DISAPPOINTED midfielder Sam Shilton is calling for Harriers to produce where it matters - in the two penalty areas.

Shilton, an ever-present so far on the left-hand side, feels they have the talent to move up Division Three.

The 23-year-old former Coventry City player saw Harriers drop to their third away defeat of the season at Rochdale yet felt the visitors compared quite favourably to their top-of-the-table opponents.

Hard-working Shilton has given the team extra balance on the left flank but is still waiting for his first goal.

He insisted: "We're doing a lot of good things in between the two penalty boxes. But the two penalty areas are where it matters most and we are a little bit off there.

"Considering Rochdale are at the top of the league, you wouldn't say they were a lot better than us.

"We were the better team in terms of how the game should be played and we created a few chances.

"But we've given them two free headers from set-pieces and you cannot afford to do that. It's key moments like these in matches that win games and give you the points.

"When the early goal went on, it was always an uphill battle and we were trying to catch up.

"We're very disappointed at the moment considering we have the talent to move up the league but there's 40 games to go and plenty of points available."

Shilton believes the new-look team has not had a bad start, declaring: "It's quite a decent start, especially as we are not playing as well as we could.

"We're still trying to gel together and it's just a matter of seeing how each game goes. We've had decent spells of football but overall could do a lot better.

"The midfield is starting to work well and Danny (Williams) with Ben (Davies) is looking very promising.

"I've been fairly pleased with what I'm doing down the left in terms of crosses and giving a bit of balance to the team. But we all want to score more goals.

"We have to try and make our home a fortress and pick up points there. We do need to get off the mark away from home as well."

Shilton has been impressed with left-back Ian Joy who made his full debut, stepping in for the injured Scott Stamps.

He added: "Ian's done very well. He's a good defender and he's good to play with as he's always looking to give you the ball."