A DESPONDENT Mark Yates ridiculed his side's showing against Cambridge on Tuesday as 'men against boys'.

Live on Setanta Sports for just the second time this season, Harriers were dominated in the battle of the two play-off contenders by a United side who sailed to a 3-1 victory, Chris Holroyd grabbing a brace after Scott Rendell's penalty opened the scoring.

Matthew Barnes-Homer's goal had sparked hopes of a turn around but it proved to be the hosts' only effort on goal.

Speaking after the game, Yates admitted: "That was as bad as it's been - particularly here.

"I don't like criticising my players - I say things that mean things in the dressing room to them but I rarely come out and hammer them, but I'm finding it difficult to stick up for them tonight.

"After scoring right on half time we were expecting a grandstand second half where we could really set about them and put them under pressure, but from the kick-off we gave the ball away.

"We didn't get out of our own half for seven or eight minutes and the ball was in the back of our net.

"They're a good side, we know that; but we're capable of beating them. They wanted it more, they won every header that mattered and we didn't.

"They were by far the better team on the night and in the end it was a bit of men against boys."

Harriers, free of any weekend fixture, now have over a full week to prepare for their next league game, away at Wrexham.

Yates agreed that the slump in form in 2009 needs to be arrested if the play-offs aren't to slip them by.

"There a lot of players low on confidence but I don't understand why they're low on confidence," he added.

"We haven't done anything differently, training is nice and bright but performances like that leave you baffled.

"In front of the cameras where the players wanted to go out and put in a performance, it was pretty poor.

"We've got to make sure that we don't let this opportunity slip - the way we're playing at the moment we're dangerously close to doing so."