Yates wary of basement boys Lewes

Kidderminster manager Mark Yates has told his side they have a job to do on managerless Lewes at the Dripping Pan tomorrow (3pm).

Resurgent Harriers face the rock bottom side of the Blue Square Premier, who saw Kevin Keehan resign on Wednesday after yet another reverse at Rushden & Diamonds.

A 2-1 loss at Nene Park was their 14th defeat in a row, a sequence that has left the promoted East Sussex club marooned 19 points from safety.

Facing a side back chasing a play-off place after two wins in their last three games is the last thing caretaker boss Steve Ibbitson needed, especially with the Aggborough club fresh from beating their local rivals Crawley.

But, be that as it may, Yates is convinced it won't be as simple as that.

He said: "Lewes is the sort of game we cannot afford to slip up in. The Crawley result will only count for anything if we go down there and get a result. Everyone is expecting us to win, so it's a potential banana skin for us.

"The manager resigning should mean nothing to us, we have or own task in hand. We have to be wary, whoever is in charge of their team will have 11 players out who want to impress. It could give their side that extra 10 per cent.

"We have got to go down there and do a professional job on them. If we do that to anybody, we will beat whoever is put in front of us in our division."

Curiously, Lewes hold a point from Harriers this campaign, right back from the opening day of the campaign, the Rooks' first ever game in the top flight of non-league football.

That day, a Dean Bennett own goal left Aggborough underwhelmed after a 1-1 draw - a long way removed from the successes in recent months.

Yates trudged off as one of many not amused at the final whistle and, alas, he recalls it well.

He said: "It was their cup final when they took a point from us on the opening day, well that was how it looked in the way they celebrated. It was their first game at this level and they were delighted with it.

"To be fair, they have taken points from other teams as well, so we are no special case. "