29-11-19 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Southport

Yet another new era has arrived at Aggborough following the dismissal of the manager John Pemberton on Tuesday morning. Russ Penn was given the poisoned chalice caretaker managers job for the coming future and he makes it our sixth managerial position of 2019 if you include all the caretaker jobs.

Neil MacFarlane lasted until January 2019 followed by yet another Colin Gordon stint for the remainder of that month until the appointment of Mark Yates. His four months came to an end in April and Jimmy O’Connor finished off the season until Pembertons arrival in May. Now Russ takes up the reins and tomorrow against Southport he’ll be hoping to turn us around and get back to winning ways.

If we do win the game then it’ll be our first win since mid October when we beat Farsley Celtic 2-0 at home and will be only our sixth win of the season. In the corresponding game last season we lost 4-1 at home in one of our worst performances of the season. The worst amongst many but still not as bad as this season. At least we were in fourth place following that game whereas this time round we’re seventeenth. 

We have a new keeper to look forward to seeing tomorrow after Will Mannion signed for us on loan from Championship side Hull City until the New Year – or maybe further. The 21 year old has been with the Tigers since July 2016 having started his career with AFC Wimbledon. He’s played one senior game for Hull in the EFL Cup at Doncaster Rovers in August 2017. He has also had loan spells with Plymouth Argyle and Aldershot Town.

Jaiden White and Harry Higginson have both gone out on loan so they won’t be available on our depleted bench so it’ll be up to what we have got to produce the goods.

Southport arrive here on the back of a win in the FA Trophy when they beat Colne 3-2 after being two goals down and then scoring a last gasp winning goal to give them another away game at either Stourbridge FC or South Shields. In the league they sit in sixth place even though they’ve lost two out of three games this month. Their last win came at home to Leamington followed up with defeats against Spennymoor Town and Kings Lynn Town.

I have no idea about any injured Southport players or who will be facing us. All I know is that we have to win this game and get this bad atmosphere away from our club. Hopefully Russ will be the one to do that.

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Mannion, Palmer, Mountjoy, Davidson, Johnson, Moyo, D Lowth, R Williams, Prosser, Weeks, Taylor-Randle, Scott, Butterfield, Shenton, Austin, Chambers, Fuller, E Williams, Freemantle, S Lowth, Peniket, Diau, Hemmings.

Southport from:

Hanford, Albinson, Astles, Parry, Winnard, Doyle, Mohammed, Ogle, Oliver, Lacey, Woods, Glynn, Morgan, Bauress, Benjamin, Green, Wood, Correia, Sampson, Newell.

Referee: Mr Scott Simpson. Stoke on Trent

Talk about the game here

Links to Southport websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here