Saturday, November 24, 2001

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers are just one place away from the play-off zone after storming to their fourth Nationwide League Division Three victory on the trot with a 3-0 triumph over Rushden & Diamonds at Aggborough on Saturday.

Well-taken goals from Dean Bennett, Mark Blake and Colin Larkin killed off their former Conference rivals who had gone 12 league matches without defeat.

The result delighted Aggborough boss Jan Molby, whose eighth-placed side who are in their highest position in the table since August 25.

He said: "We're obviously doing very well at the moment. Rushden & Diamonds don't concede an awful lost of goals, but we kept at it.

"Certainly in the first-half they had more of the possession, but we scored a fantastic goal. Second half we were the better team.

"We created a lot of good chances and the second goal, like the first was fantastic.

"All in all we are pleased. There's still 26 games to play so we have to keep going.

"We have a couple of qualities. One is our fitness and the other is our pace and teams find that difficult to play against. That pace will eventually get you chances and we took them.

"The players are playing with a great deal of desire at the moment.

"I think they realise they had been under achieving, but we have some excellent footballers and everybody has played their part which is important."

Molby, however, admits that Harriers will need results from other matches to go in their favour if they are to eventually book a place in the play-offs.

"We want some of the other teams to start faltering. They have had their good spell and we are just coming into ours, so we need one or two of them to drop a few points for us to really be able to get into the shake-up."

Kidderminster took the lead in the 28th minute when on-loan Richie Appleby fed striker Larkin whose perfect cross was cracked in from six yards by man-of-the- match Bennett -- his fourth league goal in as many games.

On the stroke of half time keeper Stuart Brock made a crucial contribution when he pulled off an excellent diving save to stop a curling free kick by Ritchie Hanlon.

After the break Kidderminster took control and created several chances.

Larkin had one effort pushed around the by keeper Billy Turley and then had a chip shot go narrowly over the bar.

Bennett and loan signing Bo Henriksen also went close before Rushden were rocked by two goals in the space of a minute.

The first in the 84th minute was the product of a first-class cross by Stamps which was firmly headed past Turley by Blake.

Then, straight from the restart, Larkin grabbed possession to run through and steer a shot past helpless Turley.

Afterwards, Rushden boss Brian Talbot said: "We were beaten by a much better side on the day.

"I've no complaints with the result, but I'm certainly disappointed with our performance.

"It's a sharp reminder to us that you have to be on your game week in and week out at this level. We took our foot off the pedal after 12 unbeaten games and got slaughtered."