THERE was praise for all concerned from boss Mark Yates following Harriers' 2-0 win over Grays at Aggborough Stadium.
The boys moved once again within touching distance of the top spots in the Blue Square Premier with a success that never looked in doubt once Justin Richards had given them a first-half lead.
Harriers have now racked up more home wins in the league than any other side - and Yates was understandably a happy man as he faced the press at the end of the game.
"I thought we were excellent to start with - we passed the ball well in really tricky conditions," he said.
"They came to frustrate us with their system but I thought we deserved to go in at half time with the lead.
"The second half wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked but we scored that important goal.
"Bar the one chance where Grays could've perhaps scored, I'm relatively happy with the performance."
Richards' tenth goal of the campaign was followed up by Matthew Barnes-Homer's eighth - the two strikers again linking up in real style.
"They were excellent - Justin has a spell in particular in the second half where everything was sticking," added Yates.
"He was getting the ball for us and keeping us playing, and I also thought Barnsey caused a real threat.
"We just want Matthew to be more positive at times - his pace, power and strength can be awesome and defenders don't like playing against those ingredients, and he has them."
FIRST LEAGUE START: Impressive debut for Martin Riley
An unsung hero of the win was youngster Martin Riley. The defender was making his full debut in a Harriers shirt following his summer arrival, with Luke Jones out of the reckoning through suspension.
Riley's impact was immediate and he's already caught the eye of his Manager.
"I thought Martin was superb," Yates went on to say.
"He was comfortable in the first half and in the second half when they started to get more bodies in the box and test us, I thought he was superb - his positioning was really good.
"He made one or two really good well-timed tackles which I know he can do, he reads the game really well and he can be pleased with his performance."
