09-04-23. Match preview Vs AFC Fylde

Preview: Phil Lench

Two wins in a row for the Harriers has given the fans something of a new found belief in the team. We’re either easy to please or we have a reason to be pleased and that could be down to the long awaited re-appearance of Joe Leesley to the starting eleven.

It was his set pieces that gave us the 1-0 win at Farsley Celtic a week back and on Friday it was his command of the game that helped us on our way to yet another 1-0 win at home to Buxton FC. Yes, that’s our only problem at the moment in scoring more than one goal a game.

The singular goal two days ago came in the first few seconds of the game when Ashley Hemmings sent a curving strike home to give us a very early lead. Sadly, again, we couldn’t increase our lead no matter how we tried. The high line and offside trap operated by the visitors didn’t help but how many times did we fall for it? Countless. We really do need to do some work in avoiding offside traps.

Now we face AFC Fylde tomorrow for the fifth time this season and we now have an actual win, of sorts, under our belt against them after we won a penalty shoot out in the FA Trophy just before Christmas. In that game a certain Kyle Morrison was on the bench for them, he didn’t come on, and a few weeks later he was on loan with us at Aggborough. It’s very unlikely that his parent club will allow him to play but hopefully they will.

We’ll have Nathaniel Knight-Percival and Reiss McNally both back tomorrow with NKP’s suspension now served while Reiss should be back from injury. Which one of those two get’s to play would be a good indication of whether they’ll be with us next season. That should leave just Joe McGlynn and Ethan Freemantle out injured.

Fylde looked to be the favourites for promotion this season even though they lost at Spennymoor Town on Friday. With Kings Lynn Town breathing down their necks it’s going to be a close race for the title and Chester FC are waiting in the wings for one, or both, to slip up and sneak in.

Injury news from Mill Farm is non-existent so I can’t give you any of that.

I know that we’ve now begun to find some form (too late to be of any danger) and that we beat this lot last time out but can you really see us doing that again? Let’s hope so.

Teams:

Harriers from:

Palmer, Dibble, Penny, Richards, Morrison, Knight-Percival, Foulkes, Leak, McNally, Pearce, S Byrne, Leesley, Brown, Lissimore, Owen-Evans, Hall, Martin, Tolley, McGlynn, Freemantle, Bearne, Hemmings, Morgan-Smith.

AFC Fylde from:

Neal, Roxburgh, Burke, Cranston, Weston, Obi, Whitmore, Rowley, Philliskirk, Charman, Houghton, Delfouneso, Cullen, Conlan, Gregson, Barrett, Cybulski, Walker, Pike, Whitehead, Hatfield, J Byrne, Ligendza, Davis, Patten, Bird.

Referee: Mr William Davis. Stockport

Talk about the game here

Links to AFC Fylde websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here