Saturday: Radcliffe v Harriers

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HARRIERS travel to a rapidly improving Radcliffe on Saturday in National League North.

Our weekend hosts had been finding form hard to come by in the first portion of the season but, over the last six weeks or so, have very much started to pull things together.

In League and FA Trophy action, they’ve suffered just one defeat in their last seven outings, that being the 4-1 defeat to Darlington on home soil just over a week ago.

They bounced back from that in true style, though, showing more of their recent mettle and confidence to knock National League outfit Solihull Moors out of the FA Trophy.

Trailing 1-0 against the higher-graded Moors, they pounced with an equaliser and, in the dying seconds, an injury-time winner to ensure they come into Saturday’s game full of confidence.

That’s not lost on boss Phil Brown said: “I think they’re a decent side. We met them in the second game of the season.

“We’d had a good pre-season and a good first result and the second result was a 3-0 victory against Radcliffe, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

“They do make it difficult. They’re organised, they’re resilient and play in a system that suits them as a group of players

“We used to play them in a pre-season friendly at Bolton Wanderers, so I am going back years, knowing what the surrounds are like and the environment.”

Brown will welcome back Kam Kandola into the squad following his one-match suspension.

David Davis now misses out through a one-game ban, but the boss has options at his disposal thanks to a gradually improving squad picture.

With Tope Obadeyi, Reece Devine, Maz Kouhyar and Paul Downing all now back in the squad after recent injuries, there is a greater pool to work with – plus Jim Kellermann who is awaiting what would be a potential second debut for the club.

On the injury front, Ben Beresford remains on course to hopefully be available in some capacity around the festive period. Alex Penny and Luke Summerfield remain out longer term, though the former has returned to the training ground for light fitness work.

No matter the line-up he selects, however, Brown is certain the troops will be well drilled on he assignment.

He added: “The players that we have will absolutely tuned into everything that’s going to be thrown at them on Saturday, but the most important part is our game plan and, if we stick to our game plan, hopefully we’ll have enough.

“Sometimes you do have to grind a 1-0 out. I’m not saying I want to do that, week in, week out, but it’s not a bad trait if you’re going to a Radcliffe on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon – you’ve got to have the mentality that you’ve got to grind.

“We’ve got enough quality, and we’ve got enough quality to cause the opposition problems and hopefully we can bring all that to the party on Saturday.”

Kick-off at Radcliffe on Saturday is at 3:00pm.

Away travel remains on sale from the club up to and including Friday and match tickets can be purchased in advance from the Radcliffe website.

SUPPORTER CONDUCT

Harriers again strongly supports The National League and Football Association in delivering their antisocial conduct message.

Please review the following information before visiting Aggborough or following the team on the road, and remember that your entry into Aggborough Stadium, or any other venue, is subject to the acceptance of the National League’s Ground regulations and adherence to the Smoke No Joke policy. Both documents are clearly visible and available on entry turnstiles but are also available for download below.

• National League Ground Regulations [PDF 116kb]
• Smoke No Joke [PDF, 155kb]

Specifically, we would like to remind supporters that the club will not tolerate supporter misconduct of any kind. This includes but is not limited to:

• Discriminatory behaviour. This means conduct or language that is aggravated by ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, faith, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation or disability.
• Entering the field of play or its immediate surrounding area without permission
• The throwing of missiles towards the pitch, technical area or dugout
• The possession or use of pyrotechnics such as flares or smoke bombs

Please support Kidderminster Harriers responsibility. Should you be concerned by any of the above conduct you may witness, please report it to your nearest steward at any venue, to the Club Office or Safety Officer or by e-mail to security@harriers.co.uk

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