HARRIERS will do well to heed the reception Gareth Sheldon got on returning to his former club -- because Kidderminster won't be the most welcome of visitors around the Conference this season.

Jeers rained down on the ex-Exeter winger as he warmed up on the touchline before coming on as a substitute during Tuesday night's defeat.

Sheldon took the abuse in his stride which is something Stuart Watkiss's men must do if they are to pick up points on the road this season.

Harriers, of course, will not receive the kind of barracking that the ginger winger got for supposedly leaving the Grecians in the lurch to rebuild his career closer to his Birmingham home.

But rest-assured, Kidderminster's new found status as an ex-League club will have their hosts going all out to beat them.

Exeter themselves have suffered from the same treatment following their demotion to the Conference two years ago.

But Alex Inglethorpe's men give the impression that they have toughened up to become the physically fierce unit this level of football demands.

If anything, Harriers were bullied out of a game which was there for the taking against another of this season's play-off favourites.

Up until the departure of Martin O'Connor around the hour mark, Harriers were proving that they could mix it and even created a couple of chances to get their noses in front.

But when their elder statesman limped off with a hamstring strain he took Kidderminster's fight and heart with him as many of his team-mates disappeared into their shells.

With the scent of success in their nostrils, Exeter upped the ante and it was no surprise that they made the breakthrough with substitute Craig Farrell slotting home a 69th minute cross from Lee Phillips.

Harriers were entitled to feel a little hard done by with skipper Mark Jackson having seemingly stopped for an apparent infringement in the run up to the goal, but players at all levels know to play to the whistle.

By then, Harriers had seen an improved Lee Thompson send a long range effort just off target, while the former Boston man also had a header scrambled off the line.

Either side of the break Michael Blackwood fired an angled drive wide and Iyseden Christie came close with a winding run and lob.

Sheldon made light of the abuse ringing in his ears by doing his utmost to get his new team something from the game, but sadly it was not to be.

The former England non-league international actually had the ball in the net five minutes before Exeter scored when he slotted home fellow substitute Taiwo Atieno's pass, only for the effort to be harshly ruled out for offside.

Sheldon also came within a whisker off an equaliser as the clock ticked down, but Grecians keeper Paul Jones somehow managed to palm his free kick away.

Atieno had a chance to repeat his goalscoring debut with a late chance that fell his way but his weak early effort dribbled wide of the post when he could have taken the ball on.

In a fairly open game, Exeter also had their fair share of scoring opportunities with Glenn Cronin hitting the woodwork and Phillips and Paul Buckle also going close.

Watkiss admitted his players were out-muscled at times.

"We've got to expect that in this division, especially as we're the latest team to fall out of the League and people want to get at us and unsettle us," he said.

"We've got to be prepared for whatever teams throw at us."