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Mark Yates

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Yates delighted with Riley's debut

Kidderminster Harriers manager Mark Yates hailed defender Martin Riley following his impressive home debut in Saturday's 2-0 win over Grays Athletic.

The 19-year-old was solid at the back in his first Blue Square Premier start for the club at Aggborough and was singled out for praise after the game.

Yates told the Kidderminster Shuttle: "I thought Martin was superb," commented Harriers' manager.

"He was very comfortable in the first half and in the second when they tested us his positioning was really good.

"He reads the game very well and I think he can be very happy with his performance."

Goals from Matthew Barnes-Homer and Justin Richards sealed the points for Harriers and the mentor revealed he was delighted with his side's first-half display.

"First half I thought we were excellent, we passed the ball well in tricky conditions," he said.

"They came to frustrate us with their system but we deserved to take the lead before half-time.

"The second half wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked but we scored the important second goal and but for one chance when Grays should have scored, I was relatively happy with the performance."

Yates went on to shower praise on his goalscorers. "Justin had a spell in the second half when everything was sticking and he made us tick," he added.

"Matthew was a threat today and we want him to be more positive.

"His pace, power and strength can be awesome defenders don't like playing against that."