20-08-21 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Blyth Spartans AFC

Preview: Phil Lench

At last the Harriers return to Aggborough for our first competitive game in an eternity. Our first visitors, post pandemic, are Blyth Spartans and they come to us following a 2-0 home win against Alfreton Town last week. That same day we were up in York spoiling their stadium opening day with a 2-1 victory.

A great display from us saw Sam Austin grab the winning goal and, of course, being Sam it had to be something special. It did take a slight deflection from a City defender on the way in though but that’s just a minor point.

For the game against Blyth we’ll be able to welcome Geraldo Bajrami to the club after his signing was completed yesterday.

He was the one that impressed most of us during his trial period and it was a bit worrying to think that we may have missed out on him when he went to Barnet to play in some pre-season games. Thankfully they couldn’t have rated him.

Thoughts are that he’s here on non-contract terms but hopefully if he impresses everyone then no doubt Russ Penn will want him signing a proper contract. He’ll probably start from the bench.

There will also be home debuts for Jamie Emery, Nyal Bell, Joe Foulkes, Nathan Cameron and Mark Carrington after they all signed with us during the close season. Amari Morgan-Smith and Cliff Moyo won’t be there though due to suspension and injury.

It was a first half brace from JJ O’Donnell that gave the Spartans the win on Saturday. They’ve been busy in the recruitment stakes with Ben Milburn, Nicky Deverdics*, Toby Lees, Alex Mitchell, Cameron Painter, JJ O’Donnell*, Dan Maguire*, Nathan Buddle*,  Michael Liddle*, Jordan Watson*, Josh Gillies, Lewis McNall, Karl Byrne, Sean Reid* and Jordan Hickey all coming in.

Those players marked with an * have been with Blyth before and that also includes the legendary Robbie Dale who has decided that his boots didn’t like being hung up so he’s now put them back on again.

As mentioned before our only absentees should be just AMS and Moyo. If there are any more then we haven’t been told yet. Blyth absentees aren’t known either.

A win against a team that shouldn’t be underrated will be welcome and could see us leading the table if other games don’t go the way they’d like them to go.

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Simpson, Emery, Richards, Cameron, Penny, Bajrami, Foulkes, Lowe, Austin, Montrose, Carrington, Bell, Martin, Freemantle, Hemmings, White, Sterling-James.

Blyth Spartans from:

Mitchell, Liddle, Buddle, Watson, Evans, Nelson, Byrne, Milburn, Lees, Reid, O’Donnell, Gilles, Hickey, Painter, Deverdics, Clark, Dale, Maguire, McKeown, Thomson, McNall.

Referee: Mr David McNamara. Preston

Talk about the game here

Links to Blyth Spartans websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here