HARRIERS 0 CHELTENHAM 0

JAN Molby's Kidderminster Harriers may have improved their away form but results at Aggborough are becoming increasingly frustrating.

Harriers were rarely in trouble against former Conference rivals Cheltenham Town yet they are just not finding the net on a regular basis.

In fact at Aggborough they have not been scoring at all, drawing a blank in the last four games which have included three goal-less draws.

Defensively, Harriers - with veteran campaigner Eric Nixon making a sound debut in goal on Saturday - have generally had an impressive season.

Key defender Craig Hinton is settling back into the side and Molby's men have kept two Division Three clean sheets in a row.

But despite an impressive strike-force of Drewe Broughton and on-loan Colin Larkin, they have still only scored six goals in the league.

They just did not create enough chances against Cheltenham though the Gloucestershire side's defence is normally one of the meanest.

A crunch clash was on the cards after Harriers had stung their rivals 3-1 at Whaddon Road last season.

However, the end result did not please visitors' boss Steve Cotterill. In contrast, Gary Barnett was happy to see Harriers' results on the up.

The main talking point was Tranmere Rovers' goalkeeping coach Nixon stepping in for the rarely tried Brendan Murphy.

And he made the save of the game on 27 minutes with Cheltenham's only real chance of the afternoon.

Adie Smith's attempted clearance rebounded off well-known lower division goal-getter Tony Naylor who raced clear.

Naylor, forming a "Little and Large" attacking partnership with big Julian Alsop, cut inside and fired a low shot which the well-positioned Nixon blocked with his legs.

Harriers, with Dean Bennett immediately looking lively, attacked from the start with players seemingly instructed to shoot on sight in order to boost the goal tally.

Cheltenham's experienced defender Chris Banks was booked inside the second minute for tugging back Broughton but the expected flurry of yellow cards did not materialise.

Ian Clarkson, Bennett (twice) and Adie Smith all struck strong efforts from distance inside the first half-hour.

The best saw keeper Steve Book confidently pluck the ball out of the air and he performed a similar task from a weak Broughton header.

Ex-Kidderminster skipper Mark Yates, returning to the club with former boss Graham Allner, lasted only 45 minutes due to injury, still long enough for plenty of stick from the home fans.

Harriers continued to enjoy the majority of the possession in the second half but were finding their old non-league foes a tough nut to crack.

Hard-working midfielder Tony Bird tackled back well to deny Lee Williams a clear sight of goal on 55 minutes as the visitors rarely threatened.

But the best the home side could muster up-front was a number of close calls involving the ever-dangerous Broughton.

He is yet to break his duck this season but on another day Harriers may well have got the goal they needed.

If they were winning or losing 4-3 and goals were flying in like your average Manchester City fixture, then Aggborough attendances would no doubt benefit as a result.

But, in all fairness to the management, the best way to build a good unbeaten run is by being hard to beat at the other end - and Harriers have been displaying that just recently.

HARRIERS: Nixon 6; Clarkson 7, Smith 7, Hinton 7, Stamps 7; Bird 7, Williams 7, BENNETT 8, Shilton 6: Broughton 7 (Hadley 85), Larkin 6. Subs not used: Murphy, Foster, Ducros, Shail.

CHELTENHAM: Book; Howarth, Duff, Banks, Victory; Williams (Devaney 81), Yates (Jackson 45), Howells, Milton; Naylor (Brough 90), Alsop. Subs not used: Griffin, Muggleton.

ATTENDANCE: 3,554.

SHOTS ON: Harriers 3 Cheltenham 2.

SHOTS OFF: Harriers 9 Cheltenham 5.

CORNERS: Harriers 7 Cheltenham 4.

YELLOW CARDS: Harriers 1 (Stamps), Cheltenham 1 (Banks).

SHUTTLE STAR MAN, DEAN BENNETT: An energetic display from the midfielder who moved into the centre to replace the suspended Mark Blake. Produced some telling tackles, strong runs and useful efforts on the Cheltenham goal.