The Harriers would have been hoping that this game tomorrow, at home against Forest Green Rovers, would have seen the culmination of a nine point haul of points over the festive season but sadly we couldn't add to that fantastic 3-2 win down there on Boxing Day and came a right old cropper against Southport on Sunday. In a game we were expecting to win easily we failed completely to adapt to the condition of the pitch while Southport couldn't believe their luck at being allowed to play on the beach.The pitch has now had a few more days to receive some TLC but will still face an inspection at 10am tomorrow morning. I fear that it has been ruined beyond repair and the club need to dig out the slip of paper called a warranty that came in the bottom of the box. The money spent on the pitch during the close season - some estimates put it at around £50,000 - seems to have not given us the results we had hoped for in keeping the sub soil well drained and the grass healthy. ARC Groundworks Ltd should have been called back in to explain what has gone wrong and to rectify it immediately.
In the first game we came back from both of Rovers goals within minutes of them scoring. First Aman Verma (right) replied to Lee Hughes opening goal and then Jack Byrne stooped low to head another equalising goal in reply to James Norwoods goal for the home team. In the second half only one further goal was added and that went our way and scored by Verma to complete his brace.
Verma missed out against Southport with a slight back injury but should be ok for tomorrow. Callum Gittings also missed Sundays game after going off injured at Forest Green but he too should be ok tomorrow. A young Academy player, Luke Maxwell, came in against Southport in place of either of those two and did very well considering he is only seventeen. He might be rested tomorrow and could be on the bench.
The only player definitely missing for us will be Josh Gowling after it was announced that he has a medial ligament injury and will be out for up to six weeks.
Rovers saw their Sunday game away Wrexham called off due to a frozen pitch so will have that extra bit of rest over us. They'll have Clovis Kamdjo available again after missing three games due to suspension while Danny Coles, taken off injured on Boxing Day, will miss tomorrows game with a calf injury.
Both James Jennings and Steve Arnold are long term injuries so will not feature.
If the game is on tomorrow then, to be honest, I'm not too hopeful of getting a positive result. Might get a draw if we're lucky.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Lewis, Mayebi, Hodgkiss, Green, Storer, Tunnicliffe, Long, Nicholson, Williams, Maxwell, Grimes, Asante, Byrne, Obeng, Digie, Johnson, Verma, Gittings, Spencer, Reid, Hales.
Forest Green Rovers from:
Russell, White, Pipe, Stokes, Oliver, Bennett, Norwood, Wedgbury, Kelly, Hughes, Kamdjo, Oshodi, Racine, Guthrie, Frear, Sinclair, Parkin, Vieira.
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