MANY may have preferred Kidderminster Harriers to open the season with a rip-roaring start but surely Saturday's hard-fought 1-0 win was more important than that.

The visit of Scunthorpe United brought a genuine Division Three play-off contender boasting an enviable mix of youth and experience.

But Harriers fought fire with fire against physical opponents and record signing Andy Ducros provided the flash of inspiration to secure the points.

With 61 minutes gone, another forward run from the bustling Stewart Hadley caught out big centre-back Stuart Thom.

Hadley was left in a heap just outside the area and up stepped Ducros to fire a fierce free-kick into the top corner via the hand of visiting midfielder Wayne Graves.

The game was not exactly flooded with chances and Scunthorpe were well within their rights to feel hard done by.

But Harriers fans saw a gutsy display from their team on the first day of the season.

The missing quality and pattern to their play was more than made up for by sheer commitment to the cause at this stage.

There were many reasons to be positive about the performance from the men in red, not least new captain Mark Blake's inspirational promptings from the centre of midfield.

Blake's uncanny ability to play the right pass, read the game and organise his team-mates is not just a reflection on his impressive CV but also his unfaltering enthusiasm for the game.

While youngster Ben Davies may have had a quiet first half, he bounced into the second half alongside his experienced skipper.

Staying tight to his opponents in midfield, it was hard to keep count of the number of blocks, interceptions and tackles he made.

Defensively, Harriers were up against it with Martin Carruthers, Kim Grant and Peter Beagrie - but they passed the test.

Centre-back Craig Hinton produced a series of crucial challenges, including one to prevent Carruthers a clear sight of goal on just six minutes.

French full-back Parfait Medou-Otye gave Beagrie an uncomfortable welcome to Division Three, winding up the ex-Premiership winger no end with his tight marking.

Beagrie still produced flashes of inspiration but keeper Stuart Brock was mostly equal to Scunthorpe's efforts and kept a confidence-boosting clean sheet.

The visitors looked the stronger side early on and Brock fielded a powerful 20-yard drive from ex-Norwich man Carl Bradshaw on 11 minutes.

Then good link-up play between Grant and Carruthers saw the latter let fly but the ball ended the right side of the post for Harriers.

Scunthorpe looked the more likely to score but Blake interrupted the flow somewhat with a yellow card for fouling his old friend from Aston Villa, Carruthers.

Harriers began to make an impact as Hadley clipped a long-range effort wide and Ducros volleyed off-target.

Hadley missed a prime chance on 38 minutes, latching onto a weak shot from Scott Stamps with space in the box only to blast over the bar with his left foot.

Though Scunthorpe were still dangerous, front-man Hadley headed Tony Bird's cross down but too close to keeper Tom Evans in an early second-half opportunity.

But Ducros put Harriers in the driving seat with his super set-piece and the introduction of the pacey Ian Foster gave Brian Laws' outfit the jitters.

But they still applied pressure on the home side and boss Jan Molby will have been relieved when no-one could finish off an excellent Beagrie cross four minutes from time.

Earlier, the former Everton man forced a smart tip-over from Brock with a stinging close-range effort.

But Harriers could be proud with the way they dealt with the 'promotion dark horses'.

Harriers: Brock 7; Medou-Otye 8, Smith 7, Hinton 8, Stamps 6; Bird 6, Davies 7, BLAKE 8, Shilton 6 (Bennett 75); Hadley 7, Ducros 7 (Foster 75). Subs not used: Murphy, Doyle, Ayres.

Scunthorpe: Evans; Stanton, Jackson, Thom, Dawson; Sheldon, Graves, Bradshaw, Beagrie; Carruthers, Grant (Quailey 76). Subs not used: Siddall, Wilcox, Ridley, Cotterill. Attendance: 3,173.