A look to Saturday’s trip to Chorley in National League North
By Matty Paddock - 06/09/2024
Posted 1 year ago
HARRIERS head to in-form Chorley on Saturday in National League North.
The Magpies have enjoyed a sound start to their new season, having been defeated just once in seven games so far.
A home set-back at the hands of Scarborough is the only real blemish on an early record that includes an opening day win at Peterborough Sports.
Among the other highlights for Andy Preece’s men include a 4-1 thumping of Southport in their last home match, and a superb 2-0 win at Brackley Town in midweek.
Harriers boss Phil Brown is fully aware of what to expect at Victory Park, with a familiar face in the dugout.
He explained: “Chorley are team who are run by a very good friend of mine, who I’ve not spoken to or with for a long, long time.
“We played together at Blackpool and he’s a character, Andy.
“His team are playing, and he’s been there a long, long time. He’s been Director of Football, been everything, I think.
“If he’s managing them, there will be a battle on the touchline, guaranteed, but he’s always been six feet three, it’s too late for me!
“But his team plays in a certain way, and you have to understand that he is well versed in getting points…”
With an eye on Saturday itself, Brown added: “It will be a tough game, no doubt about it, a real tough match.
“You’ve got to win your battles individually and then, collectively, you can win the game and come away with something.
“Having come into the game on the back of a win, they were buoyed by that success; Brackley, it’s not an easy gig.
“For them to beat Brackley, they’d have to be at their best. They probably were [on Tuesday night] and we have to make sure they’re not on Saturday.”
Saturday’s tie will be the 18th meeting of the two teams, with Chorley regularly a tormentor of Harriers in previous league seasons.
The Reds at one stage went five meetings without so much as scoring against the perennial play-off chasers, though Harriers did claw back some better results in meetings that followed.
The most recent meeting came at Victory Park in 2023 with the hosts running out 1-0 victors.
Boss Brown confirmed the club are continuing to assess the condition of injured pair Alex Penny and Paul Downing, both of whom missed the midweek draw with Chester.
It’s hoped Amari Morgan-Smith may be able to play some part in the tie having been out of action since the second game of the season.
Kick-off at Chorley is at 3:00pm and Harriers fans are again reminded to review the match day information on the Chorley website, and note that tickets are cheaper if purchased in advance.
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