Kidderminster Harriers manager Mark Yates has challenged his side to go one better than the class of 2008/09 and make a play-off place a reality come the end of the season.

The Aggborough boss is taking heed as the club approach the checkpoint of a third of the season gone, a barometer which will be further measured by the visit of Blue Square Premier giants Luton on Saturday.

Harriers can enter the hallowed ground of the top five with a win, and would take some budging after earlier victories over Wrexham and AFC Wimbledon.

The manager has so far remained coy on end-of-season targets as his new-look squad find their feet, but Yates now feels his current charges can heal the pain of missing out on a play-off spot on the last day of last season in style.

He said: “The play-off’s are the target, it has to be. We are not saying that it’s going to be easy, but there is a good ethic about the players at the moment and a lot of ability in the squad. There is still plenty of improvement to come, but the players have pleased me with the way they have gone about recent peformances.

“The bottom line is it’s going well because everyone is working extremely hard for each other.”

Oxford currently lead the way in the Blue Square Premier having opened up a six-point gap at the top, followed by Kettering, Stevenage, Mansfield and Luton a place ahead of Harriers.

The Aggborough went in and out of the play-off places last year in one of the most keenly contested second promotion spots for years, a trend which Yates can see repeating itself.

He said: “Oxford have opened up a big gap at the top, similar to Burton last year although they did it a bit later. They have come out of the traps really well, but after that no-one is really going to run away with anything.

“There is nothing we have seen in this division that frightens us, we believe that we can string the results together that will put us right in contention.

“A lot of teams will feel that they can get into those play-off spots and maybe even chip away at Oxford – but that’s long term.”