TIM Harris says he's learning a lot about his Redditch United players as they battle against the Southern Premier League's top sides.

The Reds began a run of five games in 11 days when they suffered successive Easter weekend defeats against Chesham and Hereford.

They were beaten 2-0 away at Chesham last Saturday before losing by the same scoreline against league leaders Hereford on Monday.

United were set to continue their busy spell with the visit of play-off chasing Royston Town on Wednesday night. That will be quickly followed by third-placed Weymouth's trip to the Trico this Saturday (3pm kick-off).

The Redditch boss said: "We always knew it would be extremely tough for us, especially playing against some top sides in such a short period of time.

"It's testing our fitness levels and the overall ability of the squad.

"We were poor in the first half against Chesham but a bit better in the second.

"Against Hereford we didn't ask enough questions. They are a good side and will likely go on to win the league now but we didn't cause them enough problems.

"It's a difficult spell but I am learning about the players all the time. These games mean they are being tested and you can see how they react and where they are falling short.

"You can learn a lot about players when they are being put under pressure. They are a good bunch but we do need a little more in terms of leadership and their fitness could also be much better for this stage of the season.

"All we can do is dust ourselves down and go again."

Harris was also quick to praise the staff at Redditch for helping the Hereford clash run smoothly. The visitors brought more than 1,000 fans to the Trico.

The manager added: "It was a fantastic day for the club and everyone behind the scenes did a great job with all the preparations that needed to be done."

Tyler Weir has an ankle injury after the challenge from Ryan Green that saw the Hereford man given a red card late on. Weir will have the injury assessed to see if he can feature this week.

Ashley Sammons and Lewis Wright are also carrying knocks.