MARK Yates applauded the character within the team after Kidderminster Harriers fought back from a goal down at Leyton Orient.

Yates has inspired Harriers to 10 points from five games and also scored two goals from midfield, including Saturday's leveller from the penalty spot.

The former Cheltenham man said: "It shows the character in the side now that we can come back away from home and look like a winning team.

"We were disappointing in the first half and didn't really get started. We gave them a sloppy goal and some words were said at half-time.

"But the lads have come out to perform in the second half and were a little bit unlucky not to win the game.

"But we haven't been beaten again and are proving a difficult side to beat. Hopefully, we can go on and climb the table."

Yates admitted he had fouled the keeper in the second half in the incident before Dean Keates and David Hunt were sent off.

He continued: "It was a foul. The trouble is people over-react and it was a big melee over nothing. It was handbags but sparked some ugly scenes."

Yates declared he was confident to step in as penalty-taker for Ian Foster who had earlier been substituted.

Director of football Jan Molby felt keeper Glenn Morris should have been sent off for fouling John Williams and was less than impressed with the Bristol referee.

Molby fumed: "How the keeper has not been asked to walk I don't know. John was about to put the ball into an empty net.

"Two sending-offs and eight bookings makes it sound like it was a dirty game. It was a competitive game but all the problems were kick-started by the referee not being in charge.

"He will be suffering when he has to write all the reports for the bookings. Half of them wouldn't have been bookings in netball, never mind a game of football."