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A young Harriers side kicked off the pre-season programme with a victory but had to come from behind to achieve it.
With none of the six new signing available to play Harriers gave run-outs to trialists Gavin Hurren, Stuart Bridges and Ryan Moss and also youth team players Mitch Butler and Lee Williams; all of the contracted players left from last season figured with the exception of Iyseden Christie. In temperatures that were not conducive to good football both teams struggled to produce much good football; Harriers had slightly the better of the opening half but only had a couple of poorly taken free kicks to show for their efforts. Moss worked hard in attack but took quite a battering from former Harriers youth team defender Ben Drew which lead to both of the free kicks. Harriers lost Chris McHale to injury midway through the half, a victim of an uneven pitch, and his replacement Stephen Thompson was the first to test home keeper Steve Thomas.
At the interval numerous changes were made by Harriers with more youth team players coming on. Thompson created an opening which almost gave Harriers the lead, his cross chested down by Moss into the path of Bridges, who had been quiet until this point, and he forced Thomas into a good save. The hosts took the lead with their first shot on target ten minutes into the half but Harriers were back on terms just ten minutes later with a goal from the lively Scott Eaton: Thompson chased a long ball on the right and crossed to the far post where Eaton met it with a looping header.
Moss did well to beat Thomas to a ball in the penalty area and pick out Eaton who saw his first, goalbound, shot blocked and then should have done better with his follow up but fired high and wide. Eaton made amends shortly afterwards when he reached Tom Byrne's pass before Thomas and fired in Harriers' second. In stoppage time Eaton completed his hat-trick with the best goal of the afternoon, chesting down Hurren's free kick from the right before volleying past Thomas.
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