Harriers recorded their first home win of the season at the third time of asking but had to wait until late in the game to break down the massed defences of the win-less visitors.

Steve Burr changed the team around for the first time this season, bringing in Jamille Matt, Luke Medley and Scott Phelan for their first starts of the season with Jack Byrne on the bench after missing the start of the season through suspension.

The start of the game was scrappy; Southport were determined to at least keep the point that they started with, having yet to taste victory this season, and made themselves hard to break down.  Despite their defensive plan Southport could have taken the lead after 18 minutes when Karl Ledsham's cross from the right found an unmarked tony Gray but his free header was straight at Danny Lewis.

Southport's debutant keeper made a string of saves to keep Harriers at bay.  On 26 minutes he made his first crucial save when he thwarted Luke Jones who rose at the far post to meet Phelan's corner.  Five minutes later Marc Williams turned the ball over the bar from Medley's right wing cross as Harriers began to build pressure on the visitors.

At the other end Shaun Whalley made a good run to the byline on the right but his low cross was out of the reach of Gray.  Nemes made another good save to deny Marc Williams whose first time shot from Phelan's cross was saved by the keeper's legs to keep the scores level going into the interval.

After the break Harriers dominated possession but found it increasingly difficult to break down the visitors.  Seven minutes into the half Harriers should have taken the lead; good work by Matt on the right wing allowed him to set up Lee Vaughan whose low cross found Medley beyond the far post but he wasted the opportunity, shooting tamely and inaccurately wide making it easy for Nemes to smother.

Eventually Harriers made the breakthrough even though Southport had clearly settled for the point and changed their formation to ensure that they kept it.  Kyle Storer's pass found Vaughan on the right wing, he made a surge into the penalty area and pulled the ball back towards substitute Byrne who guided it past Nemes to open the scoring.

Less than two minutes later Harriers made the game safe; still shell-shocked from going behind the visitors were slow to react to a long ball through the inside left channel that found Nick Wright who rolled it forward into the path of Marc Williams who waited for the keeper to commit himself before slotting inside the far post for his first goal of the season.

Byrne could have had another goal for himself with six minutes left; winning the ball from left back Chris Lever he made a good run into the penalty area but then hit a poor shot wide of the far post and Harriers had to settle for a 2-0 win that lifts them up to fourth in the league.