16-11-18 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Chorley FC

The game at home to Chorley FC tomorrow is going to be one that either confirms, or not, the Harriers credentials to win the league this season. With the visitors leading the table for most of the season, and us snapping at their heels, it’s time the Reds took the extra step to jump above them by nightfall tomorrow.

Chorley have dropped to second place in recent weeks due to a slump to seventeenth in the form table after losing three games running and also their endeavours in the FA Cup that resulted in a 2-2 at home to Doncaster Rovers. They’ll be facing a replay for the game next Tuesday evening so will that make our task any easier?

It’ll only be easier if we up our game from our own recent results which, apart from the Leamington game, have frankly been abysmal – we’re twelfth in the form table. Two consecutive home defeats to relegation threatened teams and a dire 1-1 draw at Nuneaton Borough last Saturday have not given the fans any confidence that we can. Add to it the even smaller squad now that Joe Ironside and Kennedy Digie have gone to York City, countered with the arrival of Russ Penn, then it doesn’t look too inspiring.

In previous games against Chorley we struggled to a certain extent to score goals. Even worse we’ve struggled to break them down and they’ve hit us on the break to grab victory. Look at last seasons opening game when we came up against them and lost late on to a Tyrone Williams own goal after they had stopped us from playing by using time wasting and creativity strangling tactics in the middle of the park.

This season we don’t have a ‘middle of the park’. Maybe the re arrival of Russ Penn will sort out that problem.

Chorley will be without two players, Elliot Newby and Marcus Carver, suspended for yellow cards. Matt Challoner was sent off against Doncaster but he’ll play against us due to that game having been played on Sunday so he’ll avoid the seven day ruling by a day. They also have doubts about the former Harrier Josh O’Keefes’ availability following a rib injury that occurred as his team mates were congratulating him for the goal he scored against Doncaster. That’s a shame 🙁

We should be back to full strength if Declan Weeks has recovered from the illness that kept him out of the Nuneaton game. That will make just fifteen regular first team players available so expect to see a rookie on the bench. Unless, of course, we get some new faces in by this evening.

There will also be a minutes appreciation of the former director Ernie Lane who passed away last Thursday.

Teams:

Harriers from:

Hall, Palmer, Taylor, Horsfall, O’Connor, Penn, Vaughan, Johnson, Wagner, Baxendale, Weeks, Stratford, Taylor-Randle, Austin, Bradley, Chambers, Higginson, Daniels, Richards, Williams.

Chorley FC from:

Urwin, Eccles, Challoner, Blakeman, Teague, Anson, Jordan, Leather, Meppen-Walker, Cottrell, Glynn, O’Keefe, Lussey, Whitham, Wilson, Almond, A Newby, Fletcher, Noble-Lazarus.

Referee: Mr Samuel Barrott. West Riding

Talk about the game here

Links to Chorley FC websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here