After having our game away to Braintree called off last Saturday morning we've had yet another long period away from playing and could find ourselves a little ring rusty for the visit up to Grimsby. Not an ideal situation for such an important game as this when we want to take every chance we get to climb away from the foot of the table.Last weeks results, while we were helpless to intervene, saw bottom club Halifax pick up an un-expected three points at Gateshead to put them back within one point of us and the team above us, Southport, win at Welling. Only Torquay gave us hope with a bad 3-1 defeat at home to Lincoln while Boreham Wood also did us a favour by losing at Altrincham and then drawing in midweek at home to put themselves into deep trouble.
We still have to do our part and gain points ourselves to get out of this mess and there is a faint glimmer of hope with two home wins in recent games and the knowledge that on the opening day of the season we held Grimsby to a creditable 2-2 draw at Aggborough. We now have the tough task of going there hoping to achieve a similar, or better, result.
We still have Jordan Tunnicliffe out with a hamstring injury while Gurjit Singh has been on the bench in recent games even though he is supposed to be injured. Jake Green is no longer with us after having his contract cancelled earlier in the week while Calvin Dinsley has now officially joined Gloucester City.
We'll have Matt Barnes-Homer back following his enforced absence from the Aldershot game two weeks ago while James McQuilkin (left) should start after his impressive showing in the same game where he scored a well taken goal. George Obosu might also get a longer rum out than the five minutes he's had in the two games that he has been with us.
Grimsby are in the play-off places on merit and, in my humble view, are possibly the best team up there and should eventually finish the season as Champions but hopefully not at our expense. They could be without Omar Bogle after he picked up an injury recently but is slowly making his way back to fitness. Jon-Paul Pittman returned to the side last week after a while out injured but as insurance the Grimsby management have bought in James Alabi on loan from Ipswich for a few months along with Crawley Town midfielder Conor Henderson.
I know we have to be hopeful of getting something from this game but I can't really see it happening to be honest. Grimsby will be too strong for us and the chances of us winning there against the odds vanished once Steve Burr and Marvin Johnson left the club. Those were the days when Grimsby were frightened of us.
No longer sadly.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Palmer, Snedker, Brown, Hodgkiss, Rowe-Turner, Millichamp, Langmead, Young, Howkins, Francis-Angol, Whitfield, J Jones, McQuilkin, Maxwell, Forsyth, Fazlić, Obosu, Murphy, Sweeney, Barnes-Homer, Singh.
Grimsby Town from:
McKeown, Bastock, Warrington, Tait, Robertson, Brown, Pearson, Gowling, Mackreth, Disley, Bogle, Henderson, Amond, Monkhouse, Doig, Marshall, Clifton, Clay, Venney, Pittman, A Jones, Arnold, Alabi, Sunter, Nsiala, East, Townsend, Newman.
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Links to Grimsby Town websites here
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