Harriers are finally safe from relegation, but only because results elsewhere went their way.  With York losing, and going to the bottom of the league, Harriers are now safe but their performance against struggling Rochdale was lacking in anything positive and the defeat was all that they deserved.

As has become the norm, Jan Molby made changes to his starting line-up; Adam Murray, John Williams and Leon Clarke all came back while out went Jesper Christiansen, Sean Parrish and Lee Jenkins.  There was no place on the bench for Stuart Brock as Harriers surprisingly went without a backup goalkeeper.

The game had a real end-of-season feel about it but it could all have been very different had Harriers' opening goal been allowed to stand; the ball was played in from the right to Matt Gadsby on the opposite flank who drilled it past Neil Edwards in the 'Dale goal but the linesman had had his flag up for offside for some time.  At the other end the visitors went close when a deep cross from the left by Shaun Smith found Lee McEvilly at the far post whose header beat John Danby but crashed against the crossbar and bounced away, cleared to safety by Wayne Hatswell.

Harriers' best move of the half was started by Steve Burton whose cross-field pass from left-back picked out Simon Brown on the right wing, he fed Murray whose goalbound shot was parried by Edwards and cleared by a covering defender.  Rochdale took the lead eight minutes before the break; the ball was played through the inside right channel for Leo Bertos to run onto, with the Harriers defence opening up in front of him he was able to take it round Danby and roll it into the empty net.

Veteran forward Neil Redfearn could have double the lead three minutes after the break with a long range shot that Danby held onto well at the foot of his right-hand post.  Gadsby was involved for Harriers again, racing on to Brown's pass but he was denied by a well timed tackle from Wayne Evans who nipped the ball off his toe.  Just before the hour Rochdale had another good opportunity with a free kick that Smith took, it beat the wall but was saved by Danby's legs.

Harriers had very little to offer in attack; after spending most of the season playing as if games lasted for 85 minutes they appeared to think that the season only lasts for 43 games, most of the players looked as if they would rather be away on their holidays.  A rare chance on 74 minutes went begging, Brown again was the creator, his run on the right led to a cross to the near post where Gadsby headed wide.

In the final ten minutes it was only Rochdale who looked likely to add to the score.  Redfearn went close with a 35-yard free kick that went just over the bar and in the last minute substitute Rory Patterson broke into the penalty area on the left but Danby came out to meet him and spread himself well to block his shot.