Harriers moved into the Conference top ten for the first time this season with an excellent team performance that stretched their unbeaten run to four games and recorded their third consecutive home win.

Unchanged from the team that had beaten fancied Rushden at the weekend Harriers were slower to adapt to the dreadful conditions - torrential rain during the afternoon had left standing water on the pitch - than the visitors and could have fallen behind after just four minutes; Lee Baker's miskick let in Wayne Carlisle on the United right who shot wide of the far post.

Both teams contributed to the game which flowed from end to end but another downpour during the first half made it difficult for either of them to play well.  The visitors had the best of the possession and Harriers didn't really threaten until the half-hour mark.  Russ Penn picked up the ball on the right and fed it inside to Justin Richards who kept it moving to Brian Smikle on the left, he was stopped in his tracks, however, by a great tackle by Chris Robertson at the expense of a corner.

Shortly afterwards Harriers should have taken the lead; a Martin Brittain free-kick on the right picked out an unmarked Richards who powered a header straight at Michael Poke in the United goal.  As the half drew to a close Harriers grew stronger and Poke was called into action again by Matt Barnes-Homer who hit a low shot straight at him after exchanging passes with Smikle.  Poke was powerless to prevent Harriers taking the lead in the 44th minute, however; Richards set Brittain free on the right who made a surging run down the wing, skipping away from the challenge of Lee Mansell before whipping a fantastic cross in behind the United defence for Barnes-Homer to steer into the net from six yards out.

The goal came at the right time for Harriers and they came out after the break with more confidence. After an early chance for the visitors that saw Tim Sills' header from Kevin Nicholson's free-kick held by Adam Bartlett Barnes-Homer went close again.  Mark Creighton's lob forward was knocked down by Richards for his strike partner who shot wide.  The game continued to flow from end to end and moments later a crossfield pass picked out Lee Hodges on the left wing and beat the offside trap, his pass inside let in Roscoe d'Sane at the near post but his shot was straight at Bartlett.

On the hour Penn made a strong run through the middle before rolling the ball out wide to Brittain who sent over another great cross for Barnes-Homer whose glancing header flew just over the bar.  A pass through the inside left channel let in Richards who bided his time waiting for the defence to commit themselves before lashing a shot wide of the far post.

In the closing minutes Smikle set up substitute Dean Bennett, who was on for Andy Ferrell who had had to leave the field with blood pouring from a head wound, but his shot was blocked by the desperate lunge of Steve Woods.  Mansell almost grabbed an equaliser in the last minute,  a cross from the left was only partially cleared and the Torquay man's shot through a crowded penalty area was held low down by Bartlett.