THE FUTURE of the Kidderminster Harriers youth set-up will be one of the items on the agenda at an Aggborough board meeting this evening.

Chairman Barry Norgrove and his directors will meet with the 250-Club, a fans' group set up to generate funds for nurturing home-grown talent.

They will also discuss a definite date for a fans' forum with supporters organisation KHIST - with Friday, March 17 in the Aggborough Suite being provisionally pencilled in.

Members of the 250-Club are seeking assurances that there will be a youth team playing under the Harriers name next season - and are anxious that Aggborough remains their home base.

The team, who are flying high in the Midland Flootlit League under the guidance of manager Phil Mullen, currently receive little funding from the club, other than the use of kits and a mini-bus. Mullen is managing the team on a voluntary basis having lost his job as new business manager during a recent round of cuts, while their costs are met by the 250-Club and other sponsors.

But the former Harriers hero, who trains the players every Saturday morning at Brown Westhead Park, admits he could not ask for anything more during the current climate.

"Their priority has to be the first team because without that there won't be a club," said Mullen.

"Mark Yates has come in to try and turn things around and there are signs of light at the end of the tunnel.

"He needs to settle in and get the first team sorted out and then we'll be able to look at the youth in more detail.

"Until then I'm happy to do my best with the youth team until I'm told differently."

There have been murmurings that Harriers want to stop the youngsters playing their home fixtures at Aggborough to protect the pitch for first team games and their lucrative deal to stage West Bromwich Albion reserve games.

Mullen admits the youth team have tried to avoid playing there during the winter weather, but insists Aggborough will be their home at least until the end of this season.

In fact their first home match of 2006 is at Aggborough against Hednesford at 7.30pm tonight, while they visit Lye Town in the League Cup quarter-finals on Monday.

Norgrove openly admitted that the youth team were down the club's priority list this season after a hectic last few months.

"The 250-Club have asked one of the directors for a meeting so we've arranged to meet them," said Norgrove.

"To be honest with you we haven't really spoken to Mark Yates about youth because he's been so busy with the first team.

"He's come in and had all the business with the transfer window to think about so we've got to be fair to the lad.

"In the close season we'll sit down and see where we're going to go with the youth and which league we're going in.

"Phil's just getting on with it for us at the moment and he's doing a good job."

Meanwhile, Norgrove insisted that the situation regarding suspended Jim Conway was still ongoing, contrary to rumours that the physio/general manager had now been sacked.