RYAN ROWE used to resurface driveways and car parks in the family tarmacking business, but on Tuesday night the only thing he was looking to lay was a sorry start to the season to rest.
And how! The 24-year-old climbed off the bench at half-time to destroy ten-man Cambridge United with as good a hat-trick as you'll see, earning Harriers their first win of the Blue Square Bet Premier campaign at the Abbey Stadium.
They were Rowe's first goals of the season, too, making it six in total since manager Steve Burr paid an undisclosed five-figure fee to Southern Premier side Stourbridge for the highly-rated striker's services last February.
All have come as a substitute, with Rowe taking time to adapt to the step up in standard from the divisions in which had had gained a prolific reputation locally.
He hit a half-century of goals for Cradley Town, including 30 in the league to earn him the Midland Alliance's Golden Boot award during 2008-09, before cracking 73 in 146 games for the Glassboys at Step 3.
Transition
Last season he rose to national prominence during Stourbridge's run to the FA Cup second round, scoring a stunner at Plymouth Argyle in the first round before impressing during Gary Hackett's side's defeat to Stevenage.
The League One side's then-manager, Graham Westley, enquired about taking the forward to Hertfordshire, while Forest Green made a bid before Kiddy coughed up the cash.
Rowe candidly admits he hasn't found it easy, but is determined to win the sceptical Aggborough fans over while helping their team climb the table.
“It's taken me a while to make the transition from part-time football to full-time,”? says Rowe. “It takes some people a year or so. It is a life changer.
“I used to be at work from seven until six sometimes, depending on what job we were on. We were relaying driveways, car parks, factories and big industrial areas, and it was hard graft.
“I've got so much time on my hands now, you sometimes don't know what to do. I've certainly been playing plenty of golf , my handicap's down to five or six, but all I want to do is work hard and prove myself as a footballer.”?
Kidderminster boy Rowe has received some criticism this term as Harriers went ten games without a win. He had only made one brief sub's appearance, against Grimsby a fortnight ago, n a month before Tuesday's turnaround.
The complaints are something he gets to hear first-hand, whether it's going up to Little Lakes Golf Club or shopping in Morrisons.
He added: “Obviously the team not playing well means that the strikers aren't getting the service, but we weren't scoring goals so the manager was right to change it around.
“But I've got my head down, worked hard and got my chance again at Cambridge. Hopefully it can kick-start mine and the team's season.
“Being a local lad, the expectation is massive. Everyone you see, all they want to talk about is football. You can't get away from it and it does affect you.
“As a striker, especially when you've been bought for good money, there is extra pressure. It's that pressure of scoring goals, but once you get off the mark, it gives you that confidence to kick on. I just want to pay the club and the fans back for their faith in me.”
You could see exactly what the goals meant to Rowe and the 66 travelling fans, in front of whom the three stunning finishes came.
First, on the hour, he cancelled out Josh Coulson's opener by curling right-footed into the top corner from the left-side of the penalty box.
Buzzing
His second, eight minutes later, came from the opposite side of the area, cutting back onto his left foot to drill low past U's stopper Jonathan Hedge.
The hat-trick came with five minutes left, from the same side but from the angle of the 18-yard box, crashing his right-foot piledriver in off the underside of the bar.
“It was just one of those where you put your head down, foot through the ball and it flies in,” he says. “You know it's your day because nine times out of ten that flies into the crowd.”
The only thing in danger of flying into that group behind the goal was a posse of red shirted players.
“All the boys were buzzing for me, which was nice, but I think we played well as a team,” he adds. “It's nice to score goals, but we deserved the three points and it made us six unbeaten.
“Getting the win was all-important because instead of saying we were five unbeaten albeit with all draws, we could then say we were six unbeaten without any explanation.
“Hopefully we can get a couple of wins in quick succession and fly up that table.”
Cambridge manager Jez George is convinced that is what will happen for Harriers, saying after the game that if Kiddy are in the bottom four next May, he would give the gathered journalists “?everything I own in the world”.
Rowe clearly shares the sentiment, adding: “The squad we've got this year is as good as what we had last year, if not better with some of the players the manager has brought in. There is no reason why we can't go on a run and be involved in the play-off picture again.”?
Like in his old job, the foundations have been laid. Now for the drive up the table!
