KIDDERMINSTER Harriers chairman Lionel Newton has hit out at the apathy shown by the public following the club's promotion to the Football League.

He made the stinging attack following the Aggborough outfit's annual meeting last night.

The Harriers chief also said the directors were not prepared to bankrupt the club by paying out excessive money on players.

Newton made his comments just five days after Kidderminster attracted their lowest Division Three gate so far -- 2,585 against Barnet.

He said: "The way it is going at the moment we'll be lucky to get 3,000.

"When you think this town has never seen the likes of Blackpool, Hull, Brighton and Cardiff it is very disappointing.

"Our gates are now going down to the lowest in the Third Division. We have got a high profile manager, we are in the middle of the table and in our first year the gates are 2,500. What can we do? Unless we see crowds of 3,000-3,500 then we aren't going to break even. That's the bottom line.

"Our optimum is to strive to make sure we are in the Third Division this year, next year and the year after that. That's all we can do as a board. At the moment, until the town wakes up and we get 4,000 to 4,500 only then can we become a force in the Third Division.

"It's going to be very, very difficult for us now to progress to the next level because if we did achieve it how can this club sustain itself on 2,500 fans in the Second Division? It can't and that's the concern of the board."

Newton said the poor attendances made it difficult for the directors to decide on the budget for manager Jan Molby.

During their promotion season from the Nationwide Conference, Harriers recorded a record loss of £416,457.

Newton said: "The town and club has cried out for 114 years for League football. We have achieved it, but there was a price to pay."

He added that the club would again be going over budget for various reasons, but success on the field is the key to how the board can balance the books.

"We are not going to bankrupt this club by just paying out more and more money. There are agents at this level and players are getting more sophisticated. They want more and more money. What we are trying to do is compete in the market to try to get the best players possible for this club at the right possible price we can afford."

In answer to a question during the nine minute annual meeting regarding repayment of a £212,563 loan to former chairman David Reynolds, director Richard Painter said: "Negotiations are ongoing to hopefully resolve the situation."