Goalkeeper discusses return
By Matty Paddock - 27/04/2026
Posted 2 hours ago
CHRISTIAN Dibble’s return to action last weekend saw the big man keep a clean sheet to help Harriers to a 1-0 victory over South Shields.
It marked the end of a difficult spell on the sidelines for Dibble, who had missed eight matches following the head injury sustained at Radcliffe earlier in the season.
That incident, which saw a collision with Joe Foulkes, led to the abandonment of the match and left Dibble dealing with concussion, while Foulkes required surgery after suffering fractures to his eye socket and cheekbone.
Having come through that period, Dibble’s focus was firmly on getting back out on the pitch.
“No, not really, just another game,” he said when asked about any nerves before kick-off. “It’s just nice to be on the football pitch after four or five weeks out with injury.
“Obviously, I’ve had two and a half weeks at home with headaches, so I couldn’t really do anything. So, it’s nice to be out there and it’s been a tough few weeks.”
Any signs of rustiness were hard to find. Dibble played his part in securing a clean sheet, making a number of important saves across the afternoon to preserve Harriers’ narrow advantage.
“That’s my job, isn’t it?” he added. “I go into every game and I just want to do my best and try my best for the team.
“We got the result today and it’s just good momentum going into next week.”
There was even a late reminder of the physical nature of the game, with Dibble taking a knock to the head in the closing stages, though it did little to disrupt his composure.
“I don’t go into the game thinking: ‘I’ve had an injury five weeks ago’”, he explained. “It’s straight out of my mind. If it happens, it happens again. But you can’t think like that.”
With the regular season now complete and a home play-off tie to come ib Saturday afternoon, Dibble believes the squad are well placed, both mentally and physically, to attack what lies ahead.
He went on to reflect: “That’s why [the South Shields win] was so important. We’ve kept the momentum with another win against a really good side.
“It’s going to be good to have the fans behind us. They were brilliant today and hopefully they can be the same this week.”
Prior to Shields, Dibble had made 42 appearances in league, cup and Trophy action, keeping 17 further clean sheets.
One more against Macclesfield or Chester on Saturday might help go a long way to taking Harriers into a coveted Promotion Final.
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