HARRIERS made it four wins from five with a deserved 3-1 victory over Blyth Spartans at Aggborough.

Neil MacFarlane’s charges backed up the 2-0 win at Boston with this latest home win that further inches them up the early league table. Ashley Chambers, Fraser Horsfall, and Ed Williams were all on target for Harriers who made it a relatively comfortable afternoon against one of the division’s strong sides.

MacFarlane has made a habit of keeping with the same starting line-up but was forced into a change for this one, with Ryan Johnson away with the Northern Ireland U21 squad as they prepared for their clash with Spain. In came Kennedy Digie to slot into the vacant central defensive void.

Harriers were dominant early on as Ironside saw a diving header on ten minutes well held, Weeks fired off target and Chambers blazed narrowly wide from closer range – in between the latter two chances, the visitors’ only real chance of the half came as Buddle nodded a corner on to the bar.

After Daniels was denied before the half-hour, Harriers netted twice in quick succession to take a 2-0 goal lead into the interval. Chambers watched Taylor’s deflected shot perfectly down on to his boot in curling an attempt beyond the dive of Jameson and into the corner, before on 43 minutes Fraser Horsfall pounced on a lose ball to slam home his second goal of the campaign.

Blyth should have had a goal back on 56 minutes only for Reid to spurn a gilt-edge chance – thankfully for him his blushes were spared when, seconds later, Rivers saw his low cross turned into the back of his own net by Horsfall after Taylor’s lapse at the by-line allowed the Spartans man in.

There was a moment of controversy six after the hour as Harriers were denied what looked to be a clear penalty as Chambers was pushed over in the area – the linesman signalling for the spot-kick only to be overruled by the referee. Harriers would ensure that mattered little, though, by scoring four minutes later when Williams drove home a defence-splitting ball from Vaughan.

Harriers did their defending to see off efforts from Rivers as the game edged towards an end, and Chambers really ought to have doubled his tally for the day just 11 minutes from time when he curled off target after being played in by Weeks.

Harriers: Hall, Vaughan, Taylor, O’Connor, Horsfall, Digie, Weeks, Daniels, Ironside (Bradley 72), Chambers (Richards 81), Williams (Baxendale 79).

Subs: Wagner, Austin Referee: Matt Corlett Attendance: 1,570