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It's the last home game for us in the Football League for the foreseeable future and it's also the day that the Official Player of the Year is awarded. There would have been a Harriers Online PotY but someone thought he'd have a laugh and destroy a seasons worth of messages on the forum, including my PotY.
I would have thought that the official one would follow the same pattern that mine was taking and give the award to John Danby with Dean Keates running him a close second. It's John Danby that could also be the key to our future in the Conference after the club announced yesterday that budgets will have to be cut by more than half to help us survive at a lower level and to that extent I can certainly see John being sold to whoever comes in for him first.
This is now going to be a fact of life for us in the future. Young players being bought in and then sold on, if we're lucky, to raise some cash. The money will probably also be used to help set up a new youth scheme to nurture these youngsters and the club is hoping to set up such a team next season.
Until then we have to carry on with this present crop for the next two games and just try and save face by not losing against Grimsby and Northampton.
For tomorrows game we welcome Grimsby for the first and last time to Aggborough and we should be able to welcome Adam Chambers to the side now that Stuart Watkiss thinks he's able to play after being out of action for so long.
Ian Foster (knee), Reuben Hazell (?) and Johnny Mullins (hamstring) are all definitely out of the reckoning with Tom Bennett (hip) and Lee Jenkins (knee) both doubtful to start. Mark Jackson (calf), Wayne Hatswell (ankle), Chris Beardsley (ankle) and Bertrand Cozic (thigh) have all missed training this week but should be fit to take part in the game.
Grimsby, also coming to the end of a more successful season than us but still just as mediocre, will probably use this game as a run out for fringe players. The manager Russell Slade is thinking about giving starts to youth team members Nick Hegarty and Danny North.
He will also be welcoming back Tony Crane into the side after fearing that he may have missed all season due to injury but now looks ready for the final run in. Stacy Coldicott is likely to be missing after injuring his achilles a couple of weeks ago along with Martin Gritton and John McDermott.
Gritton injured his back against Notts County recently but although he played against Scunthorpe last week he has now had a reaction to the back pain and will be rested for this game. McDermott suffered a dead leg in the same game and has not trained all week.
I think that now the pressure is off we will more than likely win this game, especially against an intentionally weakened Grimsby side. It remains to be seen what kind of welcome our 'heroes' will get when half the side say their goodbyes.
Teams
Harriers from:
Danby, Lewis, Burton, Billy Jones, Sall, Weaver, Jackson, Bennett, Hatswell, McHale, Beardsley, McGrath, Jenkins, Keates, Cozic, Gleeson, Sturrock, Birch, Christie, Rawle, Russell.
Grimsby from:
Williams, McDermott, Ramsden, Crane, Whittle, Crowe, Reddy, Parkinson, Coldicott, Hockless, Soames, Fleming, Bull, Pinault, Robert Jones, Ashton, Downey, Gritton, North, Forbes, Hegarty.
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