HEREFORD United manager Graham Turner says his players need to show more belief in their own ability as they prepare for Carling Cup action tonight.

The Bulls, who lost 2-1 at Leyton Orient in League One on Saturday, turn their attention to a first-round tie against Championship side Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (7.45).

Dean Beckwith gave Here-ford the lead at Orient but a goal from JJ Melligan and an Adam Boyd penalty were enough to seal the points for the hosts.

Turner reckons his side were too respectful of their opponents and wants them to be more positive when they return to the capital to face Neil Warnock’s Palace, who drew 0-0 with Watford at the weekend.

He said: “It’s a new experience for a lot of the players and I’ve just been stressing that we’ve got to learn to believe that we can live with sides like Leyton Orient and I felt at times we had just that little bit of a lack of belief about us and it proved costly.

“I thought we showed them probably too much respect, we gave them too much room and too much time on the ball in the first-half.

“In the second-half we got a little bit closer to them and had a little bit of play territorially but never looked really convincing in front of goal.

“It’s a matter of the players stepping up and getting used to dealing with the extra pace and the extra quality of the players we are playing against.

“That is a fact, players at this level are going to be better than we’ve been used to in the past.”

Elsewhere, Kidderminster Harriers visit Cambridge Uni-ted for a Blue Square Premier clash tonight (7.45).

Mark Yates’ side opened their 2008/09 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Lewes at Agg-borough on Saturday, while the Us began with a 1-0 win at Northwich Victoria.

Striker Justin Richards put Harriers ahead against the league’s new boys but came unstuck when Dean Bennett put through his own net two minutes before half-time.

Harriers, though, will be bouyed by the fact they completed the double over Cam-bridge last season, winning 1-0 at Aggborough and 3-0 at the Abbey Stadium.