12-04-19 – Preview – FC Utd of Manchester Vs Kidderminster Harriers

The Harriers actually won a game last week and along with that win came a new sense of hope that we could actually make the play-off places. That did take a slight knock on Tuesday when Blyth Spartans won their game to take them above us, pushing us down to ninth place, but it also came with the news of AFC Telford Utd dropping two points at home to Altrincham and so making the gap between them and us only four points.

Last Saturday we played the final game in the run of five games against fellow play-off hopefuls and beat Bradford PA 3-0 with a brace for Joe Ironside and one for Ashley Chambers. It was an emphatic win in many ways but there were still times when you thought the defence would let us down and allow them to score. That’s going to need tightening up against the also rans that we’ll be facing in the next four games. Starting at FC Utd of Manchester tomorrow.

We’ll be having fitness tests on Billy Daniels and Declan Weeks before the game while there have to be doubts around Brandon Hall after he fell badly towards the end of the Bradford game and stopped a few hearts amongst the crowd when it looked as if he had dived headfirst, vertically, into the ground. Thankfully he came through the on pitch treatment but seemed to have a bit of a problem with his kicking for a while. 

FC Utd have been struggling near the foot of the table all season and now, after years of rising through the leagues, the bubble seems to have burst. They’re hanging on by the skin of their teeth in second to bottom place, six points behind Guiseley, but with a terrible goal difference of minus seventeen goals. They can only go as high as fourth from bottom so it’s going to go to the wire.

They’ll be hoping to get three of those crucial points against us and that’s where the defensive tightening comes in. It’s also where our firepower comes in and we need to get some extra goals on board just in case, as seems likely,  seventh place is going to be decided on goal difference.

Another brace for Joe would be a start for us in this mini season of four games that we must win. 

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Hall, Tom Palmer, Taylor, Horsfall, O’Connor, Penn, Johnson, Heaton, Flowers, McAlinden, Weeks, Stratford, Taylor-Randle, Truslove, Butterfield, Higginson, Austin, Chambers, Daniels, Ironside, Richards, Williams, Thomas, Clayton-Phillips, White.

FC Utd of Manchester from:

Fisher, Sajjad, Baird, Lynch, Mohammed, O’Halloran, Palinkas, Senior, Banister, Barnes, Logan, McDowell-Jallow, Ozono, Tyrell Palmer, Potts, Wallen, West, Winter, Bongwamba, Kirkman, Brierley, Donohue, Grimshaw, Peers, Myers, Sharp, Willoughby.

Referee: Mr Elliott Swallow. Blackpool

Talk about the game here

Links to FC Utd of Manchester websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here