KINGSTONE Rovers assistant manager Mark Harrison admits the club did not expect to repeat last season’s fourth-placed finish, writes MIKE TANSLEY.

The club lost a host of players when the previous manager left in the summer and they had just six men at the start of the campaign.

Kingstone are bottom of Herefordshire League Division One, with minus two points to their name, following a points’ deduction at the start of the season.

Harrison believes the players should be applauded for helping to keep the club alive.

“It was a traumatic pre-season and we had just six players for the first game. We drafted in a few players and we are almost an entirely new team compared to last season,” said Harrison.

“I am happy with hard work and effort the lads are putting in but the results aren’t reflecting their efforts and that’s something we really need to look at and put right.”

With Kingstone having started from scratch, Harrison said the club didn’t really have any expectations heading into the campaign.

He said: “We didn’t set ourselves any goals because we didn’t know, as a team, what we could or should achieve.

“The three point deduction and fine we received was disheartening for us as a group but our main goal at the start of this year was to gel.

“Our aim is get better game with every game and make improvements as the season progresses.

“If we can keep this group of players together we will be able to take it to next season and try to better ourselves again.”

MATCH FACTS

Tenbury United: Griffiths, Farr, Ridley, Moran, Smith, Withers, Flynn, Foster, Patterson, Farrar, Ryan Morris. Subs: Stocker, Pearson.

Kingstone Rovers: Scott, Bayham, Hossack,Barnes, Potts, Evans, Henderson, Davis, Graham, Ellis, Harrison.

REFEREE: Tony Kelly (Herefordshire FA).

BOOKED: Tenbury: None; Kingstone:Henderson, 21 min.

STAR MAN: Dale Withers (Tenbury United).

MATCH RATING: 3/5.