12-01-24. FA Trophy 4th rd. Kidderminster Harriers Vs Altrincham. Match preview

Preview: Phil Lench

They say that a week is a long time in football and how right they are (whoever they are, are).

This time last week we were getting ready to go up to Rochdale AFC and the manager, Russ Penn, was hoping that at last it was all beginning to improve and we could, should, come back with all three points. Instead we lost, Russ got sacked, AFC Fylde won again in midweek to further the gaps at the bottom of the table and we suddenly got a new manager.

That new man at the helm is Phil Brown, the former Hull City, Derby County and Southend Utd manager. He’s been bought in until the end of the season with everyone from boardroom to terrace hoping that he can save us from a quick return to the National North. Something that no one wants after spending six years of hell down there. He’ll start to do that on Monday but until then Jimmy O’Connor is in charge for the FA Trophy game at home to Altrincham tomorrow.

With us at the bottom and Alty in fifth place in the table this game could be seen as not all that important and that we’d be better off concentrating on saving ourselves that trying to win a silver cup. The trouble is that we need to get back onto a winning track asap and the only way to do that is to win this game and win this game well.

Altrincham may have different ideas though and will also want to do well in the Trophy considering that they, like us, have a rich history in this tournament. Alty have reached the final three times and have won it twice (v Leatherhead in 1978 and v Runcorn in 1986) while we’ve been there four times but have only been victorious the once against Burton Albion back in 1987. We do have the honour of playing in the first ever final at the new Wembley against Stevenage though so that makes it all that much better.

We should be at almost full strength again tomorrow with the same two out that have been missing injured for a while now and that’s Joe Leesley and Nathaniel Knight-Percival. We have lost two loan players during the past few weeks with Ryan McLean returning to AFC Wimbledon and Barry Maguire back home to Motherwell. McLean could be seen as a loss but he had a poor game against Boreham Wood that probably didn’t help keep him here while Maguire started off well but faded into obscurity within weeks of his arrival.

Could we win this game and go through to the next round? We have as good a chance as Altrincham and probably better due to us being at home. The players picked also need to impress Mr Brown if they hope to be included in his plans going forward so, yes, I think we could win but only if we set out to win and look what not setting out to win did to Russ Penn. 

Photo © BAFC

Referee: Mr Farai Hallam. Ilford

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