Following our first game of this Bank Holiday double header, where we disappointingly came back from Macclesfield with a goal less share of the spoils, we'll be hoping for better fare against Steve Burrs Chester FC. Steve took over there a few weeks after his 'dismissal' from Aggborough in a move that still rankles unkindly with many fans but with other less so. The truth about what went on has never been made public and therein lies the problem that some cannot accept that he may never come back to us and others hope he'll never darken the Aggborough doorstep again.It's now all water under the bridge and both the club and the fans have to accept it all.
Steve had a hard task in saving Chester from relegation at the end of last season, with them propping up the table, and so it proved. Ironically they were saved by the bell when Hereford and Salisbury were thrown out of the League leaving them not much leeway in assembling a new squad together for the up-coming campaign. Now he is facing a backlash from the Chester fans who are saying that the players that he did bring inat the last minute are not really up to the job of staving off relegation come the end of the season.
This does seem to be the case at home with big defeats against Barnet (5-0) and Halifax (3-0) but away from home they seem to be a little stronger with a very good win at Braintree (1-3) last weekend. Ominously they'll be away from home tomorrow too!!!
One player they will be without is the former Harriers keeper, and Chester legend, John Danby. He was with us for five years from 2001 up to 2006 before joining up with the old Chester City when they were a Football League side and staying with them for an initial four years before being released to join Eastwood Town. That didn't last very long though and he was back at the Deva Stadium a year later. Now he appears to have fallen out with Steve Burr and feels his future may lie elsewhere.
In team news they'll have midfield maestro Danny Harrison back for them following his three match ban for a red card in the first game of the season but they could be without Craig Mahon after he went off injured in the Halifax game yesterday.
Following our 0-0 bore draw at Macclesfield we might see a few changes made to the starting eleven one of which was Jack Byrne being mysteriously dropped for the game and replaced with Jamie Grimes (above). Swapping a creative midfielder for a defender was never really going to work and so it proved. We looked bereft of ideas in the middle of the park but, once again, sound in defence. Those at the game were of the impression that we had gone there intending to keep our unbeaten run intact but at the expense of achieving anything in front of goal.
For a home game I expect to see a different attitude but looking back to the previous weekend when we played Dartford we saw that same tactic being used then with Grimes coming on in place of Byrne and the game grinding to an attacking halt after dominating for the previous seventy minutes. I hope this isn't going to become the norm with Gary Whild that holding on to what we have, even from the very first minute, is the way Kidderminster Harriers will play for the remainder of the season. You don't get three points without scoring and you don't get three points by having ten men sat behind the ball from the very first minute. You end up with sterile 0-0 draws.
There should be no other injuries to the side. Marvin Johnson took a bit of a knock and was withdrawn as a precaution yesterday but he should be ok to play.
Will we win this and get one over Steve Burr? One would hope so but it all depends if we continue to be too over cautious and come out just for the point.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Lewis, Singh, Hodgkiss, Green, Storer, Dunkley, Nicholson, Gowling, Grimes, Williams, O'Keefe, Byrne, Obeng, Johnson, Verma, Blissett, Gittings, Gash, Reid, Styche, Hales.
Chester from:
Worsnop, Hall, Disney, Roberts, Kay, Brown, Charnock, Mahon, James, Iwelumo, Rooney, Winn, Taylor, Menagh, McConville, Harrison, Riley, Hobson, Blake, Peers, Murray, Greene, Batten.
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