| Match preview Vs AFC Fylde Venue: Aggborough Date: 12-03-22 Kick off: 15:00hrs |
Preview: Phil Lench
The Harriers fans can welcome new loan signing Ryan Nolan to the team tomorrow when the Reds run onto the pitch for another big six point game. This time at home to AFC Fylde.
Our six pointer at Gateshead last week ended in disaster as we collapsed 4-0 to the league leaders and never looked like getting anything from the game. As at Farsley Celtic the previous Saturday we failed to test the goalkeeper and it’s now become a worrying trend that we seem too shy to shoot. We also seem to have lost our defensive strength since Matt Preston got badly injured and it’s for that reason Russ Penn has bought the young Irish/Spanish central defender in from Northampton Town to combat that problem.
Looking forward to his first game for the Harriers
Now we need, either, a creative midfielder to create chances for our strikers or another striker to bolster those ranks. Saying that we have the under used Nyal Bell available to do that so I’d opt for the midfielder anyway seeing as Mark Carrington and Lewis Montrose are not all that creative.
We’ll have Joe Foulkes back available following the red card he was criminally given at Farsley and he could step straight in with both Alex Penny and Nathan Cameron picking up knocks in recent weeks and neither looking 100% since. Hopefully Keziah Martin is up to speed now and could slot back into the missing midfield role.
AFC Fylde have slumped in recent weeks and now tend to be inconsistent more often than not. A change of manager took place two weeks ago with Jim Bentley getting the heave ho to allow James Rowe to take over after getting himself heaved and ho’d from a number of clubs in the past couple of seasons. As Shane remarks on below he’s not a popular choice with their fans.
Talking of fans it seems that the chairman David Haythornthwaitebaagum is laying on free travel down to Aggborough tomorrow in the hope that they’ll get a few fans to cheer them on from the East Stand. Two mini buses should cover it.
They have a few injuries with Joe Piggott and Mark Cullen the most serious. It’s not known what, why or when Piggots injury came about but new signing Cullen landed badly going up for a header against Bradford (PA) last week and was stretchered off with a few problems including an ACL injury. We wish the lad well after seeing what Matty Preston went through.
So to the game itself. We simply cannot afford to lose a third game in a row and still expect promotion. Third place is the best we can realistically hope for now and that’s what we have to go for.
No if’s. No but’s.
Photo © NTFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Simpson, Emery, Richards, Cameron, Foulkes, Moyo, R Nolan, Penny, Bajrami, Lowe, Austin, Redmond, Lissimore, Montrose, Carrington, Martin, Freemantle, Bastable, Tolley, Hemmings, Bell, Morgan-Smith, White, Sterling-James.
AFC Fylde from:
Neal, Jones, Walder, Long, Burke, Davis, Conlan, Obi, Whitmore, Tollitt, Philliskirk, L Nolan, Hulme, Whitehead, Haughton, Osborne, Joyce, Shaw, Perkins, Pike, Dobbie, Gregson, Slew, Byrne, Evans, Stott, Robinson.
Referee: Mr Dean Watson. Rochdale
Shanes Opposition Stats Pack:
Away from home in the league: (P14, W6, D4, L4) Guiseley 2-4, Hereford 1-4, Kettering 1-1, BPA 0-2, Alfreton 1-1, Farsley 1-0, Curzon 2-1, Darlington 1-0, Chester 2-2, Leamington 0-2, Chorley 2-2, Gateshead 0-3, Brackley 1-0, Blyth 0-2.
Goals (all competitions): 20 – Haughton, 8 – Tollitt, 6 – Piggott, 3 – Whitmore, 3 – Osborne, 3 – Dobbie, 2 – Obi, 1 – Whitehead, 1 – Walker, 1 – Shaw, 1 – Perkins, 1 – Cullen, 1 – Own Goal.
The streaks (league only):
Games since last win: 0
Games since last away win: 0
Games since last draw: 7
Games since last away draw: 3
Games since last defeat: 1
Games since last away defeat: 1
Games since last clean sheet: 0
Games since last away clean sheet: 0
The Squad (appearances are starts + sub, includes both league and cups):
Goalkeepers: Bobby Jones (P11 C12. 0/1 pens), Chris Neal (P22 C20. 0/3).
Defence: Luke Burke (P5), Jack Byrne (P0), Luke Conlan (P26), Harry Davis (P7), Jack Evans (P6), Emeka Obi (P20, G2), Dan Pike (P16), Jamie Stott (P26), Maine Walder (P0), Alex Whitmore (P20, G3).
Midfield: Harvey Gregson (P1), Nick Haughton (P33, G20. 3 out 4 penalties), Harry Jones (P0), Luke Joyce (P28), Sam Osborne (P20, G3), David Perkins (P20, G1), Danny Philliskirk (P22), Nathan Shaw (P16, G1), Tom Walker (P5), Danny Whitehead (P6, G1).
Attack: Mark Cullen (P4, G1), Stephen Dobbie (P11, G3), Rhys Long (P0), Joe Piggott (P12, G6), Owen Robinson (P6), Ben Tollitt (P31, G8), Jorome Slew (P7).
As you will have seen Jim Bentley was sacked on the eve of their game against BPA last week and was swiftly replaced – controversially – by the former Gloucester & Chesterfield manager James Rowe, who left the Spireites for reasons best classed as “gross misconduct”, if the rumour mill is to be believed.
It’s not been that popular an appointment online amongst the Fylde fanbase given those rumours whilst there are some suggestions that it could allow certain other unsavoury characters to infiltrate the club; two of whom were involved in the near-downfall of Gateshead the other year.
On the pitch he undoubtedly gets the job done if you look at his record, but if it looks like an ass, and smells like an ass, then the chances are that it is an ass…
Obviously Project 2022 hit the skids. Weren’t they supposed to be an EFL side by now?
Talk about the game here
Links to AFC Fylde websites here
Find Pubs around Kidderminster here
| Previous games against AFC Fylde | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Played: 4Won: 0Drew: 2Lost: 2 | |||||
| Date | H/A | Comp: | Score | Goals | Att: (away) |
| 25-09-2021 | A | National North | 2 – 1 | Foulkes | 1120 (150) |
| 04-11-2017 | A | FA Cup 1st rd | 4 – 2 | Taylor, Brown | 1480 (270) |
| 18-03-2017 | A | National North | 2 – 2 | Croasdale, Lowe | 2359 (239) |
| 18-10-2016 | H | National North | 3 – 3 | Gnahoua, N’Gwatala, Lowe | 1970 (64) |