09-02-24. FA Trophy 5th rd. Peterborough Sports Vs Kidderminster Harriers. Match preview

Preview: Phil Lench

The Harriers are taking a break from winning league games to carry on winning FA Trophy games tomorrow when we make a return to Peterborough Sports for this fifth round tie that could put us into the last eight for the first time since 2010 when we lost out in the semi-finals to our old foes Stevenage Borough. Note that back then there was no fifth round in the Trophy and that was added in 2021 to allow more clubs to enter at the early stages.

It was only last season that we met up with Sports for the first time ever when they gained promotion to the National North and we departed soon after. We won the game down there on the day that the former Harriers hero Michael Gash was given charge of the team after their then manager Jimmy Dean left to manage Scunthorpe Utd. Thrown in the deep end his new charges battled valiantly but not enough to stop Ashley Hemmings scoring twice.

Their ground back then was very basic and the epitome of ‘one man and a dog’ type of ground but since then there have been changes to include new seating stands along the side and a terrace behind one goal. There are future plans to spin the ground forty five degrees and build a proper stadium. They’ve also changed their colours from blue and yellow to gold and black in a sponsorship deal and to differentiate themselves from the city’s main club Utd who also play in blue.

They’ve got this far by beating Dagenham & Redbridge on penalties in the third round and then in the following round beating Horsham FC 3-0 to earn themselves a fifth round place for the first time ever. Our run started with a third round hammering of Stourbridge FC and then that penalty win against Altrincham that became Phil Browns first sight of us and since then we’ve been in dreamland.

We musn’t get carried away though because a winning run of league games does not mean you’re going to win the next game. Every win has to be earned and Sports will be making sure that it’s them that go through to the next round at our expense.

Teamwise we’ve been told that some fringe players will be getting their chance to impress so it could mean starts for the likes of Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tom Palmer while I would fully expect to see Owen Hesketh starting otherwise Wolves will start asking why he’s getting hardly any game time and recall him before we’ve had a good chance to see him ourselves.

If we win this we can have our dreams of Wembley but if we lose then no doubt it’ll be seen as a chance to concentrate on the league and with it survival. I’ll be happy with a win in either case. 

Photo © KHFC

Referee: Mr Aaron Bannister. Wakefield

Talk about the game here

Links to Peterborough Sports websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here