KIDDERMINSTER Harriers manager Mark Yates has dismissed suggestions of a disciplinary problem at the club.
The Aggborough outfit have seen five players sent off this season, with the latest being left-back Lee Baker in Tuesday’s 3-1 FA Cup fourth qualifying round replay defeat at Fleetwood Town.
Baker starts his three-match ban when Harriers visit Cambridge United in the Blue Square Premier tomorrow (3pm) and will be joined on the sidelines by midfielder Chris McPhee, who serves the second of his three-game suspension.
Yates is looking to recruit a left-back in time for tomorrow’s trip but insists the players have conducted themselves well this season.
He said: “Our discipline has been very good. It’s something we pride ourselves on after winning the fair play award last year.
“We have been very unlucky with a couple of the red cards.
“Lee Baker’s was the only one I thought was rash and we didn’t have a complaint about it.
“We have had 18 bookings, which is the lowest amount of yellow cards in the league, and five reds this season.”
Seventh-placed Harriers, who have striker Robbie Matthews available again following his own three-match ban, will be looking to bounce back from their cup exit with Yates backing his team to succeed.
The manager added: “There has been a lot of negativity since going out of the cup from outside the dressing room.
“But, barring a draw with a top team from our division, Fleetwood was the hardest game we could have had.
“They have got tremendous resources and are a club on the up. They were two really tough games. We have got to pick ourselves up as we are in a decent position in the league and doing better than a lot of people thought we would be when we had to get rid of players in the summer.
“The players have got to take a massive amount of credit for that.”
Harriers expect to have a clean bill of health for the Abbey Stadium encounter.
Martin Ling’s Cambridge, 10th in the table, may be without winger Courtney Pitt due to an ankle injury.
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