their standards now.

HARRIERS: Danby 8, Jenkins 7 (Weaver 46, 7), Hatswell 7, MULLINS 9, Jackson 7, Cozic 7, McGrath 8, Keates 7, Bennett 7, Beardsley 8, Sturrock 6. Subs not used: Lewis, Jones, Russell, Rawle.

CHELTENHAM: Higgs, Wilson, Victory, Taylor, Finnigan, Guinan (Spencer 63), McCann, Gill, Vincent (Odejayi 63), Caines, Gillespie. Subs not used: Brown, Townsend.

REFEREE: Phil Joslin (Nottinghamshire).

ATTENDANCE: 2,879 (away 755).