Crawley come creeping into town tomorrow ready to give up three points to a team on the rise.    Yes, we've won two games in a row and now we can win the title by at least twenty points.

Well maybe not but that's how it feels to be a Harriers fan just now after the two wins against Southport and their neighbours Morecambe.    There is one fly in the ointment though and that's the missing Russ Penn.

He picked up his fifth booking of the season at Morecambe and automatically misses the Crawley game and he'll be much missed.    It's down to the improved recent form of Russ that we now seem to be putting the results together and the fact that our style of playing has also improved.

Jamie McClen is expected to replace him for this game with Jake Sedgemore remaining at right back, a position in which he too is excelling.    Jeff Kenna is still out injured so it makes sense to keep him there.

Also still out will be Dean Sturridge (Achilles) but Bob Taylor is now recovered from his groin strain and is expected to be on the bench.

John Hollins, the recently appointed manager of Crawley, seems to be working miracles down there and has taken them from a ten point deficit, imposed for financial irregularities, to a positive points haul of three after gaining four wins and a draw.    Luckily for us their ability in re-claiming the points has diminished lately and they haven't won since defeating York City 3-0 at the start of the month having lost all four games since then.

With the on-going saga of the Majeed brothers they were without a team at the start of the season and in danger of folding.    Hollins has now built up his squad to something that resembles a decent side that includes the likes of Tony Scully, David Woozley, Ben Strevens and Scott Hiley.    The latter must be in his nineties by now.

Mixing those with a smattering of good, young players seems to be working well and now that Matthew Pearson and the backing of his company, Britannia/Europa Sports Management, have made a positive offer for the club then it looks like Crawley Town will have a future.

As expected from a club, and fans, that are cautious about saying anything there is no team news on any of their websites yet.


Harriers from:
Bevan, S Taylor, Harkness, Haworth, Creighton, Whitehead, McGrath, Sedgemore, Hurren, Russell, Reynolds, Blackwood, Eaton, McClen, B Taylor, Smikle, Christie, White.

Crawley from:
Hamer, Rendell, Judge, Bulman, Brown, Marshall, Hiley, Baker, Sappleton, Tolfrey, Mills, Hutchings, Bostwick, Belton, Blackburn, Wragg, Edwards, Woozley, Strevens, Dadson, Scully, Townsend, McLeod, Nayee, Huckle, Lovegrove.

Stop press:
It now seems that the offer to take over the club by Britannia has now been rejected by the clubs board and Crawley Town are still in deep trouble.    They may still yet face a winding up order.