The Harriers are back at home tomorrow after two games on the road when we were robbed of two points at AFC Fylde and then robbed Tamworth of three on Tuesday evening. At Fylde we had gone into a 2-0 lead but in the very lengthy injury time, added on for spurious reasons, the home side drew level in the ninety seventh minute.At Tamworth it was the home side that went into a 2-0 lead but just before half time our new boy Joe Ironside (right) pulled a goal back and we went on to win it 4-3 with a Keith Lowe header in the final minutes of very little added on time. Joe scored another goal in-between to make it a brace on the night and us back into second place in the table but still nine points behind the leaders and with a game in hand.
We have to cement that place when we take on Harrogate Town at Aggborough tomorrow and we could have another two new names in the starting line-up. Emmanuel Sonupè and Josh Webb joined us yesterday from Northampton Town and Kilmarnock respectively although Webb needs to have international clearance before he's allowed to play. Sonupè is a wideman and it's hard to see where he'll fit in with us just having signed Daniel Nti for one side of the field and having Sam Austin on the other covering for the injured Arthur Gnahoua. Webb, if he does play, might be coming in for Jordan Tunnicliffe after he got injured at Tamworth and limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury.
As well as possibly being without Gnahoua we will certainly be without Tyrell Waite and Ashley Carter following their red cards at Fylde. The club are supposedly trying to get the card for Waite reversed following a claim of a racial incident involving Sam Finley who also had a red card for Fylde but we have yet to hear anything. Carter will probably serve a four match ban having already been sent off earlier in the season.
We'll also be without the services of Tom Palmer and Wayne Thomas tomorrow after they were allowed to go out on loan to Stourport Swifts and Stratford Town.
Harrogate arrive here on a run of good form but that might begin to change with the list of injuries that they have picked up in recent weeks. Former Harriers Lloyd Kerry and Dominic Knowles are both out long term with Kerry having been stretchered off at home to Chorley last Saturday and then being diagnosed with a partial rupture of his medial collateral ligament (MCL), a partial rupture of his lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and has also ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). They also have Louie Swain out with an ACL along with Luke Shiels (hamstring) and Andi Thanoj on the treatment table.
To compensate for the loss of those five the manager Simon Weaver, also ex Harriers, bought in two defenders on loan yesterday. James King from Bradford City and Adam Porritt from Huddersfield Town.
They could always play their leading scorer back as a centre half though. Simon Ainge joined Harrogate from Bradford Park Avenue a while ago having spent all of his career as a centre half for the likes of Luton Town, Halifax and Cambridge Utd but suddenly, one day, it was discovered that he wasn't too shabby upfront scoring goals and that's what he has now become this season. With nineteen goals to his name this season it wasn't a bad idea so our defenders will need to have their wits about them if we're going to stop him grabbing his twentieth.
I think that if he does score tomorrow then we needn't worry overmuch because we have Joe Ironside and he'll just go and score a load more.
STOP PRESS: Tyrell Waites red card has now been rescinded.
Photo © SUFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Hornby, A Palmer, Ezewele, Lowe, Webb, Williams, Knights, Osborne, Evans, Tunnicliffe, Francis-Angol, Croasdale, Gnahoua, Truslove, Austin, A Brown, McQuilkin, N'Gwatala, Nti, Taylor, Sonupè, Ironside, Waite.
Harrogate Town from:
Crook, Elliott, Ellis, Ainge, Parker, Agnew, King, Turner, Thirlwell, Porritt, Platt, Day, Burrell, Colbeck, Leesley, Brooksby, Clee, Emmett, Pittman, Chilaka, Robertson.
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