HEREFORD 2, HARRIERS 1

A VISIT to former Conference rivals Hereford United was always going to be a potential pre-season banana skin for Kidderminster Harriers.

And so it proved as former Nottingham Forest striker Steve Guinan coolly finished off a 70th-minute winner in Saturday's friendly at Edgar Street.

Neither the result nor the display were the best preparation for Saturday's Division Three curtain raiser with Mansfield Town at Aggborough.

But Harriers boss Ian Britton was forgiving his players one dodgy display in pre-season against a spirited Hereford team who he admitted deserved to win.

Perhaps it is just as well Harriers have lost the last two matches of a largely encouraging friendly campaign.

Sides who steam through the friendlies with tremendous results often seem to slip up when the season proper hits them.

Harriers will hopefully be learning from their early mistakes and also probably struggled to raise their game in the Hereford heat.

Yet they started brightly at the weekend when Bo Henriksen found himself with space in the United area but his shot was blocked by highly rated keeper Matt Baker.

It was good to see last season's top scorer Henriksen making a first start after his pre-season schedule had been interrupted by an Achilles problem.

Also figuring in the line-up from the beginning was midfielder Graham Ward who signed a one-year deal with Harriers a day earlier.

However, Hereford finally found their feet halfway into the first period and Rob Purdie breezed away from the defence only to be foiled by Stuart Brock.

The Conference side, whose attempts to return to the Football League have been restricted by financial worries, took the lead on 34 minutes.

Midfielder Danny Williams, one of two on the same pitch, arrived at the back post to head home a cross from winger Paul Parry.

Ward failed to level two minutes later when he fired over after a pass from the other Danny Williams, Britton's midfield anchorman.

But Harriers drew level within seven minutes of the restart with Republic of Ireland U-20s captain Ward giving a glimpse of his promise.

The former Wolves youngster moved down the right flank and intelligently pulled the ball back for Sam Shilton to finish emphatically from the edge of the box.

It was Shilton's second goal of pre-season to follow the six he grabbed in 2002/03.

Trialist John Williams, who returned from an ankle injury to replace teenager Matt Lewis at half-time, missed a great chance to give the visitors the lead on 65 minutes.

Shilton crossed for the unmarked forward but he mis-kicked with the goal at his mercy.

And Harriers paid the price soon after when Guinan latched onto a blocked clearance and broke clear to score with a vicious low drive inside Brock's near post.

The front man had earlier glanced a header over from Michael Rose's dangerous free-kick.

Henriksen, yet to score in pre-season, turned to shoot into the side netting five minutes from time for Kidderminster's final chance.

Britton did not want to go overboard but was fairly firm in his opinion of Harriers' performance as "rubbish".

But he will be hoping that will spur his men on for their first Division Three test this weekend.

HEREFORD: Baker; Green, Teesdale (Moon 76), James (Tretton 76), Rose; D Williams (Carey-Bertram 46), Smith (Craven 63), Pitman (King 63), Parry (Sawyers 63); Guinan (Ennis 71), Purdie.

HARRIERS: Brock; Coleman (Smith 26, Ayres 46), Willis, Hinton; Bennett, Flynn, D Williams, Ward (Heath 80), Shilton (Parrish 66); Henriksen, Lewis (J Williams 46).

ATTENDANCE: 1,020.