20-09-19 – Preview – FA Cup 2nd Qual Rd – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Stafford Rangers

The Harriers burst into FA Cup action when old foes Stafford Rangers return to Aggborough for the first time since a 6-0 defeat here back in March 2008. That game was one of the final nails in the coffin of Rangers time at the top of non league football and since then they have been trying to make their way back with little success.

Rangers, who hadn’t picked up a single league point at home this season until their draw with FC Utd of Manchester last Saturday, got through to this round with an emphatic 3-0 win against Mickleover Sports at their home ground of Marston Road in the previous round. Two of those goals came from former Harriers Luke Jones and Evan Garnett with the other goal scored by Anthony Malbons assassin Louis Briscoe.    

They’ll be without Theo Bailey-Jones for the game with a ruptured tendon while we’ll be without Cameron Gregory and Jamie Sharman with both out long term. Rangers have just re-signed a former Harrier Robert Thompson-Brown but he won’t be available having played in the Cup with Bromsgrove Sporting a few weeks back. Another former Harrier, Paul Bignot, is also with them.

Our record in the Cup hasn’t been too good in recent years having gone out to Stourbridge FC in the following round last season while the previous season we made the boring trek to boring AFC Fylde and lost there in the first round proper. Basically any game against Fylde was just an excuse for them to scout our players anyway.

We should be able to field a strong first team for the game tomorrow but with only ten genuine first team regulars available, plus Tom Palmer, then our bench could be seen to be weak with teams having to name seven subs in the FA Cup. At least with the likes of Harry Higginson and Ollie Shenton we’ll have something to fall back on.

On paper this should be a game that we ought to win but with us only getting our first home win of the season, against Altrincham last Saturday, then we’re going to have to be alert to Rangers thinking that we could be vulnerable at home. It’s time that vulnerability was addressed and what better game to do it in.

Any, hopefully not, replay will be at Marston Road on Tuesday. 

Teams:

Harriers from:

Palmer, Mountjoy, Davidson, O’Connor, Higginson, Penn, Johnson, Moyo, D Lowth, R Williams, Prosser, Weeks, Taylor-Randle, Scott, Butterfield, Shenton, Austin, Chambers, E Williams, Freemantle, White, Peniket.

Stafford Rangers from:

King, Bignot, M Hill, Jones, D Burns, Harvey, Green, Garnett, Berks, Briscoe, Howarth, Sherratt, Coulson, J Burns, Dixon, Davies, Charles, Sanali, J Hill, Burnett, Thorley. 

Referee: Mr Richie Watkins. Nuneaton

Talk about the game here

Links to Stafford Rangers websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here