| Date: 19-05-23 So long, good bye. Adieu, adieu, adieu |
Following on from all of the excitement of recent weeks, and the deserved bonus of promotion back to the National League, the Kidderminster Harriers manager Russ Penn announced his retained list for the coming season yesterday.
Had potential but still left
It was as expected basically with just a couple of surprises. The most surprising was the youngster Jack Tolley who everyone thought would be getting his big breakthrough someday soon but that now looks to be with another club. Having spoken with Jack recently he was hopeful for the future but it seems that the manager has seen things differently and has allowed him to leave.
The other one was Ethan Freemantle earning a new contract after triggering a clause for a further season. He started last season well but then the appearances and the goals dried up and even though he tried hard he didn’t look to have the quality needed and most thought that he’d be gone. As it is he could be sent out on loan to a National North side next season to help him regain his form.
As it stands now we have Tom Palmer, Krystian Pearce, Amari Morgan-Smith, Ashley Hemmings, Zak Brown, Ethan Freemantle, Kai Lissimore and Joe Leesley signed up ready for next season although it’s doubtful if AMS will be our first choice striker.
Those out of contract, but offered new one’s, are Caleb Richards, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Shane Byrne, Christian Dibble and Alex Penny. It goes without saying that all five of them were important components of the season just ended and all would be urged to get their offers signed asap considering that we are now playing at the level where they would like to be.
Get that pen to paper, quick
From the academy striker Samson Hewett and goalkeeper Josh Bishop have been offered contract and Kobe Hall will still be a part of the playing squad after making six appearances from the bench last season. There are rumours going round though that relegated Southampton are keeping a close eye on him.
The released list holds no real shocks accept for maybe Tom Leak who most thought would be a decent squad player. Gone with no complaints are Nathan Lowe after he fell out with Penn some while ago and was banished out on loan to Macclesfield FC and then to Ashton Utd. Also gone, but disappointingly, is Tom Owen-Evans who never seemed to recover from the early season injury that kept him out for so long. Jamie Emery and Keziah Martin are the other two to leave along with Tolley.
All the loanees that were still with us at the end of the season have left. Two back to their parent clubs (Joe Foulkes and Jack Bearne) while Reiss McNally and Kyle Morrison have already been released from their clubs and now seek a new future elsewhere. If Morrison had any sense he’d be in talks with the club already about a nice two year contract with the Harriers.
Now we have the basis of a new squad we await to see who will resign and also will be a fresh face through the door in preparation of our, hopefully, exciting new future.
Photo © KHFC