Macclesfield 2 Harriers 0

THERE'S always the danger when a new manager comes in, that the immediate impact he has upon a squad can soon wear off and they can find themselves back to square one.

Stuart Watkiss gives the impression that he is too strong a character to allow Harriers' performance level to regularly dip below the standards he has set them.

But after Saturday's surrender to the Silkmen, arguably Kidderminster's worst performance as a whole since he took over at Aggborough, he needs to start getting them consistently fired up before it is too late.

At Moss Rose against Macclesfield, Harriers simply spluttered and stalled as the ingredients of the previous weekend's win over Lincoln were conspicuous by their absence.

Their strength and meanness at the back was replaced by uncertainty as Matthew Tipton and Jon Parkin ensured Wayne Hatswell had a torrid time in possibly his worst personal performance of the season.

The failure of Gary Birch and Blair Sturrock to make the ball stick up front meant Harriers were continually inviting pressure and putting themselves on the back foot.

And the midfield hub of Dean Keates, Lee Jenkins, Tom Bennett and Simon Russell were largely ineffective with the last two taken off before the hour mark.

All of which must be making the Aggborough gaffer tear his hair out because if he can't count on consistency from his players, how on earth can he plot the club's survival?

Former Harriers midfielder Neil Mackenzie, on loan from Mansfield, fired the first warning shots when he drew a fine save from Danby with a stinging 20 yard drive before seeing a cross shot rebound to safety off the post early on.

Kidderminster created few chances themselves but the one real scoring opportunity they did fashion was a sitter missed by Birch.

A cross from the right on the quarter hour mark was met by Keates bursting into the box and when his close range header was saved by Alan Fettis, Birch nodded the rebound over from virtually on the goal line.

It was a miss Harriers were to rue with Macclesfield taking the lead through a sloppy route one goal on 18 minutes.

Russell gave the ball away cheaply in midfield and a hopeful long ball from Michael Welsh drifted over a hesitant Hatswell and into Tipton's path for a simple finish over the advancing John Danby.

In a game which was woefully short on entertainment, Kidderminster did have a couple of half-hearted efforts before the break with Sturrock's quick feet buying his space for two weak shots and the Scottish striker having a header from a corner hacked off the line.

But Harriers continued to stutter after the break and it was soon game over when Macc added a second on 54 minutes.

Tipton was allowed too much time to cross from the right and his ball in perfectly picked out Parkin who planted a header beyond the dive of Danby.

Knowing the points were pretty much in the bag, Brian Horton's men were content to sit back and soak up Harriers' pressure before hitting them on the break.

Kidderminster, as they had done all game, had plenty of possession and saw Hatswell and Simon Weaver threaten with headers from set pieces, with Birch and Sturrock firing efforts off target.

But the more Watkiss's players pushed forward, the more space they left in behind them and Tipton and Parkin came close on several more occasions.

A miserable afternoon for the travelling red and white brigade was complete on 88 minutes when Jenkins was sent off in controversial circumstances.

The Welsh midfielder was shown a straight red card for allegedly denying a goalscoring opportunity when he rashly chopped down Tipton.

Jenkins could have no arguments about the referee's assertion that he was the last man and that he had illegally impeded the Macclesfield forward.

It was the fact that Tipton was still inside his own half and some 80 yards or so away from goal that left Watkiss and Harriers bemused and bemoaning their luck on the road once again.

MACCLESFIELD: Fettis, Morley, Potter, Swailes, Welsh, Harsley, Navarro, Mackenzie (Whitaker 72), McIntyre, Tipton, Parkin. Subs not used: Miles, Wilson, Sheron, Carragher.

HARRIERS: Danby 7, Mullins 6, Jones 6, Hatswell 5, Weaver 6, Russell 5 (Beardsley 57, 6), Keates 6, Bennett 5 (McGrath 57, 7), Jenkins 6, Birch 5, Sturrock 7. Subs not used: Lewis, Foster, Sall.

ATTENDANCE: 2,001.

REFEREE: G Laws (Tyne and Wear).