Kidderminster Harriers turned in one of their worst performances for a long, lont time today with an organised Grays Athletic outfit allowed to stroll to a 4-0 lead inside 35 minutes.
Confidence had been boosted in the Aggborough camp with the promising win at Stafford in midweek but everything was wrong today with Harriers a goal behind after just nine minutes.
As organised as the home side were, and they were that, they certainly weren't pushed too far for their five goals, Danny Kedwell certainly won't grab an easier hat-trick in his career.
Boss Mark Yates furious at both half and full-time and kept his players on the pitch at the end of the game to give them a tough work-out before locking the door in the away dressing room.
Skipper Stuart Whitehead was again forced to watch from the stands as he steps up his fitness work - it seems his return can't come quick enough with his presence clearly missed at the back for Harriers.
Gavin Hurren keeps the ball in the middle at Grays
KEDWELL opened the day's scoring, then, James Lawson hit a perfectly weighted through-ball into the penalty area, the pace of the ball fooling the whole defence as he closed down on Scott Bevan, the shot-stopper rushing out to take both ball and man - it was to no avail as with Kedwell on the ground the ball rolled into the back of the open net.
With 20 on the clock Jon Munday pushed Ben Watson in the area to concede an obvious penalty. Even after a re-take KEDWELL managed to beat Bevan for his side's second.
Three minutes later WATSON got himself on the score-sheet - Lawson's header across goal leaving the player with an easy tap in.
Ten minutes before the interval with Harriers offering next to nothing going forward KEDWELL sealed his hat-trick style, smashing an angled drive past Bevan from some distance.
Jeff Kenna - half time sub at Grays today.
Changes were immediate going into the second half with Jeff Kenna and Iyseden Christie thrown into the mix.
There was a notable lift in interest and effort from the away side with the second-half getting underway and within a few minutes they pulled a goal back as CHRISTIE drilled home from the penalty spot after a Grays handball.
The first 20 minutes of the second 45 was all one-way traffic as Harriers looked to make amends for such a shocking first half but the enthusiasm was ended when Aaron O'CONOR was left with the easy task of hitting Mark Marshall's pass past Bevan to make it 5-1 on 68 minutes.
Christie scored from the penalty spot in today's defeat
Bevan needs to be thanked for the score then not becoming higher as, bar some hard work by the likes of Christie and Kenna there was little Harriers could do to claw back the deficit despite having the best of the territorial possession.
It will remain to be seen whether personnel will be altered for next Friday's clash with Stevenage at Aggborough but even if the players' line-up stays the same, something must change.
MATCH PICS: Graeme Turby - www.snappingaway.co.uk
