A look ahead to Saturday’s visit to Rochdale…
By Matty Paddock - 05/01/2024
Posted 2 years ago
HARRIERS head to Rochdale on Saturday with new man Owen Hesketh available for a debut after signing on loan from Wolves.
The midfielder penned a deal until the end of the season this week, and is at Russ Penn’s disposal for a first Harriers trip to Dale in 19 years.
The Aggborough chief is happy with his newest recruit, having cast his eye over the youngster for much of the last couple of seasons.
Penn said: “It’s a great find for us, we have seen Owen for the last two or three years and is probably [the] longest-serving U23s player at Wolves.
“He’s a good player, a forward player and a wide player. He’s in behind the front man and has good energy and good experience, really, for where he’s at.
“One thing I do know is that is he’s fit and he’s chomping at the bit to play first team football.”
Penn added: “We’ve watched Owen 10, 20 times now and he’s good enough to play in our team.
“He just has to prove he’s right for the shirt and that he’s ready for a relegation scrap.”
This weekend’s opposition is a Rochdale side still very much placed for a swipe at the play-offs in the National League this season, despite indifferent recent form.
They were beaten last time out against AFC Fylde and have found wins harder to come by since December.
Nonetheless, they won their last home match in the return meeting with the Coasters, one of five home victories so far this term.
Penn knows their qualities are greater than their recent form, and very much expects them to be at the top end of the division come the end of April.
Watch: previous meetings between Harriers and Rochdale
He commented: “Their aim is to jump back up, and why wouldn’t you when you’re Rochdale? They’ve never been in non-league before.
“They’re a good team with a good Manager and a good budget, but they have a lot of injuries at the moment as everyone seems to be having.
“I watched them on Monday when they were below par, which is probably a negative for us because you always get a reaction.
“But there are some top, top players in that team, some ex-League players and we’ll have to be on it again.”
Penn confirmed only long-term absentees Nat Knight-Percival and Joe Leesley remain out of action, with both still a number of weeks away from a return to training.
Harriers head to The Crown Oil Arena for the first time since 2005 on Saturday, with two past wins there under their belt, the sides having faced off 11 times.
Harriers fans can purchase away travel from the club up to and including Friday, while advance, online sales of match tickets are available from the Rochdale website.
Kick-off on Saturday is at 3:00pm
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