23-11-18 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs York City

The Harriers start their FA Trophy campaign for 2018 against a club that we have been associated with quite a bit in recent weeks. Just days after taking Russ Penn from them and then sending Joe Ironside and Kennedy Digie the other way on loan we only went and drew them in the cup.

Ironically, around this time last season, we also drew them in the Trophy but at the 1st round stage and not at this earlier one. We won 2-1 back then with the goals coming from James Pearson and Manny Sonupè. That game, played at Aggborough, saw us win in front of a healthy crowd of over a thousand one hundred for a cup game but this time it’s not expected to be anywhere near that due to the negative pricing policy of the club that will not be encouraging many to go to what is seen as an un-important game.

Earlier in the season we won 3-0 up at Bootham Crescent with our goals coming from Ed Williams and none other than Ironside. At the time we were playing impressively but in recent weeks that has vanished to culminate in a 4-0 thrashing at home to fellow title chasers Chorley FC last Saturday. The loss of confidence in the team is visible to all and it didn’t help changing the formation from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 for the first time this season especially in such an important game.

We should be injury free for the game and we might even be seeing some new faces coming in but whether they would be eligible to play would be another mater. Ironside and Digie won’t be allowed to play against us due to being out on loan but Russ Penn shouldn’t face any such problem due to having signed a contract with us.

Yorks injuries amount to our former midfielder Simon Heslop with a knee injury. 

A big upturn in form is going to be needed if we are hoping to progress further in the Trophy and with City not setting the world on fire either I can see this fizzling out to a damp squib draw with the replay up in York on Tuesday evening. 

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.

York City from:

Bartlett, Whitley, Bencherif, Davis, Dyer, Ferguson, Griffiths, Harrison, Law, Newton, Parslow, Rogerson, Tait, Bray, Harris, Hawkins, Moké, York, Burrow, Kempster, Langstaff, McNaughton, Parkin, Wright. 

Referee: Mr Benjamin Speedie. Liverpool

Talk about the game here

Links to York City websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here