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31 Jan
Roof Blows Off Harriers' World
Harriers stretched their winless streak to six games with defeat at the windswept Kassam Stadium. Once again their inabily to defend corners cost them dear as both Oxford goals in a 2-1 win came from flag kicks.
Steve Basham headed United in front after just six minutes despite the presence on the goal line of Stuart Brock and two Harriers defenders; late in the second half Paul McCarthy was left unmarked to power another header past Brock from close range.
Harriers' goal was the best of the day and arrived in stoppage time at the end of the first half; Adam Murray picked up a Bo Henriksen backheel and rifled a shot past Andy Woodman in the United goal from over 30 yards out.
It was Murray's second goal in three games but again it was a goal from a midfielder. Since the draw at Boston on November 29 there has only been one goal scored by a striker in the league - John Williams' strike at Yeovil on Boxing Day.
30 Jan
Sam Shilton Released
Midfielder Sam Shilton was today released from his contract "by mutual consent". The player was one of the bulk of the Harriers squad whose contracts are up at the end of the season but Jan Molby decided it was best for the player if he was allowed to leave now rather than at the end of the season when there will be hundreds of players in a similar situation.
Speaking to the Official Website, Molby said, "Sam's done well here but, unfortunately for him, I think Sam's style of play is best suited to a 3-5-2 formation and that's not a favoured system of mine." Since being brought to the club by Molby, Shilton has played 96 times, 74 as a starter, scoring 8 goals.
30 Jan
Oxford United Preview
Harriers face a really tough test tomorrow when they travel to third-placed Oxford United knowing that a draw down there would be an excellent result. The weather could play a part if it is really cold but the forecast is for milder temperatures and the game should go ahead unhindered.
With the postponement of Tuesday's game against Cheltenham the players will have benefited from a few days extra rest, Bo Henriksen in particular with his groin strain. Harriers boss Jan Molby will go to the game looking for victory but with the team's current problems in front of goal that will be a tall order and the likes of Henriksen and his compatriot Jesper Christiansen will have to be on the top of their games.
Ian Atkins, the United boss, has a near-full squad to choose from. One player who will be missing is big striker Julian Alsop who is in the midst of a five-game ban. Lee Steele, Mark Rawle and Jefferson Louis are all ready to step in if required. Also, Jamie Brooks and Andy Scott are recovering from injury and are not yet fully match fit and so probably will not play.
United are currently flying high in the promotion race, although they haven't won in the last three games. They are, however, unbeaten at home - the only remaining record in the division. Last time out they were beaten 4-2 by Hull City at the KC Stadium.
Earlier in the season the teams drew 1-1 at Aggborough, Adam Willis scoring for Harriers to cancel out Mark Rawle's strike. Last season at The Kassam Stadium Oxford won 2-1 with goals from Paul McCarthy and Manny Omoyimni while Bo Henriksen scored Harriers' reply. For all previous results between the clubs, click here.
I expect harriers to line-up as follows: Brock, Smith, Stamps, Hinton, Hatswell, D. Williams, Bennett, Murray, Christiansen, Henriksen, Parrish.
Refereeing the game will be Eddie Evans from Manchester. Expect names to be taken, so far this season in 20 games he has shown 68 yellow cards and 11 red. In Division Three he has shown 24 yellow and 3 red from five games.
29 Jan
Cheltenham Game Rearranged
Harriers have announced that a new date has been arranged for the postponed game against Cheltenham Town. The Robins will now visit Aggborough on Tuesday February 10 at 7:45pm.
27 Jan
Lights Go Out On Harriers
Tonight's game with Cheltenham was called off at 8:50 after a power failure plunged Aggborough into darkness. The lights initially went out around 20 minutes before the scheduled kick-off and it was not until around an hour later that power began to be restored. The turnstiles were then opened and the crowd allowed into the ground in anticipation of an 8:45 start but with the teams on the field warming-up the power went again reducing the floodlights to around two-third normal strength.
The referee spent a couple of minutes deciding what to do before calling the game off in the interests of safety. Ironically, even in their dimmed state, the lights were probably as bright as they were before their recent upgrade. No date has yet been set for the game to take place.
26 Jan
Cheltenham Town Preview
Harriers face the closest thing to a local derby that they have tomorrow when Cheltenham Town are the visitors to Aggborough, weather permitting. Forecasts for the week are predicting snow at some point and it will certainly be cold tomorrow, with temperatures likely to be below freezing long before kick-off.
There are no new injuries to contend with for Harriers after Saturday's trip to Bury but Adie Smith should return to the squad after being allowed to miss the last game on compassionate grounds. Changes are likely to the team, however, as Harriers were once more toothless in attack at Gigg Lane and goals are at a premium at the moment.
Cheltenham boss John ward will be without former WBA legend Bob Taylor who is sidelined with a cracked rib and Damian Spencer who will serve a one-game suspension. Also doubtful is Graham Fyfe who is recovering from injury.
The game is crucial to both sides, Cheltenham are one of the few teams who are below Harriers in the league and have only won one game away from home all season. On Saturday they were beaten at 2-0 home by Hull, their third game in a row without scoring.
Earlier in the season Cheltenham beat Harriers 2-1 at Whaddon Road; Danny Williams gave Harriers the lead but goals from Jamie Victory and Grant McCann turned the game round for The Robins. For all previous results between the sides, click here.
I expect Harriers to line up as follows: Brock, Smith, Stamps, Hinton, Hatswell, D. Williams, Bennett, Murray, Christiansen, Henriksen, Parrish.
Refereeing the game will be Carl Boyeson from Yorkshire. So far this season he has controlled 19 games issuing 71 yellow cards and 7 red. In Division Three those stats are 6 games, 23 yellow cards and one red.
26 Jan
Molby Satisfied With Point
Jan Molby left Gigg Lane on Saturday pleased with the point picked up by Harriers, and also with the clean sheet kept by the defence. Despite Bury's poor record over the last ten games they had begun to show and improvement, prompting Molby to comment, "A People told me before the game that since Graham Barrow had taken over full time, Bury had been doing very well, but for 70 minutes I think you can safely say we were the better team by a long way. However, like all teams near the bottom, we still don't have that winning mentality in the dressing room as that only comes with winning games and we haven't done it often enough this season."
The Harriers boss was pleased with the football that the team played, "In terms of overall football I think that is as good as we have played all season. We have to go back to basics and that is what we did today." He went on to outline his short-term target, "We wanted to get something from the game and start another run of results to make sure we don't get into March looking over our shoulders. By that time we should be relatively safe and be able to play some more free-flowing football. We had a decent shape but long-term I don't want to play 4-4-2. However, we need the points like everyone else and if we can take three against Cheltenham on Tuesday then everyone will be pleased with four points from two difficult games."
Graham Barrow, The Shakers' boss was not so pleased with the point, "My players are disappointed. We're getting to the time of the season when players at clubs in relegation trouble know they have to knuckle down and fight for points. That's what life is like at the bottom of the table. We tried hard to take the match to Kidderminster bur we were never really able to hurt them. There were too many players who wanted to play behind the ball and that meant we were never really able to get amongst them. At least we got a point: a boring 0-0 is better than an exciting 1-0 defeat."
24 Jan
Harriers Grounded
Harriers drew a blank again, failing to score for the third time in four games, in a dour goalless draw at Bury's Gigg Lane ground. The only plus was the performance of the defence in maintaining a clean sheet.
The visitors enjoyed the lion's share of the possession but once again Harriers were toothless in attack and although creating the best chances of the game never really troubled Glyn Garner in the Bury goal.
John Williams, Graham Ward and Wayne Hatswell all had good chances, the best probably falling to Hatswell who headed Adam Murray's corner over the crossbar. At the other end Stuart Brock was impressive, and after recent criticism from some quarters showed good handling in catching every cross that Bury managed to get into the penalty area.
23 Jan
Bury Preview
Mid-table beckons again this weekend as Harriers face a tricky trip to Gigg Lane to take on Bury. The Shakers currently occupy 15th place in the league but are not in the best of form having lost seven of the last ten.
Jan Molby has no new injury worries to contend with, Kenny Coleman, and Adam Willis are still some way off a return to action and Lee Jenkins has been told that he will have to have surgery on his knee after all and faces six weeks on the sidelines. Scott Stamps will return to the squad after serving his one-game suspension last Saturday and should give the team more balance on the left.
Bury manager Graham Barrow's major selection headache is who will replace the suspended Terry Dunfield. Paul O'Shaughnessy, George Clegg and Steve Gumby all stand by to come in in his place. On the injury front Bury will be without Harpal Singh and Lee Unsworth.
Earlier in the season the sides met at Aggborough and the game ended in 2-0 win for The Shakers. The corresponding fixture at Gigg Lane last season ended all square, Jon Newby's goal cancelling out Bo Henriksen's penalty. All of the previous encounters between the clubs can be found here.
I expect Harriers to line up as follows: Brock, Smith, Stamps, Hinton, Hatswell, D. Williams, Bennett, Murray, J. Williams, Christiansen, Parrish.
Referee will be David Pugh from the Wirral. So far this season he has been in charge of just nine games, but he has issued 30 yellow cards and one red. 13 of those yellow cards have come in his four Division Three games but he has yet to issue a red at this level.
20 Jan
Reserves Progress In Senior Cup
A young Harriers side progressed into the Semi-Final of the Worcestershire Senior Cup after a narrow but deserved victory over local rivals Stourport Swifts.
Jan Molby gave run-outs to his fringe players and a number of youth team players. The likes of Scott Rickards, John Danby, Rob Betts and Sam Shilton were given rare games and performed well enough alongside youth team players Simon Fitter and Chris McHale who acquitted themselves well in their first taste of more senior football.
Harriers won the game 1-0 thanks to a first goal in a Harriers shirt from stand-in captain Rob Betts ten minutes into the second half.
17 Jan
Harriers Snatch Draw From Jaws Of Victory
Yet again Harriers were made to pay by forgetting that the game lasts for 90 minutes when they were held to a draw by Darlington who equalised with a last minute goal.
Adam Murray, making his first start at Aggborough since his return to the club, was the star for Harriers. The midfielder was at the heart of everything good that they produced and was the most dangerous attacking threat, making his presence felt with eight - count 'em - shots at goal.
It was Murray who opened the scoring for Harriers after just seven minutes when he rounded off a good move involving Graham Ward and Jesper Christiansen. Harriers should have had the game sewn up long before they fail to clear a free kick and allowed David McGurk to head in from close range in the last minute to save a precious point for The Quakers.
16 Jan
Darlington Preview
The distractions of the FA Cup can be put firmly in the past now and attention can be fully focused on the important business of picking up League points. Harriers return to league action tomorrow when crisis club Darlington come to Aggborough for a vital relegation battle. Three points for The Reds would push them further away from the relegation zone and possibly close to mid-table but defeat would drag them back towards trouble.
Scott Stamps is definitely ruled out; he misses the game through suspension after picking up five yellow cards. Lee Jenkins may return to action after shaking off his knee problem, he could have played at Wolves on Tuesday but was not selected. Also missing will be Andy White who has been recalled from his loan spell by Mansfield Town.
The Quakers were left in the lurch this week by chairman George Reynolds who quit, telling his critics to "put up or shut up". Second from bottom of the league the club was recently put into administration by Reynolds to prevent a winding-up order from the Inland Revenue and there is also the possibility of a move from their current white elephant of a stadium back to their old ground Feethams on the cards to help them survive. Manager David Hodgson will have to do without Chris Hughes and Jon Hutchinson who are both suspended as he tries to pick up his team that have not won in their last six games and have only scored one goal in that time. Over the last ten games their form is the worst in the division.
Harriers have already beaten Darlington once this season; back in August they were the first visitors to The Reynolds Arena and goals from Danny Williams and Andy Bishop sealed a 2-0 win. This fixture last season ended in a 1-1 draw, Ian Foster's penalty being cancelled out by Matt Clarke's header. For all previous results between the teams, click here.
I expect Harriers to line-up as follows: Brock, Jenkins, Hinton, Willis, Hatswell, D. Williams, Ward, Murray, Christiansen, Bennett, Parrish.
Referee is Joe Ross from London. He has taken control of 18 games so far this season, issuing 55 yellow cards and two red. In Division Three those stats are 4 games, 8 yellow and one red. One of those games was Harriers' trip to Hull.
13 Jan
Harriers' Cup Run Over
Harriers put on another good performance at Molineux but Wolves gave a better account of themselves and two Kenny Miller strikes saw the Premiership side through.
As expected Wolves gave a better account of themselves than in the first game and attacked Harriers from the start. Harriers weathered the early storm and gradually got themselves into the game before Kenny Miller headed Wolves ahead against the run of play. Yet again Harriers were undone by a set-piece, conceding the same goal that they have conceded on countless occasions this season and not one crafted by some fancy Premiership football.
Harriers had chances to score but despite good approach play rarely threatened Michael Oakes in the home goal. Wolves killed the game off in the second half when Miller struck again with a cross that hit the post and bounced on the line before being cleared but the linesman signaled that it had gone in and the game was won.
12 Jan
Wolves Replay Preview
Harriers must recover from their poor performance at Mansfield in a hurry as they face a tough trip to Molineux for the replay of the FA Cup Third Round tie. For the winners there is a home tie against First Division West Ham in the next round, for the losers there is a day off or a trip to Bury.
Jan Molby should have more players to choose from as both Danny Williams and Lee Jenkins should be available for selection after missing Saturday's game through injury. Adam Murray will definitely have to step down as he is cup-tied after making a brief appearance for Notts County against Gravesend & Northfleet in an earlier round. Changes to the line-up are likely; Harriers looked weak in attack at Field Mill and a more potent strike force could cause problems for the Wanderers back line; before Saturday's game Molby also said that anybody who didn't perform well would not keep their place for tomorrow's game; there should be a number of players who are worried.
Wolves will be without left-back Lee Naylor who is suspended, and striker Henri Camara, who didn't play at Aggborough, who has flown home to Senegal to prepare for the African Nations Cup. Former Arsenal defender Oleg Luzhny is likely to come in for Naylor and Romanian striker Ioan Ganea could start in attack as Steffen Iversen, who was ineffective in the game at Aggborough, has an injury and must undergo a fitness test on an adductor muscle strain before the game. Paul Butler, the club captain, is now back in the heart of the defence.
Premiership fortunes have not improved for Wolves in the last week; first they were held to a 2-2 draw by Blackburn Rovers at Molineux last Wednesday and on Saturday they were comfortably beaten 2-0 at Charlton Athletic and remain rooted to the foot of the table.
I expect Harriers to line-up as follows: Brock, Smith, Stamps, Hinton, Hatswell, D. Williams, Bennett, Ward, White, Henriksen, Parrish.
10 Jan
Harriers Staggered
Harriers suffered an FA Cup hangover as they gave a very disappointing performance and were beaten by the only goal if a dour encounter at Field Mill. Graham Ward's first-half penalty miss proved crucial as The Stags took the lead less than three minutes later.
Jan Molby was forced into a few changes as Danny Williams had not recovered sufficiently from his knee injury and Adam Murray came into the side for his first game since his return to the club. Murray did well in the heart of the Harriers midfield but at times his play was not on the same wavelength as that of his teammates and often they did not read his passes. This was a shame as Harriers showed little in attack and the only time they troubled Kevin Pilkington in the Mansfield goal was the penalty, won by Murray, that Ward struck weakly at him.
Harriers were then undone by a set-piece; Rhys Day heading in Liam Lawrence's free kick minutes later. In the second half Harriers had a little more of the possession but did nothing with it. Mansfield themselves were not at their best either which led to a dour game but Harriers could have no complaints about the outcome.
9 Jan
Mansfield Town Preview
After all of the cup fever that has gripped the town over the last few days Harriers must focus their minds tomorrow on the far more important task of picking up league points. A trip to Field Mill to take on high-flying Mansfield Town will probably be a sterner test than the one set by the Wolves last weekend and Harriers will have to be at their best again to be sure of getting anything out of the game.
One player who will not figure is on-loan striker Andy White; The Stags have made it a condition of his loan that he does not play against them. Also missing will be Danny Williams who has not yet recovered from the knee injury he picked up last Saturday although the club are hopeful that he will recover in time for Tuesday's trip to The Molineux. Lee Jenkins is getting over his knee injury well, and he will not as first feared need surgery, but it may be too soon for him to return. Jan molby can, however, call upon the services of Adam Murray who is eligible to play after being cup-tied last week and can make his first appearance since completing his permanent move to Aggborough.
Mansfield have been struggling with injuries lately but the situation is easing as both Lee Williamson and Craig Disley are both in contention for a recall after shaking off back problems picked up in the Christmas programme of games. Set to miss out is former Harrier Neil MacKenzie who picked up an injury to his knuckles in an accident at home.
Mansfield are currently three games unbeaten in Division Three, a run that includes a 1-0 win at Hull, but were knocked out of the FA Cup last weekend when Burnley won 2-0 at Field Mill; in that game Mansfield had two players - Luke Dimech and Jamie Clarke - sent off but neither will miss the game as their suspensions will start next Saturday.
This is the second meeting of the teams this season; on Opening Day Harriers won 2-1 at Aggborough with Bo Henriksen scoring both goals. The last time the clubs met at Field Mill, the season before last, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. For all previous meetings between the clubs, click here.
I expect Harriers to line-up as follows: Brock, Smith, Stamps, Hinton, Hatswell, Murray, Ward, Bennett, Christiansen, Henriksen, Parrish.
Referee for the game is Mark Clattenburg from Northumberland who has been in the middle at 19 games this season and issued 64 yellow cards and one red. In Division Three he has done three games issuing nine yellow cards. His Division Three games have all ended in home wins and the away team is yet to score in them. He was also in charge of Harriers' last match as a non-league club
5 Jan
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw Gives Chance Of Home Tie
The winners of next Tuesday's Third Round replay between Harriers and Wolves will be at home in the next round, entertaining First Division side West Ham United. Should Harriers get through it will give them a chance to avenge the Fifth Round defeat of ten years ago.
Other key ties in today's draw included Liverpool v Newcastle United - a prime favourite for live TV coverage - Telford will entertain Millwall, Conference side Accrington Stanley will travel to Coventry City if they can overcome Colchester United in their replay next week. The final Conference side, Scarborough, have the chance to entertain Chelsea provided that both teams come through replays - Scarborough have to face Southend again while Chelsea have to play Watford again.
The ties will be played over the weekend of January 24 and 25.
3 Jan
Jones Furious With Woeful Wolves
"We got one side of our face slapped" - Dave Jones
Jan Molby left Aggborough feeling that his side still have every chance of progressing to Round Four of the FA Cup despite being denied by Alex Rae's last minute equaliser in this afternoon's thrilling cup-tie.
The big Dane said, "I suppose Wolves might think they have won it now but we have every chance in the replay. We were disappointed but we always expected them to get chances and they took one at the end." He was also pleased that his pre-match planning had paid off and his tactics worked, "Wolves haven't been imposing themselves so we thought that would be a chance to get at them. We did that and I don't want to single anyone out because I thought the whole team was superb. I thought we had done enough but I was right behind Rae's shot and I knew from the moment he hit it that it was going in."
Wolves boss Dave Jones was understandably unhappy with the performance of his players, criticising their level of application, "We were very poor - the stupid thing is we could have won at the death and that would have been very unjust on Kidderminster. We never got going and the players have to ask themselves did they just think they needed to turn up, because that's what it looks like. We got one side of our face slapped and we must make sure it doesn't happen again in the replay. We have got a job to do and we didn't do our job. We've got no excuses at all and Kidderminster thoroughly deserved their draw."
3 Jan
Alex Gives Wolves Rae Of Hope
Probably Harriers' best performance of the season saw them come agonisingly close to causing a major upset in the FA Cup Third Round; leading through a John Williams strike they were denied victory when Wolves skipper Alex Rae snatched an undeserved equaliser less than two minutes from the end.
New signing Jesper Christiansen was thrown in for his debut in attack and showed some good touches; he held the ball up well and seemed to have some good acceleration when he chased after through balls.
Harriers dominated the game from start to finish and closed the gap in class to their more illustrious opponents to such an extent that woeful Wolves looked anything but a Premiership side. Fifteen minutes from the end John Williams, who had been on the field for just two minutes, stabbed in Harriers' goal and the stadium erupted. It looked as though Harriers would hold on for a famous victory but were sadly denied by Rae and now have to do it all over again at Molineux in ten days' time. Harriers may have have seen their best chance go away from them now as Wanderers surely cannot be as bad for a second time whereas the Harriers squad were all on the top of their game and may not have much more to give.
2 Jan
Wolves Preview
The biggest game of Harriers' season so far takes place tomorrow at Aggborough when four-time winners Wolverhampton Wanderers are the visitors in the Third Round of the FA Cup. Harriers will be making just their second appearance at this stage of the competition and the full glare of the national media will be there to see it - the BBC will have their cameras at the ground for Match Of The Day.
Jan Molby has a few injuries to contend with before he picks his team as he plots a big cup upset; definitely out are Lee Jenkins, who has a knee cartiledge injury, and Adie Smith who still has not recovered from the calf injury he picked up at Yeovil on Boxing Day. Adam Willis is ineligible as he appeared for Burton Albion in Round One as is Adam Murray who appeared for Notts County in Round Two. Jesper Christiansen is in line for a debut in attack but he will have to fight Andy White for a place after Mansfield allowed the target man to extend his loan into a third month.
Wolves, struggling at the foot of the Barclaycard Premiership, have selection problems also. Boss Dave Jones has only one fit goalkeeper, Michael Oakes, available and will have to name youth team keeper Carl Ikeme on the bench. This week they have completed the signing of Romanian striker Ioan Ganea from Bursaspor in Turkey and he should figure in the side after receiving a work permit. He may have to make do with a place on the bench, however, as Steffen Iversen and Kenny Miller have been an effective partnership in recent games. Likely to be missing are Paul Butler and Mark Kennedy who have been suffering from a virus and Nathan Blake who is injured.
There are no previous encounters between the two clubs at first team level although Wolves Reserves used to play against the Harriers in the Birmingham League many years ago. There are some connections between the clubs in the current squads: Wolves have Mark Clyde who spent a short spell at Aggborough last season while Harriers' Kenny Coleman and Graham Ward will hope to play and prove a point to Jones who released them last summer.
I expect Harriers to line up as follows: Brock, Gadsby, Stamps, Hinton, Hatswell, D. Williams, J. Williams, Ward, White, Bennett, Parrish.
Referee for the game is Chris Foy from Merseyside. So far this season he has taken control of 16 games, none in Division Three, and issued 48 yellow cards and 4 red. Wolves will see him as an omen as he was in charge of their Carling Cup game against Burnley that they won; since Harriers have been in the Football League he has taken charge of four games and Harriers have yet to win one.
