Games between the Harriers and Woking go back a long way to the early 90's when Graham Allner was the man in the hot seat. We've battled in the League together, in the FA Cup together and in the FA Trophy at Wembley together but in recent years we've drifted apart slightly and now tend to meet up for a reunion for a couple of seasons until Woking find themselves relegated or we get promoted. Yeh right!!Now we find Woking up near the top of the table at this early stage of the season and us not too far behind. Hopefully we can close the gap a little this weekend but we're going to have to improve on our recent record down at Kingfield and also on our own recent poor form.
Only one win, against Altrincham, in our last four games is not the form of promotion hopefuls and we need to get it sorted ASAP. In the 1-0 home defeat against Grimsby last weekend we failed to take our chances upfront even with a final total of five strikers on the pitch throughout the game. We were still pretty solid at the back but it's the service to the front men that seems to be the major problem with the Harriers. I'll say it again but Gary Whild needs to start playing proper midfielders and not a defender in some makeshift position roaming around the edge of the goal area.
We have a fully fit team for the game although there was some doubt over Jared Hodgkiss' hamstring towards the end of the Grimsby game but what little news is coming out of the club in recent days is that he should be fit to play. Callum Gittings (right) is also now over his injury and he made a short appearance at the end of last Saturdays game.
Woking have had a good start the season and have only lost twice, both their last two games against Torquay Utd and then Bristol Rovers. Their best win of the season came on August Bank Holiday Monday when the slaughtered Dover Athletic 6-1 at at home.
Yesterday they re-signed Jack Marriott on loan from Championship side Ipswich Town following a successful loan spell last season when he scored twelve goals for them in a twenty one game loan spell including the 1-0 win against us in December 2013. He's now with them until January and could well be a danger man for us to cope with along with another quality striker in Scott Rendell.
They've also bought back a keeper on loan, Ross Worner from Wimbledon, to cover for the injured Aaron Howe. Howe has a broken pelvis and will be missing for quite a while as will Kevin Betsy and Mark Ricketts.
This is going to be yet another tough game for us and one that I don't think we'll be coming back from in a happy state of mind. Unless we actually decide to utilise a midfield.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
D Lewis, Singh, Hodgkiss, Green, Storer, Dunkley, Nicholson, Gowling, Grimes, Byrne, Obeng, Johnson, Verma, Blissett, Gittings, Gash, Reid, Styche.
Woking from:
Cole, Worner, Little, Newton, Cestor, McNerney, Clarke, Payne, Murtagh, Rendell, Sole, T Lewis, Nutter, Marriott, Beckles, Jones, Goddard, Morgan, Arthur, Arnold.
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