They arrive in the Blue Square after finishing just above Lincoln City last season and like our victims last Tuesday they'll too be hoping to bounce straight back. It don't pan out that way though, does it?
They started the season with a new manager at the helm with the appointment of Dietmar Hamann, the former German international. Before playing in this country for Newcastle Utd, Liverpool, Bolton Wanderers (for one day) and Manchester City he played for the German giants Bayern Munich. After leaving Citeh he went to Milton Keynes Dons as player-coach and then teamed up with the former England manager, Sven Goran Ericsson at Leicester City from where he left to take up the County post at the beginning of July.
With a new investor at the club it gave Hamann the chance to bring a load of new players to the club. Sean McConville was the first signing from Accrington followed quickly by Martin Gritton (Yeovil) and then three in one day with Ryan Fraughan (Tranmere), John Miles (Fleetwood) and John Nolan (Everton). A few days later Hamann had another busy day bringing in Ryan McCann (Celtic), Euan Holden (Velje BK), Sam Sheridan (Bolton) and Luke Chadwick (Barrow).All this doesn't make them a good side though and so far they haven't really set this League alight with a televised draw at FGR before the official start of the season and followed that up with a narrow home win at home to Kettering but then threw the chance of another three points in a draw at home to Ebbsfleet on Saturday.
They'll have McConville playing for the first time this season from a carried over suspension and apart from that they should have no other players missing.
We'll be without Jack Byrne for the final time tomorrow night and with his five match ban over he'll be available to play against Southport on Saturday. Ironically one of the sides he was sent off against last season on his way to accumulating three red cards.
Michael Briscoe and Jack Cresswell should both be nearing a comeback from injury soon but expect the Harriers manager, Steve Burr, to go with an unchanged side yet again. That side turned in two great wins on the road last week at Lincoln on Tuesday and then another one at our favourite team, Cambridge, on Saturday.
At the Abbey Steve Guinan (above) popped up with two goals in as many minutes to get off the mark for the season and now he'll be hoping to add more tomorrow night. He spoke to the official website following the game:
"They all say that just before half-time is a great time to score!
We were riding our luck a bit and Danny has made a great save to keep us in it and two goals in a minute has just sucked the life out of Cambridge.
It killed their fans and it was a great time for us - we knew we'd face an important 15 or 20 minutes after half time and it was going to be crucial we didn't concede.
Unfortunately we did but, to a man, everyone defended admirably and it was a massive three points for us."
Let's hope Steve does repeat those goals again tomorrow night and I for one think that even if he doesn't we should still be looking at taking all three points. Here's to those three points.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Lewis, Lyness, Vaughan, Mike Williams, Sharpe, Jones, Demetriou, Phelan, Briscoe, Marshall, Storer, Vincent, Cresswell, Hankin, Guinan, Wright, Thompson-Brown, Matt, Gittings, Marc Williams, Medley.
Stockport from:
Glennon, Ormson, Lynch, Holden, Routledge, O'Donnell, Hall, McConville, Nolan, Gritton, Miles, Fraughan, Darkwah, Sheridan, Mainwaring, Ryan McCann, Halls, Rowe, Chadwick, Elliott, Brahim-Bounab, Piergianni, Parker, Chamberlain.
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