STUART Watkiss fears he is living on borrowed time as Kidderminster Harriers boss - unless the club publicly states its realistic expectations for the season at Aggborough

Watkiss has come under increasing pressure from sections of the Harriers faithful after a slump of three defeats in four, culminating in Tuesday's 2-0 defeat at bottom club Crawley Town.

And the 39-year-old manager is concerned the situation will be exacerbated unless there is a clear message of this season's aims and objectives from the club's corridors of power.

The flak has already started flying Watkiss's way with the Kidderminster boss in danger of becoming the fall guy for the club's turbulent summer.

But although he accepts the criticism - and in no way seeks to excuse his side's sub-standard displays against Forest Green and Halifax - he insists the Harriers set up is that of a mid-table Conference club rather than one with promotion ambitions.

"It's not water off a duck's back, because it hurts," said Watkiss, ahead of Saturday's home game with Tamworth.

"I'm a proud man and when I see my team perform poorly it hurts me but all I can do is continue to do my best.

"Hand on heart, this is about where we are at the moment. There's no use pretending that we're going to be right up there and that we have a divine right to get out of this league.

"At the moment the set up of this club isn't that of a club to get out of the Conference - if you look deeper it just isn't.

"That doesn't mean that people at the club haven't identified that and are not trying to put it right to get us where we want to be.

The former Mansfield manager conceded that there were more than half-a-dozen Conference clubs better-prepared for a promotion push than Harriers.

"There's clubs in this league that are a lot further down the line than we are," he continued.

"Look at Halifax who have been in the Conference for three or four years and look at the underbelly there.

"They've got a youth system where they're tied in with the college, so have Hereford and Exeter.

"Those clubs are in front of us, that's fact. This club has had a turbulent summer, there's no getting away from that. The structure of the club at the moment and the budget that we have isn't that of a club that can be right up there at the top of the league challenging.

"It doesn't stop us wanting to do it and to be the best and highest up the table we possibly can, but sometimes I think a reality check is needed."

Watkiss insists a rut like Harriers are experiencing was inevitable given his limited budget and hastily-assembled squad.

"Throughout this season we are going to lose games and people who think we're going to go from now until May unbeaten are not right," he said.

"I've had a chat with people from Crawley and I know their budget is bigger than ours, and they've got a college system, a youth system and their own training ground.

"We've got to try and put our club right and move forward but obviously 90 per cent of what you're judged on is what's happening on the first team pitch.

"We've had three defeats in four and it's disappointing but you either go under and feel sorry for yourself and think everybody is against you or you roll your sleeves up and come out fighting.

"I intend to come out fighting but obviously the results over a period of time will decide how long I'm going to be manager," added Watkiss.