JAN Molby blamed the madness surrounding Kidderminster Harriers' penalty for their 1-0 defeat at Mansfield on Saturday.

The director of football was amazed to see Graham Ward step up to have the spot-kick saved as he expected Dean Bennett to do the honours.

Harriers went on to concede the winner to Mansfield defender Rhys Day two minutes later.

Molby fumed: "The five minutes revolving around the penalty ultimately cost us.

"Like at Boston, Dean Bennett was supposed to be taking the penalty but somehow our youngest player on the pitch has ended up with it.

"That just about summed up our first-half performance. No-one wanted to take responsibility.

"It was completely different in the second half as soon as we started to match them for work-rate. We never got fully tuned into the game.

"Even in the second half at times, we didn't work hard enough when we had the ball."

Molby slammed some of his players for their attitude when tackling their high-flying opponents who had lost just twice in Division Three at home.

He added: "We had a full week to recover from the Wolves game and we should have had the confidence.

"It just seems to me the players have decided to come to a place where we are expected to get beaten.

"Of course we are but that doesn't mean we have to lie down and roll over which is more or less what we did in the first half.

"I have to be disappointed because I didn't see them doing anything to us that made them win the game. We have got ourselves beaten."