Tamworth are going through a bit of bad luck just lately with some bad refereeing decisions going against them, and an extensive injury list including the horrendous injury inflicted on their keeper, Scott Bevan, by a former colleague of his at the Lamb, one Julian Alsop of the combined banana and child abuse incident at Oxford Utd.
The incident occurred at Forest Green when Alsop went up for a ball and sent Bevan crashing to the ground after kneeing him in the back. On the team coach back home Bevan showed an adverse reaction and on arrival back at his home was sent immediately to hospital in Milton Keynes where he had a kidney removed.
I think I can speak for all Harriers fans in wishing Scott well.
Mark Yates is expected to announce a fully fit team for this game with a return to the side for Russ Penn after missing last week through suspension and a first appearance for Junior Osborne now that he's recovered from an ankle injury.
Tamworth will have four players out due to suspension. James Turner, Dave Bampton (injured anyway after dropping a dumbell on his foot, Matt Redmile and Alan Neilson all miss out for that reason. They will be without goalkeeper Mark Gayle (ankle), Michael Tuohy (ankle), boss Mark Cooper (shoulder), Richard Dryden (recovering from operation) and Bob Taylor (foot) through injury.
Because of the situation Mark Cooper has now bought in two players on loan from Sheffield United. Dominic Roma and Ben Starosta, both youth team players, and a young keeper as cover from Coalville, Sean Bowles.
They are also hoping to bring in the former Manchester City player, Nicky Summerbee, and also Tommy Johnson, the former Celtic and Villa star from Scunthorpe on some kind of deal.
At least all the former Harriers players there should be fit and there's probably enough to to make a team all by themselves. Adie Smith, Scott Stamps, Graham Ward and Scott Rickards all once played for us but their Micky Tuohy is not the same one that turned out alongside Kim Casey and Paul Jones in the last century.
It's a foregone conclusion that we have to get back on track with a win from this game and Tamworth are ripe for the taking, sorry to say, and we have to be there to watch them do it. It's not far is it?
Thanks to Jason Jarrett of 4 Bleats for the Tamworth team news.
Teams:
Harriers from:
Danby, Lewis, Harkness, Burgess, Osborne, Mullins, Ludlow, Paul Smith, Sedgemore, Fleming, Graves, White, Hurren, Russell, Penn, Francis, Sheldon, Wilson, Butler, Blackwood, Thompson.
Tamworth from:
Bowles, Breedon, Adie Smith, Green, Ward, Bushell, Davidson, Heggs, Williams, Brady, Lake, Stamps, Jackson, Taylor, Francis, Evans, Fallon, Folkes, Rickards, Booth, Roma, Whitman, Ridgway, Starosta.