A ROBUST Kidderminster Harriers display did few favours for old rivals Cheltenham Town in their first Division Three meeting at Whaddon Road.

Cheltenham certainly have a physical aspect to their play but it will have come as a surprise to some that Harriers beat them at their own game.

The home team, who were desperate for three points in their play-off bid, were not helped by having Lee Howells sent off after only 25 minutes.

However, Harriers were already 1-0 up at that stage and indeed could have added to their total.

The strength of players like the competitive Drewe Broughton and Paul Webb clearly unhinged the Gloucestershire side - and the trickery of Daire Doyle rounded the afternoon off.

The away victory was Harriers' first on a Saturday since a trip to Southport a year ago - their last in the league was at Darlington in October - and only their fourth of the season.

That statistic clearly shows there is still much more work to do but Harriers have at last shown their potential in the last two games.

Fans will remain hopeful that Jan Molby's men have learnt a great deal from this season and will use that experience in 2001/2002.

The presence of four transfer-listed players in Tim Clarke, Tony Bird, Dean Bennett and Webb make it difficult to predict who will fall in the expected summer changes.

They, along with their team-mates, did their jobs well on Saturday but good team and individual performances have not exactly been taken for granted in a tough 2001.

Harriers coped well early on against Cheltenham though they survived an eighth-minute scare when Clarke pushed away on-loan Charlie MacDonald's shot.

The visitors took advantage of shock defensive hesitancy on 20 minutes to grab an important first goal.

Bennett hooked a high ball into the box which keeper Steve Book, under pressure from Stewart Hadley, could only palm down and midfielder Paul Webb planted the loose ball into the net from the edge of the area.

It was Webb's first Football League goal and was almost immediately built upon as Doyle released Broughton through the middle only for Book to parry well. The day got worse for Cheltenham, who had previously not lost in 12 games, when Howells was red-carded for violent conduct after an off-the-ball incident with Broughton.

The big Harriers striker was a real menace and he was denied a second before Michael Duff fired over the bar after a corner from the home side.

Molby's men took advantage of the let-off and grabbed another just before half-time.

Doyle collected a long, inaccurate cross, dribbled into the area and squared a cross-shot for Bird to slip a tidy first-time finish into the net at the far post.

Bird's first league goal had been long-awaited and was just reward for his determined attitude when called up to the first team.

With Cheltenham's skipper Chris Banks off injured, Harriers did not let up in the second half and Broughton again tested Book.

But there was a glimmer of hope for Steve Cotterill's side when Clarke was left completely exposed from MacDonald's cross and veteran Neil Grayson nipped in to net with his trusty head.

The 54th minute strike encouraged a fight-back but Harriers regained control and scored a crucial third when Doyle's mesmerising left-wing run into the penalty area ended with a chipped cross.

Broughton, proving unpopular with home fans, rubbed salt into their wounds with a strong far-post header that Book could only help into his net.

Harriers may have been playing 10 men but the way they intelligently ran the rest of an often heated game highlighted their boost in confidence.

Bennett and Neil MacKenzie both let fly with thunderbolts late on that troubled keeper Book.

After breaking out of their miserable run, it would take a brave man to bet against Harriers recording a result at home to Hartlepool United on Saturday.

But then again, inconsistency is the reason many sides have to make do with mid-table finishes.

Yet there can be few complaints as the professionals from Aggborough build a solid base from which to challenge next season.

SHOTS ON TARGET

Cheltenham 3 Harriers 9

CORNERS

Cheltenham 2 Harriers 5

BOOKINGS

Cheltenham 0

Harriers 3 (Broughton, Stamps, Medou-Otye)

RED CARDS

Cheltenham 1 (Howells)

Harriers 0

ATTENDANCE: 4,415

LINE-UPS

CHELTENHAM (4-4-2): Book 7; Duff 6, Sertori 6, Banks 6, McCann 6; Goodridge 6, Yates 7, Howells 5, Milton 6; Grayson 6, MacDonald 6. Subs: Higgs, McAuley (McCann 66) 6, Walker (Banks 45) 6, Alsop (Goodridge 73) 6, Devaney.

HARRIERS (4-4-2): Clarke 6; Medou-Otye 7, Smith 8, Hinton 8, Stamps 7; Bird 7, Bennett 7, Webb 8, DOYLE 9; Broughton 8, Hadley 7. Subs: Brock, Skovbjerg, Ducros (Broughton 80) 6, MacKenzie (Webb 80) 6, Corbett (Doyle 89) 6.

SHUTTLE STAR MAN

DAIRE DOYLE

By far his best game for the Harriers and a prime example of what the Irish midfielder can do. Played a part in two goals, displaying some fine dribbling skills with added confidence.