After a couple of weeks playing teams for the first time we come up against one that we have a bit of history with. Not a history that was down to us but was for Stockport County.Three seasons ago we were heading for promotion back into the Football League but at the same time Stockport were trying to stop themselves from the drop into the Conference North. The three points would see us promoted but only if Mansfield failed to beat Wrexham at home which they duly did. Our 4-0 win didn't go down too well with the County because on the day their team looked resigned to dropping down and they just wanted to take it out on someone. That someone was Lee Vaughan after he went to take a throw in near them and one or two idiots decided to attack him.
Thankfully the majority of Stockport fans disowned the trouble makers and still do. It was an embarrassing episode in their history that they would like to forget.
Since their relegation on that day they have struggled to make any impression on the top of the table in three seasons but at last it all seems to be coming together with some good results at the start of the season that saw them amongst the pace setters but in recent weeks they have gone off the boil slightly and are now down to ninth place. Still handily placed though.
They didn't play on Tuesday evening but we did. At Harrogate we were expected to be given a tough time by a team that have been there or thereabouts all season and in a way it was tough playing on the 3G surface having not played on it before but a bit of good fortune (or a dodgy keeper) saw the Reds claim all three points to go back into fifth place in the table. Liam Truslove 'scored' our opening goal after his shot was deflected into the net by a Town defender and then minutes from the end Andre Brown wrapped it up for us with a speculative long range goal after the keeper was left stranded when he went up for a Harrogate corner.
That kind of luck doesn't come our way very often and I can't see it coming our way tomorrow. We're going to have to work hard to get a result there.
We'll still be without Jared Hodgkiss (hernia) and Elton N'Gwatala (shoulder) so I expect the same line-up as on Tuesday. There has still been no information from the club about Ryan Croasdales (left) one match suspension following his fifth booking of the season on Tuesday so we'll have to wait to see if he misses either the Stockport game or the FA Cup tie at Blackpool next Saturday. At this level it seems you have to wait seven days before a suspension kicks in but hopefully that's not the case and he'll miss out tomorrow.
Stockport will definitely be without Scott Spencer after he left the club last week then promptly signed for strugglers Stalybridge Celtic. He said it was because he wanted regular football but Stockport fans say he was getting that at Edgeley Park anyway. They have now bought in James Hooper on a month long loan from Rochdale to replace him.
County have no known injuries as of going to press.
This is going to be another tough game for the Harriers and, yes, they're all tough but I think we'll do well up there and I can see us coming away with a draw at the minimum.
Photo © KHFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
Hornby, T Palmer, Lowe, Williams, Carter, W Thomas, Tunnicliffe, Clarke, Francis-Angol, Croasdale, Stambolziev, Gnahoua, Truslove, Austin, A Brown, McQuilkin, Dieseruvwe, Waite.
Stockport County from:
Hinchcliffe, Ormson, Clarke, Carney, A Thomas, Lloyd, Stopforth, Amis, Ross, Minihan, Duxbury, Meppen-Walter, Rule, Montrose, Odejayi, Ellison, West, Smalley, Marsden, Etches, Hooper.
Talk about the game here
Links to Stockport County websites here
Find Pubs around Kidderminster here
Find Hotels around Kidderminster here
