Yates hopeful of better times ahead

Ahead of the 10th Blue Square Premier game of 2009/10 tomorrow (3pm) - the traditional point where a start to the season is measured by bosses up and down the land - the Aggborough men sit bang halfway in the table.

You couldn't have asked for any more ups and downs from another new-look Harriers side - with four wins, four defeat a goalless draw to show from nine games so far.

But Tuesday's 3-1 home win over much-fancied Mansfield was a big step in the right direction and was their third win in their last five games.

Now the manager is urging his players to produce that sort of display week in, week out.

He said: "As I have said before, we are out of absolutely nothing. But I wouldn't have taken 13 points, even 16, from the first 10 games, I wanted more.

"It is a new team and that should be taken in account, but I think we have the quality of players to be at the top end of the table. Mansfield was the complete performance, now we have to find the formula to do it regularly.

"The players are hopefully starting to realise what it takes to put in a 90 minute performance.

"When we have got that steely determination in the dressing room, we are as good as anyone."

The Aggborough club meet a side who were big play-off rivals last season, with 2008/09's corresponding fixture three games from the finish ending in a 1-1 draw - two points dropped that cost Harriers a play-off place.

Histon went on to lose to Torquay in the play-off semi-finals and have struggled so far this season, sitting 18th after losing their last four games.

Yates said: "Histon are not having the best of times at the moment, but I sure they will turn that around. They play a system that suits them, very high tempo and quite direct. But we played pretty central ourselves on Tuesday, so maybe that is something to look at.

"We have got the likes of Gateshead and York coming up after this, they are all big games that we need to take something from."