Match preview Vs Hayes & Yeading Utd

Blue Square new boys, Hayes & Yeading Utd, provide the opening day entertainment at Aggborough tomorrow and they'll be hoping to become the third of their kind to put one over us.  In the past three seasons newly promoted sides have arrived here on the opening day of the season with St Albans the first in August 2006 and they went home with all the points winning 3-1.  Two years later Lewes turned up with their eleven man defence and took a point all the way back to Sussex with them.

The one common denominator with those two is that both found themselves relegated back to where they came from that same season.  For Hayes' own peace of mind it's best if they let us win tomorrow and so breaking the new club/relegation cycle.

Hayes themselves aren't new to the Conference and we have played them a number of times until 2000.  The Yeading part of the club we have never played before and in this new amalgamated form they are an unknown quantity.

They merged together in May 2007 after being local rivals ever since Yeading themselves first came into being as a youth club in 1960.  With the downturn in the economy, falling gates and other leisure pursuits available to the public it made sense for all concerned to pool their resources and become one club.

In their second season, in the Blue Square South, the new team reached the play-off final against Hampton & Richmond Borough winning the game 3-2 and so now take their place in the BSP for the first time.

During the close season they have added to their squad without going overboard and now have the makings of a solid, if un-spectacular, team.  Notable players include keeper Delroy Preddie and former Woking defender Matt Ruby.

They should be at full strength for tomorrows game with the exception of Ram Marwa after he suffered a gashed head in pre-season.

It'll be like watching a new team with us too after a major part of the squad left during May and June.  I won't be going over the well worn tale of what happened suffice it to say that Dean Coleman (above) has found himself wearing the number one shirt now that Adam Bartlett has joined Hereford and we've bought in a couple of refugees from Cheltenham.

Gavin Caines and John Finnigan should blend in comfortably along side the likes of Dean Bennett, Chris McPhee, Martin Riley from last season but it's up front where we seem a little weak.  Aaron Farrell is the obvious choice at the moment to partner Matt Barnes-Homer but he'll be missing tomorrow after picking up a knock in the friendly at Worcester City a few weeks back.  Until a new striker comes in then it's looking likely that Chris McPhee will be MBH's partner.

Out wide we have a new man in Kyle Hadley.  This raw recruit from Stourbridge will be replacing Martin Brittain, now with Gateshead, and it'll probably take him a while to be as good as Britt but the makings are there so give him time.

So are we all looking forward to the game? With our record against newly promoted sides I shouldn't think so.  One day, hopefully tomorrow, we'll win one.




Harriers from:
Coleman, Singh, L Baker, Riley, Courtney, Sharp, Finnigan, Knights, Hadley, McDermott, McPhee, Bennett, Hayward, Caines, Costello, Barnes-Homer, Smikle, Dolman, Moore.

Hayes from:
Overland, C Baker, Preddie, Allen-Page, Green, Cadmore, Ruby, Mulley, Canham, Gradwell, Fitzgerald, Binns, El-Abd, Cochrane, James, Little, Lovell, Wassmer.

Links to Hayes & Yeading Utd websites here
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