Kidderminster Harriers vs Woking FC. 04-08-23. Match preview

Preview: Phil Lench

Just twelve weeks have elapsed since that memorable Sunday in Brackley. On the back of eight consecutive wins in a row we added our ninth in winning promotion to the National League after seven long and depressing years stuck in the North.

Now back in the top echelon of non-league football we face up to a team that we also played on the opening day of the 2005-06 season when Woking come to Aggborough. That day we beat our guests 2-0 with both goals coming from Taiwo Atieno (remember him?). Woking are also the team that we played, and lost to, when we gained promotion to the football league back in the year 2000 (remember that day?). Don’t forget, also, the FA Trophy final against them in 1995 when we lost 2-1 in the dying minutes of the game (remember that game too?).

Yes, we have a fair bit of history with our friends from Surrey and now it’s time to create another historic day.

It’s expected that our starting line-up won’t be much different than the one that finished last season at Brackley Town. With just Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Phillips, Jack Lambert, Gerry McDonagh, Reiss McNally and Matt Preston arriving at the club in the close season it’s probable that only The Ox will start with some of the others on the bench. We’ll be going with Amari Morgan-Smith up front because, frankly, we haven’t really found an out and out top striker to keep him out.

In the last few days his partner from the last few seasons, Ethan Freemantle, has been sent out on loan to Gloucester City in a move that’s seen to get him fit and scoring once more. Others feel, though, that City are his natural level anyway and we may not see him again.

As for Woking then they surprised everyone by finishing fourth last season following years and years of finishing mid-table, or lower, and actually getting relegated in 2018. They finished in the play-offs – losing to Bromley – with the help of defensive midfielder Jim Kellermann who played for us occasionally in the 2020-21 season, when he wasn’t suspended.

They seem to have bought in loads of players since the end of the last campaign with their fans crowing that they now have such strength in depth that the title must already belong to them. We’ll see about that! One of those bought in was Matt Robinson from Dagenham and Redbridge FC. He played for us on loan from Luton Town a long time ago – whatever happened to them?

Could we carry on this season in the same way that we finished the last one? Hopefully we can but I can’t see us scoring anywhere near enough goals to do more than just about survive. As for tomorrow then we might surprise a few.

Photo © KHFC

Referee: Mr Dale Baines. Liverpool

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