29-09-17 – Preview – FA Cup 3rd Qual Rd – Newcastle Benfield Vs Harriers

The Harriers travel away to another little known side in the FA Cup tomorrow when this time we journey up the Great North Road (or our equivilant) to Newcastle and take on Newcastle Benfield FC of the Northern League Divison One. Like our previous opponents in the FA Cup tie at Deeping Rangers two weeks ago they play in a league that is three levels below the National League North.

Benfield, like Deeping, began their FA Cup dream in early August by beating West Allotment 1-0 in the Extra Preliminary Round , Goole AFC 2-1 in the Preliminary Round, Whitley Bay 2-0 in the First Qualifying Round and then Ashton United 2-1 in the Second Qualifying Round. Now they’ll be hoping to beat us too and we need to make sure that does not happen.

Last Saturday we beat their Northern neighbours Blyth Spartans 5-4 in an exciting game for the fans but not the purists among us. It was a game that didn’t involve any form of defensive tactics from either side and at times it looked as if both of us could have gone into double figures.

This is something that we need to work on and this week Colin Gordon told the Harriers Hotline (clip below) that we were hopeful of bringing another defender in but this time one with a few years behind him. Since then there have been rumours of James O’Connor being the person in question but nothing has yet been announced.

We had Ryan Croasdale back for the Blyth game and in the second half Dan Bradley returned from injury too and should have scored a couple of goals into the bargain but was a little rusty. We did get two nicely headed goals from James Pearson though and they were the first goals he has ever scored in his career.

As far as we know we have no injury problems apart from the long term ones for Lee Vaughan and Liam Truslove.

In Benfields ranks they have the veteran striker Paul Brayson. Now 40yrs old he started his career with Newcastle Utd way back in 1998 before leaving for Reading FC in a £100,000 transfer deal. He then went to Cardiff City for a while before signing for Cheltenham Town in 2002. He played against us for both those teams but never scored and he has also done likewise with Northwich Victoria in his three years with them.

Let’s just hope that little barren spell for him doesn’t change tomorrow.

Teams:

Harriers from:

Hall, Bannister, Webb, Williams, J Taylor, Digie, Horsfall, Pearson, Finch, Croasdale, Weeks, Austin, A Brown, Sonupè, Bradley, McQuilkin, N’Gwatala, Ironside, Wright.

Newcastle Benfield from:

Grainger, Novak, Doninger, Leedham, Dummett, D Taylor, Scorgie, Riley, McCarthy, Grieve, Wrightson, Slaughter, McCevoy, Turnbull, Hailes, Bowey, Esdaille, Nisbet, S Taylor, Fisher, Brayson, Williamson.

Talk about the game here and phone the Harriers Hotline on 01905 577 777 after the game too.

Links to Newcastle Benfield websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here