KIDDERMINSTER Harriers will again be without midfielder Neil Mackenzie when they go in search of their first Nationwide League Division Three 'double' of the season tomorrow against struggling Darlington at Aggborough (3.0).

The former Stoke City and Cambridge United campaigner is suffering from a more damaging knee injury than was first thought and could be ruled out for up to six weeks.

Harriers boss Jan Molby said: "He's got an appointment next week with the specialist.

"There's a little bit of damage inside his knee and we have got to have a look to make a decision whether he might need a minor operation.

"If there's just a little bit of cartilage damage he could be back within two or three weeks, but you could be looking more realistically at four to six weeks."

Midfielder Adie Smith is rated at having only a '50-50' chance of recovering from a groin injury in time to face The Quakers.

Long-term injury victim Ian Foster is still battling to overcome hamstring trouble with his latest treatment involving an injection.

Molby said: "He'll have a complete rest to next week and then go back to the specialist to see whether he can get the okay to resume training."

The Aggborough chief expects a tough test against a Darlington side who are just three points off the bottom.

He said: "They lost 2-0 at York on Tuesday after having had one or two good results, so obviously they will come to us fighting for their lives.

"They are three points off the bottom so they will be up for it. It's a massive change around from the time that we played them up there.

"They have had a lot of changes and they will be really fired up after what they would see as a disappointing result at York.

"But if we can finish the week with a win against Darlington, after having drawn with Rochdale and Scunthorpe, then I'll accept that.

"We will need to get after them and put them under pressure because their confidence will be slightly rocked because of that defeat at York."

Molby is running the rule over 19-year-old Aston Villa right winger Steve Evans, who played in the reserves' 3-0 Central Conference victory at Nuneaton on Wednesday.

He said: "He's been told by Villa he can look for a new club, so we are having a look at him. He can play two reserve games for us and on Wednesday's evidence he's well worth looking at again.

"The worry you always have is the physical aspect of the Third Division, but what we saw on Wednesday was encouraging."

Kidderminster (from): Clarke, Clarkson, Stamps, Hinton, Shail, Bennett, Webb, Doyle, Hadley, Bird, Broughton, Durnin, Skovbjerg, Bogie, Brock, Medou-Otye, Smith.