For the second season in a row Harriers slumped to a disappointing Opening Day home defeat, beaten this time by Aldershot Town who they have still never beaten in competitive football.

Mark Yates gave a debut to Justin Richards who partnered James Constable in attack, while fellow new signings Jon Munday and Matt Barnes-Homer had to be content with places on the bench as the manager went with the most experienced side he could put out with the players available.

The game started off at 100 miles per hour, but it was unlikely to maintain that temp given the blazing sunshine and high temperature that bathed Aggborough. Harriers should have taken the lead after just nine minutes when Richards' flick put Constable through, he took the ball around the keeper but managed to find the side netting when faced with an open goal.  At the other end a free-kick by Louie Soares on the right wing picked out Rhys day at the far post who comfortably out-jumped Mark Creighton but headed wide.  Scott Davies then followed that up with a 25-yard free-kick that flashed wide of the near post.  Nikki Bull in the Shots' goal pulled of a fine instinctive save to deny Michael Blackwood as the game ebbed and flowed; Brian Smikle had set up Jeff Kenna whose cross from the right was met at the far post by Blackwood on the volley but Bull managed somehow to push it onto the post and away for a corner.

The half ended goalless but Harriers would have felt that they had more to give to go on and get something from the game.  That belief was shattered, however, after just nine seconds of the second period.  Aldershot kicked off and were allowed to slice their way through the heart of the Harriers team allowing Davies to drill a low shot past Scott Bevan to give the visitors the lead.

Shortly afterwards a bad situation could have got worse when former West Brom striker Rob Elvins got to the byline on the right and pulled the ball back to the near post for strike partner John Grant who flicked it past Bevan. Fortunately for Harriers there was no pace on his effort and Bevan was able to pounce on it as it trickled towards the goalline.  The let-off was brief as Town went further ahead on 57 minutes; Davies outpaced Gavin Hurren on the right wing to get to the byline and cross to the near post where Elvins saw his shot parried by Bevan into the path of Grant who was left with a simple tap-in at the far post.  Davies went close again not long after the hour mark with a 25-yard lob that drifted wide.

Harriers began to wake up in the last quarter of the game, Richards set up Smikle whose goal-bound shot was blocked by Anthony Charles with Bull off balance and moving the wrong way.  With 13 minutes left Harriers pulled a goal back; Kenna took a corner on the left that was met by the head of Creighton who powered the ball past Bull into the roof of the net.

Shortly after wards Anthony Straker was allowed to run through the Harriers defence on the left but his shot went wide of the far top corner of the net.  Harriers threw bodies forward in an attempt to get something from the game, switching to 4-3-3, and almost equalised when Richards cut in from the left and lashed a shot narrowly wide of the foot of the far post.  The referee did his best to help Harriers' cause by adding five minutes of stoppage time at the death of which Harriers won another corner that saw even Bevan in the opposition penalty area but they were unable to make anything of it.