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KIDDERMINSTER
HARRIERS |
| Hmmm, Kidderminster, it’s not conjuring up good memories for me… |
| That’s no surprise really: in three League visits to Aggborough Rovers have failed to record a single victory, with our ‘best’ result a one-all draw at the end of the 2002/3 season. The games in 2001/2, which Rovers lost two nil, and 2003/4, when the result was a one nil victory to Kiddie, arguably represented two of the most abject performances ever by the Gas. That said, while Kidderminster may not have been the happiest hunting ground in the past, and even allowing for our shocking away form, Rovers must surely have the best chance ever of a win at Aggborough. |
| A chance of an away win…are you sure? |
Well, only because Kiddie have been so poor this season. The Harriers have conceded sixty-three League goals – that’s fifteen more than any other side – and have only scored twenty-six, which is the lowest total in Division Three. Kiddie’s form is also poor and while they have won two out of the last eight, as Rovers have done, they have lost the other six. In fact, in contrast to Rovers’ fifteen draws (still the highest in Division Three), Kiddie have drawn only three games, the last of which was in early October, some twenty-two games ago (and it’s a full thirty-one games since their last nil-nil). Getting back to recent form, Kidderminster have won only one of their last five at home – an impressive 2-1 win over Lincoln last month - losing the other four and, more generally, their confidence will have been knocked after they threw a two-goal lead away at Gay Meadow on Saturday, a game which they eventually lost four-two. |
| That doesn’t sound good |
| Not at all. Kiddie are also on their third manager of the season; after the departure of Jan Molby in October, Shaun Cunnington had a brief, but unsuccessful, stint as caretaker for a month. Cunnington had a thankless task and plenty of issues left from Molby’s second spell in charge to sort out and after a month he was replaced, on a permanent basis, by former Mansfield boss Stuart Watkiss. |
| Blimey, that’s getting close to Rovers’ level of managerial changes! |
| Right again. Add to that a huge number of changes in playing personnel – some twenty-one players have come in since July while almost as many have left the club. The Harriers also used up all their eight short-term loans for the season before Christmas, primarily under Molby and Cunnington, leaving Watkiss in the unenviable position of only being able to bring players in on a permanent basis or on long-term (until the end of the season) loan deals. Still, Watkiss is continuing to rebuild and the latest probable arrival is Oxford striker Mark Rawle, who may well be available for the Rovers game. |
| Rovers have been involved in a few recent deals with Kiddie haven’t we? |
Yes, while neither was at Rovers for any length of time, both Jon Beswetherick and Liam Burns went on to Aggborough (Burns via Shrewsbury) but both departed for Forest Green in January. Pedro Miguel Matias – who was at Rovers for an even short period than these two – also joined the Harriers in November. Last season Danny Williams and Bo Henriksen joined the Gas from Kiddie at the end of the campaign while Craig Hinton made the same trip in the summer. |
| Ah yes, Hinton, for whom we are eternally grateful…is there anything of quality produced in Kidderminster? |
Well, moving away from football, the town is famous primarily for its carpets. The town has long been associated with cloth production (including a marvellously named heavy-weight material called ‘stuff’) and the first ‘Kidderminster’ carpet was woven in 1735. Since then, things have moved on and while the industry’s heyday is past (that was in the post-war period when everyone wanted wall-to-wall carpeting), it continues to be a major source of employment in the town. There’s a small museum “The Weavers Loft” which belongs to the “Friends of the Carpet Museum Trust” but sadly it doesn’t open after its winter break for another couple of weeks so you’ll have to find something else to do if you’ve got time. |
| Anything you’d recommend? |
| It’s fair to say that Kidderminster isn’t a hotbed of tourism but if you like railways (OK, if you’re a train spotter) then you’ll enjoy the Severn Valley Railway which is right next to the current station. While you’re there you could pop into the railway museum and check out lots of train-oriented artefacts. |
| And if I’m not into trains? |
You’d be best off heading for the pub. The King and Castle (Comberton Hill) is actually in the station forecourt and it’s part of the Severn Valley Railway complex. It’s one of the gasheads.com team’s favourite away pubs, not least because of the range of real ale and cider available. There’s usually food on too but if there isn’t we recommend Captain Cod’s chippy which is pretty much opposite. Also on Comberton Hill are The Railway Bell (opposite the station), a traditional-looking boozer which we’ve never been into but tends to have bouncers on the door when we’ve visited on a Saturday (although having said that plenty of Gasheads have usually been drinking there) and The Farmers Boy which, again, we’ve not visited but looks like your standard rubbish pub that has been done up a bit. All of the above are within an easy walk of the ground and there are other pubs (including Wetherspoons etc) in and around the town centre. There's also a pub guide on the KHFC Rivals site. |
| The King and Castle it is then…is there anything I should avoid in conversation? |
Well, it’s probably best not to tell the locals how much nicer than carpets you think stripped wooden floors are… Oh, and a final piece of advice, take the KHFC telephone number with you, the weather forecast isn’t too good: 01562 823931 |