15-03-19 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Spennymoor Town

The Harriers are now into a crucial part of the season where they need to step it up to get themselves back into play-off consideration. Defeat at Chorley FC wasn’t the best way of going about it and defeat tomorrow to another high flying side, Spennymoor Town, will more or less signal the end of our season. Lose this and we’ll be seven points adrift of seventh place and could drop down to tenth place in the table.

Last Saturdays abysmal showing was a kick in the gut for the travelling fans who had gone all that way only to see one of the most embarrassing performances from the Reds all season. Second only to the 4-0 drubbing they gave us at Aggborough earlier in the season.

They knew what to expect from Chorley and chose to forget it with some dire defending that was schoolboy, inept and lethargic. We knew that Chorley would play the high ball over the top and that we would need some alert brains out there to combat it but as early as the third minute proved that we hadn’t been listening.

We now face a Spennymoor side that have seen their last two home games called off: against Guiseley last Saturday and against Bradford (Park Avenue) on Tuesday evening. The amount of games getting called off for them is almost as bad as last season and could dent their hopes of winning the title but it’s safe to say they’ll be in the play-offs though. We played them a few weeks ago in another re-arranged game and lost 2-1.

Before those games were called off they had striker Andrew Johnson ruled out with a long term injury while there were fitness checks on defenders Scott Harrison, James Curtis and Rob Atkinson, as well as striker Glen Taylor. No doubt those four have now passed those tests and will be facing us tomorrow.

We should also be getting back to having three of ours fit again. Nick Clayton-Phillips and Liam Truslove may have to wait a little longer than Declan Weeks who, last Saturday, was supposedly nearing full fitness at last. He’s been a big miss in recent weeks and we could finally see some zest and creativity back into our midfield.

This is a very important game tomorrow and we need to get behind the lads and at the same time they have to get the job right or wave goodbye to possible promotion. Then again last week was important too.

Photo © KHFC

STOP PRESS: We have signed defender Harry Flowers and forward Kwame Thomas on loan from Solihull Moors until the end of the season.

Teams:

Harriers from:

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

Spennymoor Town from:

Elliott, Gould, Mason, King, Atkinson, Thackray, C Williams, Brogan, Curtis, Jackson, Hibbs, R Hall, Anderson, Ramshaw, Henry, Chandler, Harrison, Tuton, G Taylor, Boyes.

Referee: Mr Benjamin Speedie. Liverpool

Talk about the game here

Links to Spennymoor Town websites here

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