SECOND take on fourth at Wetherby Road tomorrow in a clash of the Nationwide North titans but only 500 will be there to witness it - leading Harrogate Town manager John Reed to hit out at the apathy of the local fans.

Town host fourth-placed Kettering Town in a game guaranteed to generate talking-points. Kettering have the second best away record against Harrogate's unbeaten home status, and only one point separates the two.

But Reed expressed his disappointment that only a few hundred would be there to see it.

He said: "The crowds have been very disappointing this season. If you reversed this fixture so Kettering were second and were at their place, their crowd would swell to something like 1,600.

"We've got our fingers crossed for six or seven hundred.

"Our average stands at something like 485, which is pathetic when you consider that York City are only seven places above us and are getting 2,500."

On the pitch, there are doubts over Mark Barnard and Paul Shepherd on the injury front, while Mark Haran and Dominic Krief are both suspended following red cards at Redditch.

But there are hopes that midfield dynamo James Turley is close to a return from injury, and Colin Hunter will also come back.

And former Leicester City winger Lee Philpott will remain at Wetherby Road until the end of the season after agreeing loan terms on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old player, who has commanded fees of £425,000 during his career, started the season at Weymouth but will now play out the campaign at Harrogate.

Said Reed: "I'm absolutely delighted he's tied up until the end of the season - he has real quality."

Updated: 11:21 Friday, December 03, 2004