Apologies for the early preview but I'm 'out of the office' until Sunday evening.It's a fresh new season for the Harriers and it comes with a host of fresh new places to visit and teams to play now we have dropped into the Vanarama National League North. In the first week two of the teams we play are new to us and even the first game will be against a team that we have only played once before now.
That team is Curzon Ashton and the only time we have met before is in a FA Cup game eight years ago when we beat them 2-0 at Aggborough with our goals coming from Stefan Moore and Mark Creighton. Ironically Moore scored against us in our friendly at Solihull Moors last Saturday. That win gave us the chance to go to Coventry in the next round and we all know what a wasted experience that was.
Tomorrows game is at Ashton, an area to the east of Manchester not far from Stalybridge and Stockpot who we will come up against as the season progresses.
This will be Curzons second season at this level since achieving promotion in consecutive seasons from two levels below. When we played them in the FA Cup they were, at the time, in the Unibond North.
Obviously being the first game of the new season the Harriers will field a brand new team with only a handful remaining from the disaster of last season. Keeper Jono Brown resigned yesterday even though he never made an appearance for us while Jared Hodgkiss, James McQuilkin, Keith Lowe, Elton N'Gwatala, Tyrone Williams, Zaine Francis-Angol, Arthur Gnahoua and Jordan Tunnicliffe are the main core of the side we'll now be blooding a load of academy players and a sprinkling of new faces.
Those new ones aren't well know names but Emmanuel Dieseruvwe (right) and Tyrell Waite are both time served players at a higher level. Today we signed one of the trialist brothers when Liam Truslove signed a one year contract. The youngster was released by Birmingham City at the end of the season having never played for them although he did go out on loan to Leamington but that was cut short due to injury.
The one we will be without though is Ousmane Fané with the midfielder signing for Oldham Athletic from League 1 earlier today for £50,000 plus add on's.
Our hosts are an unknown quantity with no one recognisable lining up for them. If it's the right Danny Hall then he could be the one that played for Stockport but the Curzon website doesn't give too much clue to who he is.
I'm not going to forecast a result for this game due to being so early in the season and a relativity unknown team plying their trade for us now. I just hope we can start with a win.
Photo © SWFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Hornby, J Brown, Hodgkiss, K Lowe, Digie, Williams, Carter, Thomas, Clarke, Millichamp, Francis-Angol, Gnahoua, Truslove, Forsyth, Tunnicliffe, Austin, A Brown, McQuilkin, Sweeney, N'Gwatala, Dieseruvwe, Waite, Taylor.
Curzon Ashton from:
Mason, Burton, Flynn, D Hall, B Lowe, Shaw, Hampson, Hunt, Woodford, Crothers, Ennis, Guest, R Hall, Potts, Tomsett, Rowney, A Watson, R Watson, Cockerline, Hughes,Cummins, Brooke, Wright.
Talk about the game here
Links to Curzon Ashton websites here
Find Pubs around Kidderminster here
Find Hotels around Kidderminster here
