30 Apr

Torquay United Preview

Harriers face their final away trip of the season tomorrow, the fairly long journey to Plainmoor to face Torquay United.  The Gulls are on a high at the moment, fourth in the league and pushing for automatic promotion if Hull or Huddersfield slip up.

Along with the long-term injury trio of Dean Bennett, Kenny Coleman and Dean Keates, Harriers will also be without Abdou Sall who serves a one-match ban for his sending-off at Cambridge. Standing by to take his place are Matt Gadsby and youngster Chris McHale who could make his debut. Elsewhere in the line-up Adam Murray may miss out because of his groin injury but a decision will not be made until the last minute and Leon Clarke has an ankle injury that could keep him on the sidelines.

Torquay will be without veteran goalkeeper Kevin Dearden who has a hamstring injury so his place will be taken by the equally veteran Arjan van Heusden.  Lee Canoville returns to the squad as does striker Jo Osei-Kuffour.

The Gulls have won their last three games, including beating Doncaster, and have seen their attendances shoot up; their last three home gates have been over 5000 and another bumper crowd is expected tomorrow.  Harriers fans have been moved from the normal away enclosure behind the goal to the side of the pitch so that more home fans can be squeezed in.

When the clubs met at Aggborough earlier in the season Torquay emerged as winners for the first time since Harriers were promoted to the Football League, Kevin Wills scored both goals for United, either side of Danny Williams' equaliser.  For all of the previous results of games between the clubs, click here.

I expect Harriers to line-up as follows (4-3-3): Danby, Hinton, Burton, Gadsby, Hatswell, Yates, Jenkins, Brown, Williams, Christiansen, Parrish.

In the middle will be referee Fraser Stretton, our good friend, from Nottingham. Harriers fans will remember him for being in charge of the game at Bristol Rovers when three Reds were sent-off. This season, however, he has done 30 games showing 83 yellow cards and ten red. In Division Three his stats are 11 games, 30 yellows, one red.

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24 Apr

Harriers Safe Despite Feeble Defeat

Harriers are finally safe from relegation, but only because results elsewhere went their way.  With York losing, and going to the bottom of the league, Harriers are now safe but their performance against struggling Rochdale was lacking in anything positive and the defeat was all that they deserved.

A lacklustre performance and a game with a real end-of-season feel to it did nothing to engender confidence about the remaining games of the season, or the futures of the Harriers players who are out of contract at the end of the campaign.

The only goal of the game came in the first half as a result of a mistake by captain Wayne Hatswell who played the ball straight to Leo Bertos who took it round John Danby to score.

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23 Apr

Rochdale Preview

Tomorrow will hopefully see Harriers finally guarantee their Third Division safety.  A win against Rochdale at Aggborough will be enough to ensure that both the men from Spotland and struggling York will not be able to catch them and League football will take place at Aggborough again next season.

Harriers are down to the bare bones again, with three men missing for the rest of the season.  Adam Murray is struggling with a stomach injury that may require surgery in the summer but he will ignore the pain and continue playing for the final three games of the campaign.  Simon Brown has boosted the squad, his loan was due to expire after tomorrow's game but West Brom have allowed Harriers to keep him until the end of the season.

Rochdale are likely to be without their striker Grant Holt; he has been suffering with a dead leg that is not getting better.  If he does not make it into the squad his place will be taken by Lee McEvilly.

Last weekend's 3-0 victory over Leyton Orient was Dale's first in six games and helped to keep them out of the relegation zone.  They are currently in 22nd place and now have a crucial three point cushion and even more importantly a goal difference that is 20 better than floundering York's.

Earlier in the season Harriers won the game at Spotland, Matt Gadsby scored the only goal of the game - his first for the club.  For all of the previous results of games between the clubs, click here.

I expect Harriers to line-up as follows (4-3-3): Danby, Hinton, Stamps, Sall, Hatswell, Murray, Gadsby, Brown, Williams, Christiansen, Yates.

The man in the middle will be Mike Pike from Cumbria.  So far this season he has taken control of 32 games, showing 60 yellow cards and 5 red ones.  In Division Three his stats are seven games, 11 yellow cards, one red.

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17 Apr

Sall Off In Dull Draw

Abdou Sall became the second Harriers player to take an early bath in less than a week when he picked up two yellow cards in little more than ten second-half minutes at the Abbey Stadium.

Harriers, therefore, were forced to play out the last 30 minutes of the game with just ten men.  Even with the handicap Harriers were still in the game and tried to play their attacking game.  They were, however, indebted once more to John Danby who made a number of crucial saves to keep United at bay.

Jesper Christiansen should have won the game in stoppage time when he blazed the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

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16 Apr

Cambridge United Preview

Harriers can guarantee their Third Division survival with the right set of results tomorrow.  Harriers travel to Cambridge knowing that a Harriers win, a Rochdale defeat and failure to win by Carlisle will see the Reds safe.

Jan Molby will have his options limited if he wants to make any changes to the side that beat Huddersfield earlier in the week; Dean Bennett and Kenny Coleman both underwent surgery on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the season, as will Dean Keates who will have surgery on his knee next week.  Ian Foster will be missing also as he has returned to Chester as there was little point to extending his loan with a suspension looming.

New Cambridge manage Claude Le Roy will have to wait until the last moment before finalising his line-up; both Justin Walker and captain Andy Duncan are injured, Walker with a knee injury and Duncan with a groin injury, and are struggling to make the game, Duncan will have to have a fitness test before a decision is made. Adam Tann is also carrying an injury but is likely to play anyway.

United's form has been erratic all season; over the last six games they have picked up just one point less the Harriers.  Although they would have expected to be amongst the challengers for promotion they have not strung more than two wins together at once all season and have spent most of the campaign around mid-table.  On Monday they were the victims at Doncaster's promotion part, losing 2-0 at Belle Vue.

Earlier in the season the sides shared the points in a 2-2 draw, Sean Parrish gave Harriers the lead before Dave Kitson and Gareth Williams reversed the scoreline, John Williams then saved a point for Harriers.  For all of the previous results between the clubs, click here.

I expect Harriers to line-up as follows (4-2-3-1): Danby, Hinton, Burton, Sall, Hatswell, Yates, Murray, Brown, Christiansen, Clarke, Parrish.

Refereeing the game will be Paul Robinson from Yorkshire.  This season he has done 28 games in which he has issued 78 yellow cards and 8 red.  In Division Three he has only done four games showing 9 yellows and just one red.

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12 Apr

Harriers Edge Back Towards Safety

A battling performance from ten-man Harriers saw them record their first win in four games and bring them to the brink of ensuring their Third Division future.  A first goal in a Harriers shirt for Wayne Hatswell and own goals in both nets made for an entertaining encounter that was made all the more difficult for Harriers when they lost Ian Foster ten minutes before half time after he threw a punch at Efe Sodje.

By the time that Foster left the field Harriers were already a goal to the good after shocking defending had allowed Hatswell to rise unmarked to head in Burton's corner.  Harriers dominated the game, and gave a far more committed performance than the feeble effort against Carlisle on Saturday.

After the break Simon Brown had his shot deflected into the net by Huddersfield's Anthony Lloyd to put Harriers two up.  Abdou Sall, a surprise inclusion in the side after Adam Murray was called away from the ground at the last minute when his girlfriend went into labour, gave a solid performance at the back marred only when he directed a bullet header past John Danby to give The Terriers a lifeline but the Harriers back line stood firm to record a well-deserved win.

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11 Apr

Huddersfield Town Preview

Harriers couldn't have asked for a much tougher fixture to try and bounce back from yesterday's defeat at Carlisle. Huddersfield are third in the league and pushing for automatic promotion and will be backed by around 2000 fans when they make their first visit to Aggborough tomorrow.

Jan Molby suggested that there will be changes made to the line-up after the "powder-puff" performance at Brunton Park, saying that "some players have played themselves out of contention".  Definitely missing will be Dean Bennett, Kenny Coleman and Adam Willis; doubtful are Graham Ward, Adam Murray, Ian Foster and Dean Keates who returns from suspension.  There could, therefore, be recalls for the likes of Scott Rickards and Sean Parrish who weren't involved in yesterday's debacle, or in Parrish's case only briefly.  Also returning could be Jesper Christiansen or Ian Foster, if fit, as Harriers need more of a cutting edge in attack and there was none in evidence at Carlisle.  Steve Burton may retain his place at left-back as Molby and Scott Stamps appeared to have a "full and frank exchange of views" just before Stamps was substituted yesterday.

Huddersfield will be without a number of players; Lee Fowler, Nathan Clarke, Nat Brown, Ian Gray and Iffy Onuora are all injured and unlikely to take any further part in the action this season.  Manager Peter Jackson is likely to use the same team that beat Southend yesterday with strikers Pawel Abbott and Andy Booth playing their last games before suspension.

The meeting of the clubs at The McAlpine Stadium earlier in the season was the first between the clubs.  Huddersfield were the winners on that occasion with Jon Stead, now of Blackburn Rovers, the scorer of the only goal of the game.

I expect Harriers to line up as follows (4-3-3): Danby, Hinton, Burton, Gadsby, Hatswell, Yates, Murray, Brown, Christiansen, Foster, Jenkins.

Refereeing the game will be Michael Ryan from Preston.  This season he has been involved as referee of 30 games in which he has shown 102 yellow cards and ten red.  In Division Three his stats are 7 games, 26 yellow cards and no red.

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11 Apr

Molby Unhappy With Weak Harriers

"Danby kept us in it - he was magnificent" - Jan Molby

Harriers boss Jan Molby has warned the squad that they are in a real fight now if they are to avoid relegation at the end of the season, and is prepared for the battle to go right to the very last game.

Speaking after yesterday's disappointing defeat at Carlisle that kept their hopes of escaping the drop alive, he said, "In the end Carlisle could have won comfortably.  We allowed them to dictate; they needed to win and gambled in all areas of the pitch and deserved it far better on the day.  Danby kept us in it, he was magnificent, he was the only one who could take any credit for this performance but there was nothing that he could about their goal."

United boss Paul Simpson, who was thwarted by Danby a number of times, said, "It was frustrating because we played some fantastic football.  When Farrell's shot went in it was a great relief; it wasn't his cleanest strike but it was great to see it nestling in the bottom corner."

Molby went on, "One or two of the players may have played themselves out of the picture, it is our job to get them fit and organised; it's up to them to get themselves ready for a physical battle.  The players did not do that today.

"We always knew that Huddersfield would be a difficult game, they are one of the better sides in the Third Division.  We have five games to go, we just have to hope that we can pick up the points required.  If it goes to the last game of the season then that's what we have to do"

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10 Apr

Harriers Slip Back Into Danger

Lacklustre Harriers find themselves back in the thick of the relegation battle after losing to a solitary goal at Brunton Park.  Craig Farrell's strike twelve minutes from the end was enough to sink Harriers after John Danby had single handedly kept The Cumbrians at bay for most of the game.

The young keeper was the only Harriers player to emerge from the game with any credit after the rest of the team seemed to approach the game with a view that a draw was good enough.  Having now lost the game they face the prospect of being fourth from bottom after tomorrow's games if they are defeated by Huddersfield and other results go against them.

Harriers seemed a spent force in attack with little or no imagination coming from midfield and it was not until the 66th minute of the game that they managed their one and only on-target shot of the match, Jesper Christiansen seeing his effort pushed away for a corner by home keeper Matt Glennon.

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9 Apr

Carlisle United Preview

With results in other games over the last week going against Harriers, they suddenly find themselves looking back over their shoulders again.  Despite an improvement in form and a run of results that has seen just one defeat in the last seven games, Harriers face a must-win game tomorrow when they travel to Brunton Park to take on bottom club Carlisle United.  Besides the fact that Harriers have never won at Carlisle, the perennial strugglers are making a fight of it and hitting a spell of form that could yet see them save themselves.

Jan Molby will have his options restricted a little; Adrian Viveash has returned to Swindon, Dean Bennett has knee ligament damage picked up in the game against Hull, Dean Keates is still suspended, and Graham Ward, Adam Willis and Kenny Coleman are all still injured.  Adam Murray and Ian Foster are both doubtful with groin injuries but should be OK to take part.

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson will welcome back Richie Foran to the squad along with Tom Cowan who have shaken off foot and hamstring injuries respectively but Paul Raven will be missing with a hamstring injury.  United have picked up ten points from their last six games, a run which has taken them to within five points of safety, not bad considering that on December 19 they were 15 points adrift of the team above them.

Earlier in the season when the sides met at Aggborough Harriers were the winners, taking the points after a 2-1 win.  Harriers' goals were scored by Andy Bishop and Danny Williams either side of Peter Murphy's equaliser.  For all of the previous results between the clubs, click here.

I expect Harriers to line up as follows (4-3-2-1): Danby, Gadsby, Stamps, Hinton, Hatswell, Yates, Brown, Murray, Williams, Foster, Parrish.

Referee for the game will be Graham Laws from Whitley Bay.  This season he has been referee for 31 games in which he has shown 81 yellow cards and 8 red.  In Division Three those stats are 9 games, 18 yellow cards and 2 red.  He was the referee for Harriers' ill-fated trip to Doncaster a few weeks ago and sent off Scott Stamps.

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3 Apr

Harriers Slow Tigers' Charge

A battling performance from Harriers saw them continue their good form and slow the charge of Hull who were denied a fifth successive victory.

Harriers' hero was again on-loan Simon Brown who fired in his second goal in two games since moving from WBA on Transfer Deadline Day.  In strong winds it was this goal that separated the teams at the interval.

Hull came at Harriers more after the break and dominated possession and was little surprise when they equalised.  What was surprising, however, was that the goal stemmed from a mistake by the normally dependable Adrian Viveash, making his lat appearance for Harriers before returning to Swindon Town, who was caught in possession in midfield by Stuart Elliott who set up the goal for Ben Burgess.

Harriers could have snatched all three points in the last minute when a superb turn by John Williams created space for himself and he saw his lob bounce off the top of the crossbar.

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2 Apr

Hull City Preview

In-form Hull City are the visitors to Aggborough tomorrow, with four wins in the last six games The Tigers are hot on the heels of leaders Doncaster.

Jan Molby has a couple of enforced absentees in the squad; former Hull players Dean Keates and Steve Burton are both prevented from playing in the game as part of the agreements that brought them to Aggborough from Hull.  Keates is unable to play anyway as he serves the second game of a three-game suspension.  On-loan striker Leon Clarke is set to start the game after having to be content with a place on the bench for last week's trip to Lincoln.  On the injury front there are no new concerns for Molby; Adam Willis still has not recovered from his neck injury, Kenny Coleman was one of the few players to emerge from Tuesday's defeat by Sutton Coldfield with any credit but is unlikely to figure as he will undergo surgery on his groin problem next week.  Lee Jenkins could be added to the squad after coming through another game unscathed on Tuesday.

Peter Taylor is likely to stick with the same team that won at Boston in midweek as his team look for their fifth consecutive win.  Ian Ashbee will not be involved as he is suspended while Jason Price will be missing with a hamstring injury.  Fifteen-goal striker Ben Burgess should lead the line and the Harriers defence will have to be at their best to prevent him continuing his hot streak against The Reds; in his two games against Harriers he has found the net five times.

The first game between the teams this season is one for Harriers to forget about as Hull ran out comfortable 6-1 winners; two goals for Burgess and further strikes from Danny Alsopp, Andy Dawson, Ryan France and Stuart Green won the game with Harriers' lone reply coming from John Williams.  For all of the previous results of games between the clubs, click here.

I expect Harriers to line-up as follows (4-2-3-1): Danby, Hinton, Stamps, Hatswell, Viveash, Yates, Murray, Bennett, Clarke, Brown, Foster.

Refereeing the game is Trevor Kettle from West Yorkshire.  So far this season he has taken charge of 24 games in which he has shown a stunning 110 yellow cards and 13 red.  In Division Three he has done 12 games and shown 53 yellow and 4 red cards.  Harriers have played one game with him in charge this season, the 2-2 draw at Boston.

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