The Harriers have welcomed Amari Morgan-Smith (right) back to the club on the eve of tomorrows visit to newcomers Welling Utd. AMS spent last February with us, scoring once in five games, before returning to his parent club Macclesfield. He's come back to us on a short term contract but now the question must be why?We already have four strikers on the books and have just shipped out, rightly or wrongly, Ryan Rowe on a season long loan to Stourbridge. If AMS has been bought because of injury to Anthony Malbon, Joe Lolley or Michael Gash then why wasn't Rowe recalled or even Nathan Blissett been given a long overdue chance to impress himself upon Steve Burr?
Already this week we've been told that Gash and Lolley have picked up training ground injuries, along with others, and could be doubtful so why not give Big Bliss a chance. Or has AMS been bought in to play alongside him?
The other two main injuries concern our defensive partnership of Josh Gowling and Chey Dunkley. They too have reportedly been injured in training but if both have to miss out then we only have the one ready made replacement in Jamie Grimes and he is yet to come onto the pitch in a league game for us. The only other option we could use is Jamie Tolley and he too is out injured so why haven't we bought in defensive cover instead?
There are a few other injury concerns with Jack Byrne (achilles) and Marvin Johnson (knee) but they should all be travelling down to Welling today in preparation for the game.
One player that will definitely be out tomorrow is Callum Gittings. He was singled out for some GBH by Luton in last Saturdays dreadful defeat and after being sent headfirst through a hoarding was then crunched studs first on his ankle. Callum could be out for a while.
Welling came back into this division following their promotion, along with Salisbury, after a thirteen year absence. We last played each other in March 2000 when we won 2-1 down at their gaff with our goals coming from Ian Foster and Phil King. A few weeks previous we had beaten them 4-1 at Aggborough with our goals coming from Mike Marsh, Foster, Dean Bennett and the legendary Thomas Skovbjerg.
They've started the season well enough and look like holding their own and not as one of the relegation certainties that many had forecast them to be. A home win against one of the favourites, Grimsby, is probably the highlight of their season so far.
Team news is not known, or likely to be, but they didn't really bring anyone in before the transfer deadline appeared the other day. Harry Beautyman arrived from Sutton Utd in mid August and that's it in terms of player movement.
Our chances of getting three points from the game look like being a tough ask considering our last two games have both ended in defeat and we haven't looked too good. Hopefully the re-appearance of Amari Morgan-Smith will fire us to a long overdue win.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Lewis, N Vaughan, L Vaughan, Grimes, Dunkley, Demetriou, Gowling, Storer, Fowler, Jackman, Lolley, Angus, Dance, Johnson, Malbon, Morgan-Smith, Gash, Blissett.
Welling from:
Mott, Turner, Butcher, Fazakerley, Obersteller, Gallagher, Franks, Bergqvist, Hughes-Mason, Clarke, Guthrie, Lafayette, Pires, B Hudson, Dyer, McLaren, Webb, Obersteller, Corne, Ouani, B Williams, M Hudson, Cumbers, Day, Healy, Rasoul, Beautyman.
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