29-04-22 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Guiseley AFC

Preview: Phil Lench

The Harriers keeper, Luke Simpson, will be missing from this home game against the basement club Guiseley AFC tomorrow due to the red card that he collected at Blyth Spartans last Saturday. After allegedly stepping over the line, carrying the ball, he was deemed to have stopped a Blyth player from scoring although looking at the video that decision seemed to be a bit iffy and even more so with the white lines not being visible. 

The club have yet to say whether the ban is for just the one game or three although the latter seems a little unlikely. As for who will replace him then that could be interesting considering that Jamie Emery has been his wingman all season following Tom Palmers loan to Rushall Olympic. Now that Toms loan has ended there, due to the season ending at that level, he has now returned to Aggborough and with thirty seven games under his belt he might be a better choice than a rookie who has yet to make an appearance.

That game at Blyth was yet another disappointment with yet another draw. Against a struggling side like them we should have been expected to get all three points but, again, we failed to and that now leaves AFC Fylde needing just one more win to guarantee themselves a third place finish. That means that we’ll have to play an extra game in the play-offs unless Fylde somehow transpire to lose their remaining games and we can win ours. 

Guiseley have been in one hell of a slump since we played them back on October when they were in midtable. Since the turn of the year they started to drop down and now, for the last nine games, they’ve been in bottom place. That slump led to the management team of Russ O’Neill and Marcus Bignot being put on ‘gardening leave’ at the start of April with Steve Kittrick coming in as caretaker manager.

He seems to have had no effect though and they look to be relegated unless Blyth, Farsley Celtic and AFC Telford Utd all lose their three games and Guiseley win at least one. Just as long as it’s not against us tomorrow!

They could be without their big defender and captain Hamza Bencherif after he was stretchered off with concussion against Curzon Ashton last Saturday. He was released from hospital later that night but under FA rules he has to miss two weeks as a precaution.

Scott McLean, James Gale and Bailey Thompson also missed that game with their respective injuries but Jamie Spencer and Shaun Tuton both returned to the side following their time out with injuries.

Apart from Simpson we should have no one else missing, hopefully, so should be at more or less full strength and raring to get a long overdue three points.

Just a word for club legend Keith Lowe after he decided that this will be his last season in full time football and will leave the club soon to take up a teaching post at home in Stafford. He’ll still be hoping to play part time for a club local to him and whoever takes him on should have at least two good seasons from him. In his three spells with the Harriers he’s been a solid rock for us and has earned his nickname of ‘The Grandmaster’ that was given to him by another club legend Les Jones.

Harriers Online wish Keeeeeith all the best in his new career and with whichever club is lucky enough to have him playing for them. 

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Palmer, Emery, Richards, Cameron, Foulkes, Panter, Penny, Bajrami, Lowe, Austin, Redmond, Lissimore, Montrose, Carrington, Martin, Freemantle, Bastable, Tolley, Hemmings, Bell, Morgan-Smith, White, Sterling-James.

Guiseley AFC from:

Moloney, Mason, Damba, Lambton, Sraha, Hutchinson, Hollins, Brown, Molokwu, Latty-Fairweather, Bencherif, Reape, Leigh, Farrar, Cartwright, Hey, Ekpolo, Johnston, Spencer, Tear, Jones, Cantrill, Kellett, Metcalfe, Felix, Mbeka, Tuton, Gale, Haw, Stones, McLean, Hebda, Thompson.

Referee: Mr Sam Mulhall. Cheshire

Shanes Opposition Stats Pack:

Away from home in the league: (P19, W3, D2, L14) Curzon 1-1, Gateshead 2-1, Boston 2-1, Darlington 5-1, Blyth 1-0, Chester 0-1, Brackley 1-0, Telford 0-1, Spennymoor 2-1, Fylde 2-1, Southport 2-1, Hereford 2-0, York 3-0, Leamington 1-0, Chorley 2-0, Farsley 1-0, Gloucester 4-1, Kettering 0-2, BPA 0-0.

Goals (all competitions): 6 – Thewlis (Left club), 5 – Tear, 4 – Gale, 3 – Mbeka, 3 – Hey, 2 – Spencer, 2 – Hutchinson, 2 – Hull (Left club), 1 – Thompson, 1 – Stones, 1 – McLean, 1 – Latty-Fairweather, 1 – Hollins, 1 – Felix, 1 – Bencherif, 1 – Haw, 1 – Own goal.

The streaks (league only):

Games since last win: 3

Games since last away win: 1

Games since last draw: 0

Games since last away draw: 0

Games since last defeat: 2

Games since last away defeat: 2

Games since last clean sheet: 1

Games since last away clean sheet: 0

The Squad (appearances are starts + sub, includes both league and cups):

Goalkeepers: Hagie Damba (P0), Owen Mason (P25, conceded 41 goals including 2 penalties. On loan from Mansfield), Scott Moloney (P0, on loan from Barrow).

Defence: Hamza Bencherif (P40, 1 goal), Oliver Brown (P21), Andy Hollins (P22, 1 goal), Regan Hutchinson (P37, 2 goals), Thierry Latty-Fairweather (P18, 1 goal. On loan from Burton), Chukwudalu Molokwu (P0), Jason Sraha (P13, on loan from Barnsley).

Midfield: George Cantrill (P44), Ethan Cartwright (P3), Prince Ekpolo (P39), Lewis Hey (P22, 3 goals), John Johnston (P12, missed only penalty taken), Andrai Jones (P1), Andy Kellett (P16), Lebrun Mbeka (P45, 3 goals), Jamie Spencer (P20, 2 goals. Missed only penalty taken), Dom Tear (P17, 4 goals).

Attack: Kaine Felix (P17, 2 goals), James Gale (P11, 4 goals. On loan from Mansfield), Adam Haw (P21, 1 goal), Jakub Hebda (P1), Scott McLean (P4, 1 goal. On loan from Spennymoor), Josh Stones (P21, 1 goal), Bailey Thompson (P10, 1 goal), Shaun Tuton (P8).

They seem to have had a few long term injuries this season. Tuton has just returned after 20-odd games out with a broken tibia, Kaine Felix has picked up knocks somewhat regularly as well.

It’s been a poor season for the Lions and Steve Kittrick was parachuted in at the start of the month to try and keep them up, with Russ O’Neill and former Harrier Marcus Bignot left to tend their cabbage patches. One wonders whether Bignot’s comments from his women’s job caught up with him at Guiseley on top of their poor form.

Talk about the game here

Links to Guiseley AFC websites here

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