Would I have written that before Christmas? I don't think so but I am now. How long it'll last is anyone's guess but as long as we keep playing like we did on Tuesday evening against Eastleigh we'll have a damned good chance of climbing the table or hopefully avoiding relegation all together.
Some of the football we saw was of the highest order, for non-league football, and it had the crowd on the edge of their seats wanting more. Three goals from open play was possibly a first for this season with our meagre tally before Tuesday coming from set pieces. Luke Maxwell scored the first, his first, with a neat half volley, then he and Harry White combined to let the new boy score his first Harriers goal too and then the evening was rounded off with a fine solo goal from Arthur Gnahoua (left).Gnahoua will be up against his old club tomorrow when Macclesfield arrive at Aggborough and they could also go the way of Boreham Wood and Eastleigh if we can turn on the style again.
Like the Spitfires Macc arrive come to us while going through a mini slump of form having not won a league game since beating Tranmere in their New Year game. They have been heavily involved in the FA Trophy and done ok in that though with a win against Truro City at the second attempt following a draw down in Cornwall and then on Tuesday they came back from Torquay with a 3-3 draw after almost going through only for Torquay to score their third goal in the last few minutes of the game.
They;ll be without Paul Lewis and Danny Whitehead for the game tomorrow but they do have one well known face in the squad and he might start. Reece Styche went from us on loan to them last October but only played in three games due to injury. Soon after the end of his loan term in January we released him and within a few days he had joined back up with them until the end of the season. His time with us wasn't the best of his career and he spent most of the time out on loan but when he did get a game he always put a shift in and you couldn't fault him for his effort. Just a shame it didn't work out.
The scorer of that fine third goal the other night, Arthur Gnahoua, formerly played for Macclesfield before leaving them for Stalybridge. He joined us in the New Year and after a bit of a slow start he has finally settled in and capped it all with that goal. He's sure to start and if Ben Whitfield and Elton N'Gwatala get over the slight knocks they picked up then I think we could be looking at an unchanged side for the third game running.
Colin Gordon spoke to the Shuttle yesterday and said that we're hopeful of tying up Whitfield on loan until the end of the season. He has been in contact with Bournemouth and he said they seem happy with that and we're just awaiting confirmation now.
The win on Tuesday took us off the foot of the table for the first time in months. Only on goal difference and Torquay do have a game in hand but it's one small step for Harriers. One giant step for the fans.
Torquay are at home to Chester tomorrow and they're also going through a rough patch but hopefully Steve Burr will try his best to give his old club a helping hand by winning or keeping it to a draw. Either way we still need to beat Macclesfield and I think we can.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Snedker, Brown, Hodgkiss, Lowe, Langmead, Williams, Fané, Francis-Angol, Gnahoua, Tunnicliffe, Jones, Whitfield, McQuilkin, Dawson, Maxwell, N'Gwatala, Sweeney, Singh, White, Taylor, Patrick, Garnett.
Macclesfield from:
Branagan, Jalal, Halls, Haynes-Brown, Byrne, Pilkington, Turnbull, Bailey-Jones, Holroyd, Sampson, Rowe, Cowan, Dennis, Diagne, Fitzpatrick, Whitaker, Churchman, Styche, Turner.
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