JONNY Harkness has agreed a deal to stay at Kidderminster Harriers for another year.

The 21-year-old full-back had verbally agreed to commit himself to the club and has now signed on the dotted line for next season's assault on the Blue Square Premier title.

Harkness, who arrived at Aggborough at the end of the 2005/06 campaign, has proved a threat for Harriers with his ability at set-pieces and his signature will be a welcome boost to manager Mark Yates.

He impressed during the last campaign, scoring some impo-rtant goals and performing well in a strong back four.

But Harkness made the headlines for all the wrong reasons at the back end of last season after missing the most important date in Harriers' history through suspension.

His red card for violent conduct in the 3-0 defeat at Grays Athletic saw him banned for the FA Trophy final defeat at Wembley.

At the time Harriers assistant manager Neil Howarth said: "It's probably a decision that he's made on the pitch that he'll regret for the rest of his life."

Harkness' deal, coming hot on the heels of new signing Justin Richards, means Yates has now secured the futures of 14 players for next season. Former Peterborough United striker Richards arrived at Aggborough on a two-year deal earlier this week to become Yates' first acquisition since he and Howarth penned new contracts.

Chairman Barry Norgrove said he was pleased to see his management duo sign.

He added: "They work incredibly hard behind the scenes to try and make sure the club is going in the right direction."