HONEST skipper Wayne Hatswell apologised to keeper John Danby and admitted Harriers fans had every right to slate them after Saturday's Macclesfield horror show.

Danby, in his home league debut, was beaten four times but was given little protection by an experienced defence, including Hatswell.

And sections of the crowd let Harriers players know of their disapproval at the 4-1 defeat to fellow strugglers.

Hatswell said: "The fans have had a bit of a go at us and they had a right to. We haven't played very well at all and got a good hiding.

"John Danby did really well on Tuesday but we were solid in front of him then. I think we owe him a little apology as we haven't done him any favours against Macclesfield.

"I understand there's a lot of players out of contract but, if you look at Saturday's performance, you would wonder whether even the players with contracts warranted them.

"We are all playing not only to stay in the league but also we're playing for our careers."

Hatswell said he hoped another "kick up the backside" would do Harriers good in their run-in.

He added: "We are by no means safe. We could have gone 13 points clear of Macclesfield if we had won and it would have been a big ask, from their point of view, to bring us back into relegation trouble.

"Now it's seven points and Macclesfield have a game in hand. We've got tough games coming up and now we've made it difficult for ourselves.

"On Saturday, we came back down to earth with a big bang. There are no easy games in this league and we should know that more than anybody.

"They have come and rolled their sleeves up when we thought it was going to be easier than it was. We cannot afford to go into games with that attitude.

"I don't think the referee had a very good game and the conditions were difficult but there's two teams and they adapted better than we did."