Harriers got their season up and running with a well-earned victory in the local derby at Stafford, Justin Richards scoring his first goals in a Harriers shirt.

There were two changes made by Harriers boss Mark Yates from the team that had lost the opening fixture against Aldershot Town; Jon Munday came in for his debut with Michael McGrath in place of Andy Ferrell and Michael Blackwood.  Stafford, with a number of new faces in their line-up, started the game the better and immediately had Harriers under pressure but despite creating a number of chances they couldn't finish any of them off.

Midway through the half the home team came closest to opening the scoring; a long, high, ball forward was caught by the wind and deceived Scott Bevan in the Harriers goal, Neil Grayson pounced on the loose ball but Bevan managed to recover in time to save his shot.  Within a couple of minutes Harriers were ahead; Brian Smikle made a surging run on the right wing to the byline and crossed to the far post, James Constable knocked it back across goal for Richards to hook in from close range.

Harriers grew in confidence and began to impose themselves on the game.  Russ Penn fed the ball to constable on the edge of the penalty area but his low shot was deflected away for a corner.  In stoppage time Rangers drew level, from a throw-in on the left the ball was worked across to the inside-right channel where Sebastian Arnolin drilled a shot past Bevan from outside the penalty area.

Early in the second half the game became scrappy but Harriers had the best of the possession and could have gone further ahead.  A low cross from constable on the left was deflected away for a corner with Smikle fast approaching; a McGrath free-kick was headed wide at the far post by Gavin Hurren and Penn hit a 20-yard shot that went narrowly wide of the far post.

Just past the hour mark Bevan came to Harriers' rescue; Chris Flynn picked up the ball in midfield and pushed it out wide to Arnolin in acres of space on the right, his shot towards the far post was well saved by evan at full stretch at the expense of a corner.  Straight away at the other end smikle set up Constable on the edge of the penalty area but his shot on the turn was saved low to his left by Danny Alcock.

Harriers regained the lead after 65 minutes; Paul Bignot's throw from the left wing fell to Hurren on the edge of the area after a dummy by constable, and he beat Alcock with a low shot on the turn.  Harriers pressed forward in search of more goals and a pass by constable opened up the home defence for Richards to run at goal but he was denied by a well-timed tackle from Djoumin Sangare.

Stafford tried to get back into the match as the game ebbed and flowed; a short free-kick to Grayson saw him drill a 30-yard shot straight at Bevan which the keeper was able to deal with comfortably.  Harriers wrapped up the points six minutes from the end of the game when Sangare upended Richards in the penalty area; Richards took the penalty himself and sent Alcock the wrong way to make it 3-1.  There was still time for Iyseden Christie to go close with a 20-yard shot that was heading for the top corner until it took a deflection of a defender and went out for a corner.