The Harriers face Gloucester City tomorrow evening at Aggborough, that's only if the rain holds off though, in our first official meeting since 1998. That was in a FA Cup qualifying round when we won 2-1 with our goals coming from Paul Webb and Mark Yates. Our last meeting for a league game was way, way back in May 1983 when we were both in the Southern Premier League and on that day, another 2-1 victory for the Reds, it was Archie Richards and Graham Jones who scored the goals that day.Since then our ways have drifted apart with us heading for better things while Gloucester have basically stayed in the same place ever since. Now we are back together and we can renew long overdue clashes.
At the moment City are chasing us hard for the promotion places and at one stage we were next to each other in the play-offs but in recent weeks they have fallen away slightly following a 2-0 defeat against Curzon Ashton and on Saturday a 4-1 hammering at Chorley.
They'll be coming to us eager to put that defeat to the back of their mind and will also be bring a smattering of ex Harriers with them. Craig Reid (right) is well known to all of us at Aggborough and was both liked and dis-liked in equal measures. Calvin Dinsley less so due to him not being here for long and also not looking anywhere near good and that also seemed to be the case with City after they sent him out on loan to Hereford.
The final ex is goalkeeper Jas Singh who has made the keepers gloves his but came close to losing them at Chorley following a red card for handling outside the area against Curzon. That card was overturned last week and rightfully so because it showed him actually chesting the ball and not handling it.
They'll be without Tom Webb after he injured his ankle at Chorley but Darren Mullings will return to the team following a period out injured. Long term absentees Chris Knowles and Ethan Moore will continue to be long term.
We'll probably still be without Jared Hodgkiss (hernia) and also, possibly, Zaine Francis-Angol (hamstring) although he was seen out on the pitch going through some exercises on Saturday. Tyrone Williams will be back for us following the expiry of his red card so that'll allow Sam Austin to go back to sitting on the bench where he'll feel more comfortable after being given the thankless task of being a defender for a day against Gainsborough. He did his part in keeping a clean sheet although he tended not to get too involved in making tackles.
We looked good on Saturday without looking as exceptional as we can be. That could have been down to nerves following two recent defeats or it could have been down to nerves playing with an in-experienced defence. The three goals will have done us good and we can hopefully get out there tomorrow and bang another three in.
Just as long as this biblical rain does one.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Hornby, T Palmer, Hodgkiss, Lowe, T Williams, Sho-Silva, Carter, Evans, Osborne, Tunnicliffe, Francis-Angol, Croasdale, Gnahoua, Truslove, Austin, A Brown, McQuilkin, N'Gwatala, Dieseruvwe, Waite.
Gloucester City from:
P Clarke, Singh, Avery, Hamilton, Greenslade, Odiero, K Thomas, Chambers, Fitzgibbon, Hall, Mullings, Hanks, Kotwica, E Williams, Alcaraz, Dale, Hopper, Parker, Reid, Phipps, Lewis, Low.
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