11/10/01 Lively attack gives hope for fans in the wind and rain

Stranded with the elements in a roofless away end, they saw Harriers threaten to thrash Macclesfield after months of under-achievement.

The strike force of on-loan Colin Larkin and Drewe Broughton posed problems galore as the whole team worked hard to snuff out a disappointing home side.

Watched by a crowd of 1,859 - a timely reminder of just how low Division Three gates can get - Harriers picked up their first away win of the season and ended a run of eight games without a success.

While Jan Molby's men have still only scored six in the league, Sunday's game gave hope that there are plenty of goals in this team.

Harriers, looking finely balanced, survived a few first-half scares and defended a string of set-pieces doggedly.

Larkin scored the 23rd minute winner but had great opportunities to claim a hat-trick with his pace and awareness hurting Macclesfield.

For him to be getting into these positions and then - more importantly - being giving the service was very encouraging.

The resulting boost in confidence will also be of benefit to Harriers as they take on rivals Cheltenham Town on Saturday at Aggborough.

And it should make a big difference to them on their travels, having gained only a third league away win in around a year.

Harriers, with Craig Hinton back from injury and Broughton, Danny Williams and Sam Shilton recalled to the first 11, started brightly.

Larkin had an early shot superbly blocked by Macclesfield skipper Darren Tinson before the home side woke up.

Lee Glover back-headed an effort onto the top of Stuart Brock's net and ambitious right-back George Abbey rifled an effort from distance at the keeper.

Then former Walsall man Kyle Lightbourne glanced a Karl Munroe cross wide on 20 minutes.

But Harriers were ahead three minutes later and it was a slick move that eventually earned them the points.

Scott Stamps found Shilton down the left, the winger did well to cross for Broughton and he cleverly laid the ball off for Larkin to tap crisply past Steve Wilson from 12 yards.

Only 27 minutes had gone when Williams released Larkin and the striker's efforts to get past Wilson failed with Broughton's rebound deflected wide.

But Harriers' former Conference rivals were to regret a miss on 34 minutes as they struggled to create chances after that.

Macclesfield's experienced midfielder Kevin Keen should have done better when he latched onto a loose ball but chipped the ball tamely into Brock's hands from outside the box.

The inspired visitors were able to strike on the break in the second half and Larkin wriggled free of the defence to test Wilson with a stinging near-post shot on 66 minutes.

Munroe did get too much space in the box soon after but Brock helped his shot across the face of goal.

And the miss of the match belonged to Larkin as he lifted a golden eight-yard chance over the bar 11 minutes from the end after Broughton caused confusion in the defence.

It did not matter as Harriers looked comfortable and the relief among the camp at the end was all too apparent.

The result led to Macclesfield's Gil Prescott abandoning his management role to move upstairs.

MACCLESFIELD: Wilson; Abbey, Tinson, Ridler, O'Neill; Eyre (Askey 61), Priest, Munroe, Keen; Glover, Lightbourne (Lambert 73). Subs not used: Martin, Came, Bamber.

HARRIERS: Brock 7; Clarkson 7, Smith 7, Hinton 7, Stamps 7; Bennett 7, Williams 7, Blake 7, Shilton 7; BROUGHTON 8, Larkin 7. Subs not used: Murphy, Foster, Ducros, Davies, Bird.

ATTENDANCE: 1,859.

SHOTS ON: Macclesfield 5 Harriers 4.

OFF: Macclesfield 10 Harriers 5.

CORNERS: Macclesfield 8 Harriers 4.

YELLOW CARDS: Macclesfield 1 (Glover), Harriers 0.

SHUTTLE STAR MAN, DREWE BROUGHTON: Has impressed since his move to Oxford collapsed. Won a lot in the air, worked hard and played a role in the goal. Looks like he could strike up a good partnership with Colin Larkin. Especially impressive in his defensive duties, helping Harriers successfully defend a series of set-pieces.