FORMER Wales captain Barry Horne has been appointed first team player-coach of Kidderminster Harriers.

The 38-year-old midfielder has agreed a one-year deal and will work alongside manager Jan Molby and assistant boss Gary Barnett.

Molby said: "I feel the fact that Barry has agreed a contract of one year is very important. We did a similar thing last season when we brought in Mike Marsh. Although Barry is a different type of player to Mike he will give us the same experience.

"Barry's been appointed first team coach as well, but it's entirely up to him how much time he wants to devote to that. We have brought him here mainly as a player, but he's also got abilities as a coach. That is an option open to him.

"The main thing is to get him out there and play in as many games as he can."

Kidderminster chairman Lionel Newton said the deal would be good news for the club's younger players.

He said: "It will bring people like Dean Bennett into the game a lot more and make him a better player in his own right."

Horne has had spells with Everton, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday in a career which started with Wrexham in 1984-5. He has been training with Kidderminster following his departure from The Owls and went with Molby's men on their pre-season tour of Denmark.

Kidderminster, meanwhile, complete their 'warm-up' programme tomorrow with a trip to Boston United (3pm)

Molby said: "In an ideal world you always want a game a week before the season starts, but at the moment we could have done without it because of injuries."

The latest casualty is defender Ian Clarkson who pulled up with a sore hamstring during Wednesday night's friendly at Stourport Swifts.

Other players who have been nursing slight knocks recently are Scott Stamps, Craig Hinton and Adie Smith.