HARRIERS blew some of the dark clouds which had been hovering over Aggborough away with their first home win since December 20.

Striker Danny Wright finally opened his Kidderminster account in his 11th game with a decisive first half double.

Lee Hughes made it two games as the Reds recorded their first win in ten games and stopped a four-match losing streak in its tracks.

A fine strike by Braintree skipper Kenny Davis at the start of the second half threatened to derail Harriers' revival but they survived several scares to bag all three points.

With captain Josh Gowling departing on loan to Grimsby, there was an air of despondency before the game at Aggborough.

Manager Gary Whild handed starts to Birmingham City youngsters Nat Kelly and James Fry But three goals in the first half put Harriers in a commanding position.

Lee Hughes came close in the third minute when he sprang Braintree's malfunctioning offside trap but we denied by keeper Nick Hamman.

Braintree forward Bernard Mensah directed a left-footed shot over the bar.

But it was Wright who opened the scoring in the eighth minute.

The big striker raced onto Callum Gittings' long ball forward, got the better of Alan Massey and slotted home.

Five minutes later, Hughes bagged his third goal for the Reds in the 13th minute.

The former West Bromwich man looked offside as he raced down the left onto Jared Hodgkiss's pass and finished from a tight angle.

Braintree were forced to make a change in the 33rd minute when Kelly had caught Sean Marks while blocking a shot.

He was replaced by Jordan Cox and the substitute had the away side's only shot,on target when hhis downward header forced keeper Danny Lewis into action.

But Wright plundered his second goal in the 39th minute when Jack Byrne advanced to the byline and delivered a cross which the forward emphatically directed into the back of the net with his head.

Davis got his side back in the game just 23 seconds after the restart when he spotted Lewis off his line and beat him with a well-struck 25yd chip.

Mensah then squandered a chance to make it 3-2 moments later when he rolled his effort wide.

The away side were pushing forward and Mensah should have done better on the hour mark but from ten yards out stabbed wide.

Simeon Akinola hit the target with a free-kick after being tackled from behind by Callum Gittings, who was shown a yellow card.

The Braintree attacker unleashed a free-kick which best the wall but Lewis was equal to it.

Hughes put in a typically industrious display as he terrorised the away side's defence and was given a standing ovation when he was replaced by Ahmed Obeng in the 88th minute.

Harriers: Lewis, Hodgkiss, Green, Fry, Kelly, Byrne (Maxwell, 63), Wright (Asante, 77), Grimes, Verma, Gittings, Hughes (Obeng, 88).

Subs not used: Reffell, Nicholson.

Braintree: Hamann, Brundle, Habergham, Isaac (Sparkes, 63), Paine, Massey, Davis, Marks (Cox, 33), Akinola, Mensah (Mullery, 82), Peters.

Subs not used: Pentey, Maybanks.

Referee: Paul Rees (Somerset).

Attendance: 1317