Yates brands players as 'naive' (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Yates brands players as 'naive'

8:23pm Sunday 6th December 2009 in Harriers

Harriers manager Mark Yates branded his players as 'naive' after they slipped to a 2-0 loss to Blue Square Premier title-chasers Stevenage Borough on Saturday.

The Aggborough outfit saw a positive start in the first half go to waste, when slack defending allowed John Ashton to fire Borough ahead.

Things were to get even worse at the start of the second half, when Harriers gave the ball away from the kick-off and Mitchell Cole pounced to score.

Yates said: "We got beaten up, got bullied and out worked.

"We didn't get outplayed but we didn't do the horrible stuff.

"To concede two goals like we did was really poor.

"I thought the system we put out was the right one, but Stevenage changed it around and I just sensed that we needed to keep a clean sheet until half-time, but the manner of the goal and defending a couple of set-pieces was poor.

"Then we've got kick-off, but we're poorly set-up and we give the ball away and a minute later the ball's in the back of the net.

"Our lads were moaning that their striker has come back from an offside position to compete with Martin Riley, but that's irrevelant, we should have dealt with it.

"The players felt that things didn't go for them, but that won't wash with me, we've got to make our own luck.

"We showed our naivety and didn't see the first half out."

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