Kidderminster had an amazing season and have a lot to be proud of but ultimately disappointment will be the overriding feeling for them as they went so close before eventually missing out on promotion. The season started in the worst possible manner for Steve Burr and his side. He had retained mostly the same side that played well and went close to a play-off spot the previous season but a few poor results early on really hit the team hard and damaged their confidence. They actually lost all of their first five games despite being close to getting at least a point in almost all of them. A serious injury to talented midfield Jack Byrne and the departure of summer recruit Exodus Geohaghon made it even more difficult situation to work in for Burr but he kept faith in his system and the team. They claimed their first point of the season only in early September in a draw against Barrow but the first victory of the season remained elusive as the next few games ended in draws too. However, the drought was ended with a comeback 3:1 win away at Cambridge at the end of September when Ryan Rowe scored a hat-trick. Further two wins in the next three games lifted the pressure off the shoulders off the Harriers' players considerably and they went on a very good run of form during the autumn. A 1:0 loss at Stockport in early October was the only league defeat they will suffer from August until the early days of 2013. It was hard to point what changed in the team for their fortunes to take such a rise but the return of striker Jamile Matt, who was barred from playing for eight months due to a visa issue, provided an instant boost to the attacking resources and they became a much more dangerous and powerful outfit. Draws were initially still more common than wins but a late 1:0 victory over Nuneaton in November kicked off a seven-game winning run until the end of December that included great wins over Wrexham and Newport County. Burr's men had a slightly slower start to the new year when Hereford and Macclesfield did beat them but they were otherwise winning every game and firmly put themselves in the promotion race with the painful memories of the start of the season long gone. The team was showing superb attitude and real desire to get the results with the defensive lynchpins of veteran Josh Gowling and Cheyenne Dunkley proving a superb combination at the back while the midfield was as dogged and determined as any in the league. Matt left the club in January but the proceeds from the sale were used to strengthen the squad and make it a lot broader. The momentum was maintained and seven wins on the trot followed after that loss at Macclesfield. There was genuine talk of title challenge now as Wrexham and Grimsby started to falter and and a hugely dramatic 2:1 win away at Newport County in March put the team top of the table for a first time all season. Mansfield were flying too but Kidderminster maintained the challenge and dropped just two points for the rest of the regular season, at home to Woking. Yet, they proved costly as Mansfield managed to leapfrog them with a dramatic win in their penultimate game of the season and eventually win the win by just two points even though Kidderminster had a remarkable record of winning 16 of their last 18 league games. Still, there was plenty of hope that they can succeed in the play-offs but suffered a narrow 2:1 loss at Wrexham in the first leg in Wales and failed to turn their dominance in the second leg into a win, losing 3:1 after being caught on the break. That spelt the end of their promotion challenge and left the team deeply deflated and disappointment as their superb efforts during the campaign went unrewarded.
