HARRIERS 1 GRIMSBY 4

KIDDERMINSTER Harriers wanted to go out on a high in their final Football League game at Aggborough - instead they went out on a hiding.

After freezing ticket prices for next season despite their relegation, the least Harriers owed their long-suffering supporters was a performance to be proud of.

But with a feeling of apathy gripping Aggborough and with nothing left to fight for it was no surprise that Stuart Watkiss's men spluttered to a halt in front of their heartbroken home fans.

It was perhaps appropriate, albeit painful, therefore that Kidderminster produced another frustrating 90 minute display which summed up their entire season.

There was the dreadful defending early on, the missed chances, the false dawn, more dreadful defending, and finally the gut-wrenching realisation that there was no way back.

From the moment Grimsby giant Rob Jones was given all the time and space in the world to nod in an eighth minute opener, it was clearly going to be another one of those days.

For the umpteenth time in recent months, an opponent was given a free header from a setpiece and the Mariners man made no mistake from Ronnie Bull's right wing corner.

The second goal five minutes later was just as poor from a defensive point of view as first Billy Jones and then Wayne Hatswell allowed Michael Reddy an unchecked route to goal and the former Sunderland player cooly slotted past the advancing John Danby.

Once again Harriers had enough opportunities to take something from the game and struck the woodwork in both halves with Mark Rawle's cracking curler bouncing off the top of the bar and Simon Russell rattling the post with a firm low drive.

From their main moment of quality immediately after the break Harriers gave themselves a glimmer of hope when substitute Gary Birch reduced the deficit with his first touch of the match and possibly one of his last for the club with rumours of his wages being out of Kidderminster's league next season.

When the anonymous Bertrand Cozic was upended during one of the rare occasions he was in possession on 46 minutes, supporters' player of the season Dean Keates whipped over a free kick and Birch cracked in a brilliant volley from 15 yards out.

That breathed a bit of life back into Kidderminster but their chances of restoring some pride were soon scuppered when barely a minute later Grimsby made it 3-1 with Andy Parkinson all too easily escaping his marker to head in Reddy's cross from close range.

Reddy compounded Kidderminster's misery on 78 minutes when he capitalised on Mark Jackson's mistake to ferociously fire the 82nd goal of the season into Harriers' net.

Birch could have had a hat-trick, forcing a smart save from Tony Williams and heading another effort wide, while Russell twice came close and Mark Rawle spectacularly spurned a one-on-one in the way that only Mark Rawle can.

But by then if the Harriers fans hadn't quite lost the will to live then they'd certainly lost interest in events on the pitch as they turned their attentions to the games in the boardroom which are set to decide the fate of their beloved football club over the summer.

HARRIERS: Danby 6, Chambers 6, Jones 4 (Burton 46, 5), Hatswell 5, Jackson 5, Cozic 4, McGrath 5, Keates 5, Russell 6 (Sturrock 83, 5), Beardsley 5 (Birch 46, 7), Rawle 6. Subs not used: Lewis, Weaver.

GRIMSBY: Williams, Ramsden, Bull, Whittle, Jones (Downey 76), Crowe (Coldicott 80), Fleming, Pinault, Crane, Reddy, Parkinson (Hegarty 72). Subs not used: Hockless, Soames.

REFEREE: B Curson (Leicester)

ATTENDANCE: 2,340 (153).