DEAN Keates has confessed that Kidderminster Harriers players are accepting full responsibility for the club's shocking start to the season.

The former Walsall and Hull midfielder believes the players must rally together to lift Harriers off the bottom of the table.

The Coca-Cola League Two crisis club have lost 11 of their first 17 games, scoring eight goals and conceding 30 on the way to a miserable goal difference.

Shaun Cunnington has a major task, along with assistant Gary Barnett, to lift the side for Friday's FA Cup first round visit to Port Vale after their 4-0 thrashing by Boston United.

And Keates, one of the more experienced Harriers at just 26, admitted: "We have let ourselves down, we've let the fans down, let Barney down and let Shaun down.

"There's only us to blame. We are the ones that go out and have to do the business. We didn't do that at all in the second-half against Boston.

"These performances have been the story of our season as we let Jan Molby down before. The only thing that we've shown consistency in is letting people down.

"We need to sort that out and it needs to be done as soon as possible. We have got a fight on our hands and we need to pull together in the right direction."

But Keates praised fans for getting behind the club. He said: "The fans have been outstanding. They don't get on our back but we have been giving bad performances."

Interviews for the Harriers managerial job will not start until next week when chairman Colin Youngjohns returns from a pre-arranged break.

The latest name linked is ex-midfielder Richard Forsyth who started this season on non-contract terms with Northwich Victoria only to be injured.

Harriers visit Milton Keynes Dons in the FA Youth Cup tonight (7.30pm).