It won't be easy down there in Essex because since they came up two seasons ago Braintree have easily held their own and they're no ones push over. So far this season they've beaten Woking and Ebbsfleet away and Tamworth at home with a couple of losses to Telford and Newport. You could say that out of those they've only played one decent side in Newport but all sides are decent at this level until the crunch games come at the end. Then the wheat gets sorted.
We got our best result in years at Barrow but it could all have been so much better if we'd managed to hold on to the early lead through Dan Pilkington a wee bit longer. As it was it was a deflected effort that did for us in the end but the truth is that we hadn't got the skill or guile to respond and regain the lead. We tried hard but hard wasn't enough.
The scorer from that game, Pilkington, was taken off with a foot injury later on and Callum Gittings also left the field with a head injury. Add in the possible continued absence of Danny Lewis and James Vincent, both groins, then we could be without four players.
We will definitely be without Ricky Shakes for the game. He's on international duty with the Guyanan squad in Panama.
At least we have more depth to the squad now with two players coming in on the eve of the Barrow game, Manny Panther and Josh Gowling in addition to Richard Peniket a day previously, and we do now have a few more to choose from.
Last time at Braintree we won 4-1. It would be good to get the same kind of result again.
Teams:
Harriers from:
Lewis, N Vaughan, L Vaughan, Williams, Dunkley, Austin, Demetriou, Gowling, Storer, Panther, Vincent, Briggs, Pilkington, Guinan, Marvin Johnson, Malbon, Peniket, Gittings, Rowe, Blissett.
Braintree Town from:
McDonald, Naisbitt, Peters, Bailey-Dennis, Paine, O'Connor, Stevens, Wells, Habergham, Quinton, Symons, Davis, Sparkes, Dawkin, Marks, Mulley, Holman, Gash.
Talk about the game here
Links to Braintree Town websites here
Find Pubs around Kidderminster here
Find Hotels around Kidderminster here