Gravesend are definitely the surprise package this season and with them sitting in fourth place in the form table we will be in for a very tough game. They've won five of their last nine games after going through a spell of drawing almost every game.
They also handed out the first defeat of the season to Champions in waiting, Oxford Utd, a feat that we could have achieved ourselves just a few weeks previously but sadly didn't.
Mark Yates has been saying to the press that we should be looking at winning our next four out of the next five games but I think that he meant the week after this game. I cannot, for the life of me, see how this game could be winnable and, has already been said by others, he needs to get his head out of the sand.
Elsewhere there was mention of how Yates' managerial record stands against Stuart Watkiss and frankly it doesn't make pleasant reading:
It's obvious that Mark Yates is under pressure from the fans and also from his own players. They're not performing as they should and they know, as do we, that they are capable of so much more. Sadly I don't think it'll start to happen this weekend.
For this game we have just the one injury to worry about - there will be no more mentions of Dean Sturridge's injury from now on - and that's to Stuart Whitehead after he left the pitch, towards the end of last Saturdays game, holding the back of his leg. A certain indication of a hamstring injury.
Ian Fosters hoping that they pulled him off the pitch in time before too much damage was done but he's still expected to miss most of December because of it. Jake Sedgemore is on his way back from injury but I don't think he'll get the nod to take his place. I'd like to see Jeff Kenna being tried out there.
As usual there's nothing from the Gravesend website so as far as I know they have no suspensions and no injuries.
Teams:
Harriers from:
Bevan, S Taylor, Harkness, Kenna, Haworth, Creighton, McGrath, Sedgemore, Hurren, Russell, Penn, Reynolds, Blackwood, B Taylor, Smikle, Christie, Constable, White.
Gravesend from:
Cronin, Mott, Hawkins, Opinel, Long, J Smith, McCarthy, Slatter, Quinn, De Bolla, MacDonald, Keeling, Sodje, Ekoku, Ricketts, Coleman, Purcell, Moore, Akinde, R Smith, Roberts, McKenna, Anderson, Ohakam.