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Main men: Iyseden Christie celebrates his goal with Mark Creighton.

Harriers 2
Rushden and Diamonds 0

HARRIERS eased to a comfortable victory over Rushden and Diamonds on Bank Holiday Monday to make it three home wins in a row.

Top-scorer Iyseden Christie made it ten goals for the season and Mark Creighton, in his 100th appearance for Harriers, hit the back of the net, to ensure that they ended a two-game losing run and completed the double over fitful Diamonds in the Blue Square Premier.

Victory took the pressure off manager Mark Yates and his side, who have struggled to win over fans at home over the course of the season.

Away from home Harriers have struggled for confidence but at Aggborough they have a renewed spring in their step and are playing with more attacking freedom.

The side shook off the effects of away defeats at Stevenage and Exeter by totally outplaying Diamonds in the first half with some bright and entertaining football.

Gary Hill's side had dumped Harriers out of the Setanta Shield in March and the hosts looked determined to avenge that result.

From the start Harriers, with Darryl Knights restored to the side, overwhelmed the visitors with some zippy passing and entertaining football.

With Simon Russell pulling the strings on the left of midfield Harriers made Diamonds look like a cheap fake bought down the market.

The in-form winger saw an excellent 25-yard shot deflected wide in the opening minutes, before Creighton crashed a header off the bar from Russell's accurate corner.

Diamonds keeper Dale Roberts denied Christie in the 14th minute. The bustling forward stole in to meet Russell's left-wing cross and headed it goal-wards but Roberts dived instinctively to push it around the post.

A minute later Roberts could not prevent Harriers from taking a deserved lead.

From a short corner Russell teased Curtis Woodhouse and whipped in a cross which Christie volleyed into the back of the net.

While the hosts ran circles round Diamonds, Gavin Hurren, alongside Creighton, produced one of his best performances in central defence, while right-back Jeff Kenna was calm and assured.

Russell should have doubled Harriers' lead in the 31st minute when Knights squared the ball to him on the edge of the box but he side-footed wide Creighton, dominant throughout, was lucky to escape a booking when he just missed Tom Shaw with a reckless high tackle early in the second half.

The 137 away fans were enraged and Harriers' supporters on their feet cheering in the 49th minute, when the defender headed the hosts into a 2-0 lead.

Knights' persistence won a corner and Russell played it short to Kenna, who delivered a first-time cross which the towering defender powered into the back of the net.

Diamonds tried to hit back but lacked the cutting edge to breach solid Harriers. They were reduced to free-kicks from Andy Gooding and Conal Platt, which keeper Chris MacKenzie dealt with effortlessly.

Creighton was rightly booked in the 63rd minute when he ploughed through striker Charles Ademeno.

It was the only black mark on an otherwise perfect for day for him.

Despite a spell of possession Diamonds had only one meaningful shot on target in the 67th minute but MacKenzie dealt with Shaw's 20-yard blockbuster.

With victory assured Harriers lost their way and a largely entertaining game fizzled out in the final 20 minutes, with Diamonds posing little threat on a bitterly cold afternoon.

The post match serenity was pierced after the game by a small but noisy group outside the ground, who were quickly dispersed by the police, but it couldn't hide the fact that Harriers have found their groove at home.

See picture gallery from the Rushden and Diamonds clash or read Mark Yates' reaction.

Harriers: MacKenzie 7; Kenna 7; Hurren 8; CREIGHTON 8; Russell 7; Penn 6; Bennett 6; Barnes-Homer 6 (McGrath, 86); Jeannin 6; Christie 7; Knights 6 (Smikle, 75).

Rushden: Roberts; Osano; Gulliver; Woodhouse (Kelly, 81); Ademeno ( Tomlin, 68); Rankine; Shaw (Challinor, 81); Gooding; Platt; Corcoran; El-Kholti.

Referee: S Rushton (Staffordshire). Attendance: 1,477.

10:26am Thursday 27th March 2008

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