01-04-22 – Preview – Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC Vs Kidderminster Harriers

Preview: Phil Lench

After a run of poor results against teams of the same status as us, discounting the Farsley Celtic blip, we got our season back on track at Aggborough against Curzon Ashton last Saturday in a five goal thriller that is, hopefully, the springboard that we needed to get us back into that much coveted third place. Get that and we miss out on the first set of play-off games that is always seen as a lottery to avoid.

The Curzon win came thanks to a double from Amari Morgan-Smith, a first ever goal for Keziah Martin and and a last gap game ender from Sam Austin. Let’s not forget the own goal that took us into the break with an advantage that we could, and did, build on.

Now we have to go up to Bradford to take on the Park Avenue in a game that, on paper, we should win at the seventeenth placed team in the league. Then again we thought that about Farsley too.

Having had a seven day break any niggling injuries within the team should have cleared up so that means that Cliff Moyo and Nathan Cameron should be back fiddle fit but there hasn’t been any news about Geraldo Bajramis’ injury that he picked up against Chorley FC two weeks ago. Hopefully it wasn’t as bad as it was rumoured to be and we’ll see him back tomorrow but knowing our luck it’ll be a bad injury and he’ll be out for weeks. I wish the club would say something.

Bradford seem to be generally injury free apart from Jake Hibbs who broke his leg at the beginning of the season in a league game at Chorley. Similar to our game against Alfreton Town, when that got abandoned due to Matt Prestons injury, so was that particular fixture. Jake is still to return back to playing.

After winning away at Blyth Spartans on the previous Tuesday last Saturday they pulled off something of a shock result when they held leaders Gateshead to a scoreless draw at The International Stadium – we could only manage a 4-0 defeat there the other week – and the result helped us a little with the Harriers being the only team in the top five to win after Chorley also lost at Kettering Town, Brackley Town drew away at Spennymoor Town and AFC Fylde lost at Gloucester City. Yippee!

We now have to go to Bradford and learn from the Farsley defeat that even if a club may be struggling they can still pick up the most unlikeliest of points so we need to be wary of this and make sure that we come back with the points.

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Simpson, Emery, Richards, Cameron, Foulkes, Moyo, Nolan, Penny, Bajrami, Lowe, Austin, Redmond, Lissimore, Montrose, Carrington, Martin, Freemantle, Bastable, Tolley, Hemmings, Bell, Morgan-Smith, White, Sterling-James, Stenson.

Bradford (PA) from:

Sykes-Kenworthy, Fawcett, Hall, Hinds, Windass, Havern, Ross, Ragan, Lund, Toulson, Fielding, Dockerty, Hopper, Odunston, Clee, Richman, Nowakowski, Mottley-Henry, Knight, Johnson.

Referee: Mr Richard Holmes. Preston

Shanes Opposition Stats Pack:

At home in the league: (P15, W7, D2, L6) Hereford 1-1, Boston 1-2, Fylde 0-2, Blyth 2-1, AFC Telford 3-2, Spennymoor 1-1, Chester 1-0, Gateshead 2-4, Kettering 2-1, Alfreton 5-0, York 2-4, Leamington 2-1, Farsley 1-0, Curzon 2-3, Gloucester 1-2

Goals (all competitions): 10 – Dockerty, 4 – Richman, 4 – Nowakowski, 4 – Marriott, 4 – Knight, 4 – Johnson, 3 – Rawson, 3 – Mottley-Henry, 3 – Hopper, 3 – Havern, 2 – Clee, 1 – Windass, 1 – Maguire, 1 – Hibbs, 1 – Francis, 1 – Own Goal

The streaks (league only):

Games since last win: 1

Games since last home win: 2

Games since last draw: 0

Games since last home draw: 7

Games since last defeat: 2

Games since last home defeat: 0

Games since last clean sheet: 0

Games since last home clean sheet: 2

The Squad (appearances are starts + sub, includes both league and cups):

Goalkeepers: Jacob Fawcett (P0), Liam Hall (P0), George Sykes-Kenworthy (P20, conceded 34 including 1 out of 2 penalties).

Defence: Matty Downing (P5, left club), Luca Havern (P35, 3 goals), Akeem Hinds (P11), Mitch Lund (P27), Taylor Ragan (P0, on loan from Leeds), Mark Ross (P34), Ryan Toulson (P16), Jordan Windass (P21, 1 goal).

Midfield: Nicky Clee (P32, 2 goals), Brad Dockerty (P33, 10 goals including all 3 penalties taken), Sam Fielding (P12), Jake Hibbs (P3, 1 goal. Long term injured), Harrison Hopper (P12, 3 goals), Dylan Mottley-Henry (P25, 3 goals), Lucas Odunston (P24), Simon Richman (P24, 4 goals).

Attack: Seb Bolton (P0, on loan at Brighouse Town), Oli Johnson (P30, 4 fgoals, missed 1 penalty), Lewis Knight (P11, 4 goals, on loan from Notts County), Adam Nowakowski (P27, 4 goals), Luke Rawson (P20, 3 goals).

Talk about the game here

Links to Bradford (PA) websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here