KIDDERMINSTER Harriers boss Steve Burr believes Ryan Rowe’s hat-trick heroics can fire the striker to another level.

The hitman inspired the Aggborough outfit to their first win of the season in the Blue Square Bet Premier at the 11th time of asking, when he came off the bench to bag a classy treble and sink 10-man Cambridge United on Tuesday night.

Those were the first goals of the season for the former Stourbridge player, who joined Harriers for a five-figure fee in February.

Since then Rowe has struggled to replicate his prolific form and lost his place in the side after a goalless start to a frustrating campaign for Harriers.

But Burr wants the Cookley-based hitman to take confidence from his 45-minute demolition act and keep on scoring, starting with Saturday’s visitors Macclesfield Town (3pm ko).

The manager was so impressed by the quality of the striker’s goals he compared them to legendary Harriers goal-machine Kim Casey , who scored 176 times in 247 appearances in the mid-1980s.

“That was probably the best performance I have ever seen by a substitute, Ryan came off the bench and scored three excellent goals,” Burr said.

“I have never seen anything like that before and he deserves it for his hard work.

“He needed that, it hadn’t been happening for him but we’re hoping we are starting to see what he’s really capable of. The goals reminded me very much of Kim Casey, they were all excellent finishes.

“Since I have been at the club I have wanted someone who is at the top of the Conference’s scoring charts, like Kim used to be for Harriers.

“I am not comparing Ryan to Kim because there’s a lot of hard work to do but hopefully this hat-trick will give him the boost he needs.”

Victory, Harriers’ first in the Conference Premier since the 6-1 routof Kettering back in April 14, followed on from Saturday’s 1-1 at Alfreton, stretched their unbeaten run to six games and ended a frustrating sequence of five successive draws. It also lifted them off the bottom of the table and closer to escaping the bottom four.

Now they will be aiming to make it successive wins at home to Macclesfield, for whom Burr himself was a prolific goal-scorer in his pomp.

“This gets the monkey off our backs and now I want the team to kick on, starting with Macclesfield on Saturday,” added a relieved Harriers manager. “In recent games I felt this had been coming, the performances had been improving and certainly against Alfreton I thought we had enough chances to win.

“There has been no doom and gloom from the lads and the backroom staff because we’ve created so many chances.

“Funnily enough, we didn’t create as many at Cambridge but Ryan’s finishing was absolutely clinical.

“But we still have a lot of hard work to do, we’ve got to get out of the bottom four and move up the table.”

Meanwhile, striker Steve Guinan will have a dual role at Aggborough after taking up a coaching position.

The 36-year-old, who will still play for Harriers, is also senior manager at Hartpury College’s football academy.

l Match reports – Page 102