My piece from the Sunday paper
Callum Gittings and Michael Gash both scored a brace to see off their old rivals.
Harriers turned over County twice in their Conference fixtures last term, but the Welsh outfit had the last laugh when they won promotion via the play-offs.
But Newport manager Justin Edinburgh had nothing to smile about after this humiliating result and he fumed:
"We had enough opportunities. We probably had double the number of chances that they had, but we didn't take them and weren't ruthless. I thought that they were very clinical and we weren't. Congratulations to them though. I've been on the wrong end of a few results here and this is another one.
"I'm not going to stand here and criticise the players. We've not been overrun. We've not let ourselves down. But we're absolutely despondent with the result. Everyone wants to win every game we play in. It was a chance for us to get into the third round but we haven't taken it. We don't like losing any game."
Striker Gash opened the scoring in the nineteenth minute when he nimbly wriggled past two defenders and into the box before curling the ball past keeper Lenny Pidgeley with the outside of his right foot.
Midfielder Gittings grabbed his first nine minutes later.
Pidgeley did well to block a low shot through a crowded box from winger Joe Lolley, but Gittings pounced to bury the rebound from twelve yards.
Gittings and Lolley then combined again for Harriers third.
Lolley split the Newport defence with a long pass from his own half to pick out Gittings who raced in on goal before slotting his fifth goal of the season past helpless Pidgeley from the edge of the area.
Gash netted his seventh of the season in the 63rd minute.
Lee Fowler and skipper Kyle Storer played a short free kick to each other 25 yards out before teeing up Gash to drill in a low shot that left Pidgeley with no chance.
Robbie Willmott helped spare County's blushes with two late goals of his own.
Ten minutes from time winger Willmott hit a poorly defensive clearance in off the inside of the post from fourteen yards and three minutes later he nodded in Connor Washington's right wing cross at the far post for his fourth of the season.
Fowler believes Kiddy's Conference grafters have what it takes to compete at a much higher level.
Midfielder Fowler, 30, has played for fifteen clubs, but started out in the Premier League at Coventry and insisted:
"There are players at this club who are good enough to play in the Championship without a shadow of a doubt. It's exciting just playing with them. I've played with some good lads in my time, but can't understand why no-one's been looking at some of them - our skipper Kyle Storer, for example. We've also got the best manager outside of the Championship."
Former Wales U21 international Fowler revealed last week that he has finally faced up to a drink problem that has plagued his career, but he was at his best and pulled the strings as he helped beat one of his former clubs - and not for the first time. He explained:
"I have this amazing record of never losing to a club I've played for and they are always high scoring games. It's never a dull 0-0 or 1-0."
Midfielder Gittings, 28, was turfed out by Wolves as a fifteen year old and joined minnows Alvechurch while working as a plumber before signing full time with Kidderminster three years ago.
Gittings admitted he is targeting promotion to the football league rather than a Cup run and said:
"This is the furthest I've been in the Cup and it's a great feeling - it's amazing to be in the third round. Missing out on promotion last season still hurts though and we want to put that right. Having said that, I'd be just as happy with promotion AND a nice Cup run!"
Man of the match Gash, 27, scored a goal in each half and said:
"To beat a football league team feels fantastic. The way we did it as well, by going 3-0 up at half time, you couldn't ask for anything more."
Kidderminster manager Steve Burr was delighted with delighted with the win, but admitted:
"I thought Newport started off brightly and probably should've scored early on. That's sometimes just that little bit of fortune you need and after that I thought we settled down really well and some of the football we played was as good as we've seen and we've seen a lot of good games here."
"It's obviously useful for the club from a financial point of view, but for me it was all about the performance. I'm really pleased with the way the players went about things. I encourage them to express themselves because we have lads who can play good football and they certainly did that."
County could have been two goals up in the first four minutes.
Striker Danny Crow's overhead kick from the penalty spot landed on the roof of the net and midfielder Connor Washington dragged a low shot on the turn inches wide of the far post after shaking off central defender Chey Dunkley.
And Kidderminster came close to adding the fourth just before the break, but Pidgeley managed to claw away Lolley's curler from the right side of the area.
County came out fighting in the second half and in the first five minutes central defender Josh Gowling had deflected a Washington shot narrowly over and Willmott hit the bar from 22 yards.
Monday morning's clipping
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