WHEN Stuart Watkiss arrived he promised to get Kidderminster Harriers playing in his own image. And if Saturday's honest, hardworking and, ultimately, winning performance is anything to go by, he is hell-bent on keeping his word.

Given the eight-game losing run that had gone before there was no better way for the new boss to endear himself to the Aggborough faithful in his first home game in charge than with a desperately needed three points.

The 2-1 victory over Rochdale and his old mate Steve Parkin might not have been the most attractive game of football but as match-winner Ian Foster emphasised at the final whistle, now is not the time to be pretty.

Not that there was much wrong with the quality of Dean Keates's opening goal which gave Harriers the belief they had been so sadly lacking pre-Watkiss.

They showed the work ethic the manager demands to win possession down the right on five minutes and when Pedros Matias and Simon Russell intelligently worked the ball to Keates there was only going to be one outcome.

The diminutive midfielder let fly which a left foot screamer from 25 yards which nestled in the top right hand corner and set the tone for another storming performance from the former Walsall man.

Unsurprisingly, the win was not without it's nervous moments, this is Kidderminster Harriers after all, but there was no denying that Harriers deserved only their fourth success of the season.

It was all the more impressive given that Rochdale had recently eased their own relegation worries with a super six game winning run.

Dale gave glimpses of the form which had achieved that record with star striker Grant Holt showing flashes of the ability which had brought him 15 goals already this term.

His 16th came courtesy of a wonder strike, volleyed in clinically from the edge of the box, which levelled the scores on 36th minutes, although he could have had a hat-trick by then after spurning two good chances.

Already suffering from the loss of debutant defender Simon Weaver who was forced off with a head injury, Kidderminster refused to feel sorry for themselves and kept on battling.

Keates's combination of graft and craft created a decent chance for Russell and but for some desperate defending his close range volley would have restored the home team's lead.

Rochdale's equaliser did put the visitors temporarily in the ascendancy but unlike previous performances, Harriers refused to fold. Although Dale put them under pressure for large periods after the break, Watkiss's men just soaked it up and took it in their stride.

For all their second half possession, Rochdale struggled to create clear cut chances and other than a Leo Bertos strike which Ryan Clarke tipped over Harriers goal was rarely in any real danger.

The luck that so often seems to go against teams when they are down amongst the dead men at the bottom of the table took a refreshing turn for the better on 69 minutes when they were awarded a contentious penalty.

Parkin protested that referee Paul Danson's decision to penalise Wayne Evans for handling a Keates cross from the left was harsh in the extreme.

But Foster, who calmly sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot with a neat low shot into the bottom right hand corner, was adamant Danson had got it right.

All in all the performance, the result and the impressive impact of newboys Simon Weaver and Chris Beardsley gives Harriers an encouraging platform to build on over a vital festive period.

HARRIERS: Clarke 7, McHale 6, Beswetherick 6, Hatswell 8, Weaver 7 (Sall 23), Jenkins 6, Russell 7, KEATES 9, Bennett 7, Matias 7 (Gleeson 90), Foster 7 (Beardsley 79). Subs not used: Lewis, Burton.

ROCHDALE: Gilkes, Evans, Gallimore (Goodall 74), Griffiths, Heald, Warner (McGivern 81), J Clarke, Cooksey, Bertos, Tait (Atieno 74), Holt. Subs not used: Edwards, Burgess.

ATTENDANCE: 2,337 (away 359).

REFEREE: Paul Danson (Leicestershire).