10-12-21 – Preview – Boston Utd Vs Kidderminster Harriers

Preview: Phil Lench

The Harriers will kick off the first of two Saturdays in a row at Boston tomorrow when we pay a visit to their brand new stadium for a league game and next week we go over there again for the FA Trophy 3rd round game. I think this will be one scenario where the league game will be seen as more important to cash strapped fans especially when the Trophy game is on the final Saturday before Christmas.

It seems that the FA care about non-league teams still in the cup games almost as much as they care about showing those non-league teams on the television.

As I said this will be a first visit to Bostons new ground and we all know what happens when the Harriers go to a clubs new ground. Just ask York City and Darlington FC 🙂 The new ground is a mile or so South of town and looks to be a great improvement on the old run down York Street ground although there’s no provision for away fans that wish to sit down so many of our more elderly fans may not be too happy.

We should be going over there at full strength with no new injuries following that brilliant FA Cup win at home to FC Halifax Town last Sunday. That game was one that will live in our minds for  long, long time and also has the benefit of giving the team even more confidence to take into our ambition of gaining promotion back into the National Premier. Boston also have ambitions of doing that too so, no doubt, they’ll be almost as confident themselves.

They’ll have to do without the services of Scott Duxbury who will be serving the second instalment of his two match ban for a red card at Brackley Town in the Trophy game that they won 2-1. Andi Thanoj is also suspended but for a little bit longer. See Shanes section for more on that ban. 

On the injury front they have Jay Rollins, Jake Wright Snr and Milan Lalkovic missing although Rollins may not actually be an injury.

We won’t have Nick Clayton-Phillips with us after he decided to leave the club and join up with Alvechurch FC once more. It seemed obvious that the drive and ambition that we saw in his first spell with us was, sadly, no longer there and maybe it was for the best. We wish Nick all the best for the future.

As said we’ll be going to Boston with our heads high and tails up knowing full well that we’re well capable of getting a positive result that will, hopefully, take us above Boston and into third place in the table behind a stuttering AFC Fylde and Brackley.

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

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

Boston Utd from:

Crook, Dewhurst, Ferguson, Garner, Gordon, Shiels, Tootle, Armond, Byrne, Dimaio, Green, Leesley, Platt, F Preston, Burrow, Elliott, J Preston, J Wright Jnr.

Referee: Mr Richie Watkins. Nuneaton

Shanes Opposition Stats Pack:

At home in the league: Spennymoor 1-2, Curzon 2-1, Telford 4-1, Blyth 1-0, York 2-1, Hereford 2-0, Chorley 2-2, Darlington 2-0.

Goals (all competitions): Elliott – 11, F Preston – 7, J Wright Jnr – 6, Burrow – 4, Leesley – 3, Byrne – 3, Green – 2, Garner – 2, Leesley – 1, Own Goal – 1.

Boston have won their last three games in all competitions: 2-0 at home against Darlington, 2-1 away Brackley in the FAT and 2-3 away Kettering when they came from two goals down to win. They’ve won 3 in a row 3 times this season, the other two occasions they lost the 4th game 3-1 at Gateshead and 4-0 away at Chester.

Their first choice keeper – George Sykes-Kenworthy (P9, conceded 12) joined Bradford PA last week.

Two Boston players have been involved in illegal betting activities. Andi Thanoj and Jay Rollins were both found to have breached FA Rule E8 on October 5th, which prohibits those involved directly or indirectly on betting on any football match anywhere. Findings have shown that, over the course of six years, the midfield duo placed a total of 757 bets on football games.

Thanoj was charged by the FA with misconduct after 319 bets had been placed on football matches between 2014 and 2020, while they also charged Rollins after 438 bets were placed on football matches between 2015 and 2020.

Thanoj was given a £950 fine and a five-month suspension from all football and football-related activity. Rollins was banned for one month and fined £500.

Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/non-league-bans-fined-players-25143312

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

Goalkeepers: Peter Crook (P8, conceded 13. Faced 2 penalties, saved 1), Marcus Dewhurst (P4, conceded 5 including 1 penalty. On loan from Sheff Utd until January).

Defence: Scott Duxbury (P13, 2 red cards. Sent off in the FAT2 at Brackley for a second yellow. Misses the league game against us), Keenan Ferguson (P18), Scott Garner (P17, 2 goals), Kyron Gordon P1. On loan from Sheff Utd until the end of January), Luke Shiels (P18), Matt Tootle (P13), Jake Wright Snr (P5. Injured in November).

Midfield: Finlay Armond (P1), Shane Byrne (P19, 3 goals. 2 of which were penalties), Connor Dimaio (P6. Injured in November), Paul Green (P16, 2 goals), Milan Lalkovic (P1. Injured in November), Tom Platt (P19. One red card served in September), Fraser Preston (P17, 7 goals), Andi Thanoj (P1. Banned for a long time (see above).

Attack: Jordan Burrow (P21, 4 goals), Danny Elliott (P20, 11 goals. 4 of which were penalties but also missed one. 1 red card served in November), Joe Leesley (P12, 4 goals. On loan from Harrogate),  Jay Rollins (P6. Banned for one month (see above), Jake Wright Jnr (P15, 6 goals including a penalty. One red card served in October), Jordan Preston (P14).

Talk about the game here

Links to Boston Utd websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here