KIDDERMINSTER captain Chris Pocknell hailed their first points of 2005 after they came out on top in an 11-goal thriller at Solihull Blossomfield.

He said: "This was a great performance from the guys. We really needed this result to keep in touch with the last promotion spot and it was a huge test of character for every single player."

Kidderminster started brightly and took the lead on 10 minutes when Tom Jarvie rounded the keeper after a neat move. Jarvie added a second minutes later when he capitalised upon an opponent's mistake after good harrying from his team-mates.

Soon after top scorer Matt Edwards got in on the act to give them a comfortable 3-0 lead with a trademark reverse stick strike. And although battling Blossomfield pulled one back before half-time, Andy Pocknell restored the three-goal advantage with a short corner drag flick just after the break.

A bad 10-minute spell in which Kidderminster hardly touched the ball brought Blossomfield two goals and as the game tooed and froed Edwards and A Pocknell struck again to make it 6-3. Blossomfield refused to lie down and staged a grandstand finish, pulling back two more goals, but Kidderminster held on to claim the points.

Struggling Old Silhilians are the visitors to King Charles I at 2pm on Saturday as fourth-placed Kidderminster bid to put pressure on the West Midlands Premier Division promotion-chasers.

Kidderminster Ladies were on the receiving end of a 6-0 thrashing at Droitwich despite entering the game on a high after two wins. Late withdrawals left them with just 10 players and it was clear from the off that they would struggle as Droitwich took control. Droitwich were 2-0 up after five minutes and after making it three by half-time, killed Kidderminster off after the break.

Skipper Becky Weaver tried to rouse her troops but to no avail and she will be demanding better when they host Droitwich seconds in friendly at 11am on Saturday.

A great team performance saw Kidderminster seconds cruise past a strong Redditch team with Phil Williams, Dave Mills and Rupert Upshot on target in a 3-1 win. Their survival bid continues on Saturday, but they face a tough task against table-toppers Old Halesonians.

There was also success for Kidderminster Veterans who turned in their best performance of the season to beat Stratford 3-2. Two goals from debutant Neil Jackson, including his spectacular winner, and a Chris Sollom strike was enough to seal the victory. On Saturday they host rivals Stourport in a local derby.