We will finally get a chance to gain revenge for our opening day defeat with the trip to St Albans tomorrow.    The newly promoted Hertfordshire side embarrassed us on day one of the new season with a 3-1 defeat.    Jeff Kenna saved a bit of face with a late goal from a free kick but it was all too late and the damage had been done.

All the pre season optimism had been destroyed and the new team that Mark Yates had assembled played like a bunch of strangers.    Sometimes it still seems that way vis á vis the game at Tamworth the other night.

Since that day the St Albans that we thought would have no problems in the Conference have struggled to put any decent run of results together but they still do manage to pull the odd surprise out of the hat.    Witness their win at Stevenage some weeks ago and the goal-less draw at York City last weekend.

Those good results have been too in-frequent though and they now sit second from bottom and look odds on for relegation back to whence they came.

We came back from Tamworth on Tuesday with our tails between our legs after a less than inspiring performance.    The goal-less stalemate was even more disappointing considering our brilliantly fighting performance in getting to the Trophy final at Northwich just a few days before.

Both Gavin Hurren and Scott Bevan missed the Tamworth game and it looks like Gav will miss out again although I expect Scott to be fit again by now.    Yates has been busy in the loan market getting cover in before the deadline and with a hectic run in to the end of the season it's all very understandable.

Glenn Wilson (Rushden), Jon Brady (Cambridge Utd) and Andy Ferrell (Hereford) are all decent looking signings and at least two of them should step straight into side.    Wilson will take the place of Jeff Kenna who has been looking tired in recent games with Ferrell taking over from Hurren if Trigger is deemed to be un-fit.

That just leaves Brady to sit on the bench.    He's a straight swap for Simon Russell and, if this means that Scholesy is out of favour then I just cannot see why because the bloke has been our most creative player in the past three months and most of our goals come through his ball skills and ceaseless running.

St Albans will be without long term injuries Ben Martin and Scott Cousins and will be looking at the situation regarding minor injuries to Gary Elphick, Leon Archer and Dean Cracknell.

This is going to be a tough game for us.    The Saints know that they have already beaten us once this season, are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table and they won't be handing us the points on a plate.    We're looking at another draw again.


Harriers from:
Bevan, S Taylor, Harkness, Kenna, Haworth, Creighton, Whitehead, McGrath, Sedgemore, Hurren, Russell, Penn, Reynolds, Blackwood, McGhee, Smikle, Christie, Constable, Brady, Ferrell, Wilson, Hay.

St Albans from:
Bastock, Perks, Seeby, Davis, Elphick, Ada, Hann, Marwa, Clarke, Watters, Cracknell, Basse, Roddis, Sangare, Archer, Deen, Buari, Hastings, Lopez.