FURIOUS assistant boss Mark Creighton accused players of 'chucking the towel in' after a second half surrender to Eastleigh.

The Aggborough outfit saw their winless run stretched to seven game as play-off chasing Eastleigh exposed Harriers' defensive weakness at free-kicks.

Dan Walker, Jack Midson and Jai Reason all scored during a devastating 11 minute second half spell which cancelled out Joe Partington's own goal and a promising first half.

But Creighton, once himself an imposing centre half for Harriers, felt that experience players such as Josh Gowling, Danny Lewis, Jared Hodgkiss and Kevin Nicholson were not showing enough leadership on the pitch.

He said: “Once again the real lack of leaders has let us down.

“We switch off for three set pieces when we were comfortable in the game.

“We got that little bit of luck in the first half when we scored the own goal and I thought we were very comfortable.

“We turn our back on the first free-kick and concede a goal. We have to defender another one and concede, Danny Lewis makes the decision to come for it and then stops, Eastleigh have a free header at the far post and they win the scramble to score.

“Then we get beaten at the near post by a 40 yard free-kick.

“It is not good enough, some of the players are not good enough and either they change or we have to.”

Defeat means Harriers remain tenth in the Vanarama Conference but are in danger of being sucked into lower half of the table.

Creighton also warned that the club may well start using young players in order to start planning for next season.

With all the squad apart from Craig Reid and the on-loan Reece Styche out of contract in the summer, and the club set to operate on a smaller playing budget, then there looks set to be an Aggborough exodus.

Creighton added: "Players come and go and when one leaves someone else slots in. You can’t keep saying we miss Marvin Johnson or Chey Dunkley.

"We do, but someone else sticks their shoulders back and puffs their chests out and say they will head the ball away.

“That’s all I ever did. I wasn’t a fantastic footballer but I kept clean sheets because I had the desire to stop the ball going into the net.

“I can’t coach desire, neither can the gaffer and if you haven’t got the stomach, then unfortunately see you later.

“They’ve let the gaffer down and he’s fuming and he didn’t want to come and talk to the press because he’s clearing his desk out. He feels let down by the players and he feels he’s done too much at the club to deserve this.

“He’s done a lot for this club and they are short changing him at the moment.

“It’s clear to me that some of the players have chucked in the towel already. Maybe there’s a time this week where we shake them by the hand say thanks very much but don’t come back.

“The fans don’t deserve what they are getting at the moment.”