14-02-20 – Preview – Gateshead Vs Kidderminster Harriers

The Harriers head back up North for the second time in a week tomorrow to face in form Gateshead at the International Stadium. On a run of eight games unbeaten they’ve recorded six victories and two draws. There are also four games postponed during that run but it still takes them back to the turn of the year since their last defeat and that came at home to Blyth Spartans on Boxing Day. 

On Tuesday evening, just a measly 100 miles South of Newcastle, we beat Farsley Celtic with a late goal from Oliver Shenton in near galeforce conditions. There’s another gale forecast for Saturday, Storm Dennis, that could play some part in whether the game will go ahead.

If it does then it’ll mean a second return there for our latest manager, Russ Penn, to a club that he spent some time at in the 2017-18 season where he was an ever present member of the team for the entire season before returning to York City for a second stint the following season.

In the corresponding game at home in December it was Penn who was in charge for that game too. In the second, and final, game of that stint as caretaker manager he was to hand the reins over to the now departed Jimmy Shan a week later. The result in that game was a 1 – 1 draw with our goal coming from Ryan Johnson.

Gateshead will be at full strength for the game while we could be without Johnson with a hamstring injury. Declan Weeks is still out long term with his toe problem but Austin Samuels is fit once again. Harry Higginson is back at Aggborough once more but he may be off back to Bromsgrove Sporting again soon with them from up the road begging us to let him go back until the end of the season.

It was good to see our better away form continue at Farsley but can we do it again at a much better Gateshead? If we do then we’ll have won our last three away games on the trot.

It’s all down to Dennis now. 

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Mannion, Palmer, Mountjoy, Davidson, Johnson, Moyo, D Lowth, R Williams, Higginson, Prosser, Taylor-Randle, Butterfield, Shenton, Austin, Chambers, Fuller, Nabi, E Williams, Freemantle, S Lowth, Hemmings, Samuels.

Gateshead from:

Guthrie, James, Barrow, Nicholson, Cooper, Williamson, Lees, Agnew, Forbes, Oliver, Thomson, Cranston, Greenfield, Olley, Deverdics, O’Donnell, Tear, Blackett, Preston, Curry, Keating.

Referee: Mr Andrew Sykes. Lytham St Annes

Talk about the game here

Links to Gateshead websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here