Published: 16-10-17 |
In one of those ironic quirks of something or other – it’s definitely not nature – the Harriers were drawn against their arch rivals from last season in the draw for the 1st round of the FA Cup. Out came AFC Fylde and you just knew what was coming next. Yes us! Also ironically we had been given consecutive numbered balls with Fylde ball number 59 and the Harriers number 60.
We had gone neck and neck all last season with Fylde winning out in the end due to our incapability of beating the easier teams in the league and also throwing three points away on a miserable, murky day at Mill Farm in March, after leading 2-0, when Keith Lowe made a glaring, un-forgiveable error trying to pass back to the keeper through a pool of water. Twenty minutes into extra time and Fylde had drawn level through a hotly disputed goal and with it came the writing on the wall that we would have to go up through the play-offs.
We all know what happened in those with Chorley FC embarrassing us at Aggborough in May to leave us floundering in National North. Now we have a chance to right those wrongs and this time we cannot give it away.
Fylde are struggling to adjust to life at a higher level even though they have half the Harriers squad playing for them. Jordan Tunnicliffe, Zaine Francis-Angol and, to a lesser extent, Josh Ezewele all jumped ship to play for them during the close season but at the moment they’re hanging in there on the edges of the relegation places and the manager is bringing in new players whenever he can to block up the defensive holes.
Following our emphatic win at home to Chester FC on Saturday a trip to another struggling team should hold no fear for us although they did beat inform Wrexham AFC in their cup game on Saturday. It’s not the draw that we wanted but by God we’ll make the most of it.
We have un-finished business with AFC Fylde.
The game will be played at Mill Farm, Fylde on, or around, November 4th.
The full draw:
Stevenage v Nantwich Town/Kettering Town
Bradford City v Chesterfield
Port Vale v Oxford United
Newport County v Walsall
Morecambe v Hartlepool United
Yeovil Town v Southend United
Peterborough United v Tranmere Rovers
Cambridge United v Sutton United
Forest Green Rovers v Macclesfield Town
AFC Fylde v Kidderminster Harriers
Luton Town v Portsmouth
Shrewsbury Town v Aldershot Town
Hereford v AFC Telford United
Guiseley v Accrington Stanley
Blackburn Rovers v Barnet
East Thurrock United/Ebbsfleet United v Doncaster Rovers
Leatherhead v Brackley Town/Billericay Town
Boreham Wood v Blackpool
Shaw Lane v Mansfield Town
Colchester United v Oxford City
Plymouth Argyle v Grimsby Town
AFC Wimbledon v Lincoln City
Rochdale v Dover Athletic/Bromley
Coventry City v Maidenhead United
Chorley/Boston United v Fleetwood Town
Carlisle United v Oldham Athletic
Notts County v Bristol Rovers
Dartford v Swindon Town
Cheltenham Town v Maidstone United/Enfield Town
Woking/Concord Rangers v Bury
Crewe Alexandra v Rotherham United
Gillingham v Dagenham & Redbridge/Leyton Orient
Hyde United v Milton Keynes Dons
Gainsborough Trinity v Slough Town
Solihull/Ossett Town v Wycombe Wanderers
Northampton Town v Scunthorpe United
Charlton Athletic v Truro City
Wigan Athletic v Crawley Town
Gateshead v Bath City/Chelmsford City
Exeter City v Heybridge Swifts
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