KIDDERMINSTER Harriers' loan quandary is threatening their Coca-Cola League Two status, according to boss Stuart Watkiss.

They went through temporary signings at a phenomenal rate earlier in the season, mainly due to injury problems and the small size of the Harriers squad.

New manager Watkiss was left with no short-term loans when he arrived in early December as the maximum of eight were already used up.

And that dilemma has rapidly made life all the more difficult in their struggle at the bottom of the table.

Harriers can still bring other club's players on board in long-term loan deals, which have to run until the end of the season, but few experienced heads are available on that kind of basis at the moment.

Watkiss admitted: "It's killed us. It's been an absolutely massive obstacle to get over. There's no getting away from it.

"Lots of managers have said you can have so-and-so for a month but when you tell them you have no loans left, ultimately you're really taking away a large part of the market.

"It is also very difficult to offer players contracts for next season as we just don't know what league we're going to be in. If you put everything into the mixing bowl then it probably takes nine-tenths of the player market away from us."

Harriers' most successful short-term loans in their maximum of eight have included Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Ryan Clarke and Portsmouth right-back Shaun Cooper.

Watkiss was continuing to pursue new signings today with central midfielders high on his list of priorities ahead of Saturday's vital visit to bottom-of-the-table Cambridge United.

He has released non-contract winger Dave Morrison who failed to earn a first-team debut after joining from Irish side Bohemians.