31-01-22 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Leamington FC

Preview: Phil Lench

The Harriers play the last of an intensive period of league games tomorrow before the big game at home to West Ham Utd takes place this coming Saturday. Tomorrow Leamington FC are the visitors to Aggborough and, following recent poor performances by our standard, we’ll be wanting to go into the FA Cup game on a big high with an emphatic win.

On Saturday we struggled to get anything against Gloucester City and ended up with our first goal less draw at home since we played AFC Telford Utd back in August 2018. With ten shots on goal compared to City’s two we didn’t get many of them on target and looked jaded throughout. The toll of seven games in one month is beginning to show with some tired legs out there.

Ironically the result moved us up into third place in the table after games elsewhere went our way.

Leamington come to us on the back of their first win in eleven league games on Saturday when they beat Blyth Spartans 1-0 at the stupidly named Your Co-Op Community Stadium. Thankfully that’s the last time I’ll ever call it that. Their previous win came back on November 9th when they had the, expected, easy win at home to York City. There have been a fair mount of draws in-between and that’s what has kept them fairly safe in mid-table so far.

Their manager, Paul Holleran, is renowned for bring some solid players in and last week he went one better when he signed Adam Walker from Telford. Walker is a fine midfielder with a very good pedigree having signed for Telford from Brackley Town a couple of years ago. His career started with Coventry City  until his release to join Solihull Moors. Still with the Brakes is the legendary Callum Gittings and also Joe Clarke and Jake Weaver, all former Harriers.

We could still be without Keziah Martin for this game following the bad injury he received at Kettering Town last Tuesday evening while Joe Foulkes and Ethan Freemantle may be available after missing games recently.

Tired legs, or not, this is a must win game and should have more importance to us than a novelty game a few days later. We just have to hope that it’s an improvement on Saturday.

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Simpson, Emery, Richards, Cameron, Foulkes, Moyo, Penny, Preston, Bajrami, Lowe, Austin, Redmond, Montrose, Carrington, Martin, Freemantle, Bastable, Tolley, Hemmings, Morgan-Smith, White, Sterling-James, Dinanga.

Leamington FC from:

Weaver, Allen, English, Lane, Mace, Meredith, Morley, Morrison, Barkers, Clarke, Edwards, Gittings, Kelly-Evans, Maye, Parker, Sang, Walker, Wilding, Beeson, Cook, Mooney, Turner.

Referee: Mr Kristian Silcock. Liverpool

Shanes Opposition Stats Pack:

Away from home in the league: (P12, W2, D4, L6) Brackley 2-1, Alfreton 1-0, Hereford 1-1, Guiseley 2-0, Darlington 1-1, AFC Telford 1-1, Blyth 0-2, York 0-2, Chorley 1-0, Chester 2-1, Gloucester 0-0, Gateshead 3-1

Goals (all competitions): Turner  – 9, Mooney – 5,  English – 3, Edwards – 3 Lane – 2, Kelly-Evans – 2,  Anderson – 2 (left club), Parker – 1, Morley – 1, Clarke 1, Gittings – 1.

The streaks (league only):

Games since last home win: 0

Games since last away win: 4

Games since last away draw: 2

Games since last home defeat: 4

Games since last away defeat: 2

Games since last clean sheet: 0

Games since last away clean sheet: 1

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

Goalkeepers: Josh Allen (P0), Jake Weaver (P26, conceded 33, 2/5 penalties saved), Matt Sargent (P2, conceded 5, 0/1 penalties saved. Dual registration with Alvechurch).

Defence: Junior English (P14, 3 goals), Jack Lane (P27, 2 goals), James Mace (P4) Josh Martin (P7) Dan Meredith (P28) Stephan Morley (P23, 2 goals), Kyle Morrison (P28).

Midfield: Jamie Andrews (P3, on loan from WBA), Dylan Barkers (P1, on loan from Cheltenham), Joe Clarke (P22, 1 goal), Jack Edwards (P19, 3 goals), Callum Gittings (P25, 1 goal), Devon Kelly-Evans (P17, 2 goals), Simeon Maye (P9), Joe Parker (P23, 1 goal), Jack Sang (P0) Adam Walker (P1, just signed from AFC Telford where he played 23 times), Sam Wilding (P4, on loan from Sunderland), Kurtis Wood (P0).

Attack: Kieran Cook (P14), Kelsey Mooney (P25, 5 goals, 0/1 penalties), Dan Turner (P28, 9 goals, 3/4 penalties).

Talk about the game here

Links to Leamington FC websites here

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