Stourbridge fans are also looking forward to the game and don't see the difference in league levels as a problem with them doing so well and the Harriers at an all time low. We've already sold out our meagre ticket allocation in less minutes than you can shake a stick at while the Glassboys haven't sold as many as they expected.
We last met up in a FA Cup tie way back in September 1949 when following a goal less draw at Aggborough we replayed the game a week later at the War Memorial Ground and lost 3-2. In the next round Stourbridge went out of the cup following a 3-0 home defeat to Stafford Rangers. We have met on six other occasions before then but I cannot find the results of those games.In lesser games of importance, but more than the WSC, we last played each other in the old Southern League Premier of 1983 when we drew 1- at Stourbridge. We played together in various combinations of that league for eleven years and before that in the old West Midlands for a further ten years before that. Those were the days trundling to far flung quarters of the country like Lower Gornal, Lye, Hinckley and Stourbridge. I remember that old Midland Bus so well lie it was just yesterday.
Hold on. Just wipe a tear from my eye. That's better.
Back in the 21st century now and back to tomorrow then. We have now had a week off since our most recent defeat at home to Southport and the Harriers new Head Coach, Dave Hockaday, is hoping that he's ironed out our lack of fitness, lack of consistency and lack of spatial awareness so we won't be making any more silly mistakes at set pieces.
Hopefully he'll have two players to call on with Jordan Jones and Gurjit Singh surely having recovered from their injuries by now and also needed because we have lost a couple of our loanees. Jordan Murphy has been told by Walsall that he cannot figure for his new club against his old one tomorrow and Tahvon Campbell has been re-called by West Brom although they are allowing their other two loaned players Alex Palmer and Joe Ward the chance to play. Also being allowed to play is Ben Whitfield, thankfully, by his parent club Bournemouth.
Stourbridge have a couple of ex harriers playing for them with Brian Smikle (left) having been there for a while now and Justin Richards (right) who signed for them a couple of months ago. The latter is the one we have to watch because even at the ripe old age of thirty five he's still banging the goals in. Their other striker, Karl Hawley, will also need a close eye kept on him too so let's just hope that certain defenders don't fall asleep again.
We need to to win this game due to the small, but useful, amount of money coming the way of the winner - £12,500 and also for the bragging rights. There's also the small matter of hopefully drawing Coventry, Portsmouth or Sheffield Utd in the next round but knowing our luck it would be Barnet, Accrington or, God forbid, Welling away.
If the game tomorrow is drawn then the second bite of the cherry will be at Aggborough on Tuesday evening.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Palmer, Snedker, Hodgkiss, Rowe-Turner, Millichamp, Young, Francis-Angol, Toner, J Green, Whitfield, Jones, Maxwell, Ward, Forsyth, Langmead, Tunnicliffe, Taylor, Verma, Sweeney, Styche, Dinsley, Singh, Hassan.
Stourbridge FC from:
Hill, Solly, Price, Broadhurst, K Green, Knight, Penny, Pierpoint, Scarr, Wedderburn, Wright, Billingham, Dodd, Smikle, Canavan, Harris, Hayward, Lait, McPike, Tonks, Tye, Hawley, Billingham, Morgan-Parker, Richards, Brown.
Talk about the game here
Links to Stourbridge FC websites here
Find Pubs around Kidderminster here
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