31-12-18 – Preview – Kidderminster Harriers Vs Hereford FC

So far Christmas has been a bad time to be a Harriers fan with just one point so far at home to a relegation threatened Curzon Ashton just before the festivities started. Then again at another side on the brink we lost out by the single late goal on Boxing Day. Two days ago we lost out to another late goal at Stockport County but they’re not threatened with relegation. If we keep on losing games we might be heading that way soon though.

The game on Boxing Day was at Hereford FC and tomorrow, at Aggborough, we’ll have the chance to put wrongs right, or will we?

In the first game Ryan Johnson gave a way a stupid, soft penalty (more stupid than soft really) that gave the Bulls the easy winner. Although we were the dominant side throughout, and may have had loads more possession than them, we did nothing with it. We didn’t do much with our possession against Curzon or at Stockport either and therein lies the problem. What has gone wrong with our strikers and the supply to them?

Ed Williams, who didn’t play at Stockport, seems to be trying too hard and running into blind alleys. Dan Bradley is being played out of position (aren’t they all) and wanders around trying to work out where he fits in while Ashley Chambers has been losing confidence game after game until at Stockport he was almost invisible. We throw on George Waring with thirty minutes to spare and he gets no service.

The service is normally supplied by our defensive pairing of Lee Vaughan and Sam Austin and with both there’s no end product with any intended crosses either going out or not getting delivered in the first place. In the second half at Stockport Austin was played in his natural position of winger but still there was no end product from him. The fans are beginning to despair.

It now seems that the manager, Neil MacFarlane, has also noticed the problem at the back and has recalled Joel Taylor from his loan at Halesowen Town. Does that mean Austin will be playing in his correct position tomorrow? 

As expected Billy Daniels hasn’t recovered from the grievous bodily harm inflicted on him by Tom Owen-Evans at Edgar Street and will be out for a few weeks more. On Saturday Williams was out with a turned ankle so he could be doubtful for tomorrow. James Baxendale played forty five minutes at Edgeley Park although he was unwell while Johnson played the full ninety under the influence of Night Nurse. Both should be ok for tomorrow but expect more to have fallen foul of the bug.

No doubt if we are short on numbers we’ll be able to throw even more sixteen year old academy kids onto the bench while poor old Ed Wagner trains by himself on the side of the pitch. That was sad to see on Saturday and you have to feel sorry for the poor bloke. Shades of Liam Truslove come to mind.

Hereford will be on a high tomorrow following the first win against us then a 2-0 victory at home to Chester FC on Saturday. Add in previous recent wins and they have now won five games in six while we have only won one and drawn one in six.

They should be at full strength for the return game but hopefully they’ll have got the bug in their camp too.

There was talk at Stockport of a new defender coming in soon and the name of Josh Heaton was mentioned. He was with Darlington last season but joined St Mirren for a small fee last June. He has failed to settle there and is being allowed to leave but the cost of settlement could be a problem for us. There was also talk of another Darlington defender, Ben O’Hanlon, coming here but that seems to have died down. Maybe this Heaton rumour has more legs.

So what can we expect tomorrow? It’s a given that we’re going to be facing a Hereford side that will be buoyed by the wins against us and Chester. Will they be more up for the game than we are? Will we be able to put out a bench of first team players or will it be populated with kids while older players stay at home at deaths door.

Whatever we get we have to be better than we have for the past two months and go into the New Year with a great big win under our belts.

Photo © KHFC

Teams:

Harriers from:

Hall, Palmer, Phillips, Horsfall, Taylor, O’Connor, Penn, Vaughan, Johnson, Wagner, Baxendale, Weeks, Stratford, Taylor-Randle, Austin, Bradley, Chambers, K Richards, Williams, Waring.

Hereford FC from:

Horsell, Yates, Greenslade, Cullinane-Liburd, Thomas, Gowling, Wassall, Dielna, H Smith, Dinsley, E Richards, O’Sullivan, Murphy, Owen-Evans, Hockey, Finn, Wharton, Roberts. Lloyd, Franklin, L Smith, Symons.

Referee: Mr Steven Copeland. The Wirral

Talk about the game here

Links to Hereford FC websites here

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