MARK Yates will up efforts to improve the squad after witnessing the "worst display" of his time as Kidderminster Harriers manager.

Yates had impressively claimed three wins and one draw from his four Conference matches prior to Saturday's clash with Gravesend & Northfleet at Aggborough.

But the 'honeymoon period' seemed to be over on Saturday as Harriers slipped one place to 14th in the table with an uninspiring defeat to their mid-table rivals.

Since selling top-scorer Iyseden Christie and skipper Mark Jackson to Rochdale before the transfer deadline, Yates' side have failed to find the net in two games.

The previous weekend's 0-0 draw at Halifax Town was a commendable effort but, when required to force the issue at home, Harriers were found wanting.

Simon Russell's switch to central midfield, filling in for the banned Russ Penn, did not work wonders with forwards Andy White and Francino Francis feeding off scraps.

At the other end, dodgy defending allowed teenager Onome Sodje a 17th-minute header and then Andrew Drury's lucky deflected free-kick settled the issue on 74 minutes.

Yates is now intent on adding to his squad, though it will have to be a loan player or free agent, in time for Saturday's derby at lowly Tamworth.

He admitted: "Gravesend were better than us from the very start. They worked hard and ensured we got exactly what we deserved.

"That performance was easily the worst I've seen since I've been here and the lads know it's not good enough.

"It perhaps proves why consistency has been their downfall this season. After the good run we've had in the league you'd have to hope that complacency hasn't set in -- but from the look of this performance, maybe it has. I was unsuccessful with one or two enquiries I've been making over the course of last week and, after Saturday, I may be working even harder to bring people in this week."

White, in his second Harriers loan spell, started brightly by forcing a great save from 'keeper Craig Holloway early on.

But Sodje opened the scoring by nodding home a Jimmy Jackson corner that John Danby and his defence failed to deal with.

Russell's fierce volley forced another Holloway stop but Gravesend's Drury and Sodje also went close.

Although Daryl Burgess had a header cleared off the Gravesend line, Drury bagged a second with the wicked deflection from his set-piece totally wrong-footing Danby.

Defender Johnny Mullins hit the post in pursuit of a Harriers consolation goal late on.

HARRIERS: Danby; Sedgemore, Burgess, Mullins, Harkness; Sheldon, Russell, Fleming, Blackwood (Wilson 76); Francis (Thompson 56), White. Subs not used: Howarth, Lewis, Graves.

ATTENDANCE: 1,575.