CFuller Posted March 29, 2023 Author Share Posted March 29, 2023 DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of August 2008) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Wycombe 5 3 0 0 10 5 2 0 0 5 3 15 2nd Torquay 5 2 0 0 7 3 2 0 1 7 6 12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Swindon 4 1 1 0 4 1 2 0 0 5 1 10 4th Hull 5 2 0 0 6 1 1 1 1 5 5 10 5th Northampton 5 2 0 0 4 1 1 1 1 2 2 10 6th Tranmere 5 3 0 0 5 1 0 0 2 0 5 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Kidderminster 5 1 1 0 4 1 1 1 1 7 7 8 8th Rochdale 5 2 0 0 7 3 0 2 1 4 6 8 9th Watford 5 2 1 0 7 4 0 1 1 3 5 8 10th Oldham 5 2 1 0 5 3 0 1 1 4 6 8 11th Nottm Forest 4 1 1 0 7 6 1 0 1 4 4 7 12th Q.P.R. 4 2 0 0 4 2 0 1 1 3 4 7 13th Millwall 5 1 0 1 3 2 1 0 2 6 9 6 14th Walsall 5 1 1 1 6 5 0 1 1 3 5 5 15th Oxford 5 1 1 0 3 1 0 1 2 2 5 5 16th Shrewsbury 4 1 1 0 3 2 0 1 1 1 4 5 17th Cambridge Utd 5 0 2 0 2 2 1 0 2 5 8 5 18th Darlington 5 1 1 1 4 3 0 0 2 0 2 4 19th Bristol City 5 1 1 1 7 6 0 0 2 3 6 4 20th Reading 5 1 0 1 6 5 0 1 2 3 6 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Colchester 5 1 1 1 4 4 0 0 2 1 5 4 22nd Wrexham 5 0 0 3 3 9 1 0 1 4 3 3 23rd Doncaster 5 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 4 3 24th Hartlepool 5 0 0 3 3 7 0 1 1 2 4 1 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Following Alex McLeish's move to Rangers, FA Cup winners West Ham lift the Community Shield in their first match under new manager David Platt. The Hammers take a shock 3-0 lead over Chelsea after just 17 minutes, but the Premiership champions launch an incredible comeback before finally losing 3-1 on penalties. Captain John Terry is the only Blues player to score his spot-kick. Ahead of the new Premiership season, Chelsea spend £5.75million on Spain striker Fernando Morientes, who scored 38 goals for Club Brugge last season. The 32-year-old finds the net in each of his first three games as Jean Tigana's Blues brush aside Birmingham, Southampton and Coventry. However, Burnley's Dimitris Papadopoulos gets his campaign off to an even better start, scoring four goals! Former Chelsea winger José Antonio Reyes scores a crucial goal for new club Bayern München, which saves them from a surprise Champions League qualifying defeat to Swiss side Grasshoppers. Rangers also avoid an early exit, recovering from a 2-0 defeat at Brann to knock out the Norwegian champions 3-2 on aggregate. England's new manager David Seaman gets off to a strong start in Sofia, where Leeds' Michael Bridges scores twice in a 4-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Bulgaria. Meanwhile, Seaman's predecessor Sven-Göran Eriksson is unveiled in New York as the new manager of Major League Soccer giants Metrostars. Trond Sollied - Marseille's third manager of the year - was perhaps not a solid appointment after all. The French champions are beaten 2-0 at Lille and then 4-0 at St-Etienne, and start the new Ligue 1 season in the drop zone! How on Earth could a team with Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, Franck Ribéry AND Dianbobo Baldé fail so miserably? IN OTHER NEWS... The 24th Summer Olympics take place in Be... rlin, Germany. American swimmer Michael Phelps wins a record eight gold medals at a single Games, while Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt runs 100 metres in just 9.69 seconds. Great Britain take home an impressive 51 medals, about 49 of which were in cycling. Russia invades the Georgian separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in what is regarded as Europe’s first war of the 21st century. The conflict lasts for five days and ends in a clear victory for Georgia, who lose control of both territories. Who wants to be a millionaire? Dev Patel does, as he stars in Danny Boyle's new hit film "Slumdog Millionaire". The movie tells the story of a Muslim teenager from Mumbai's slums who wins 20 million rupees on a quiz show. Shy and retiring pop newcomer Lady Gaga releases her debut album “The Fame”. After asking her new fans to “Just Dance” earlier this year, the New Yorker invites them to get closer to her - and p-p-p-poke her face. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) SEPTEMBER 2008 If you can't beat them, sign them. That seems to be Wrexham's motto. A week after my Kidderminster team beat them 3-1 at the Racecourse Ground, the Dragons made a £230,000 offer for our veteran defensive midfielder Kevin Nicholls. They must have been really impressed with Nicholls, who only played for about 15 minutes after coming on as a late substitute! There had been a lot of upheaval at Kidderminster since my arrival, and as one of our longer-serving players, Nicholls brought a sense of stability to the team. It would take a lot more than 230 grand for me to part with him right now. Nicholls started in defensive midfield for the first match in our September schedule - at home to 16th-placed Shrewsbury. Attacking midfielder Scott Simpson officially served a one-match suspension for this match, though he hadn't played since his red card at Bristol City a fortnight earlier. 6 SEPTEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Shrewsbury Town Captain Jeff Whitley helped get the Harriers off to a flyer in the fifth minute. Whitley found David Collins in the penalty area, and the forward played a string of passes with Leon Osman before the latter fired a shot in off the crossbar! After our strong start, we spent practically the next 85 minutes battling to retain our lead. Winger Lee Cook and striker Ryan Lowe each had a couple of good chances to get the Shrews back level, but John Forde was having another of those games where our young goalkeeper looked unbeatable. As obvious as this pun was, Forde really did save his best for last. After blocking Chris McConville's point-blank header in the 80th minute, he produced a brilliant double-save in the 89th - first denying midfielder Eddie Mooney, and then deflecting McConville's powerful follow-up. With the Irish Yashin in top form, we were able to see the job through! Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Osman 5) Shrewsbury Town - 0 Division 2, Attendance 3,592 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 7th, Shrewsbury 19th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Roberts, Bell, Heikkinen, T Simpson (Hyde); Nicholls; Carter, Whitley; Osman (Garside); Collins, Hume (Gallego). Four days later, we had the chance to break into the top six by beating second-from-bottom Colchester at Layer Road. Our previous three away games this term had yielded one win, one draw and one loss, so who knows what would happen here? 10 SEPTEMBER 2008: Colchester United vs Kidderminster Harriers This match started much like the last one, with David Collins selflessly setting up Leon Osman for the opening goal. Osman's prolific form since arriving on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge continued when he thundered Collins' flick-on home in the 19th minute. Leon almost added another goal four minutes later, but he was denied by Colchester keeper Vagelis Keretzis. Colchester put our defence under some pressure late in the first half, but it wasn't until the 58th minute that they got their first real opportunity to strike back. Kiddy left-back Terry Simpson gave away a penalty for holding back U's striker James Flood, who duly put it away. The rest of the match was a pretty close affair, which would eventually be decided six minutes from time. Centre-back Simon Bell picked up the loose ball and expertly picked out Collins, who got free from his marker and snatched us a late 2-1 victory! Colchester United - 1 (Flood pen58) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Osman 19, Collins 84) Division 2, Attendance 6,491 - POSITIONS: Colchester 23rd, Kidderminster 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Haarala (Hyde), Bell, Heikkinen, T Simpson; Ormeño; Carter (Gallego), Whitley; Osman; Collins, Hume. I was pleased to have vice-captain Barry Miller back on the bench after a groin strain delayed his season. But with Markus Heikkinen and Simon Bell having excelled as a centre-back partnership in recent weeks, it was hard to see Barry getting back into the starting line-up any time soon! Barry's qualities were still perfectly clear - not least when we received a £475,000 offer from West Ham. Yes, that's FA Cup winners West Ham, who were now floundering in Division 1 and already fighting to avoid back-to-back relegations. I wasn't prepared to sell Miller just yet, but if Heikkinen and Bell could sustain their impressive form... Next up was a home game against Oldham, in sweltering 31-degree Celsius heat. Despite that, I made just one change to the starting line-up that had battled past Colchester, with Hannu Haarala being replaced at right-back by Stuart McCluskey. Scott Simpson was also back on the bench for the first time since seeing red in Bristol. 13 SEPTEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Oldham Athletic Oldham went up as Division 3 champions last season, and though Andy Ritchie's side hadn't made a great start to life back in Division 2, they looked pretty good here. John Forde was severely tested in the 12th minute by a volley from winger Nick Wright. In the 36th, midfielder Justin Walker unleashed an even better strike that Forde couldn't quite keep out. Walker almost followed up his first goal with an immediate second, but another fine save from Forde stopped the match slipping away from us. Within a couple more minutes, the momentum had shifted. Holding midfielder Jorge Ormeño delivered the first assist of his Harriers career when his direct ball to David Collins was volleyed in from just outside the area! We were in complete control of the second half, with only some sublime goalkeeping from Oldham's Clayton Ince keeping the scores level at 1-1. In the 90th minute, he punched away a Collins header that could have given us another late winner... but substitute Scott Simpson got to the rebound and finished the job instead! What a way to redeem yourself, Scott! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 39, S Simpson 90) Oldham Athletic - 1 (Walker 36) Division 2, Attendance 4,241 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 4th, Oldham 18th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey, Bell, Heikkinen (Miller), T Simpson; Ormeño; Carter, Whitley; Osman (S Simpson); Collins, Hume (Garside). We're a resilient team, aren't we? That resilience would be put to the ultimate test four days later, as Sunderland came to town for Round 2 of the League Cup. The Harriers had faced the Black Cats four times in their Division 1 days and never won, so it was hard to our fortunes changing against a team that was now in the Premiership. 17 SEPTEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Sunderland Sunderland boss Steve McClaren didn't seem to be taking this competition very seriously, as he left out most of his star players and fielded a mostly second-string line-up. McClaren also gave a first senior start to the promising 16-year-old left-back Danny Culshaw, who was denied a dream debut goal by John Forde in the 24th minute. Eight minutes later, though, our star striker was making mugs of the Mackems’ reserve defence. Iain Hume took an excellent first touch to Ryan Carter's through-ball, and then dribbled past the last defender before tapping a cool shot beyond goalkeeper Ray Ward! Hume's could have got even better when he found the net again in the 38th minute, only for an offside flag to go up against David Collins. Even so, we still carried a surprise 1-0 lead into the second half... and that lead would only increase in the 62nd minute. An excellent Harriers passing move culminated in captain Jeff Whitley setting up a header for Scott Simpson, who left the Black Cats facing a similar fate to Snowball II. And 2-0 was how it finished. Substitute Robert Garside thought he'd made it 3-0 with his first Kidderminster goal in the 68th minute, but this time, it was Hume who fell foul of the offside flag. The fact we'd had two goals disallowed and still won comfortably showed just how brilliant we were - and how very ordinary this Sunderland team was. Premiership team, my eye! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Hume 32, S Simpson 62) Sunderland - 0 League Cup Round 2, Attendance 2,933 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey, Bell, Miller, Hyde; Ormeño; Carter, Whitley; S Simpson (Gallego); Hume (Aðalsteinsson), Collins (Garside). BOOKED: Collins. Incredible! That was my first competitive victory over a Premiership team as a manager - and we made it look simple! Of course, we couldn't afford to get too carried away, otherwise Darlington would give us a rude awakening in our next league match at Feethams. Darlo might have been down in 23rd place after scoring only six goals in their first eight matches, but they still had the potential to upset us if we weren't careful. Miller made his first league start of the season alongside Bell after the pair excelled against the Mackems, and another fan favourite was back in the squad too. Alan Scott had now recovered from the twisted knee that had cut the young target man down just as he was hitting top form. 20 SEPTEMBER 2008: Darlington vs Kidderminster Harriers After leading the Quakers to promotion from Division 3 in 2007, and then securing a solid mid-table finish in their first season up, manager Steve Parkin was the darling of Darlington. His attacking 3-5-2 ripped into our diamond early on, as attacking midfielder Peter Stott set up the first goal for ex-Port Vale striker Delapo Olaoye after just 18 minutes. Darlo suffered a minor blow in the 38th minute, when sweeper Andrew Rollo's knee ligaments melted in the Durham heat, and Parkin had to substitute him. To try and take advantage of this, I made a couple of changes of my own at half-time. The narrow 4-4-2 turned into a wider variant, as midfielders Ryan Carter and Scott Simpson made way for wingers Baldur Aðalsteinsson and César Gallego. Stretching play out a bit wider seemed to make a positive difference to our performance early in the second half, but those new plans went out the window in the 62nd minute. A stroke of misfortune saw Barry Miller deflect a Robbie Ryan shot into his own net, giving Darlington a decisive second goal. After six consecutive wins, it really was a case of unlucky seven. Darlington - 2 (Olaoye 18, Miller og62) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 2, Attendance 7,941 - POSITIONS: Darlington 23rd, Kidderminster 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Haarola (McCluskey), Bell, Miller, Hyde; Ormeño; Carter (Aðalsteinsson), Whitley; S Simpson (Gallego); Scott, Hume. Don't say I didn't warn you... As we conducted a post-mortem into our first defeat since the opening day, I confirmed four new signings for our reserves. David Gallacher (18) is a strong left-back with a fierce long shot, while his fellow Scot Graham Hutchison (16) is an aggressive sweeper. We also signed a couple of local boys - right-back Paul Fowler (19), and explosive striker Jamie Berry (16). Then came the League Cup Round 3 draw, which gave us an away tie against 2007 winners Preston - now hovering in lower mid-table in Division 1. I suppose it could have been worse. After a much-needed week-long break, we looked to return to winning ways against Wycombe, who were directly above us in 3rd place. While a victory wouldn't be enough for us to leapfrog the Chairboys in the standings, it would at least make our play-off position a little more comfortable. 27 SEPTEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe set their stall out to attack early on, and our returning defender Markus Heikkinen having to block a fierce shot from his Chairboys counterpart Nicky Barnard. In the 22nd minute, it was John Forde's right-hand post that prevented Neil Hooper from firing the visitors into the lead. At the other end, Leon Osman picked up a knee injury in the 18th minute, forcing us into an early change. David Collins slotted into the attacking midfield vacancy, and it was he who created our first scoring opportunity in the 35th minute. His attempted pass to Iain Hume was put behind by Wycombe defender Ian Roper for a corner, and Hume's delivery was headed home by big Alan Scott! Our lead lasted until the 58th minute, when Wanderers hit back with a header of their own. Paul Emblen - now in his 11th season as a Chairboy - nodded in his 138th league goal for the club after a fabulous lob from Hooper. In fairness to the defence, we didn't do a whole lot wrong there; it was just a brilliantly-crafted counter-attack. Kidderminster left-back Terry Simpson started his career at Wycombe, and he would play a big role in us regaining the lead after 76 minutes. A low cross to Hume was met by a fierce shot from the Canadian, who was denied by goalkeeper Joel Armstrong. First to the loose ball was David Collins, whose fifth goal of this season secured another dramatic victory! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Scott 35, Collins 76) Wycombe Wanderers - 1 (Emblen 58) Division 2, Attendance 3,777 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 4th, Wycombe 3rd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey, Heikkinen, Miller, T Simpson; Nicholls; Carter, Whitley; Osman (Collins); Scott (Gallego), Hume. BOOKED: Miller. We scored winning goals in the final 15 minutes of three matches this month. That's a nice habit to get into; I just hope my heart can handle all the stresses these close matches bring! Unfortunately, Osman strained his knee ligaments in that match and will miss our next couple of fixtures - one of which is against 2nd-placed Swindon. With Scott Simpson back in form, we probably won't miss Leon that much, but it's still not ideal. Other than that, I don't have much to complain about. We're flying high in 4th place - four points clear of 7th - and this 4-4-2 diamond is delivering consistent results. Now watch this all inevitably fall apart when I try something completely different at Doncaster next week... Edited August 14, 2023 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of September 2008) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Torquay 10 5 0 0 15 5 4 0 1 12 8 27 2nd Swindon 10 4 1 0 12 2 4 1 0 10 3 26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wycombe 10 5 0 0 15 6 2 0 3 10 14 21 4th Kidderminster 10 4 1 0 9 3 2 1 2 9 10 20 5th Northampton 10 4 1 0 11 3 1 1 3 4 6 17 6th Shrewsbury 10 4 1 0 8 3 1 1 3 3 7 17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Q.P.R. 10 3 0 2 10 7 2 1 2 8 8 16 8th Oxford 10 3 2 0 14 5 1 1 3 6 12 15 9th Millwall 10 3 1 1 12 5 1 1 3 7 13 14 10th Nottm Forest 10 3 1 1 13 9 1 1 3 5 8 14 11th Hull 10 3 1 1 10 6 1 1 3 6 9 14 12th Tranmere 10 4 1 0 7 2 0 1 4 3 12 14 13th Rochdale 10 3 1 1 12 6 0 3 2 7 10 13 14th Cambridge Utd 10 2 3 0 9 7 1 1 3 7 12 13 15th Reading 10 2 2 1 10 8 1 1 3 7 10 12 16th Doncaster 10 3 0 2 8 5 1 0 4 3 8 12 17th Bristol City 10 2 2 1 13 10 1 0 4 8 14 11 18th Walsall 10 2 1 2 11 11 1 1 3 6 12 11 19th Darlington 10 2 1 2 7 5 1 0 4 3 7 10 20th Watford 10 2 1 2 9 8 0 3 2 8 14 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Oldham 10 2 2 1 7 7 0 1 4 5 14 9 22nd Hartlepool 10 2 0 3 9 9 0 2 3 6 13 8 23rd Colchester 10 2 1 2 7 7 0 1 4 3 10 8 24th Wrexham 10 0 0 5 6 15 1 1 3 8 10 4 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Leeds' Premiership title dreams seem to have crumbled already. The Whites let a 2-0 half-time lead slip against Manchester United, who rally in the second half to win 4-3 and keep in touch with champions Chelsea at the top. Red Devils striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is also back in form, scoring seven goals in his first six league games. English clubs are decimated in Round 1 of the UEFA Cup. Arsenal are knocked out by Deportivo, Newcastle are beaten on penalties by Olympiakos, and West Ham lose a 'Battle of Britain' against Ian Holloway's Dundee United. The biggest shock involves Norwich, who suffer an away-goals defeat to the mighty Dinamo Minsk from Belarus! After just two months in Japan, Oliver Kahn gets homesick and quits his job as S-Pulse manager. The legendary goalkeeper returns to Germany as the new head coach of the Bundesliga's bottom club Mainz. Another big name later shacks up in the German top flight, as a 36-year-old Zinedine Zidane signs for Rostock. Kahn's former club Bayern München are also in trouble, as they are thrashed 6-2 at 1.FC Köln and plummet to 15th place. It is painfully obvious that Bayern's 38-year-old goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is way past his best, so manager Ottmar Hitzfeld decides to spend £16million on... Juventus striker David Trezeguet. After years of Roman dominance, there is a surprise name at the top of Serie A. Fresh off lifting the Coppa Italia last season, Bologna win their first five league games, with Italy's Euro 2008 hero Giacomo Cipriani and his strike partner Mihajlo Pjanovic scoring 11 goals between them. When asked for the secret to their success, Rossoblú assistant coach Walter Mazzarri storms out of the press conference. IN OTHER NEWS... A year-long global financial crisis hits its lowest points during a miserable month on Wall Street. Investment bank Lehman Bros files for bankruptcy, while Merrill Lynch is sold off to the Bank of America. In addition, the US government decides to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - they're major mortgage financiers, not a 70-year-old couple from Vermont. The Large Hadron Collider - a massive particle accelerator on the French-Swiss border - runs its first tests. Contrary to the media's expectations, the planet doesn't explode. The SpaceX Falcon 1 becomes the first private spacecraft to go into orbit. It’s a huge success for SpaceX’s founder and CEO - a previously little-known, South African-born businessman named Elon Musk. Paul Newman - the American actor who won an Oscar for “The Color of Money” in 1987 - passes away at the age of 83. Newman was also a successful racing driver in his spare time, and his final major acting role was as the voice of Doc Hudson in the 2006 animated film “Cars”. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 3, 2023 Author Share Posted April 3, 2023 (edited) OCTOBER 2008 Kidderminster Harriers were 4th in Division 2 after a fairly strong start to the season, winning six of our first 10 games. There was one player in particular who deserved a lot of credit for that. John Forde had been a sensation in goal since arriving on loan from Newcastle. The 19-year-old had almost single-handedly transformed a leaky Kidderminster defence into a more secure unit, conceding a respectable 13 goals in 10 games. He was also the only player who'd started every game for us this term... ...but not anymore. Our trip to Doncaster coincided with the October international break, and Forde had been called up by the Republic of Ireland's Under-21s. By the time we arrived at Belle Vue, our number 1 was in Greece with his compatriots. That meant I had to give a senior debut to Kent Ivarsson - a 25-year-old Swede who was short of match practice. Doncaster's attack wasn't exactly the sharpest - they'd scored only 11 goals in their opening 10 fixtures - but I had no idea if Kent could handle the step up. 4 OCTOBER 2008: Doncaster Rovers vs Kidderminster Harriers It took us only eight minutes to break through the Doncaster defence. César Gallego's free-kick from the right wing was knocked down by Ryan Carter, and Iain Hume drove in his fifth goal of the season! We were a goal up... ...but we could easily have gone a goal down soon after. Having received a yellow card in the second minute, Jorge Ormeño narrowly avoided another in the 24th minute following a rough challenge on Rovers striker Justin Jackson. At that point, I took the Chilean hardman off before he could get himself sent off, with Timo Marjamaa taking his place. Nine minutes after Ormeño's close shave, we cut Donny open again. A goal kick from Michael Brown was intercepted by Hume, who surged past a couple of defenders before doubling our advantage. A 2-0 half-time lead against one of the weakest attacks in the league looked secure... didn't it? Kent Ivarsson was barely tested in the first half of his Kidderminster debut, only having to make one save from Adam Oliver just before half-time. Doncaster didn't get another shot on target until the 69th minute - and it wasn't a nice experience for our inexperienced Swedish keeper, who was well beaten by attacking midfielder Jon Coppinger. Rovers had pulled one goal back. Ivarsson saved another Coppinger effort in the 74th minute, and the two came face-to-face again just a couple of minutes later. This time, however, Kent could do little to stop Coppinger's tap-in from a low cross by striker Rob Thomas. With that, Doncaster had stolen a draw that they were arguably very lucky to have. Doncaster Rovers - 2 (Coppinger 69,76) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Hume 8,33) Division 2, Attendance 10,589 - POSITIONS: Doncaster 17th, Kidderminster 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Ivarsson; McCluskey, Heikkinen, Miller, T Simpson; Ormeño (Marjamaa); Gallego (S Simpson), Carter, Nicholls, Aðalsteinsson (Scott); Hume. BOOKED: Ormeño. Two points dropped. I can't help feeling that we would've seen out the win with Forde in goal. Forde was back - as was the diamond - when we hosted Swindon a week later. However, we now had a new problem to contend with. Kevin Hyde fractured his ribs and Terry Simpson bruised his thigh within days of each other, which meant Nick Roberts would have to cover for them at left-back. 11 OCTOBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Swindon Town After 17 minutes, I was already wondering if I should have given Kent Ivarsson another chance. John Forde's parried save from a Michael Dunwell pot-shot was not convincing at all, as it gave Swindon midfielder Stephen Wilkinson an open goal to fire the rebound into. 1-0 to Roy Evans' visitors. Things got even worse in the 28th minute. Dunwell took advantage of a lapse in concentration from Markus Heikkinen to dribble into our area, where he set up a simple finish for his strike partner and captain James Hogg. Though Forde did redeem himself somewhat by saving Craig Pead's 36th-minute free-kick, it seemed as if we were sleep-walking to a first home defeat of the season. Then, just before half-time, came a glimmer of hope. Scott Simpson lifted a corner into the Swindon area, where centre-back Barry Miller rose high above Wilkinson to head home. Iain Hume then threatened an equaliser early in the second half, only to be thwarted by Robins keeper Kelvin Davis. Our purple patch either side of the interval was only fleeting. Swindon were well-organised at the back and confidently defended their lead until they sealed victory six minutes from time. Having been involved in their first two goals, it was fitting that Dunwell got on the scoresheet, beating Forde to Pead's whipped corner delivery. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Miller 45) Swindon Town - 3 (Wilkinson 17, Hogg 28, Dunwell 84) Division 2, Attendance 3,416 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 4th, Swindon 2nd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey (Haarala), Heikkinen, Miller, Roberts; Ormeño; Whitley, Carter; S Simpson (Gallego); Scott, Hume (Collins). That was Forde's worst performance in a Kidderminster jersey by a country mile. Bloody typical. A few days later, we cancelled the contracts of midfielder Richard Norris and striker Drewe Broughton, who hadn't played for Kidderminster since the 2006/2007 season and were now rotting in the reserves. With no buyers on the horizon, it made more financial sense to pay them off now than allow their contracts to expire. I also agreed to let promising midfielder Lee Watson go out on loan. He will spend the rest of the season on loan at Conference side Hucknall, who are now managed by former England international Tim Sherwood. Lucky boy. Next up were QPR, who had just been relegated straight back from Division 1 after winning the Division 2 title in 2007. I made three defensive changes from the Swindon defeat, but Forde kept his place in goal. 14 OCTOBER 2008: Queens Park Rangers vs Kidderminster Harriers Though the first half didn't see any goals, both teams certainly had their chances. Richard Pacquette hit the woodwork for QPR in the 22nd minute, before Scott Simpson and Markus Heikkinen did likewise for Kidderminster. Both goalkeepers also looked in fine fettle, as although 19-year-old John Forde had rediscovered his confidence, he was being upstaged by Hoops counterpart Lee Harper - a man nearly twice his age. With holding midfielder Kevin Nicholls coming off injured just before half-time, Jorge Ormeño had to be subbed on in his place. I had some doubts over the Chilean's defensive capabilities, and those concerns would soon resurface. In the 62nd minute, Ormeño failed to keep close enough tabs on QPR playmaker Hamed Kavianpour, who flicked the ball out wide to substitute Luciano Mazzoni. The teenage winger crossed first-time into the box, where Pacquette outjumped Barry Miller and headed in the goal that broke the deadlock. Ten minutes later, Forde was forced to parry behind another Pacquette header that could have made it 2-0. It didn't really matter, as QPR doubled their lead anyway just moments later. R's midfielder Simon Humphreys delivered a corner that Kavianpour blasted in to give us back-to-back defeats. Considering how little threat we'd posed in the second half, we deserved it. Queens Park Rangers - 2 (Pacquette 62, Kavianpour 72) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 2, Attendance 8,046 - POSITIONS: QPR 7th, Kidderminster 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Haarala (McCluskey), Heikkinen, Miller, Aðalsteinsson; Nicholls (Ormeño); Carter (Gallego), Whitley; S Simpson; Scott, Hume. That was one point from three games - but somehow we were still in 4th place. Kevin Nicholls was now on the sidelines for a month with a pulled hamstring, but Terry Simpson and centre-back Simon Bell returned from their injuries for our next home game against mid-table Oxford. 18 OCTOBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Oxford United There was also a recall for David Collins, who made his first start in a month. It didn't take him long to remind the Aggborough faithful of his goalscoring talents. A floated cross from captain Jeff Whitley was finished with aplomb, and we were leading 1-0 after 17 minutes! Collins was no doubt helped by some hesitant goalkeeping from Chris Stringer, but Oxford's custodian was much more alert later on. Stringer made a fantastic save to deny Collins a second goal on 31 minutes, and then kept out Barry Miller's header from the subsequent Scott Simpson corner. At the other end, Lee Trundle came inches from restoring parity for Oxford just before half-time. The Scouse showboat had another golden opportunity much later - in the 84th minute, when his shot from point-blank range was somehow tipped away by John Forde! Our young keeper had rediscovered his top form just in time to see us through! Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 17) Oxford United - 0 Division 2, Attendance 3,902 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 4th, Oxford 14th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey, Bell, Miller, T Simpson; Heikkinen (Ormeño); Carter, Whitley; S Simpson (Gallego); Collins, Hume (Garside). The FA Cup Round 1 draw took place a week later. The Harriers would open our cup campaign at home to Blackpool - who were 14th in Division 3 - on 15 November. I found that draw quite amusing, as we were already scheduled to play Blackpool's close rivals Preston in the League Cup at the end of this month. Before that, though, we had to play a couple more league games. A home game against struggling Walsall was preceded by a trip to our fellow play-off contenders Hull. 21 OCTOBER 2008: Hull City vs Kidderminster Harriers Iain Hume was perhaps the best player at Boothferry Park - and undoubtedly the unluckiest. Hume had SEVEN shots in total, FIVE of which were on target... but none of them could beat Abdellilah Bagui in the Hull goal! Whatever our Canadian frontman tried, it seemed utterly hopeless against Morocco's answer to Craig Forrest. It wasn't all about Bagui for Hull, though. Right-back Ryan Amoo and centre-half Stuart Duff also excelled, especially after their defensive colleague James Perch injured his knee late in the first half. Further upfield, Tigers captain Tuomas Haapala had a couple of dangerous shots in the 29th and 50th minute, both of which were brilliantly saved by John Forde. With the deadlock still unbroken as we went into the closing stages, I freshened up my midfield by subbing on Scott Simpson for Ryan Carter. When Hume was shoved by Hull defender Steve Rimmer 25 yards from the home goal in the 85th minute, Simpson sensed an opportunity. The Glaswegian playmaker lined up his free-kick, curled it past the Hull wall... and right into the postage stamp! Bagui was finally beaten, and we left Humberside with all three points! Hull City - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (S Simpson 85) Division 2, Attendance 13,279 - POSITIONS: Hull 7th, Kidderminster 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; McCluskey, Bell, Miller (Roberts), T Simpson; Heikkinen; Gallego, Whitley, Carter (S Simpson), Aðalsteinsson; Hume. We then hosted a Walsall side who looked in total disarray, having dropped down to 19th after losing in the play-offs last season. Lawrie Sanchez was the Saddlers' fourth different manager in two-and-a-half years. 25 OCTOBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Walsall The first half was a complete mess, memorable only for a tame shot from Walsall forward Tonton Zola Moukoko in the 31st minute that John Forde easily saved. Otherwise, the Saddlers posed hardly any danger to a Kidderminster defence that had been significantly weakened when Terry Simpson sprained his ankle on 15 minutes. That wasn't the only substitution I had to make before the second half. Ryan Carter's performance in the first half had been nothing short of shambolic. My former Dagenham midfielder had lost possession regularly, and his woeful decision-making had snuffed out several potentially promising Kiddy attacks. I tore into Ryan in the dressing room, before hooking him in favour of Jorge Ormeño. Things got a little more exciting in the second half. Walsall started brightly, with Moukoko drawing a more challenging save from Forde in the 58th minute. But despite being the Saddlers' liveliest player, I was surprised to see Tonton come off just four minutes later, with Marlon Harewood taking his place. Was that a stroke of managerial genius from Lawrie Sanchez, or a huge mistake? After 73 minutes, we finally managed to put together a meaningful attack. David Collins played a clever one-two with Iain Hume before escaping the last Walsall defender, and then stroked in a fine finish! Collins spurned a chance to double his tally five minutes later, but his earlier heroics meant we secured a third 1-0 win in a row - and surged into 3rd place! Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 73) Walsall - 0 Division 2, Attendance 4,568 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 3rd, Walsall 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey, Bell, Miller, T Simpson (Roberts); Heikkinen; Whitley, Carter (Ormeño); S Simpson; Collins, Hume (Scott). BOOKED: Roberts. Boring, boring Kidderminster Harriers! Unfortunately, Terry Simpson's ankle injury meant we had to survive the next three weeks without either of our senior left-backs. I'd not been particularly convinced with either Roberts or Baldur Aðalsteinsson when they'd covered in that position. Perhaps it would be time to give an opportunity to one of our young reserve left-backs - David Gallacher or Kevin Fitzgerald? The next game was too soon for either David or Kevin, as I banked on Roberts' experience when we went to Deepdale for Round 3 of the League Cup. Preston might have had history in this competition, but we had a new-found defensive stability - and every chance of causing another upset. 29 OCTOBER 2008: Preston North End vs Kidderminster Harriers As Preston pushed forward early on, our gameplan was clear - tighten up, stay organised, and then look to hit our opponents on the break. Our defence executed the first parts of that plan brilliantly, as Barry Miller won several key tackles, and John Forde made a couple of blinding saves from Paul McKenna and David Healy. The closest Forde had come to being beaten was when Steven Campbell hit the post in the 17th minute. When Preston's offence started to labour midway through the second half, our counter-attacking phase came into play. Substitute midfielder Leon Osman won a free-kick close to the Lilywhites goal in the 71st minute, and then quickly lobbed it into the penalty area. None of the Preston defenders were marking David Collins, who headed home from a tight angle to put us ahead! David Moyes' boys now had to throw everything they had left at us. A 76th-minute free-kick from midfielder Barry Black found McKenna at point-blank range, but Forde palmed the North End captain's header off his goal line. Forde then produced more heroics just moments later, turning away a fierce strike from Campbell. We were now incredibly heading for a fourth 1-0 win in a row. However, that scoreline would change in the 90th minute... when Baldur Aðalsteinsson made it TWO-nil to the Harriers! The Icelandic left-winger headed in his first Kidderminster goal from an Osman cross, and we were heading into the last 16 of the League Cup! Preston North End - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 71, Aðalsteinsson 90) League Cup Round 3, Attendance 10,322 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; McCluskey, Bell, Miller, Roberts; Heikkinen; Gallego (Haarala), Whitley, S Simpson (Osman), Aðalsteinsson; Collins. We'd done it again! After knocking out Sunderland and Preston, we now had a real chance to reach the Quarter Finals of the League Cup... or at least get a massive payday in Round 4. Naturally, the draw handed us an away tie at mid-table Division 1 side Sheffield United, which would probably give us neither of those. Ah well. Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 3, 2023 Author Share Posted April 3, 2023 (edited) DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of October 2008) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Torquay 16 7 1 0 26 12 7 0 1 24 11 43 2nd Swindon 15 5 1 1 16 5 5 1 2 16 10 32 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Kidderminster 16 6 1 1 12 6 3 2 3 12 14 30 4th Wycombe 16 7 0 1 24 17 2 1 5 17 26 28 5th Rochdale 16 5 2 1 20 9 2 4 2 15 15 27 6th Nottm Forest 15 6 1 1 22 10 2 1 4 13 16 26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Cambridge Utd 16 4 3 1 17 11 2 3 3 17 18 24 8th Hull 16 4 1 3 15 11 3 1 4 12 16 23 9th Northampton 16 6 1 1 16 8 1 1 6 8 17 23 10th Darlington 16 3 1 4 12 10 4 0 4 8 7 22 11th Shrewsbury 16 4 3 1 13 9 2 1 5 6 15 22 12th Oldham 16 3 4 1 16 12 2 2 4 10 15 21 13th Millwall 16 4 2 2 16 7 1 3 4 10 17 20 14th Watford 16 4 1 3 15 11 1 4 3 14 20 20 15th Q.P.R. 16 4 1 3 15 13 2 1 5 10 15 20 16th Tranmere 16 5 3 0 10 4 0 2 6 4 18 20 17th Reading 16 4 2 2 17 12 1 2 5 9 16 19 18th Doncaster 16 4 1 3 14 14 2 0 6 7 16 19 19th Oxford 16 4 2 2 24 16 1 1 6 10 21 18 20th Hartlepool 16 3 2 3 18 15 1 4 3 11 17 18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Walsall 16 4 2 2 19 15 1 1 6 11 21 18 22nd Bristol City 16 3 3 2 18 13 1 1 6 10 19 16 23rd Colchester 16 3 2 3 9 10 0 3 5 6 16 14 24th Wrexham 16 1 1 6 13 23 1 2 5 13 21 9 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... England narrowly avoid a shock World Cup qualifying defeat in Iceland. After a clanger from Paul Robinson gives a goal to Iceland's 20-year-old debutant midfielder Daði Helgason, the Three Lions need David Beckham and Joe Cole to score in the final six minutes to squeak a 2-1 win. That narrow escape kicks off a miserable month for Robinson. The Leeds goalkeeper concedes three goals at Tottenham, four at Burnley, and another three at home to Birmingham as the Whites drop to 16th in the Premiership. United's finances are also in such disarray that chairman Peter Ridsdale ponders selling his third mansion to fund a transfer for Sebastien Frey. Roma go on a rampage, winning their Champions League group and sauntering to the top of the Serie A standings. Juventus struggle to keep up and go on a £22.5million spending spree, including a £7.5million investment in Torino's young Colombian striker John Jairo Yepes. In other shocking news, Ariel Ortega asks to leave Parma. Celtic's Champions League hopes hang in the balance after a 3-1 defeat at Racing Genk, while Rangers go clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League with 11 wins from 12 matches. Even so, it's a watershed month for Celtic’s 19-year-old wonderkid Gordon Weir, who scores twice on his Scotland home debut in a 3-0 win over Croatia. Rafa Benítez's first season as Wolfsburg manager could not have started any worse. A 4-1 defeat at Bielefeld leaves 'Die Wölfe' 17th in the Bundesliga after 10 matches, with just two goals and two points to their name. Of particular concern is the poor form of Raphael Wicky - a Swiss 'libero' who is perhaps best-known for being TV presenter Jonathan Ross' favourite footballer. IN OTHER NEWS... Russell Brand's BBC Radio 2 show is axed after a 'prank' goes too far. Together with Jonathan Ross, the 'comedian' makes a prank call to veteran actor Andrew Sachs and leaves lewd messages about Sachs' granddaughter - an ex-girlfriend of Brand's. Rihanna continues her dominance of the Billboard Hot 100, achieving her fifth Number 1 single in less than three years after featuring on T.I.'s chart-topper "Live Your Life". It samples O-Zone’s 2004 Eurodance classic “Dragostea Din Tei”, aka 'that bloody Numa Numa song'. OJ Simpson is GUILTY… of armed robbery and kidnapping. The former NFL player, actor and murder suspect is subsequently sentenced by a Las Vegas court to a minimum of nine years in prison. Despite no longer being a Labour MP, Peter Mandelson is back in Government for a third time. Mandelson is appointed Business Secretary by Gordon Brown and takes up a seat in the House of Lords. This is bound to go well… Edited April 3, 2023 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 5, 2023 Author Share Posted April 5, 2023 (edited) NOVEMBER 2008 After winning our last four matches without conceding a goal, the Division 2 promotion places were in sight for Kidderminster Harriers. If we could defeat 9th-placed Northampton at Aggborough, we would have the opportunity to leapfrog Swindon into 2nd - but only if they slipped up at home to Millwall. 1 NOVEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Northampton Town Our solid defensive form continued throughout the first half of this match. Northampton's best chance came nine minutes from half-time, when a free-kick from veteran midfielder Keith Gillespie was intercepted by Stuart McCluskey. Though we barely threatened the Cobblers at the other end, we were well on course for a fifth straight clean sheet... ...or at least we were until the 55th minute. When our holding midfielder Jorge Ormeño had a momentary loss of focus, Northampton striker Emmanuel Olisadebe ghosted past him to latch onto a deep cross from Gillespie. Although John Forde kept out Olisadebe's first header, the Polish international put away the rebound. 1-0 Cobblers - sadly, it was true. We quickly went on the offensive, with Iain Hume and David Collins each having chances to draw us level. While Hume's effort was saved, Collins did find the net with a scorcher in the 66th minute. Collins then tried to give us the lead with an audacious bicycle kick in the 75th minute, but he fired it wide. More frustration would soon come our way, as Northampton peaked in the 80th minute. Substitute midfielder Jon Peake delivered an excellent byline cross to the back post, where Olisadebe got ahead of McCluskey and headed in the Cobblers' winning goal. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 66) Northampton Town - 2 (Olisadebe 55,80) Division 2, Attendance 5,062 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 4th, Northampton 8th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey (Haarala), Bell, Miller, Roberts; Heikkinen; Ormeño (S Simpson), Whitley; Osman; Collins, Hume (Scott). Jorge Ormeño was our worst performer in that match, and it wasn't the first time the Chilean international had let us down. Whether it was the language barrier or just complacency, he wasn't living up to expectations at all - and he didn't react well at all when I warned him about his poor performances. Perhaps a few matches on the sidelines would set him straight. By contrast, Barry Miller was once again solid at centre-half, despite the result. Grimsby had come back in for Barry with a £325,000 offer - nowhere near enough for me to consider selling. On the transfer front, I signed another Scottish youngster for the reserve team... called Paul Graham. No, that's not the same Paul Graham who played for my Dagenham & Redbridge team. This Paul Graham isn't a defensive midfielder, but rather a 17-year-old striker with excellent pace and technique. After the Northampton disappointment, we faced the toughest challenge of our season, when we visited runaway leaders Torquay at Plainmoor. Chris Kamara's Gulls had been in unbelievable form, going 14 points clear at the top after winning 15 of their first 17 matches! Indeed, their only defeat had come at the end of August against Colchester... who were now second-from-bottom!! 8 NOVEMBER 2008: Torquay United vs Kidderminster Harriers Torquay made a strong start - literally, as midfielder Stephen Strong had the ball in the net after just three minutes. Luckily for us, his team-mate Kevin Allan - who'd been one of the Gulls' top performers during their surge to the summit - had strayed offside and was ruled to be obstructing John Forde's view. A huge let-off. Chris Kamara and his assistant Phil Thompson probably had even more reason to be annoyed nine minutes later. Ryan Carter had got a lot of grief from Kidderminster fans since his arrival, but he laid on a great assist for David Collins, whose 10th goal of the season gave us the lead... for a few moments. Torquay hit back in double-quick time, with Richard Graham grabbing an equaliser just as we were catching our breaths! However, we would go back in front after 29 minutes, as Jeff Whitley's cross was flicked into the Torquay net by the unfortunate home defender Mustapha Sama. We thus took a 2-1 lead into the second half... but we would have to play on without left-back Kevin Hyde, who'd aggravated a rib injury just 38 minutes into his comeback. Perhaps I had rushed Kevin back into the team too soon? Six minutes into the second period, though, another Carter assist put us on the road to an unbelievable away win. Right-winger César Gallego skilfully chested down Ryan's flick on and then drove it past an unwitting Richard Kingson for a 3-1 Harriers lead! But the Gulls hadn't been culled just yet. Graham got his second goal of the afternoon after 61 minutes to pull it back to 3-2, leaving some travelling fans feeling very anxious. Then, on 75 minutes, Strong breached our backline to head in left-back Leon Hylton's cross from point-blank range. As Strong celebrated what he thought was an equaliser, the linesman raised his flag again - for another offside call against Allan! I bet Kammy and Thommo were wishing they'd taught their players about the offside rule! Six minutes from full-time, however, Torquay found our net for the fifth time - and this one did produce their third goal. Graham capped off a stunning midfield display with a clever cross to Sama, who headed the ball into the same net where he'd inadvertently given us a 2-1 lead just over an hour earlier. The Sierra Leonean's redemption goal finished off a thrilling 3-3 draw, which relieved Gulls fans celebrated like it was another victory. Torquay United - 3 (Graham 13,61, Sama 84) Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Collins 12, Sama og29, Gallego 51) Division 2, Attendance 5,867 - POSITIONS: Torquay 1st, Kidderminster 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; McCluskey, Bell, Miller, Hyde (Haarala); Heikkinen; Gallego, Whitley, Carter, Aðalsteinsson (Scott); Collins (Osman). BOOKED: Collins. What a match! I don't know how we managed to get a point from that, but I'll take it! Midfielder Leon Osman returned to Dagenham after that match, having provided three goals and three assists in 11 games during his loan spell. We also said goodbye to reserve right-back Tom Spearritt, who was sold to Tranmere for £26,000. Because Kevin Hyde was back on the sidelines, and Terry Simpson was still recovering from a sprained ankle, we were once again short of left-back options for our FA Cup Round 3 tie against Blackpool. I decided to give a senior debut to 18-year-old David Gallacher, while centre-half Haraldur Guðmundsson made his first appearance since August. 15 NOVEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Blackpool My gamble on David Gallacher quickly backfired, as the 18-year-old was on the pitch for just 18 minutes. As Danny Webber bore down on the Harriers goal with just the keeper to beat, Gallacher pushed the Blackpool striker to the turf in an act of petulant desperation. Gallacher was sent off, we were down to 10 men, and I already had to reshuffle my team. Scott Simpson was the unlucky man to be sacrificed for our makeshift left-back Baldur Aðalsteinsson - and boy did he look makeshift. Barely two minutes after coming on, Aðalsteinsson tripped Blackpool's other striker Darren Mansaram in our area to concede a penalty. Midfield veteran Aaron Skelton stepped forward, and a cool penalty put the Seasiders 1-0 up. Despite being in a higher division, we struggled to compete with Blackpool after going a man down and a goal down. Mansaram finished off the contest in the 76th minute with a tidy finish, booking their place in Round 2. For the first time since the 2001/2002 season, Kidderminster had been knocked out of the FA Cup at Round 1. Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Blackpool - 2 (Skelton pen20) FA Cup Round 1, Attendance 3,431 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Haarala (McCluskey), Guðmundsson, Miller, Gallacher; Heikkinen; Carter, Whitley; S Simpson (Aðalsteinsson); Scott, Hume (Collins). SENT OFF: Gallacher. David Gallacher's first game for Kidderminster was also his last. After fining David two weeks' wages, I left my office for a bathroom break... and returned to find that he had trashed it. I immediately cancelled his contract and called the police. There’s a good chance the little sod will be in prison before he finds another club. A few days later, we hoped for better fortunes in the League Cup. Sunderland and Preston had already been scalped, and if we could inflict a similar punishment on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, we would find ourselves in our first major cup Quarter Final. Even with Terry Simpson returning from injury to bolster our defence, this wouldn't be an easy ride. While we'd experienced a downturn in form, Sheffield United were on a three-game winning streak that had left them just outside the Division 1 play-off spots. The Blades also had - in Neil Warnock - a wily old manager whose teams were not afraid to play direct football or bully lower-league opponents. 19 NOVEMBER 2008: Sheffield United vs Kidderminster Harriers As expected, Sheffield United dominated the first half-hour of this match. Midfielder Neil Scally struck the post after just six minutes, while Billy Paynter's 26th-minute effort was kept out only by a superb save from John Forde. Our Irish gloveman also tipped away a 32nd-minute free-kick from right-back Danny Butterfield. Our first chance to counter the Blades came seven minutes from half-time. Scott Simpson gathered the loose ball and spotted an opening for David Collins. Simpson crossed to our in-form striker, whose header beat the goalkeeper Paul Gallacher and put us potentially one half of football away from a League Cup Quarter Final! If only we could hold onto that lead... Despite putting in a strong defensive shift at half-time, I did have one cause for concern. Centre-back Barry Miller was on a yellow card, having been cautioned by the ref for a shove on United captain Kevin Hunt, and I didn't want to risk a second red card in as many games. Miller reluctantly made way for Markus Heikkinen, who would team up with Simon Bell for the second half. Bell and Heikkinen had been a dependable partnership earlier in the season, but Miller's experience would be greatly missed. In the 54th minute, Bell was outwitted by the guile and pace of Paynter, who finished a cross from left-back Liam Martin to draw Sheffield United level. The Blades frontman then cut us open again three minutes later, clinically finishing a rebound shot after Ben Muirhead's header was awkwardly saved by Forde. After that, United never looked back. Despite Forde's best efforts, they put a third goal beyond him in the 65th minute, when former Northampton winger Muirhead surged unmarked to drive in a cross from Jimmy Moran. Muirhead left the Bramall Lane turf to a standing ovation seven minutes later, as Neil Warnock looked to see the game out with a defensive substitute. After struggling to decide whether to throw on his young centre-half David Quinn or his other young centre-half David Quinn, he instructed Wales Under-21s international Lee Rees to batten down the hatches. We couldn't break through this reinforced Sheffield steel defence and went down to a brave 3-1 defeat. Sheffield United - 3 (Paynter 54,57, Muirhead 65) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 38) League Cup Round 4, Attendance 8,355 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; McCluskey, Miller (Heikkinen), Bell, T Simpson; Nicholls; Gallego, Whitley (Hume), S Simpson (Carter), Aðalsteinsson; Collins. BOOKED: Miller. Our League Cup adventure was now over, and now we had to put our broken defence back together again. Our run of four consecutive clean sheets had been followed by a four-game run in which we'd conceded 10 goals. Following our defeat in Yorkshire, we crossed the Pennines to face play-off rivals Rochdale. Glenn Roeder's side were among the most prolific scorers in the division. 22 NOVEMBER 2008: Rochdale vs Kidderminster Harriers Playmaker Scott Simpson tormented Rochdale throughout the first half, particularly in the 17th minute. The Scot escaped his marker and floated a cross to the far post, where winger Baldur Aðalsteinsson squared first-time to David Collins in front of a wide open goal. Collins couldn't possibly miss, and we were already 1-0 to the good! Rochdale were clearly struggling to get back in the game, as midfielders Rafael Cretaro and Liam Miller each picked up yellow cards before we doubled our advantage. It was another selfless Aðalsteinsson assist for Collins, who was on target for the 13th time in just 18 games! Even by his incredibly high standards, Collins was surely in the form of his life! Glenn Roeder was given another headache early in the second half. Just three minutes after Danny Pugh came on to replace Cretaro, the ex-Manchester United trainee twisted his knee and had to be stretchered off. Pugh was replaced with an 18-year-old Belgian winger called Frédéric Renders - and incredibly, the substitute's substitute pulled a goal back for Dale in the 59th minute? Was that the start of another Harriers collapse? After a nail-biting half-hour in which Rochdale lost another player - centre-back Jamie Young - to injury, the match was finally decided by one more goal in the 90th minute. César Gallego swung a clever corner into the Dale box, where substitute Ryan Carter headed in his first Kidderminster goal to complete a 3-1 away win! Rochdale - 1 (Renders 59) Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Collins 17,42, Carter 90) Division 2, Attendance 5,372 - POSITIONS: Rochdale 6th, Kidderminster 2nd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; McCluskey (Haarala), Miller, Bell, T Simpson; Heikkinen; Gallego, Whitley, S Simpson (Carter), Aðalsteinsson; Collins (Hume). BOOKED: T Simpson. That result saw us jump into 2nd place ahead of Swindon, who had completely fallen apart with four defeats on the spin - including a 5-2 reverse at Bristol City! After 19 matches, we were well placed for promotion back into Division 1. Mind you, we were only ahead of 3rd-placed Wycombe on goal difference... and we'd just sold one of our defenders to the Chairboys. Guðmundsson wanted more first-team football after losing his starting place to Simon Bell, so I allowed him to move to Buckinghamshire for £350,000. I hope I don't regret that... Meanwhile, I brought in 24-year-old Swedish right-back Billy Berntsson on a Bosman free transfer from Malmö FF. Berntsson is a firm tackler who passes the ball very well, and I'm sure he'll provide stiff competition for Stuart McCluskey and Hannu Haarala. If you ignored Torquay's now 16-point lead, things were very tight at the top of Division 2. So tight, in fact, that 6th-placed Cambridge would go ahead of us in the standings if they could beat us at Aggborough. A third home loss this month would not go down well with the Kiddy fans, so we had to be fired up from the very start. 29 NOVEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Cambridge United This would be another busy afternoon's work for John Forde. The Kidderminster number 1 was continuing to play beyond his tender years, frequently frustrating Cambridge's star players, including captain Michael Brown and striker Dave Kitson. Unfortunately, David Collins was not having much luck at the other end, and so the match remained goalless at half-time. We went into the second half with a lot more attacking urgency - and that change of approach paid off after just 51 minutes. Collins wasn't getting on the scoresheet this time, but he did delight the Aggborough faithful with a through-ball to Ryan Carter, who drove home his maiden home goal for the club! After such a disappointing start to his Harriers career, Ryan's redemption was well underway! Our new right-back Billy Berntsson had come on for his debut at the break, and he almost got an assist in the 55th minute, when Collins headed his cross just over the bar. Six minutes later, though, another Nordic wideman did double our lead - winger Baldur Aðalsteinsson finding the net for just the second time this term! To their credit, Cambridge never threw in the towel, and their persistent attacks eventually delivered a goal through Kitson in the 86th minute. That could have been a game-changer, but we finished the game off just two minutes later. Left-back Terry Simpson effortlessly surged upfield and then drilled the ball to the near post, where Billy Berntsson had unexpectedly popped up to score a debut goal! Billy, DO be a hero! Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Carter 51, Aðalsteinsson 61, Berntsson 88) Cambridge United - 1 (Kitson 86) Division 2, Attendance 4,002 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 2nd, Cambridge 7th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; McCluskey (Berntsson), Miller, Bell, T Simpson; Heikkinen; Gallego, Whitley, Carter, Aðalsteinsson (S Simpson); Collins (Hume). BOOKED: Heikkinen. Nothing sums up the madness of lower-league football like the tales of our two debutant right-backs this month! While David Gallacher got himself a red card, a torn-up contract and a visit from the rozzers, Billy Berntsson had got himself a dream goal and the instant adulation of Kidderminster fans. I bloody love this game! Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 5, 2023 Author Share Posted April 5, 2023 DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of November 2008) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Torquay 20 8 3 0 35 19 8 0 1 27 12 51 2nd Kidderminster 20 7 1 2 16 9 4 3 3 18 18 37 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wycombe 20 9 0 1 29 19 3 1 6 21 32 37 4th Swindon 20 6 1 3 21 10 5 1 4 18 17 35 5th Rochdale 20 6 2 2 25 15 3 4 3 19 19 33 6th Nottm Forest 20 7 1 3 28 17 3 1 5 16 19 32 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Cambridge Utd 20 6 3 1 21 12 2 4 4 22 25 31 8th Millwall 20 6 2 2 21 9 2 4 4 15 20 30 9th Watford 20 6 1 3 22 13 2 5 3 17 22 30 10th Northampton 20 7 1 2 20 12 2 2 6 12 20 30 11th Hull 20 5 1 4 18 16 4 1 5 15 20 29 12th Shrewsbury 20 5 3 1 14 9 3 2 6 10 19 29 13th Reading 20 5 2 3 19 13 2 3 5 15 19 26 14th Darlington 20 3 3 4 14 12 4 1 5 8 9 25 15th Oldham 20 4 4 2 20 13 2 2 6 11 19 24 16th Q.P.R. 20 4 2 4 17 16 3 1 6 13 19 24 17th Tranmere 20 6 4 0 13 5 0 2 8 6 25 24 18th Bristol City 20 4 3 3 25 18 2 2 6 14 22 23 19th Oxford 20 4 4 2 30 22 2 1 7 14 25 23 20th Colchester 20 5 2 3 12 11 0 5 5 7 17 22 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Doncaster 20 4 2 4 18 19 2 0 8 9 20 20 22nd Hartlepool 20 3 3 4 19 17 1 4 5 11 22 19 23rd Walsall 20 4 3 3 23 20 1 1 8 14 28 19 24th Wrexham 20 1 2 6 13 23 2 3 6 17 25 14 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Chelsea consolidate their Premiership lead with a 5-0 home win over surprise European contenders Sheffield Wednesday, with Fernando Morientes netting all the goals! Morientes is the first player to score FIVE goals in a Premiership match since the Blues' attacking coach Alan Shearer did it for Newcastle in 1999 against... Sheffield Wednesday. Leeds drop out of the Champions League at the first group phase after a 1-0 home defeat to Ajax. Their punishment is a UEFA Cup Round 3 tie against Rangers, who win the first leg 1-0 at Ibrox. Meanwhile at the same stage, Celtic are humbled 3-0 by Belgian side Charleroi. Inter build a six-point lead at the top of Serie A thrashing Sampdoria 5-1, with Adriano bagging one goal and setting up another three. A new Nerazzurri superstar is born a week earlier at the Olimpico, where Italy Under-21s midfielder Mirco Finazzi scores a breathtaking solo goal to complete a 2-0 win over Roma! Leverkusen are dragged into another scrap for Bundesliga survival, as manager Fatih Terim is widely criticised for playing Gareth Barry at left-back. At least they're not faring as badly as Oliver Kahn's Mainz, who lose EIGHT straight league games without scoring and have just ONE point from 14 matches! One week before a huge Bundesliga title clash with 1.FC Köln, Werder Bremen take 'mind games' to a whole new level - by stealing the league leaders' Uruguayan striker Diego Forlán for £14million! Werder's sly tactics pay off, as Forlán's new side win 2-0, and Köln surrender top spot to VfB Stuttgart! IN OTHER NEWS... Yes, he did. Barack Obama - a 47-year-old Democrat senator from Illinois - defeats Republican rival John McCain in the US presidential election, and will be the first African-American to sit in the Oval Office. A dramatic Formula 1 World Championship is decided in the last lap of the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. British driver Lewis Hamilton overtakes Timo Glock on the final corner to finish 5th - and pip home favourite Felipe Massa to the title by one point. Aged 23, Hamilton becomes the second-youngest world champion in F1 history. In one of the greatest shocks in sporting history, the Rugby League World Cup is NOT won by Australia! The Kangaroos - who had been world champions since 1975 - are beaten 34-20 in Brisbane by arch-rivals New Zealand, who win their first World Cup in the 13-man game. Teenage girls, rejoice! Country pop star Taylor Swift releases her new album “Fearless”, which includes a song based on Romeo and Juliet. Meanwhile, a very different love story is told in “Twilight” - the first film based on Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance novels. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 7, 2023 Author Share Posted April 7, 2023 (edited) DECEMBER 2008 David Collins had been one of our star performers so far this season. The 28-year-old striker had bagged 13 goals in just 19 matches, and he was already on track to beat last season's haul of 24. With barely 18 months left on Collins' contract, there were some questions about his long-term future. After a week of negotiations, David answered those questions by signing a new deal - putting him on £4,800 per week until the summer of 2013. All being well, he will play out his prime years at Aggborough. However, there was now speculation about another of our strikers. Iain Hume had not been as prolific as Collins (6 goals and 3 assists in 21 games) but he was clearly a class act... and at 25, he sensed it was time he looked for another club. I had a frank discussion with Iain, in which he made it clear that he wanted to leave. I reluctantly agreed to his request and would listen to any big offers that came his way. Sheffield United made the first move, offering £1million, but I wanted to hold out for more. One player who did leave the Harriers - on a temporary basis at least - was the versatile youngster Stephen Kavanagh. The 17-year-old Irishman would spend the rest of the season on loan at Lancaster, who were battling to stay in the Conference. We were supposed to kick off our December schedule at home to Nottingham Forest on 10 December. Unfortunately, a spate of heavy rain town left the pitch unplayable, and so the match was pushed back until the new year. Three days later, though, the Aggborough turf had recovered enough that we could host Millwall. The Lions were relegated from Division 1 last season, and they went into this game sitting just outside the play-off spots in 9th. 13 DECEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Millwall It'd been two weeks since our last match, so there was a little bit of rustiness to shake off. Millwall took advantage of that after five minutes. Right-back Luke Young delivered a free-kick to Deon Burton, who cushioned a header beyond John Forde to put the visitors ahead. The Lions had scored from their first shot of the game, but we would do the same in the 18th minute. César Gallego delivered the perfect riposte when his right-wing cross was finished by David Collins, who scored his 50th Kidderminster goal in just his 93rd match for the club! Having completed his half-century, Collins was soon looking to start another, forcing a difficult save out of Millwall goalkeeper Paul Gerrard in the 27th minute. The scoreline remained level at 1-1 going into the second half, though the Lions had been significantly weakened by a hamstring injury to Burton. Though a couple of Millwall's younger defenders looked shaky in the second half, Gerrard was drawing on all his 35 years of experience to stop us storming into a comfortable lead during the second half. It would take something magnificent to beat the former Everton shotstopper again... ...and Harriers substitute Scott Simpson delivered just that, two minutes from full-time! The Scottish midfielder chested down Baldur Aðalsteinsson's header, then skipped past a couple of visiting defenders before putting a low drive past Gerrard! Aggborough erupted as we fought back from an early 1-0 deficit to win our third league match in a row! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 18, S Simpson 88) Millwall - 1 (Burton 5) Division 2, Attendance 4,197 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 3rd, Millwall 10th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Bell, T Simpson; Heikkinen (Scott); Gallego, Whitley (S Simpson), Carter (Ormeño), Aðalsteinsson; Collins. BOOKED: Whitley, Carter, Aðalsteinsson. Swindon had bumped us out of the automatic promotion places the week before, beating Colchester 1-0 while we were putting our feet up. The Robins had kept up their winning form against Tranmere, but Scott Simpson's late clincher against Millwall crucially kept us just a single point behind them - with a game in hand. Over the next week, three players left Kidderminster. Firstly, we bade farewell to former captain Timo Marjamaa. The Finnish defender only featured twice since my arrival, so I sold him for just £60,000 to... Spanish top-flight side Extremadura. If Timo can’t get into a Division 2 team, I doubt he'll see much action in La Liga, but good luck to him anyway! While I was at it, I also terminated René Schrøder's contract six months early. The Danish utility man had been a loyal servant to the club since 2002, but he too had seen very little gametime recently, And then, on Friday afternoon, the club announced that we'd agreed a deal to sell Hume to Southampton for £1.9million. This was a transfer that worked well for everyone - Iain got his long-overdue move to the Premiership, while we eased the burden on our wage budget and took our bank balance back into the positive. The post-Hume era began 24 hours later at the Madejski Stadium - the home of last season's play-off nemeses Reading. Our hosts were struggling in 17th position, having endured the agony of losing at Wembley in May. While Kiddy fans weren't too fond of Royals manager Craig Johnston, I also had some beef with the man who stole my Manager of the Year award in 2006 - when my Dagenham & Redbridge team won the Division 2 title, and Reading finished 19th! 20 DECEMBER 2008: Reading vs Kidderminster Harriers Reading started positively, and they could have won a penalty after just nine minutes. The Royals protested after their former Crystal Palace winger Tommy Black was tugged back in the area by Kidderminster's right-back Billy Berntsson, but the referee waved it away. As Reading continued to pile on the attacking pressure, it seemed inevitable that Black would get on the scoresheet. That finally happened after 33 minutes... but it was the 21-year-old striker Dave Black who found the net, tapping in a low cross from his namesake Tommy! John Forde was left flat-footed, and we were 1-0 down. David Collins scooped over a chance to draw us level in the 40th minute, and there was worse to come just before half-time. Out of nowhere, Jorge Ormeño shoved Reading defender Hayden Foxe to the turf, which meant our Chilean midfielder would have to hit the showers an hour early! Foxe hunted a second goal for the Royals six minutes after the break. A sublime direct free-kick from the Australian effectively killed the game off at 2-0. Collins tried his best to send us back home with at least something, but some impressive saves from Kevin Pilkington left us goalless in a league game for the first time since mid-October. Reading - 2 (D Black 33, Foxe 51) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 2, Attendance 20,232 - POSITIONS: Reading 13th, Kidderminster 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; Berntsson (McCluskey), Miller, Bell, T Simpson; Heikkinen; Gallego, Ormeño, Whitley (Nicholls), Aðalsteinsson; Collins. BOOKED: Berntsson. SENT OFF: Ormeño. What a disaster - and to make matters worse, Swindon had won at Watford. We were now four points off the automatic promotion places. Jorge Ormeño's act of violent stupidity had no doubt cost us any chance of fighting back in the first half. After the match, I docked him a week's wages - and he responded with a tirade of Spanish profanities, of which I understood a few words: "¡Quiero irme! ¡Dame una maldita transferencia!" I knew what I was getting myself into when I signed Jorge. He did have an erratic reputation at Elche, after all. Nonetheless, I realised now that signing him was a mistake - and that he should never play for Kidderminster Harriers again. With Ormeño relegated to the reserves and looking to leave as soon as possible, I was in the market for another midfielder. Sheffield United might have failed in their attempts to sign Hume, but they were still willing to let us loan in Gareth Roberts for the rest of the month. 24-year-old Gareth is an intelligent box-to-box midfielder who began his career at Southampton. After a short Christmas break, Roberts came into a much-changed Harriers team for our visit to Hartlepool. Captain Jeff Whitley, defender Simon Bell, and wingers Baldur Aðalsteinsson and César Gallego were ALL dropped after their poor performances in Berkshire. I could probably have relegated Terry Simpson too had our other senior left-back Kevin Hyde not picked up another injury in training. 27 DECEMBER 2008: Hartlepool United vs Kidderminster Harriers Hartlepool were second-from-bottom and had recently turned to another new manager - Dennis Wise, who was relegated from Division 1 with Millwall last season. The former Chelsea and Wimbledon hardman's latest relegation scrap got even uglier after 12 minutes. A powerful free-kick from Scott Simpson deflected off the Pools wall, and centre-half Tony Ball accidentally diverted his namesake into the net for an early Kidderminster lead! From that point, we were completely dominant - even after target man Alan Scott came off with a broken toe in the 27th minute. Another Scott Simpson set-piece doubled our lead just before half-time, when his corner was headed home by debutant Gareth Roberts! We were 2-0 up - and the Victoria Park faithful were not amused! Gareth's debut got even better four minutes after the interval, as his through-ball provided the assist that put David Collins on the scoresheet. A couple of minutes later, Collins doubled his tally, outjumping the hopeless Hartlepool keeper Ben Robinson to nod in a cross from right-back Billy Berntsson! 4-0 to the Harriers - could it get any better than this? Oh yes, it could! Collins capped off his hat-trick, beating defender Mark Nicholas to a cross from substitute forward Robert Garside before ruthlessly putting the hosts out of their misery. We had recorded 64% possession and scored FIVE goals away from home - against a pitiful Pools team who didn't even have a single shot at our goal! Hartlepool United - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 5 (Ball og12, G Roberts 45, Collins 49,51,78) Division 2, Attendance 6,361 - POSITIONS: Hartlepool 24th, Kidderminster 3rd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson (Aðalsteinsson); Nicholls; Carter, G Roberts; S Simpson; Scott (Garside), Collins. Jeff Stelling, I am very, very sorry... Collins' first hat-trick of the season propelled him to joint-2nd in the Division 2 goal charts with 15 goals - one behind Wycombe's Paul Emblen. Unfortunately, strike partner Alan Scott would not be adding to his three goals for at least a couple of weeks, having broken his toe. For our final match of 2008, Aggborough opened its doors to mid-table Watford. Peter Taylor had just celebrated two years in charge of the Hornets, making him their longest-serving manager since Graham Taylor. (Incidentally, we would shortly host Watford again, having been drawn against them in Round 2 of the Football League Trophy.) 30 DECEMBER 2008: Kidderminster Harriers vs Watford This game was much more competitive, as Watford's captain Robin Hulbert made clear when his 4th-minute shot seriously tested John Forde. The Kidderminster keeper intervened again in the 28th minute, bravely coming off his line to collect Simon Thomson's left-wing delivery just before Hornets defender Jamie Banks could finish it. David Collins missed a couple of shots at goal in the first half, but things went rather better for his strike partner six minutes into the second period. It was another Scott Simpson corner that opened the scoring - and it was opened by a header from Robert Garside! At the eighth time of asking, the young Welshman had at last broken his Kidderminster duck! Watford had gone a goal down, and Peter Taylor had another issue to contend with in the 60th minute. A rough tackle from Gareth Roberts had broken Banks' toe, bringing his game to an end and forcing Taylor into his third and final substitution. I wouldn't even make my first change until the 68th minute, when Roberts was taken off after picking up a yellow card. With Roberts coming off, I decided to go all out for a second goal - dropping Simpson deeper into midfield, and sending 17-year-old striker Jamie Berry on for his debut. Berry took just four minutes to make his mark, flicking Garside's lob across the Watford area for Collins to half-volley it home! That secured a 2-0 victory - our fourth triumph in five league games! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Garside 51, Collins 72) Watford - 0 Division 2, Attendance 3,342 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 3rd, Watford 11th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson (McCluskey), Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson (Aðalsteinsson); Nicholls; Whitley, G Roberts (Berry); S Simpson; Garside, Collins. When we lost 4-2 to Watford on the opening day of the season, we looked dishevelled, shambolic, and more like a bunch of individuals rather than a team. In the space of five months, we have changed so much for the better. Collins is now the joint-top scorer in Division 2, we're just two points off 2nd-place Swindon (with a game in hand)... and John Forde is still God! Bring on the new year! Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 7, 2023 Author Share Posted April 7, 2023 (edited) DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of December 2008) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Torquay 24 10 3 0 42 21 9 1 1 31 15 61 2nd Swindon 25 9 1 3 28 13 6 2 4 21 18 48 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Kidderminster 24 9 1 2 20 10 5 3 4 23 20 46 4th Nottm Forest 24 9 1 3 32 18 5 1 5 21 19 44 5th Wycombe 24 10 1 1 33 21 4 1 7 23 36 44 6th Northampton 23 9 1 2 25 14 3 2 6 15 22 39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Cambridge Utd 24 7 4 2 27 18 2 4 5 23 28 35 8th Hull 25 6 1 6 22 22 5 1 6 21 25 35 9th Rochdale 24 6 3 3 27 19 3 4 5 22 25 34 10th Shrewsbury 24 6 4 1 18 10 3 3 7 10 22 34 11th Watford 24 7 1 4 25 17 2 5 5 17 27 33 12th Reading 24 6 2 4 23 16 3 3 6 18 22 32 13th Doncaster 24 6 2 4 24 19 4 0 8 12 20 32 14th Oldham 24 6 4 2 29 15 2 3 7 16 26 31 15th Tranmere 24 7 5 0 18 7 1 2 9 10 30 31 16th Millwall 23 6 2 4 24 15 2 4 5 16 22 30 17th Oxford 24 6 4 2 35 23 2 2 8 18 32 30 18th Q.P.R. 24 5 3 4 25 22 3 3 6 17 23 30 19th Darlington 24 3 4 4 14 12 5 1 7 13 18 29 20th Bristol City 24 4 4 4 28 24 3 2 7 18 27 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Colchester 25 5 2 5 12 14 0 5 8 9 24 22 22nd Walsall 24 4 3 4 25 23 1 2 10 18 38 20 23rd Wrexham 24 2 3 6 19 27 2 4 7 18 27 19 24th Hartlepool 25 3 3 6 19 23 1 4 8 13 28 19 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Chelsea still lead the Premiership, and Fernando Morientes is still scoring for fun... but for how long? Manchester United declare that they want their title back after thrashing the Blues 4-1 at Old Trafford, with evergreen 34-year-old Paul Scholes bossing the midfield. United finish the month just three points behind Chelsea - with two games in hand. Two more members of Arsenal's 2002 title-winning squad depart, as strikers Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu are sold to Porto for £9.25million and Hertha BSC for £2.9million respectively. Their departures leave Francis Jeffers and Jermaine Pennant as the last remaining champions at Highbury. Distraught Gunners fans dry their tears with the news that manager Arsène Wenger has signed throw-in specialist Rory Delap from Middlesbrough. While Cristiano Ronaldo remains stuck in Lisbon, his former Sporting team-mate Ricardo Quaresma is on the move again, joining unbeaten La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid from Milan for £8.25million. Meanwhile, Rangers captain Barry Ferguson does a reverse Gazza by moving to Lazio from Ibrox for £5.75million. After 16 months in Miami, Lilian Thuram returns to his native France as the new player-manager of Ligue 1 strugglers Auxerre. Thuram's band of misfits - including Stéphane Dalmat, Frédéric Piquionne, Nicolas Anelka, and a camel named Meriem - crash to a 3-1 defeat at Sedan, leaving them just above the relegation zone. Round 3 of the UEFA Cup sees Celtic produce an incredible comeback - overturning a 3-0 first-leg loss in Belgium to beat Charleroi 6-0 at home! Rangers finish off Leeds and join their Glaswegian foes in Round 4... but Ian Holloway's Dundee United are unexpectedly knocked out by Jupp Heynckes' Hertha. IN OTHER NEWS... As his US presidency draws to a close, George W Bush makes one final trip to war-torn Iraq, where gets a rather warm reception from one local journalist. During a press conference, Muntadhar al-Zaidi throws both of his shoes at Bush while yelling, "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog!" Carol Vorderman leaves the Channel 4 game show "Countdown" after 26 years as co-presenter, and is replaced with Southend-born newcomer Rachel Riley. Following Des Lynam's and Des O'Connor's brief stints in the host's chair, producers abandon plans to bring in Des Walker - and give the top job to Jeff Stelling instead. Centuries after its peak in medieval Europe, feudalism is officially abolished once and for all. The Channel Island of Sark becomes the last feudal state to hold fully democratic elections. On Christmas Day, a Sky News presenter breaks the news that the playwright Harold Pinter has died... for real this time. He was 78 years old. A few hours later, the American jazz singer and actress Eartha Kitt passes away aged 81. Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 10, 2023 Author Share Posted April 10, 2023 (edited) JANUARY 2009 The new year began with a couple of players leaving Aggborough. Nick Roberts had been consistently asking to leave throughout my tenure, and after 10 largely mediocre games, the versatile defender got his wish - and joined Tranmere on a free transfer. Finland right-back Hannu Haarala was also on his way out, having posted an average rating of just 6.27 in 15 games this term. Despite his poor form, Premiership side Aston Villa still saw reason to pay £450,000 for him. Perhaps Villa's tea lady retired and they needed a replacement? Those departures left me with a first-team squad of 20 first-team players that I could trust with confidence, and that I could happily rotate in or out as I wished. There was also a little wiggle room for some younger talents to break through if they impressed in the reserves. Barring any major catastrophes, I did not plan on signing any more senior players this season. Our first game of 2009 was a play-off duel at home to Nottingham Forest, who had the chance to leapfrog us into 4th place with a victory. Though we had a healthy 11-point lead on Cambridge in 7th, there could be no room for complacency as we entered the second half of the season. 7 JANUARY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Nottingham Forest With this being such a big game in the play-off race, it was important to keep cool heads... but we weren't cool in the first four minutes. Shortly after loanee midfielder Gareth Roberts was booked for a holding foul, goalkeeper John Forde committed an even costlier offence in the penalty area. After clumsily bringing Andy Reid down, Forde then faced a penalty kick from Chris Bart-Williams, which he could not save. David Collins was denied an equaliser on the hour mark by Forest keeper Nick Colgan, but their next encounter early in the second half would have a different outcome. After Colgan parried a low left-footer from César Gallego, Collins pounced on the loose ball to make it 1-1. Collins' 17th goal of the season appeared to have shifted the momentum our way, and he was unlucky not to give us the lead with another strike on 66 minutes. However, there would be another twist in the 75th minute, when Forde gave away another penalty - this time for fouling Beli Moumouni Dagano! Bart-Williams took that spot-kick as well... with the same outcome. 2-1 Forest. As I fumed at Forde single-handedly costing us three points, our afternoon got even worse when Collins pulled up with a knee injury. He was replaced with 17-year-old Jamie Berry, who later fired wide our last chance to take away a draw. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 53) Nottingham Forest - 2 (Bart-Williams pen4,pen75) Division 2, Attendance 5,564 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Nottm Forest 4th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller (Gallego), Bell, T Simpson; Heikkinen; Whitley, Roberts (Aðalsteinsson); S Simpson; Garside, Collins (Berry). BOOKED: Roberts. That could be a worrying turning point. As well as losing three points on Cambridge and David Collins for the next two weeks, it seemed that John Forde had lost his head. We needed to get back on track three days later, as Aggborough hosted a seemingly less intense meeting with Colchester. The Essex side were second-from-bottom and had scored a league-low 22 goals in 26 matches. 10 JANUARY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Colchester United After a shaky start, we hit our stride midway through the first period. Winger Baldur Aðalsteinsson chipped a fantastic ball into space for attacking midfielder Scott Simpson, who fired us into the lead after 26 minutes. Simpson had scored his 6th goal for the Harriers - more than in his entire career at his previous club St Mirren! The second half was less comfortable. As we struggled to kill Colchester off, the plucky underdogs started to fight back. They got a massive chance on 74 minutes, when a careless shove from Scott Simpson sent U's forward Dave Williams tumbling in the box. The man who'd given us the lead had given it away, as James Flood's penalty levelled the scores. As we rued the potential loss of two crucial points, Robert Garside launched a one-man crusade to restore our lead. Garside's 79th-minute header narrowly missed the target... but when substitute Ryan Carter sent the Welsh striker through on goal a minute later, he made sure to apply the finish! With his first league goal for the club, Garside had secured a late 2-1 victory! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (S Simpson 26, Garside 80) Colchester United - 1 (Flood pen74) Division 2, Attendance 3,814 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Colchester 23rd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Bell (McCluskey), T Simpson; Heikkinen (Nicholls); Gallego, Whitley, S Simpson (Carter), Aðalsteinsson; Garside. BOOKED: Bell, S Simpson. We might have won, but that was still a poor performance. The press were getting on our backs as well, with the local newspaper - the Kidderminster Shuttle - accusing club captain Jeff Whitley of getting complacent. I knew Jeff was a model pro who wouldn't allow himself to get cocky, but I admitted that his recent performances were not up to scratch. With that in mind, I decided to drop him for the next two games, with Barry Miller taking on the captaincy for the time being. In midweek, we played our fourth home game in a row - against Watford in Round 2 of the Football League Trophy. We'd beaten the Hornets 2-0 at Aggborough in the league just a fortnight earlier, and Peter Taylor's side had lost their next two matches as well. There was a mixture of good and bad news on the injury front prior to this game. Target man Alan Scott was ready to return from a broken toe, but centre-back Simon Bell had damaged his shoulder and was ruled out for the next three weeks. 13 JANUARY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Watford Watford's lack of confidence was evident throughout the first half. Time after time, we sliced open our defence like hot knives through butter, only for Darryl Flahavan's valiant goalkeeping to keep the scoreline at 0-0. Robert Garside eventually broke through in the 44th minute, picking up Alan Scott's flick-on and dribbling past two defenders before beating Flahavan. The Hornets looked to fight back early in the second period. Making just his second competitive start for Kidderminster, goalkeeper Kent Ivarsson made a couple of difficult saves from striker James Dickinson and midfielder David Livermore. Another shot from Dickinson in the 52nd minute did evade Ivarsson, but the post came to Kent's rescue by deflecting it wide. Despite a good performance in the first half, Scott hadn't been fit enough to return for the second. Garside was now partnered up front by Jamie Berry, on what would be a memorable cameo for the teenage prospect. In the 71st minute, Scott Simpson chased down Gareth Roberts' long ball and curled it across to Berry, who headed it home for a 2-0 lead! Berry's first senior goal was followed 11 minutes later by another lethal header - again set up by Scott Simpson, this time from a corner! Jamie couldn't quite make it a dream hat-trick, but he was involved in a third goal just before full-time. A selfless assist for winger César Gallego rounded off an emphatic 4-0 win over a truly woeful Watford team! Kidderminster Harriers - 4 (Garside 44, Berry 71,82, Gallego 88) Watford - 0 Football League Trophy South Round 2, Attendance 1,361 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Ivarsson; Berntsson (McCluskey), Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson; Nicholls; Carter, Roberts (Gallego); S Simpson; Scott (Berry), Garside. BOOKED: Roberts. Looks like Jamie Berry's got a really bright future ahead of him! Two goals and one assists in his third senior game - not bad for a lad who's just turned 17! Having stung the Hornets for the second time in two weeks, we were awarded with a South Quarter Final away to QPR. That match would take place at the start of February. We returned to league action at Tranmere, who were 17th and looking to keep clear of danger. Despite keeping his first clean sheet in the Watford thrashing, backup goalkeeper Kent Ivarsson made way for Forde in the only change to my starting line-up. 17 JANUARY 2009: Tranmere Rovers vs Kidderminster Harriers It was very gusty and rainy up in Merseyside, which didn't exactly bode well for this contest. Sure enough, the first half was a real toil for everyone involved - the only highlight coming when Alan Scott's 10th-minute half-volley was pushed away by Tranmere goalkeeper Ian Gray. The weather had settled down by the second half, when Tranmere at last managed to get their natural attacking game up and running. Ex-Harriers winger David Cowan hit the side netting in the 56th minute, but another effort seven minutes later had more success. None of our defenders were quick enough to close down Rovers midfielder Chris Lewington before he volleyed Nathan Lowndes' cross in off the post. John Forde had not seen it coming. After falling behind, we went for the route-one approach - hoof it up to Big Al! Target man Alan Scott skimmed the bar in the 65th minute, but it was second time lucky six minutes later, when he headed home a chipped delivery from Scott Simpson. That meant we took away a point from a surprisingly tough battle. Tranmere Rovers - 1 (Lewington 63) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Scott 71) Division 2, Attendance 13,273 - POSITIONS: Tranmere 17th, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson; Nicholls (Aðalsteinsson); Carter (Gallego), Roberts; S Simpson; Scott (Berry), Garside. BOOKED: T Simpson. Next up was a local derby of sorts, as we travelled about 30 miles north-west to face Shrewsbury in midweek. Midfielders Kevin Nicholls and Ryan Carter were both fined and dropped after their abject performances in the previous game. 21 JANUARY 2009: Shrewsbury Town vs Kidderminster Harriers Shrewsbury came out all guns blazing, with both of their centre-backs - yes, their centre-backs - having shots inside the first eight minutes. Gary Locke was denied by John Forde in the third minute, but Toni Kuivasto broke through five minutes later. Eddie Mooney bought 'two tickets to paradise' for himself and Kuivasto, who headed home the Irish midfielder's corner. We hunted for an equaliser in the 26th minute, when team leaders Barry Miller and Jeff Whitley had shots saved in quick succession by Shrews goalie Robert Green. My former Dagenham & Redbridge keeper was keen to prove me wrong... but my current number 1 also knew he needed to impress. In the 45th minute, Forde bravely caught a left-wing cross from Jay Richardson, just as it looked like Shrews captain Neil Somerville was about to head them into a 2-0 lead. Mooney had another fine chance for 2-0 in the 56th minute, when his half-volley went inches over the bar. But when that second goal did arrive eight minutes later, it was scored by us at the other end. Against the run of play, César Gallego had won us a corner, which he swung to the far post for Alan Scott to flick it home! We then piled on the pressure through the rest of the second half, up until the last few moments of injury time. Standing with an indirect free-kick just 20 yards from goal, Gallego played a quick one-two before firing it towards goal. Green caught the ball before fumbling it right in front of Scott, who looked certain to score... until the referee blew for full-time! Alan and his team-mates were furious, but the ref insisted that time was up - and like it or not, his word was final! Shrewsbury Town - 1 (Kuivasto 8) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Scott 64) Division 2, Attendance 7,188 - POSITIONS: Shrewsbury 13th, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson (McCluskey), Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson; Whitley; S Simpson (Aðalsteinsson), Roberts; Gallego; Scott, Garside (Berry). Thanks a lot, Mr Kevin Stevens. You've probably cost us two points there. Our 11-point gap on those teams outside the play-off spots had now been cut to just 6. Our top-six position was now looking far from safe... and when I heard that QPR had just put SEVEN goals past Walsall, I didn't think much about our hopes of further progress in the Football League Trophy either! Though Scott's return to form was a positive, he wasn't quite at Collins' level - so it was wonderful to see David back in action when we welcomed Bristol City to Aggborough. Left-back Kevin Hyde also made it onto the bench, having been beset by injuries for near enough the last four months. 28 JANUARY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Bristol City David Collins could have picked up from where he'd left off in the fifth minute. Even surrounded by Bristol City defenders, Collins still managed to get his head to a flick-on from Alan Scott, nodding it just over the bar. Collins' next effort in the 15th minute was saved by City keeper Paul McDonald. While this match marked Collins' comeback from injury, it also represented Baichung Bhutia's first game back at Aggborough since I sold him in July. The Indian had so far scored 10 goals for Bristol City, and his 19th-minute volley almost delivered another, but John Forde just about tipped it wide. Bristol City suffered a couple of injuries in the second half - to striker Marvin Brown and right-back Graeme Murty - but had another chance to break through in the 63rd minute. Former Peru striker Vasallo Aldo Olcese set up an effort for winger Jimmy Corbett, who fired it comically wide. Sadly, we didn't fare much better going forward later on, and so this match ended in the first goalless draw of my Kidderminster tenure. Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Bristol City - 0 Division 2, Attendance 4,023 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Bristol City 18th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson (Hyde); Whitley; Carter, Roberts; S Simpson (Garside); Scott, Collins (Gallego). BOOKED: T Simpson, Roberts, S Simpson. After three draws in a row, could we get back to winning ways when 21st-placed Wrexham came to town? After enduring an exceptionally terrible start to the season, the Dragons had risen from the flames under new manager Steve Bull - and had shown signs that they could yet survive. This match would not be as easy as the table suggested. 31 JANUARY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Wrexham Kidderminster captain Jeff Whitley was fired up from the start - and after a reckless challenge on Wrexham midfielder Gavin McCann in the second minute, he was lucky to escape with only a yellow card! The subsequent free-kick from McCann was well blocked by Terry Simpson... but just moments later, our left-back pulled up with a thigh injury. His game was up. The referee then issued a couple more bookings - including one to Simpson's replacement Kevin Hyde - before making an even bigger call in the 11th minute. Whitley was wiped out in the Wrexham box by the visitors' left-winger Danny Jackman, and the referee awarded us a penalty, which Ryan Carter coolly converted to give us a 1-0 lead! Eight minutes later, the referee was pointing to the spot again - OUR penalty spot! Barry Miller had lost his head, going in two-footed on Paul Everitt as the young Wrexham forward dribbled into our area. Miller was sent off in disgrace... but when John Forde saved McCann's penalty, it seemed we'd got away with it! Despite being a man down, we remained a goal up! This was already turning into a feisty contest, and things only heated up in the 38th minute, when Wrexham equalised... well, kinda. Jean Dika Dika horribly mistimed a slide tackle on David Collins, which led to the Dragons centre-back receiving a red card of his own! With both teams down to 10 men, me and my Wrexham counterpart Steve Bull were desperately trying to calm our players down. Unfortunately, there would be ANOTHER red card just before half-time. Forde went from hero to zero when he committed a professional foul on Wrexham striker Gareth Armstrong, leaving us with only NINE men! Kent Ivarsson came off the bench to try and save the penalty from his Swedish compatriot Daniel Almqvist. Though Almqvist scored the first attempt, the referee ordered a retake... and Ivarsson couldn't keep that one out either. 1-1 at half-time. The Kidderminster dressing room was not a happy sight at half-time. After a few minutes of silent contemplation, I angrily ordered Miller and Forde to apologise to their team-mates for their sendings-off, which had left us seriously handicapped for the second period. I was particularly upset with Forde, who in just a few weeks seemed to have turned from an exceptionally reliable goalkeeper into an unpredictable psychopath! Unsurprisingly, the Battle of Aggborough would end in a decisive Welsh victory. Ivarsson bravely kept Armstrong off the scoresheet in the 53rd minute, but the inexperienced Swede was beaten by an excellent strike from Everitt 10 minutes later. With Wrexham now 2-1 up and Kidderminster in total disarray, the final half-hour was a painful anti-climax. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Carter pen11) Wrexham - 2 (Almqvist pen45, Everitt 63) Division 2, Attendance 4,483 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Wrexham 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson (Hyde); Whitley (McCluskey); Carter, Roberts; S Simpson; Scott (Ivarsson), Collins. BOOKED: Whitley, Hyde. SENT OFF: Miller, Forde. Words fail me. Do we even WANT to get promoted this season? Here's a recap of how our January has gone. We've won one league game, drawn four, lost two (both at home), we've given away FOUR penalties - and we've gone from being 11 points clear in the play-off places to just 4 points clear! We're about to lose our goalkeeper AND our vice-captain to three-match suspensions. Not only that, but our best left-back Terry Simpson will miss the whole of February with a calf strain! Even my assistant manager has now deserted me! That's right - David Weir has only gone and hot-footed it to Bristol Rovers! The Division 3 side needed a new manager after Ronnie McFall was poached by Cambridge - and just eight months after I promoted him from the scouting team, Weir couldn't wait to take his first top job! You ungrateful git, Davie. It's like sod's law, isn't it? Anything that can go wrong WILL go wrong! Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 10, 2023 Author Share Posted April 10, 2023 DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of January 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Torquay 29 12 4 0 47 24 10 1 2 36 20 71 2nd Nottm Forest 30 11 2 3 36 19 7 1 6 25 23 57 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wycombe 30 13 1 1 40 23 5 1 9 29 43 56 4th Swindon 30 11 1 4 32 14 6 3 5 23 21 55 5th Kidderminster 30 10 2 4 24 15 5 5 4 25 22 52 6th Northampton 29 11 2 2 35 16 4 2 8 20 29 49 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Hull 30 9 1 6 32 26 6 2 6 25 28 48 8th Cambridge Utd 30 8 5 2 29 18 4 5 6 26 30 46 9th Doncaster 29 9 3 4 34 25 5 0 8 13 20 45 10th Rochdale 30 8 4 3 37 23 4 4 7 28 35 44 11th Reading 30 9 2 4 29 19 4 3 8 22 28 44 12th Q.P.R. 30 7 3 5 29 24 5 3 7 26 26 42 13th Watford 30 8 1 5 28 19 3 6 7 25 35 40 14th Shrewsbury 30 7 6 1 24 13 3 4 9 11 26 40 15th Oldham 30 7 5 3 34 19 2 5 8 20 31 37 16th Oxford 30 7 5 4 42 34 3 2 9 20 36 37 17th Millwall 29 7 3 5 30 19 2 5 7 19 28 35 18th Bristol City 30 5 4 5 31 26 4 3 9 25 36 34 19th Tranmere 29 7 6 0 19 8 1 3 12 12 37 33 20th Darlington 29 3 5 6 19 20 5 2 8 15 22 31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Wrexham 30 3 4 7 21 29 4 4 8 24 32 29 22nd Walsall 30 6 3 5 30 32 1 3 12 19 43 27 23rd Colchester 30 5 2 7 15 19 0 6 10 11 29 23 24th Hartlepool 30 3 3 8 21 29 1 4 11 14 38 19 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Chelsea stay top of the Premiership after an impressive 3-1 win over Blackburn. With captain John Terry in top form after returning from an ACL injury, there's a lively debate on Radio 5 Live over whether the 28-year-old centre-back will finally get an England call-up. Blackburn left-back Wayne Bridge phones up the BBC to express his doubts. Atlético Madrid continue their relentless La Liga pursuit by shocking champions Barcelona at the Nou Camp. Goals from Jesuli and Mario Antonio Núñez fire Atléti into a 2-0 lead before Patrick Vieira pulls a late consolation back for the hosts, who now sit 11 points adrift of the leaders. It seems the only team who can catch 'Los Colchoneros' now are arch-rivals Real Madrid, whose goalkeeper Iker Casillas keeps his ninth consecutive La Liga clean sheet. And still, nobody knows who's going to win the Bundesliga! Hertha BSC are the latest team to enter the German title fight, as new striker Nwankwo Kanu inspires them to a 3-0 win over leaders VfB Stuttgart. At the bottom, Leverkusen are plunged deeper into relegation trouble after going down 3-2 to Bochum. After scoring 13 goals in 17 Serie B matches for Chievo, Bosnian striker Zlatan Muslimovic makes the biggest move of his career - joining Milan for £10.75million. Muslimovic is signed as a replacement for Álvaro Recoba, who decides to cross the San Siro again and return to Inter at the end of the season. As Parma forward Ariel Ortega agrees to join Bologna this summer, two of his former Argentina team-mates are on the move. Gabriel Batistuta leaves Lecce to manage their Serie B promotion rivals Genoa, while Diego Pablo Simeone is unveiled as head coach of Athletic Bilbao. I doubt Simeone will be signing David Beckham any time soon... IN OTHER NEWS... Barely four decades after the end of racial segregation, Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States - and the first African-American to hold that office. Most Americans are simply relieved that they finally have an adult in charge again. US Airways Flight 1549 is flying from New York to Charlotte when it suddenly loses all engine power shortly after take-off. Pilot Chesley Sullenberger decides that the only course of action is to ditch the plane in the Hudson River. Miraculously, all 155 people on board are rescued alive, and ‘Sully’ is recognised as a hero. Californian woman Nadya Suleman gives birth to eight babies - six boys and two girls - who were conceived via IVF. It is the first time on record that a full set of octuplets has been born alive (not including cartoon shows). English cricket is in turmoil, as national team coach Peter Moores is sacked after a series of rows with his star player. Kevin Pietersen (born in South Africa) steps down as England captain and is replaced by Andrew Strauss (born in South Africa). On the plus side, there’s only five months to go until the Ashes! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 12, 2023 Author Share Posted April 12, 2023 (edited) FEBRUARY 2009 It would be fair to say January hadn't exactly gone to plan for the Harriers. We had gone four games from a win, our Division 2 play-off place was in serious jeopardy, and my assistant manager had just jumped ship to Bristol Rovers. At least we were still in contention for a trophy - the Football League Trophy. Having defeated Watford 4-0 in the previous round, we went to QPR in the South Quarter Finals. Stuart Baxter's Hoops might have been mid-table, but they posed a considerable attacking threat - they had thumped Walsall 7-0 just a few weeks earlier! Chilean defensive midfielder Jorge Ormeño returned to the squad for the first time in just over six weeks. Jorge had spent some time simmering in the reserves after his pre-Christmas meltdown at Reading - and although he was happy to stay, I warned him that he was on his last chance. 3 FEBRUARY 2009: Queens Park Rangers vs Kidderminster Harriers If the first 10 minutes were anything to go by, Jorge Ormeño wasn't likely to stay in my team for much longer. QPR dominated the opening stages, and goalkeeper Kent Ivarsson was left horribly exposed as midfielder Simon Humphreys stormed through to score the opener after just four minutes. The Hoops struck again in the 8th minute, when striker Richard Pacquette outjumped Harriers defender Markus Heikkinen to put a header past Ivarsson. Though Kent wasn’t really at fault for that goal, his night was about to get a whole lot worse. Pacquette had another pop at goal two minutes later - and this time, Ivarsson really could have done a much better job of keeping it out. After just 10 minutes, QPR had scored three goals from three shots, and this cup tie was already over. The hosts coasted through the rest of the first half, with Pacquette narrowly missing out on a hat-trick just before the interval. Ivarsson regained enough of his composure at the break to save the Dominica international's next effort two minutes into the second half. Indeed, the rest of the Kiddy defence tightened up enough to stop QPR scoring again, even if Simon Bell's troublesome shoulder ended his comeback after 67 minutes. This match did end on a somewhat positive note after 88 minutes, when Robert Garside headed in Scott Simpson's free-kick to give us a consolation goal. However, it did little to hide the fact that we'd gone out of the Football League Trophy with a whimper. Queens Park Rangers - 3 (Humphreys 4, Pacquette 8,10) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Garside 88) Football League Trophy South Quarter Final, Attendance 6,005 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Ivarsson; McCluskey (Fowler), Bell (Aðalsteinsson), Heikkinen, Hyde; Ormeño; Carter, Whitley; S Simpson; Scott (Berry), Garside. BOOKED: Hyde. That was actually a good performance - if you just ignore those first 10 minutes! However, I was now pretty sure that Kent Ivarsson was not the right person to be our backup goalkeeper. I would have to go back in the transfer market very soon, as John Forde would start a three-game ban after our next match. Forde and centre-back Barry Miller both started at Boundary Park against 15th-placed Oldham, in what would be the soon-to-be suspended duo's last matches for at least three weeks. This would also be my first match with a new assistant manager by my side. Neil Kennedy was a 47-year-old Scotsman with a high level of discipline, incredible tactical knowledge - and a great rapport with some of our younger players, having worked in Kidderminster's youth set-up before his promotion. 7 FEBRUARY 2009: Oldham Athletic vs Kidderminster Harriers Oldham had enjoyed a pretty solid first season back at this level, and they gave us a real battle here. After a tense opening half-hour, the Latics broke the deadlock on 33 minutes. Tero Koskela's cross from the left wing was dispatched at the far post by another experienced midfielder in Nick Wright. Andy Ritchie's hosts also had plenty of experience in goal, as 36-year-old journeyman Clayton Ince put in a brilliant performance to retain their advantage. To mention but two of Ince's saves, he clawed away a fierce shot from Scott Simpson just before half-time, and then parried a 55th-minute drive from winger César Gallego. We tried our best to rough Oldham up in the second half. Kevin Nicholls effectively took Wright out of the game when a collision left the latter with a dislocated jaw. Despite that, the Latics held firm until the 81st minute, when David Collins broke through their defensive line and drove an excellent shot beyond Ince. Collins had rescued us a point! Oldham Athletic - 1 (Wright 33) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 81) Division 2, Attendance 8,757 - POSITIONS: Oldham 15th, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Heikkinen, Hyde; Nicholls (Scott); Gallego, Whitley (Roberts), S Simpson (Carter), Aðalsteinsson; Collins. BOOKED: Nicholls. With Forde now on the naughty step, the hunt was on for a new keeper. After my first two transfer targets failed to agree terms, I finally struck a deal on Friday night - just in time to register our new man for the home game against Darlington. Noel Mooney was a 32-year-old Irishman who had made over 150 appearances for Watford, but he had recently lost his starting place to Darryl Flahavan. With bags of experience and excellent agility, he seemed the ideal man to fill in for his compatriot Forde - and he cost us just £40,000. Mooney went straight into the starting line-up on Valentine's Day, where I hoped a tactical switch to a standard 4-4-2 would reignite my love affair with Kidderminster. David Collins and Alan Scott were up front together once again, with Baldur Aðalsteinsson and César Gallego on the wings, and Stuart McCluskey filling in for the suspended Miller at centre-half. 14 FEBRUARY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Darlington Noel Mooney looked pretty composed in the early stages of his Harriers debut, producing a fine save from Darlington youngster Lee Nicholson after just four minutes. At the other end, Darlo's folically-challenged keeper William Bald turned away a skilful effort from César Gallego in the 15th minute. Gallego's attempt would prove to be our only shot on target in a match that quickly tapered off. Neither team looked particularly impressive in possession, and any potential attacks quickly dried up. This game had ‘0-0 bore draw’ written all over it. However, one man had other ideas. Two minutes before full-time, Darlington left-back Robbie Ryan suddenly saw an opening, as his team-mate Delapo Olaoye had been left criminally unmarked in the Harriers box. You shouldn't allow a striker as talented as Olaoye even a sniff at goal - and when the Nigerian latched onto Ryan's cross, there was only one outcome. The Quakers had snatched a 1-0 win, and Aggborough had fallen silent once again. Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Darlington - 1 (Olaoye 88) Division 2, Attendance 3,333 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 6th, Darlington 16th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Mooney; Berntsson, McCluskey, Heikkinen, Hyde; Gallego (Garside), Whitley, Roberts, Aðalsteinsson (Nicholls); Scott, Collins. Our third home defeat of the new year. Our seventh match without a win. The way things are going, I'm not even sure I'll get to finish the season. A few days later, though, we got an unexpected stroke of luck. The Football League's disciplinary panel had reviewed Forde's suspension - and ruled that a three-match ban they had originally given him was too harsh! The last two games of Forde's suspension were forsaken, and he could return to the team immediately! Forde was reinstated the following weekend, when we looked to avenge our Football League Trophy defeat to QPR and end our Aggborough blues. With Jeff Whitley experiencing an awful run of form and Miller's ban still ongoing, I decided to give the captaincy to holding midfielder Kevin Nicholls again. 21 FEBRUARY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Queens Park Rangers Our revenge mission was on track after just eight minutes. QPR's evergreen goalkeeper Lee Harper looked a bit creaky when his awkward fingertip save from David Collins left Harriers captain Kevin Nicholls with a simple tap-in. Kevin's delighted team-mates gathered around him to congratulate his first goal of the season... ...but the hard work would soon begin again. Striker Alex Morrison and winger Claus Bech Jørgensen each came close to drawing the Hoops level before the equaliser eventually arrived midway through the first half. Morrison swung a near-post cross to his strike partner - our FLT nemesis Richard Pacquette, whose header completed a 19-day hat-trick against us! Pacquette's goal might have only levelled the scores, but now there was a renewed determination in the Harriers to stop this match turning into another home defeat. Four minutes before half-time, Ryan Carter restored our advantage by half-volleying in a clever assist from Collins. Two of our near-namesakes then combined for a third goal in stoppage time, as Alan Scott's fierce strike was parried by Harper before Scott Simpson finished the follow-up! QPR started the second half brightly, but a couple of impressive John Forde saves - and some outstanding defending from centre-halves Markus Heikkinen and Stuart McCluskey - maintained our 3-1 lead. An unfortunate injury to Carter midway through the half was a setback, but not enough to get our opponents back into the match. With three league points on the board, that cup defeat didn't hurt quite so much now! Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Nicholls 8, Carter 41, S Simpson 45) Queens Park Rangers - 1 (Pacquette 22) Division 2, Attendance 3,779 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, QPR 14th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, McCluskey, Heikkinen, Hyde; Nicholls; Roberts, Carter (Aðalsteinsson); S Simpson (Gallego); Scott, Collins (Garside). BOOKED: Gallego. Our seven-match winless run was finally over, though our delight was somewhat tempered by the news that Ryan Carter had strained his knee ligaments. The playmaker wouldn't feature again for around three weeks. When we went to play-off rivals Swindon four days later, I made just one change to the starting line-up. Whitley returned to our midfield for the injured Carter, but Nicholls kept the armband instead of giving it back to our official club captain. 25 FEBRUARY 2009: Swindon Town vs Kidderminster Harriers The first 20 minutes would set the tone for the entire match. While Alan Scott and David Collins were unusually wasteful in front of goal for Kidderminster, Swindon managed to score from their first real attack. An excellent shot from England striker 'Super' Kevin Phillips - who had joined the Robins in November after being released by Manchester City - was saved by John Forde, who sadly couldn't stop the follow-up from ex-Coventry midfielder Craig Pead. This was Phillips' 10th outing for Swindon, and the 35-year-old looked frustrated that he still hadn't found the net. Of course, that barren run was bound to end against us. Four minutes before the break, midfielder Keith Baker broke free of our defence and then laid the ball off to Super Kev, who couldn't possibly miss. 2-0 to the hosts. Despite replacing Collins with the fresher-legged Robert Garside for the second half, we didn't even get close to threatening the Swindon net after the interval. Meanwhile, Pead was denied a third Robins goal when his 63rd-minute free-kick hit the post. Pead wouldn't let us off the hook again in the 80th minute, when he dribbled past right-back Billy Berntsson and crossed to substitute Stephen Wilkinson, who sealed a 3-0 home win. Swindon Town - 3 (Pead 20, Phillips 41, Wilkinson 80) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 2, Attendance 10,872 - POSITIONS: Swindon 4th, Kidderminster 6th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, McCluskey, Heikkinen (Bell), Hyde; Nicholls; Roberts, Whitley; S Simpson (Gallego); Scott, Collins (Garside). BOOKED: Collins. What an absolute mess. Let's move on. After the match, I agreed to sell 19-year-old reserve goalkeeper Richard Phillips to Dundee United for £40,000. That's the same transfer fee we received for the more experienced and much better Noel Mooney. I'd say that's an upgrade, right? To round off what had been another miserable month, we went to Wycombe. The Chairboys were 3rd in the table, and whose 23-goal striker Paul Emblen was the top scorer in Division 2. Oh goody. 28 FEBRUARY 2009: Wycombe Wanderers vs Kidderminster Harriers Chris Kamara's Torquay might have been running away with the Division 2 title, but Wycombe were also flying high and raving about their own 'unbelievable' Jeffs. Since joining the Chairboys from Sheffield United in the summer, midfielder and captain Ian Jeffs had delivered 7 goals and 15 assists. Actually, you can make that 8 goals, as Jeffs drove home a low cross from Chris Sedgwick in the 26th minute to break the deadlock. This match pitted Wycombe's 27-goal striker Paul Emblen against our 20-goal menace David Collins. In the 33rd minute, not long after Emblen headed over a chance to double the hosts' lead, Collins was given an opportunity to erase it. Loanee midfielder Gareth Roberts sent a fantastic long ball into the box for Collins, whose fierce drive rocketed past goalkeeper Chris Day. The Day got worse for Chris five minutes later. Though Robert Garside lost the ball to a well-timed tackle from Haraldur Guðmundsson, Scott Simpson managed to retain possession for Kidderminster. The Scottish midfielder then hit a low drive past Day to complete the comeback - and send us into the break with a 2-1 advantage! The atmosphere at Adams Park heated up early in the second period. Garside was very unfortunate not to give us a 3-1 lead on 56 minutes, when the young Welshman had a close-range shot saved by Day before heading another effort against the woodwork. He got one more chance seven minutes later thanks to a brilliant cross from Collins... but the header sailed over. It had been a similarly frustrating day for Emblen, who was subbed by Wycombe manager Tim Breacker in the 52nd minute. Though his replacement Bradley Williams didn't make much of an impact, another young substitute did impress in the 71st minute. Winger Martin Humphries stormed up the left flank before drilling the ball across to frontman Neil Hooper, whose finish made it 2-2. Both sides had opportunities to win the game late on. Collins was denied a winner in the 78th minute first by a difficult parry from Day, and then by a more assured clearance from defender Ian Roper. At the other end, John Forde produced more goalkeeping heroics to stop Wanderers from completing their own turnaround. After such a fierce contest between two evenly matched teams, a 2-2 draw seemed the fairest result. Wycombe Wanderers - 2 (Jeffs 26, Hooper 71) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 33, S Simpson 38) Division 2, Attendance 7,116 - POSITIONS: Wycombe 3rd, Kidderminster 6th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Bell, Hyde (T Simpson); Heikkinen; Roberts (Nicholls), Whitley; S Simpson; Garside (Scott), Collins. BOOKED: Hyde, T Simpson, Bell. Despite another decent result on the road, I am quite concerned that we've now won only one of our last nine league matches. That run of form just isn't going to keep you in the play-off places. We must turn things around in March, otherwise Kidderminster Harriers are not getting promoted this year. It's that simple. Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 12, 2023 Author Share Posted April 12, 2023 DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of February 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Torquay 35 12 4 2 48 27 12 3 2 45 24 79 2nd Nottm Forest 34 13 2 3 40 19 9 1 6 30 25 69 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wycombe 35 14 2 2 47 31 6 1 10 32 47 63 4th Swindon 35 12 1 5 35 15 7 3 7 27 29 61 5th Northampton 35 12 3 3 38 18 5 3 9 25 35 57 6th Kidderminster 35 11 2 5 27 17 5 7 5 28 28 57 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Doncaster 35 10 4 4 41 28 6 1 10 20 28 53 8th Watford 35 10 1 6 36 23 5 6 7 30 36 52 9th Rochdale 35 9 4 4 40 26 5 5 8 35 42 51 10th Reading 35 10 2 5 33 21 5 3 10 25 31 50 11th Cambridge Utd 35 9 6 2 30 18 4 5 9 28 38 50 12th Q.P.R. 34 8 4 5 34 27 6 3 8 28 29 49 13th Hull 35 9 1 8 34 31 6 3 8 30 36 49 14th Millwall 35 9 3 5 39 20 4 6 8 24 33 48 15th Shrewsbury 35 8 8 1 32 20 4 4 10 12 27 48 16th Darlington 35 5 5 8 26 26 7 2 8 17 22 43 17th Oxford 35 7 5 6 44 39 5 2 10 27 42 43 18th Bristol City 35 6 4 7 37 31 5 4 9 29 39 41 19th Wrexham 35 5 4 8 29 34 6 4 8 28 34 41 20th Tranmere 35 9 7 1 24 12 1 4 13 13 42 41 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Oldham 35 7 6 5 37 25 2 6 9 21 34 39 22nd Walsall 35 8 3 6 37 38 2 3 13 22 49 36 23rd Colchester 35 6 4 7 19 22 0 6 12 12 35 28 24th Hartlepool 35 3 4 10 23 34 1 4 13 14 45 20 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Manchester United are back in business. After qualifying for the Champions League Quarter Finals with time to spare, United see off Blackburn 2-0 to replace Chelsea at the top of the Premiership. Without injured captain John Terry, the champion Blues crash to a 4-1 defeat at Manchester City, whose striker James Beattie scores twice. Brian Flynn is sacked as Tottenham's manager after just eight months. Spurs are running out of lower-league journeymen to chew up and spit out, so they give the job to Roddy Collins - less than a month after the Irishman was sacked by Scottish Premier League strugglers Arbroath! As Leeds struggle to get back in the Champions League places and stay afloat, the financially troubled Whites are forced to sell England defender Ledley King to Rangers for £9.5million. Alex McLeish's Gers also pay a further £2.5million for King's medical bills. Atlético Madrid start to feel the pressure, as they lose their unbeaten La Liga record - and the lead to Real Madrid - after back-to-back defeats against Betis and Barcelona. Barça's 2-1 revenge victory at the Vicente Calderon is bittersweet, though, as 25-goal striker Patrick Kluivert breaks his leg and misses the rest of the season. The Bundesliga's top two meet at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, where Javier Saviola gives hosts VfB Stuttgart a 2-0 lead over 1.FC Köln after 78 minutes. However, Stuttgart coach Felix Magath is left red-faced when Florian Kringe scores twice in the final 10 minutes to steal a 2-2 draw for Köln! 'Die Roten' duly take their anger out on Wolfsburg and Hertha BSC to pull three points clear. IN OTHER NEWS... A year after his sudden passing, “The Dark Knight” star Heath Ledger becomes just the second actor to win a posthumous Oscar, taking the Best Supporting Actor accolade. “Slumdog Millionaire” wins eight Academy Awards, while Sean Penn is named Best Actor for a second time for his portrayal of gay politician Harvey Milk. After a major financial crisis leads to Geir Haarde's resignation, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir replaces him as Prime Minister of Iceland. She becomes Iceland's first female PM - and the world’s first openly LGBT head of government. Author and TV personality Carol Thatcher loses her job on BBC's "The One Show", following an off-air discussion in which she allegedly referred to the black French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in derogatory terms. A Thatcher being accused of racism? Why, I never! Joe Calzaghe - one of Wales’ greatest sportsmen - announces his retirement from boxing aged 36. ‘The Italian Dragon’ won all his 46 professional fights (32 by knockout) and had been the WBO super-middleweight champion for over a decade since defeating Chris Eubank in 1997. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 14, 2023 Author Share Posted April 14, 2023 (edited) MARCH 2009 The last two months had been brutal for Kidderminster. A comfortable position in the Division 2 play-off places was in serious jeopardy, with 7th-placed Doncaster now just four points behind us. You can probably guess who our next match was against, right? Yes, it'd be fair to say the home game with Doncaster was the biggest match of our season so far. If Steve Wignall's Rovers could inflict a sixth home defeat of the season upon us, they would move to within a single point - and the sense of panic at Aggborough would surely get even greater. 4 MARCH 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Doncaster Rovers Gareth Roberts was on loan from Sheffield United, so the midfielder seemed right at home playing against another team from South Yorkshire. Roberts helped us open the scoring midway through the first half with a fantastic through-ball to David Collins, who drove in his 20th league goal of the season! The rest of the first half was a nail-biter, with Doncaster producing several good chances to get themselves back in the game. The best probably came from attacking midfielder Ryan Ashington, whose 39th-minute header was parried by John Forde. We then came painfully close to doubling our lead three minutes later, when Scott Simpson hit the bar. Rovers continued to produce some great football after the break - and especially after subbing on midfielder Brian Vaugh. An extended spell of Donny pressure culminated in a 76th-minute equaliser for Vaugh, as the Northern Irishman scored the follow-up after Justin Jackson's shot slipped from Forde's grasp. It was the only mistake Forde had made all game... but it had unfortunately cost us two points. Kidderminster Rovers - 1 (Collins 22) Doncaster Rovers - 1 (Vaugh 76) Division 2, Attendance 3,895 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Doncaster 8th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Miller, Bell, T Simpson (Hyde); Heikkinen; Roberts, Whitley; S Simpson (Gallego); Garside (Scott), Collins. BOOKED; Garside. To be honest, we didn't deserve anything more than a draw from that match, which extended a miserable record. "One In Ten" was once a song by the Birmingham reggae band UB40 - now it was the number of league wins we'd recorded since mid-January. The pressure on us was now growing with every game. Our next one was at the Kassam Stadium against an Oxford side looking at the other end of the table - they were just six points above the relegation zone. 7 MARCH 2009: Oxford United vs Kidderminster Harriers Oxford almost found the net in the eighth minute, when midfielder Tommy Smith (no relation to the England and Newcastle star) set up a chance for his captain with the same surname. Unfortunately for Pat Smith, the night didn't belong to him - partly because it was actually the mid-afternoon, but more importantly because his header glanced past the post. The U's continued to take the game to us, producing another opportunity just moments later. Finnish midfielder Heikki Pulkkinen lifted the ball into the box for Lee Trundle, who had recently scored a club-record 125th league goal for Oxford. The Liverpudlian goal machine made it 126 with a stunning volley that Forde just couldn't get anywhere near. We responded to the yellows' opener by switching on 'The Simpsons'. Attacking midfielder Scott Simpson sent the visiting fans (do)nuts with an equalising header from left-back Terry Simpson's cross. That would be the only blip in an otherwise impressive display from Oxford's goalkeeper Chris Stringer, who kept out several Kidderminster shots before twisting his knee. Having conceded 15 goals in his last five games, having to put Matthew Murray in goal was no doubt a major concern for Neil Cooper. The Oxford manager would have another headache seven minutes into the second half, when Pulkkinen hurt his foot and was also forced off early. Meanwhile, I freshened up our attack by sending 17-year-old Jamie Berry up front in place of the erratic Robert Garside. Berry had already scored twice in the Football League Trophy... and this would be the day he found the net in the Football League proper. The Simpsons exchanged passes with each other before Terry crossed to Berry, whose volley made Kiddy fans very merry, for it secured a 2-1 comeback victory! Oxford United - 1 (Trundle 9) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (S Simpson 22, Berry 68) Division 2, Attendance 6,288 - POSITIONS: Oxford 17th, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; McCluskey, Miller (Nicholls), Bell, T Simpson (Aðalsteinsson); Heikkinen; Roberts, Whitley; S Simpson; Garside (Berry), Collins. BOOKED: Garside, Miller. A precious away win had put us back on track... kinda. We only extended our cushion on 7th place to five points, as Doncaster were overtaken by an in-form Watford side. After a mini-break, we played host to a mid-table Hull team who had arguably been in even worse form than us, losing five of their last six league matches! Jamie Berry's first league goal was rewarded with a full debut, while Kevin Hyde came in at left-back for the suspended Terry Simpson. 17 MARCH 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Hull City After withstanding some early Kidderminster pressure, Hull's Tigers pounced on a counter-attack in the 17th minute to win a corner. Gary Bowman's delivery was nodded on by frontman Carl Basker, before centre-back Anton Ferdinand tapped it in. We had been merked by Rio’s brother. David Collins called upon all his experience to get us back in the game just before the half-hour. A clever chip from Gareth Roberts was confidently blasted into the Hull net by our star striker, and we went into the break with the scores level at 1-1. Unfortunately, Collins' much younger strike partner Jamie Berry was struggling with the pressure, picking up a yellow card and firing his only shot off target before being substituted. At 22, Alan Scott wasn't exactly Methuselah, but he certainly knew more than Berry about how to lead the line. The substitute target man had three promising shots in the second half, but all three were saved by Abdellilah Bagui. As for Collins, he was being effectively marked out of the game by Ferdinand, who looked more like his big brother Rio than a mere lower-league journeyman. The match would then take an even more frustrating turn five minutes from half-time, when Collins inexplicably handled the ball 25 yards from our goal. Hull wing-back James Perch sent a free-kick deep into our area, where 35-year-old Andy Booth leapt up to head in a gut-punching winner for the Tigers. The boos from the Aggborough loyalists at full-time told us everything we needed to know after a SIXTH home league defeat this season. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 29) Hull City - 2 (Ferdinand 17, Booth 85) Division 2, Attendance 3,576 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Hull 15th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson (McCluskey), Miller, Bell, Hyde; Heikkinen; Roberts, Whitley; S Simpson (Gallego); Collins, Berry (Scott). BOOKED: Berry, Miller. This bloody team, man! If their incompetence costs us a play-off place, I'm not sticking around for another season! And judging by the crowd's reaction, it sounds like the fans don't want me here either! I was anticipating more full-time fury at the end of our next game, as Chris Kamara took his runaway leaders Torquay to Aggborough. The Gulls had scored an incredible 101 goals in just 38 games and were 15 points clear of 3rd place, so it was surely only a matter of when their promotion was confirmed. 21 MARCH 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Torquay United Though the odds were firmly stacked against us, we more than held our own. After surviving the first 17 minutes without conceding, we stunned Torquay with an attack almost out of nowhere. David Collins picked up a loose ball and played it to midfielder Ryan Carter, whose vicious drive from 30 yards out caught Gulls keeper Richard Kingson by surprise! We now found ourselves 1-0 up against a team with vast international experience, including the likes of Callum Davidson, Vincenzo Grella, and gosh-darn Jay Jay Okocha! But yet it was the unassuming 23-year-old striker Stephen Strong who produced an apt response for Torquay. As we struggled to clear away a free-kick, playmaker Kevin Allan lifted the ball up to Strong, who outmuscled John Forde and turned it into the net. From that point, we never looked like winning. Carter's early strike was the only shot on target Torquay would face all game - and it took a valiant rearguard display to stop their goalscoring centurions running riot in the second period. Captain Barry Miller defended so well alongside Simon Bell that they probably deserved the Freedom of Kidderminster. For all their dominance against everyone else in the league, Kammy's boys had twice failed to beat us meetings this season. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Carter 17) Torquay United - 1 (Strong 40) Division 2, Attendance 4,301 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Torquay 1st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; Berntsson, Bell, Miller, T Simpson; Heikkinen; Gallego (McCluskey), Roberts, Carter (S Simpson), Aðalsteinsson; Collins. BOOKED: Gallego. Even a draw against the best team in the league didn't do much for our play-off position. Watford and QPR - the teams on either side of that dotted line - had moved to within three points of us. To make matters worse, they each had a game in hand on us... and they would go ahead of us on goal difference if they won those matches. For the first time since the early stages of the season, it looked more likely that Kidderminster would finish outside the top six than inside. Our biggest issue were with creating chances - we had been outshot in each of our last three home games, and often registered no more than a couple of shots on target. There was also a clear over-reliance on David Collins - he might have been one of the division's top scorers with 21 goals, but the entire team had scored only 60 (one less than Walsall, who were fourth-from-bottom!). To try and address our lack of creativity, I decided to raid the loan market before the transfer window closed - but as we couldn't have more than two loanees at the same time, I had to part with one of them. Ditching John Forde would be bordering on lunacy, so I reluctantly sent Gareth Roberts back to Sheffield United a month early. Gareth had been a solid performer in his 17 games for us, but we needed someone with a bit more flair and energy. Someone like Alan Gray, for example. Bristol City allowed us to take their 23-year-old left-winger on loan until the end of the season. A former Northern Ireland youth international, Gray is rapid out wide and has a fantastic cross in his locker. Our new man made his debut at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest - realistically the only team who could take the title away from Torquay. Having given away two costly penalties in a home defeat to Forest back in January, Forde knew that he had to be much more careful here. 28 MARCH 2009: Nottingham Forest vs Kidderminster Harriers Alan Gray's presence on the left wing did give us some fresh impetus going forward. Unfortunately, the issue wasn't so much creating chances as it was actually converting them. I'm not exaggerating when I say that David Collins put on one of his worst displays this season. Collins horribly miscued a half-volley from Ryan Carter's pinpoint through-ball in the second minute - one of four shots that he failed to even hit the target with. Carter himself lacked the killer touch in the 40th minute. After delivering the hard work by dribbling past Forest left-back Ferdinand Derveld to go through on goal, Ryan only managed to put his shot against the post. If the hosts hadn't had similar problems trying to find the net, Carter's miss would surely have been regretted. Our struggles continued into the second half, as a 34-year-old Chris Bart-Williams - who scored those two penalties in our last meeting - delivered a defensive midfield masterclass for Nottingham Forest. His excellent passing and strong tackling kept us at bay as the match fizzled out into a goalless draw. Things ended on another sour note when our holding midfielder Markus Heikkinen was forced to come off early with a thigh injury. Nottingham Forest - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 2, Attendance 7,160 - POSITIONS: Nottm Forest 2nd, Kidderminster 6th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; Berntsson, Bell, Miller, T Simpson; Heikkinen (McCluskey); Gallego, Whitley (S Simpson), Carter (Ormeño), Gray; Collins. Two wins in 14 league matches. Two points clear of 7th place. A dozen games to go. We're actually gonna blow this, aren't we? Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 14, 2023 Author Share Posted April 14, 2023 DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of March 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts 1st Pl Torquay 40 14 5 2 57 31 12 5 2 49 28 88 2nd Nottm Forest 37 14 3 3 42 19 10 1 6 32 26 76 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wycombe 39 15 2 2 51 33 8 2 10 40 51 73 4th Swindon 39 13 2 5 39 18 9 3 7 31 31 71 5th Watford 40 12 2 6 42 26 6 7 7 33 37 63 6th Kidderminster 40 11 4 6 30 21 6 8 5 30 29 63 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Northampton 40 13 3 5 40 21 5 4 10 27 39 61 8th Reading 40 12 3 5 40 24 6 3 11 27 33 60 9th Q.P.R. 39 10 4 5 37 27 7 4 9 31 33 59 10th Shrewsbury 40 10 8 1 35 20 5 6 10 16 29 59 11th Doncaster 40 11 4 5 44 31 6 3 11 25 36 58 12th Rochdale 40 10 5 5 45 30 5 6 9 38 47 56 13th Hull 40 10 2 8 38 33 7 3 10 35 44 56 14th Millwall 40 10 5 5 46 24 4 7 9 26 36 54 15th Cambridge Utd 40 10 6 4 34 24 4 6 10 30 41 54 16th Bristol City 39 8 5 7 46 37 5 4 10 29 40 48 17th Darlington 40 6 6 8 31 28 7 2 11 18 29 47 18th Wrexham 40 6 5 8 33 36 6 5 10 34 42 46 19th Oxford 40 7 6 7 46 42 5 2 13 27 48 44 20th Tranmere 40 9 9 2 27 17 1 5 14 14 45 44 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Oldham 40 7 7 6 39 28 3 6 11 23 39 43 22nd Walsall 39 9 3 6 40 39 2 6 13 28 55 42 23rd Colchester 40 7 5 7 25 25 0 7 14 15 42 33 24th R Hartlepool 40 3 5 12 25 39 1 4 15 15 52 21 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... After nearly 13 years as Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger finally fulfils his lifelong dream - and lifts the League Cup at Wembley. Goals from veteran midfielder Didier Agathe and 22-year-old striker Michael Johnson earn the Gunners a 2-0 victory over Grimsby, preventing a third consecutive League Cup win for a Division 1 team. Chelsea are knocked out of the Champions League by former hero José Antonio Reyes, who assists three of Claudio Pizarro's four goals in a 4-0 win for Bayern München. A week later, the Blues take Roma out with them by beating the Serie A leaders 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Barcelona's run of 11 straight wins is ended by Club Brugge, whose 4-1 thrashing sends the Belgians into another Quarter Final - at the expense of both Inter and Liverpool. Northern Ireland claim a major scalp in the World Cup qualifiers, as Preston’s David Healy clinches a 1-0 home win over Portugal. Meanwhile, England thrash Bosnia & Herzegovina 5-0, as Gary Neville scores his first international goal on his 106th cap - albeit it's a penalty against a Bosnian striker, after the visitors have two goalkeepers sent off! A 3-0 defeat at Freiburg is the final straw for the Mainz board. Oliver Kahn is sacked as manager after just five months, in which Die Nullfünfer played 20 matches, lost 19, drew 1, scored 7 goals, and conceded 48! To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Mainz are relegated from the Bundesliga with seven games to spare. Aston Villa don't fare much better on their return to the Premiership. Having picked up just one win and 10 points in 30 games, the Villans are sent straight back to Division 1 with a 2-0 defeat in Sunderland. It is Roy Keane's third relegation in four years as a manager. IN OTHER NEWS... New York stockbroker Bernie Madoff pleads guilty to operating the largest 'Ponzi scheme' in US history. Over the course of many decades, he reportedly 'made off' with approximately $65billion, ruining the livelihoods of thousands of investors. The 70-year-old will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison. Reality TV star Jade Goody passes away at her Essex home aged just 27. Her seven-month battle with cervical cancer received unprecedented wall-to-wall coverage in the British tabloid press, but crucially led to greater awareness of a disease that kills thousands of young women annually. Michael Jackson declares, "This is it," as the King of Pop announces he will stage a series of 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena this summer. Tickets sell out within hours as thousands of fans anticipate one of the greatest comebacks in music history. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 (edited) APRIL 2009 I cannot stress enough just how stressful this second half of the season has been. Three months ago, Kidderminster Harriers were 11 points clear in the Division 2 play-off spots. With six games remaining, our lead on 7th place had been whittled down to just two. Having lost in the play-offs last season after coming down from Division 1, Harriers fans were expecting a much stronger push for promotion - but now our hopes of going up were over, and there was now a growing fear that we wouldn't even make the play-offs. Also, having watched their side score nearly 100 league goals last term, the supporters were also frustrated that we had 'only' found the net 60 times. This was less than any other team in the top half, except 11th-placed Shrewsbury. The growing calls for my resignation would only intensify if we slipped up in a local(ish) derby at Walsall. Despite possessing the mercurial talents of Tonton Zola Moukoko, the Saddlers appeared to be heading for a second relegation in three seasons. Even hiring yet another new manager hadn't managed to get the Black Country boys out of a tailspin that included an infamous 7-0 home hiding against QPR. If there was one team we could be confident of getting a much-needed win against, it was surely this lot, right? 4 APRIL 2009: Walsall vs Kidderminster Harriers Right-winger César Gallego and striker David Collins took the game to Walsall in the first half. Collins' first effort on 12 minutes was well saved by Simon Royce, while a vicious free-kick from Gallego five minutes later hit the Saddlers wall. However, the pair combined to devastating effect in the 38th minute when Collins headed his Spanish team-mate's byline cross past Royce for a 1-0 Harriers lead! Despite his erratic form, this would prove to be Gallego's best performance of the season. César delivered another assist six minutes into the second half, when his corner delivery was converted by our big target man Alan Scott. Gallego then capped off his display by making it 3-0 in the 65th minute, when he fired in a free-kick after Scott was pushed by Walsall defender Michael Hart. At the other end, Walsall looked every bit the relegation fodder, especially with their talisman having an off day. Tonton Zola Moukoko might have delivered 31 goal contributions this season - but when the Swedish midfielder was unusually spraying passes off target, the Saddlers were always likely to struggle. I do feel a bit for Mark McGhee, as I'm not sure he can keep this team up. Walsall - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Collins 38, Scott 51, Gallego 65) Division 2, Attendance 6,500 - POSITIONS: Walsall 22nd, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Forde; Berntsson, Bell, Miller, T Simpson; Gallego, Whitley (Ormeño), Carter, Gray; Scott (S Simpson), Collins (Garside). Would that be the result that turned our season around? With five games to go, we now had a four-point cushion on 7th. The PFA had their awards dinner a week later, and Kidderminster had one player in the Division 2 Select XI. If I told you that it wasn't David Collins, then you could probably guess which player it was. Yes, that's correct. A couple of iffy performances aside, John Forde has been largely sensational in goal for the Harriers this season, and he really deserved the place in the Select XI. I just hope I can persuade Newcastle to let us have the 20-year-old Irishman on loan for another campaign! Next up was another away game - this time against Northampton, who were firmly in the hunt for a play-off spot. I saw no reason to change a winning team, so I started the same 11 players who had dismantled Walsall. 11 APRIL 2009: Northampton Town vs Kidderminster Harriers Northampton produced a dominant first half display in which they hogged possession and created loads of chances, but didn't score. Kalle Kautto was particularly dangerous, but John Forde somehow managed everything the determined Finnish midfielder fired in his direction. Strikers Emmanuel Olisadebe and Sam Parkin also wasted opportunities to break through, with Parkin struggling so much that he was subbed early in the second half. The constant pressure Northampton had put us under in the first half left us with some tired legs at half-time. Ryan Carter was looking particularly rough in midfield, so I brought on Markus Heikkinen as an anchor. I also decided to take off Alan Scott - who'd fired one shot over the bar very early on - in favour of Scott Simpson. We made an encouraging start to the second period, as winger César Gallego gave Sean Allaway his first serious test in the Cobblers goal. Then, in the 50th minute, disaster struck at the other end. Left-back Terry Simpson and centre-half Simon Bell collided with each other and fell to the turf clutching their knees in agony. Both players had to come off... but I could only bring on one more sub, so Baldur Aðalsteinsson filled in for Terry at left-back. After going down to 10 men through no fault of our own, I started to fear the worst. Forde was still doing everything he could to repel the Northampton onslaught, but even he couldn't hold out forever. After 76 minutes, Olisadebe's cross into the Kiddy box was nodded across the six-yard box by substitute midfielder Jarno Auremaa, where another sub - the ex-Macclesfield striker Rickie Lambert - tapped in the goal that finally put the Cobblers ahead. Sixfields was bouncing, with the home fans convinced that they were going to win 1-0... but they hadn't counted on Kidderminster's fighting spirit. One minute before full-time, left-winger Alan Gray delivered one of the killer crosses I had loaned him in for - and David Collins (who else?) headed in an equaliser! Somehow, we had escaped with a draw! Northampton Town - 1 (Lambert 76) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 89) Division 2, Attendance 6,728 - POSITIONS: Northampton 10th, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Forde; Berntsson, Bell, Miller, T Simpson (Aðalsteinsson); Gallego, Whitley, Carter (Heikkinen), Gray; Scott (S Simpson), Collins. After that narrow escape, I asked the physio for our update on our stricken comrades. Terry Simpson had twisted his knee and would probably only miss the next two games. Simon Bell wasn't so fortunate - he'd strained his knee ligaments, which meant he might struggle to play any further part in the regular season. Injuries and fitness issues meant it was a much-changed team that lined up against Rochdale on Easter Monday. We had lost three and won just one of our last seven games at Aggborough, so our home form had to change if we were to make the play-offs. 13 APRIL 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Rochdale Just two days after his dramatic equaliser at Northampton, David Collins was still raring to go again. The in-form Lancastrian broke the deadlock against Rochdale after a mere nine minutes, finishing Scott Simpson's through-ball for his 26th goal of the season. Collins had now netted 50 times in the last two campaigns! By contrast, since arriving at Aggborough two summers go, vice-captain Jeff Whitley had only scored one goal for Kidderminster. Eight minutes later, the Northern Irish midfielder would get his second. Scott Simpson's corner was headed goalwards by winger Baldur Aðalsteinsson, who forced a parried save out of Dale keeper John Mohan. The loose ball fell to Whitley, who stabbed it across the line for a 2-0 home lead! After 25 minutes, though, Rochdale halved that advantage with a goalscoring Irish midfielder of their own. A low drive from Michael McCann just evaded the reach of his compatriot John Forde in the Harriers goal. Forde soon bounced back, saving a couple of late efforts from Rochdale forwards Danny Schofield and Carlton Cole to keep us 2-1 up at the break. Things got a tad scrappy in the second half, though Cole again threatened to draw Dale level before Forde came up with more goalkeeping heroics. To try and protect our lead, I tightened things up and replaced our wingers with a couple of central players. Those two substitutes would actually increase our advantage in the 79th minute, when 17-year-old striker Jamie Berry headed in midfielder Ryan Carter's centre to wrap up a 3-1 win! Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Collins 9, Whitley 17, Berry 79) Rochdale - 1 (McCann 25) Division 2, Attendance 4,469 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Rochdale 13th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; Berntsson (McCluskey), Heikkinen, Miller, Hyde; Nicholls; Gallego (Berry), Whitley, S Simpson, Aðalsteinsson (Carter); Collins. We were now through the crucial run-in, and had pulled five points clear of 7th-placed Watford. That meant we had our first chance to secure a play-off spot, provided we won our next match at Cambridge United and other results went our way. 18 APRIL 2009: Cambridge United vs Kidderminster Harriers The Abbey Stadium isn't a million miles from from Sixfields, and Cambridge posed almost as much attacking threat to us as Northampton had done the previous week. Swedish striker Demba Traore clipped the bar from close range in the second minute, while Dave Kitson and Baldur Bett also spurned great opportunities for the U's early on. Despite making a positive start, Cambridge boss Ronnie McFall didn't seem too impressed, as he used two of his substitutions before the first half-hour was up! McFall's constant chopping and changing can't have helped his team when we hit them with a 37th-minute counter-attack. Alan Gray's cross was headed in by namesake Alan Scott, who gave us a 1-0 half-time lead that we - to be honest - probably didn't deserve. McFall must have given his boys a proper Ulster dressing-down at half-time, as the hosts looked even more dangerous after the break. Forde needed to show great reactions to save a long-distance shot from Kitson in the 65th minute. United tried their luck again three minutes later... and a powerful volley from midfielder Nigel Miller proved too good for Forde. Following Cambridge's equaliser, though, we put together our most threatening spell of the game. A furious shot from defender Markus Heikkinen was parried by U's keeper Ben Roberts, who would later deny Scott a second goal. I then tried to energise our attack with a couple of positive substitutions, but neither Scott Simpson nor Jamie Berry could quite turn this 1-1 draw into a victory. Cambridge United - 1 (Miller 68) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Scott 37) Division 2, Attendance 7,190 - POSITIONS: Cambridge 13th, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Forde; Berntsson, Heikkinen, Miller, Hyde; Gallego, Whitley (S Simpson), Nicholls, Gray (Aðalsteinsson); Scott (Berry), Collins. BOOKED: Gray. Still some way to go. Here's how things stood as we headed into our final two games of the season: Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts 2nd Pl Nottm Forest 43 15 4 3 47 21 13 2 6 42 29 90 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Pl Wycombe 44 17 3 2 60 39 10 2 10 45 52 86 4th Pl Swindon 44 15 2 5 44 18 9 4 9 33 38 78 5th Kidderminster 44 12 4 6 33 22 7 10 5 35 31 71 6th Watford 44 13 2 7 46 29 6 9 7 36 40 68 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Q.P.R. 44 12 4 6 42 32 8 4 10 38 37 68 8th Doncaster 44 13 4 5 51 33 6 5 11 27 38 66 9th Northampton 44 14 4 5 43 23 5 5 11 30 45 66 10th Shrewsbury 44 12 9 1 41 23 5 6 11 17 33 66 11th Reading 44 13 4 5 45 27 6 3 13 30 40 64 We still needed a win and a draw from our next two games to be absolutely safe in the play-offs. Three points might be enough - but with our goal difference, that was far from guaranteed. Our last home game of the regular season was against Reading, who couldn't overtake us but still had a slim chance of sneaking into the final play-off place. The Harriers had a painful recent record against Craig Johnston's Royals, so I expected another gruelling battle. 25 APRIL 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Reading I'm sure you remember our last meeting with Reading - a gruelling 2-0 defeat at the Madejski Stadium in December. After just 11 minutes, another Royal rumbling was on the cards. Erswhile Middlesbrough forward Keith O'Neill dribbled effortlessly past our defensive midfielder Kevin Nicholls before firing an unstoppable shot right into the top corner. Reading were one of only two teams in Division 2 we had not yet scored against this season (the other being Darlington). It may not surprise you, then, that their number 1 Kevin Pilkington was one of the few goalkeepers who could rival our own John Forde in terms of form. The evergreen 35-year-old made an impressive save to stop David Collins equalising just before half-time, and then thwarted our top scorer again after the break. Even on the few occasions where Pilkington was unable to keep out a Kidderminster shot, we still couldn't score! Jeff Whitley looked certain to bury Scott Simpson's lay-off in the 63rd minute, only to fire it against the bar. The rebound fell invitingly to Collins, but he dithered for too long before being dispossessed by Royals right-back Michele Rossetti. Though an ankle injury brought O'Neill's game to an early end, his strike would be the decisive one. Pilkington and co frustrated us all day long to keep us off the scoresheet. Though we remained 5th, our play-off rivals Watford had lost 2-0 at Swindon - which meant a win would have been enough for us to secure a top-six finish! Alas, our fate was still far from certain. Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Reading - 1 (O'Neill 11) Division 2, Attendance 3,309 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 5th, Reading 10th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson (McCluskey), Heikkinen, Miller, T Simpson (Hyde); Nicholls; Whitley, Carter; S Simpson (Garside); Scott, Collins. BOOKED: Hyde. That was my SEVENTH home league defeat as Kidderminster manager. It could be my last. It now hinges on the final day of the season, when we visit my old club Millwall at The Den. If we screw that up and miss out on the play-offs, my position will be untenable. Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 (edited) DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of April 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts 1st C Torquay 45 15 6 2 61 32 13 6 3 55 32 96 2nd Pl Nottm Forest 45 15 4 4 47 23 13 3 6 44 31 91 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Pl Wycombe 45 18 3 2 61 39 10 2 10 45 52 89 4th Pl Swindon 45 16 2 5 46 18 9 4 9 33 38 81 5th Kidderminster 45 12 4 7 33 23 7 10 5 35 31 71 6th Q.P.R. 45 13 4 6 44 33 8 4 10 38 37 71 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Doncaster 45 14 4 5 52 33 6 5 11 27 38 69 8th Shrewsbury 45 12 9 1 41 23 6 6 11 19 34 69 9th Watford 45 13 2 7 46 29 6 9 8 36 42 68 10th Reading 45 13 4 5 45 27 7 3 13 31 40 67 11th Northampton 45 14 4 5 43 23 5 6 11 32 47 67 12th Cambridge Utd 45 11 7 4 39 27 6 6 11 36 44 64 13th Millwall 45 12 5 5 52 25 4 8 11 27 42 61 14th Rochdale 45 11 6 5 52 34 5 6 12 40 56 60 15th Wrexham 45 9 5 8 44 38 7 6 10 36 43 59 16th Hull 45 11 2 10 44 39 7 3 12 39 53 59 17th Darlington 45 6 8 9 33 31 8 3 11 20 30 53 18th Oxford 45 9 6 8 54 50 5 2 15 29 55 50 19th Oldham 45 9 7 7 45 30 3 6 13 27 45 49 20th Bristol City 45 8 6 8 47 43 5 4 14 35 55 49 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Tranmere 45 10 9 3 31 22 1 7 15 16 48 49 22nd R Walsall 45 9 5 8 43 48 2 6 15 29 62 44 23rd R Colchester 45 7 8 7 27 27 0 7 16 15 44 36 24th R Hartlepool 45 3 6 13 26 42 1 4 18 15 57 22 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Chelsea loosen their grip on the Premiership title after John Terry misses a crucial penalty in a 1-1 home draw with Manchester United, who win their next two games to go top. Terry is in tears after the match - not because of the penalty, but because team-mate Robbie Savage is the man who decides to console him. There aren't many dry eyes in the West Midlands either, as Birmingham and Coventry join Aston Villa on the relegation road back to Division 1. Manchester United's Champions League dreams is reduced to ashes, as a midfield masterclass from Club Brugge's Tim Smolders eliminates them at the Quarter Finals. The Belgian champions advance to their second CL Semi Final in five seasons, where they face La Liga leaders Real Madrid. The other Semi sees holders Lazio take on Barcelona. Ruud van Nistelrooy announces he is leaving Manchester United after his traditional PFA Player of the Year award is given to Chelsea striker Fernando Morientes. The PFA discover their missing Young Player of the Year trophy under Gordon Taylor's bed - and Sheffield Wednesday forward Rene Adams becomes its first recipient in five years. Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice against Marseille to put Sporting on the cusp of the UEFA Cup Final... but he is left blubbing once again as Didier Drogba leads 'Les Phocéens' to an impressive comeback. Marseille win 4-2 on aggregate and advance to a Final showdown with Milan, whose ex-Rangers midfielder Gennaro Ivan Gattuso inspires them to a 3-1 victory over Celtic. VfB Stuttgart duo Dirk Kuijt and Javier Saviola score two priceless goals against Gladbach, as 'Die Roten' move within two wins of their first Bundesliga title since 1992. Fallen giants Leverkusen slip back into the bottom three, while already-relegated Mainz finally get a win on the board - a result that leaves second-from-bottom Eintracht Frankfurt so embarrassed that they sack manager Eduard Geyer! IN OTHER NEWS... Ahead of the G20 summit in London, thousands of demonstrators descend on the city to protest against bankers' bonuses, climate change, and the war on terror. Things take a tragic turn when an innocent bystander - 47-year-old newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson - collapses and dies after being struck by a police officer. Pioneering music producer Phil Spector is convicted of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot dead in his California mansion in 2003. The 69-year-old is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. The American comedy actress Bea Arthur - best-known for her roles in "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" - dies aged 86. Though the media claims that Arthur was suffering from lung cancer, the Los Angeles coroner records her passing as "death by snu-snu". 100/1 outsider Mon Mome - ridden by Liam Treadwell - wins the Grand National at Aintree. Meanwhile, BBC presenter Clare Balding seems to be obsessed with the winner’s teeth… the jockey’s teeth, not the horse’s. Edited April 17, 2023 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 MAY 2009 3 May 2009 - the final day of another thrilling Division 2 season. Incredibly, nearly half the league had something to play for. Torquay were already confirmed as champions. Joining them in securing automatic promotion to Division 1 would be either Nottingham Forest or Wycombe. At the other end, Hartlepool, Colchester and Walsall had been condemned to Division 3 - and Tranmere, Bristol City, Oldham and Oxford were all scrambling to avoid finishing in the final relegation place. And then there was the play-off race. Swindon were already confirmed to be in the play-offs, along with whichever of Forest or Wycombe failed to claim automatic promotion. The remaining places would be claimed by two of five teams: Watford, Shrewsbury, Doncaster, QPR... or Kidderminster Harriers. Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts 2nd Pl Nottm Forest 45 15 4 4 47 23 13 3 6 44 31 91 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Pl Wycombe 45 18 3 2 61 39 10 2 10 45 52 89 4th Pl Swindon 45 16 2 5 46 18 9 4 9 33 38 81 5th Kidderminster 45 12 4 7 33 23 7 10 5 35 31 71 6th Q.P.R. 45 13 4 6 44 33 8 4 10 38 37 71 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Doncaster 45 14 4 5 52 33 6 5 11 27 38 69 8th Shrewsbury 45 12 9 1 41 23 6 6 11 19 34 69 9th Watford 45 13 2 7 46 29 6 9 8 36 42 68 The Harriers sat in 5th place as we travelled to The Den in south London to face mid-table Millwall. Only a win would guarantee us a play-off spot - while a draw or a defeat would leave us sweating on other results. Watford were at home to Doncaster, with both teams needing a win to have any chance of finishing in the top six. Shrewsbury were hosting a Wycombe team who had their sights on a fast-track ticket to Division 1, while 6th-placed QPR travelled to already-relegated Colchester. With so much at stake - not just a potential promotion, but also my own job security - we needed all our star players to be fit for the Millwall game. What we didn't want was for top scorer David Collins to strain his neck in the gym... or for playmaker Scott Simpson to pull out of a training match with a shin injury. Both men faced a battle to be fit for the big match. Collins managed to pass a fitness test just an hour before kick-off, so I decided to take the risk and start him. Things weren't quite so simple with Simpson, who was ruled fit enough only to be a substitute. In the end, I made two changes from the team who had lost our last home game of the season against Reading. Scott Simpson and holding midfielder Kevin Nicholls were replaced with wingers Alan Gray and César Gallego, as I switched from the 4-4-2 diamond to its wider, more conventional sibling. Would the Mike Bassett approach get us the result we needed? 3 MAY 2009: Millwall vs Kidderminster Harriers Things got off to a nervy start after just six minutes, when Millwall stalwart Neil Harris fired a shot inches over our bar. Either side of that narrow miss, our wingers Alan Gray and César Gallego each had tame shots easily saved by Lions keeper Paul Gerrard. I had more cause for concern in the 12th minute, when vice-captain Jeff Whitley hurt his thigh and signalled that he had to come off. Scott Simpson had to shake off his own injury to take Whitley's place in midfield. Meanwhile, the painkillers we'd given to David Collins had worn off worrying quickly, and after 25 minutes, it became clear that he could not continue either. We were barely a quarter into the biggest match of our season, and already we'd had to substitute two of our most influential players. Robert Garside was now playing up front alongside target man Alan Scott, who had our next scoring chance in the 32nd minute. A handball from Millwall midfielder Lee Brown had given us a free-kick 25 yards from goal, which gave Gallego a fantastic opportunity to swing it into the box. Scott broke free from his marker to get his head to the delivery, turn it past Gerrard, and break the deadlock for Kidderminster! Scott had a couple of near-misses later in the first half, which ended with us still leading 1-0. Though we were all set to finish 5th as things stood, it wasn't exactly comfortable. Watford had raced into a 3-0 lead over Doncaster, so they would go ahead of us if Millwall fought back in the second half. If QPR could make the breakthrough in their game at Colchester as well, our play-off place would be in serious peril. The sense of uncertainty seemed to get to us early in the second half. Millwall's top scorer Deon Burton sent a diving header just wide off the target moments after the restart. Attacking midfielder James Hayter also went close for the Lions after 54 minutes. There were also signs that we were losing our discipline. Scott was booked in the 56th minute for backing into home defender Wayne Brown. Left-back Terry Simpson also went into the book seven minutes later, after clipping Burton's feet. During a break in play, I called captain Barry Miller aside and asked him to calm the rest of the lads down, lest any of them picked up a red card. While some excellent keeping from Gerrard late on stopped us extending our lead, it was even more important that John Forde matched his opposite number in our goal. A stunning fingertip save to thwart Harris in the 76th minute would be especially crucial in protecting our lead - and after an anxious quarter-hour, the final whistle came as a huge relief. Kidderminster had finished the season in 5th place - just ahead of QPR on goal difference, as the Hoops had only managed to score once at Colchester. Their victory locked Watford out of the play-offs, despite beating Doncaster 4-2. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest secured automatic promotion with a 3-1 win at Reading; they joined champions Torquay on the road to Division 1, while consigning Wycombe to the play-offs. Millwall - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Scott 32) Division 2, Attendance 13,295 - POSITIONS: Millwall 14th, Kidderminster 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Bell, Miller, T Simpson; Gallego, Whitley (S Simpson), Carter, Gray (Aðalsteinsson); Scott, Collins (Garside). BOOKED: Scott, T Simpson. Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts 2nd P Nottm Forest 46 15 4 4 47 23 14 3 6 47 32 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Pl Wycombe 46 18 3 2 61 39 11 2 10 50 54 92 4th Pl Swindon 46 16 2 5 46 18 9 5 9 33 38 82 5th Pl Kidderminster 46 12 4 7 33 23 8 10 5 36 31 74 6th Pl Q.P.R. 46 13 4 6 44 33 9 4 10 39 37 74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Watford 46 14 2 7 50 31 6 9 8 36 42 71 8th Northampton 46 14 4 5 43 23 6 6 11 35 49 70 9th Doncaster 46 14 4 5 52 33 6 5 12 29 42 69 That just shows how close we came to disaster. If Millwall had come back and won 2-1, we would have slipped to 7th place - behind Watford on goals scored. Anyway, Kidderminster had made it into the Division 2 play-offs for the second straight year. We finished with 74 points, conceded just 54 goals (the fewest in the division)... and scored 69 (nice). More importantly, we had set up a two-legged Semi Final with Swindon - the matches set to take place at Aggborough on 9 May, and the County Ground on 13 May. The other Semi would see 3rd-placed Wycombe take on 6th-place QPR. Of the other three teams in the play-offs, Swindon were the side we least wanted to face. The Robins had beaten us home and away this season by a 6-1 aggregate score - and the Harriers had never won a league match at the County Ground. To make matters worse, we would have to go into the home leg without two of our most influential players. Collins was out with a bruised neck, and captain Jeff Whitley with a bruised thigh... and both faced a battle to be fit for the return fixture. There were also doubts over Scott Simpson's dodgy shin, but the Scotsman was cleared to start just an hour before kick-off. 9 MAY 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Swindon Town With David Collins unavailable, Robert Garside was promoted to the starting line-up. The Welsh youngster had only scored four times this season - but after just eight minutes, he scored undoubtedly the biggest goal of his Harriers career! Alan Gray sent a skilful low cross from the left flank, and Garside evaded the Swindon defenders to apply a simple finish as if he'd done it a dozen times before! Swindon almost hit back in the 12th minute, when Kevin Phillips headed Michael Dunwell’s cross inches wide of the target. If Simon Bell hadn't closed Phillips down as quickly as he had, the ex-England striker would surely have got his header on target, if not in the target! Bell and his centre-back partner Barry Miller continued to shut out Phillips throughout the first half. The 35-year-old finally mustered a shot on target in the 36th minute, but he couldn't breach the last line of our defence, as John Forde tipped the ball away. 'Super' Kev was looking very human, not least when an ankle injury ended his game five minutes into the second half. With their most experienced player off the field, Roy Evans' Robins continued to struggle. After 52 minutes, Gray spearheaded a Harriers counter-attack with an incisive lob to Scott, The target man knocked the ball down to Garside, whose lay-off was blasted into the top corner by Scott Simpson! 2-0 to Kidderminster! Scott Simpson's 10th goal of the season had put us in a commanding position. We managed the rest of the match very sensibly, stopping Swindon from having any more sniffs at our goal. The Aggborough faithful hadn't had a lot to celebrate in recent months, but a huge roar went up across the ground at full-time. A place in the Playoff Final was ours to win! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Garside 8, S Simpson 52) Swindon Town - 0 Division 2 Playoff Semi Final Leg 1, Attendance 6,230 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Forde; Berntsson, Bell, Miller, T Simpson; Gallego, S Simpson (Nicholls), Carter, Gray; Scott (Berry), Garside (Heikkinen). BOOKED: T Simpson. Away goals don't count extra in the play-offs, but a shut-out win at home set us up very nicely for the second leg. QPR also had the upper hand in their Semi Final, having beaten Wycombe 2-1 at Loftus Road. Now for some more good news: Whitley was fit enough to return at Swindon four days later. The bad news: David Collins was not. Our top scorer would not be back in action until the Playoff Final at Wembley... IF we managed to hold onto our lead. 13 MAY 2009: Swindon Town vs Kidderminster Harriers I would gladly have taken a quiet goalless first half... but the lads had their sights set on increasing our 2-0 aggregate lead instead of just protecting it. In the 10th minute, César Gallego played a first-time cross to Robert Garside, whose volley flew well over the bar. Scott Simpson did get somewhat closer to the target seven minutes later, but put his shot the wrong side of Kelvin Davis' right-hand post. Swindon started to come alive midway through the half. Barry Miller's trip on Robins midfielder Craig Pead in the 27th minute earned the Harriers captain a booking... and handed the hosts a free-kick, which Stuart Merron sent just off target. That was followed four minutes later by another near-miss from a midfielder - youngster Keith Baker on this occasion. The Robins' most obvious dangerman was striker Michael Dunwell, who'd scored 89 goals in four seasons at the County Ground. He almost rounded it up to 90 just before half-time, and though John Forde managed to tip that shot away, it was a clear warning. Even with our aggregate advantage still intact at the interval, we could not afford to lose our focus. Nine minutes into the second half, though, Terry Simpson had a costly lapse in concentration. The young Kidderminster left-back was easily beaten by the advancing Swindon forward James Hogg, who unleashed a furious shot at goal. Forde could not gather the shot cleanly, leaving Dunwell free to tap the loose ball home. The Robins were 1-0 up on the night - and only 2-1 down on aggregate! The Robins now knew that another goal would level the tie, and potentially extend this match into extra-time. With our defence looking sloppier and less organised, Forde's Godlike goalkeeping became even more important to us. The Irishman turned away a pot-shot from centre-back Gary Elliott in the 64th minute, and then denied Dunwell another goal in the 74th. Four minutes after Forde's latest save, we strung together a counter-attack that we hoped would restore our initial two-goal cushion. Jeff Whitley lobbed the ball out wide to Gray, whose cross would’ve found Gallego had the Spaniard not been bundled over by Swindon defender Robert Edwards. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, where Scott Simpson confidently fired in the spot-kick. With 10 minutes to go in this play-off tie, Kidderminster were now 3-1 up overall! Swindon had pushed us to the edge, but Edwards' mistake had dealt a fatal blow to their comeback hopes. With their spirit broken, we eased through the closing stages and secured our place in the Playoff Final! Kidderminster Harriers were on the way to Wembley!! Swindon Town - 1 (Dunwell 54) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (S Simpson pen79) [Kidderminster Harriers win 3-1 on aggregate] Division 2 Playoff Semi Final Leg 2, Attendance 11,729 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Forde; Berntsson, Bell (McCluskey), Miller (Scott), T Simpson; Heikkinen; Gallego, Whitley, S Simpson, Gray (Aðalsteinsson); Garside. BOOKED: Miller. The match at Adams Park also finished 1-1, which meant QPR had beaten Wycombe 3-2 on aggregate. It would be between my Harriers and Stuart Baxter's Rangers for that final spot in Division 1 next season! On Sunday 24 May 2009, virtually the whole of Kidderminster descended on Wembley for the biggest match of our season. If all went well, the Harriers would be back in the second tier after just two seasons away. If not, my future as manager would probably be in question. With Collins back from injury, I was all set to take a full-strength Harriers team to west London. That was a potentially huge boost, especially considering that QPR were missing their star playmaker Hamed Kavianpour through suspension. Unfortunately, Gallego hurt his chest in weight training just days before the Final, which left us without a right-winger. Not in the sense that all our players voted Labour, but we literally didn't have another player who could play on the right wing! And so, despite having a lot more joy using wide formations in the latter half of the season, I would have to return to my 4-4-2 narrow diamond once more. There were no grey areas whenever my Harriers team played in a diamond - either we played brilliantly, or we were utterly hopeless. Now I would have to put all my faith in the tactic that had taken Dagenham & Redbridge up three divisions - and hope it could somehow inspire another promotion with my new team. God help us. 24 MAY 2009: Queens Park Rangers vs Kidderminster Harriers Maintaining our discipline was a must, so it was a worry to see one of our most vital defensive players get booked after just two minutes. Markus Heikkinen had drawn the referee's ire (and mine for that matter) after a clumsy challenge on QPR winger Colin Cameron. However, the Finnish anchor man quickly redeemed himself, brilliantly intercepting Claus Bech Jørgensen's free-kick. I've stated a few times that Heikkinen was our highest-paid player. When you're earning £10,000 a week in the third division, you need to justify that salary. After 15 minutes, Markus showed once again why he was worth the outlay. After collecting the ball from Ryan Carter on the halfway line, Heikkinen audaciously dribbled upfield until he was just outside QPR's areas. As the Rangers defenders struggled to work out what to do, they left our leading scorer David Collins in a pocket of space inside the box. Heikkinen picked Collins out with a delicious through-ball... and David emphatically placed it past goalkeeper Lee Harper! Collins' 27th goal of the season had put us on course for promotion! Of course, QPR wouldn't be vanquished so easily so early. Barely two minutes after we celebrated the opening goal, a powerful long ball from Hoops left-back Adam Harper gave striker Richard Pacquette the chance to cancel it out. Pacquette raced past Simon Bell to go one-on-one with John Forde... but the goalkeeper made himself big and forced the Dominica international to fire a powerful shot over. Forde was involved in another key moment in the 37th minute. The goalkeeper's short pass to Bell was pumped out right to Carter, who then aimed a deep cross towards the far post. The QPR defence frantically rushed back, but they could only look on in horror as Carter's cross was finished by Simpson - that's Terry Simpson, not Scott! Incredibly, our 20-year-old left-back had scored his first EVER goal for Kidderminster - and we were 2-0 ahead in the Playoff Final! Our afternoon almost got even better when 45 minutes, when R's defender Pierre Issa nearly scuffed in one of his trademark own goals, putting the ball behind for a corner. Scott Simpson delivered an outswinger to Collins, whose header cannoned off the bar! We had come within inches of taking a 3-0 lead into the half-time break... but 2-0 was still a very strong position to be in. Promotion was now so close that we could almost taste it! Pragmatism took over, as I subbed off Heikkinen to avoid him picking up another yellow card. Kevin Nicholls - one of our longest-serving players - took Markus' place in the anchor role, tasked with the responsibility of seeing the job through. QPR didn't threaten our goal again until the hour mark, when Smith's half-volley from winger Ben Walshe's cross skimmed the crossbar. Just like his left-back counterpart Terry Simpson, Adam Smith had never scored a senior goal for his club since joining the Hoops from Norwich in 2005... so it would have been truly ironic if the 23-year-old had broken his duck at Wembley as well! The west Londoners' strike partnership of Pacquette and Patrick Agyemang had scored 44 times between them this season. However, neither could find the net here. Pacquette didn't trouble Forde again after his horror miss in the first half, and Agyemang's only effort on 67 minutes was tipped away by Forde. With QPR's star strikers both misfiring, the last 20 minutes or so were surprisingly comfortable for us. Collins unlucky hit the woodwork again in the 78th minute, and Terry Simpson was booked for a late holding foul, but neither of those mattered. The final whistle from referee Ronnie Poole finished off my first season as Kidderminster manager - and it had ended with us being PROMOTED to Division 1!! Queens Park Rangers - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 15, T Simpson 37) Division 2 Playoff Final, Attendance 35,450 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Forde; Berntsson, Bell, Miller, T Simpson; Heikkinen (Nicholls); Carter, Whitley; S Simpson (Gray); Scott (McCluskey), Collins. BOOKED: Heikkinen, T Simpson. YOU BLOODY BEAUTIES!!! After two years away, Kidderminster are back in the second tier! I’ll be honest with you. Having almost thrown away a play-off place in the final weeks of the season, I’m not sure how we’ve managed to pull this off! Even so, we had saved our most spirited performances for when they mattered most. This has to be up there as one of my greatest achievements in management. Yes, I won back-to-back promotions with Dagenham & Redbridge, but rebuilding a Harriers team that was at its lowest ebb - and getting them back into Division 1 at the end of my first season - is quite special too. And you know what? I have a feeling that our best days are still to come… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 (edited) DIVISION 2 TABLE (End of 2008/2009 season) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Torquay 46 15 6 2 61 32 14 6 3 58 33 99 2nd P Nottm Forest 46 15 4 4 47 23 14 3 6 47 32 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wycombe 46 18 3 2 61 39 11 2 10 50 54 92 4th Swindon 46 16 2 5 46 18 9 5 9 33 38 82 5th P Kidderminster 46 12 4 7 33 23 8 10 5 36 31 74 6th Q.P.R. 46 13 4 6 44 33 9 4 10 39 37 74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Watford 46 14 2 7 50 31 6 9 8 36 42 71 8th Northampton 46 14 4 5 43 23 6 6 11 35 49 70 9th Doncaster 46 14 4 5 52 33 6 5 12 29 42 69 10th Shrewsbury 46 12 9 2 43 28 6 6 11 19 34 69 11th Reading 46 13 4 6 46 30 7 3 13 31 40 67 12th Cambridge Utd 46 11 7 5 40 30 6 6 11 36 44 64 13th Wrexham 46 10 5 8 46 39 7 6 10 36 43 62 14th Millwall 46 12 5 6 52 26 4 8 11 27 42 61 15th Rochdale 46 11 6 6 54 37 5 6 12 40 56 60 16th Hull 46 11 2 10 44 39 7 3 13 41 56 59 17th Darlington 46 6 8 9 33 31 8 3 12 21 32 53 18th Bristol City 46 9 6 8 50 45 5 4 14 35 55 52 19th Oxford 46 9 6 8 54 50 5 3 15 30 56 51 20th Tranmere 46 10 10 3 31 22 1 7 15 16 48 50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st R Oldham 46 9 7 7 45 30 3 6 14 29 49 49 22nd R Walsall 46 10 5 8 47 50 2 6 15 29 62 47 23rd R Colchester 46 7 8 8 27 28 0 7 16 15 44 36 24th R Hartlepool 46 3 7 13 27 43 1 4 18 15 57 23 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Manchester United regain the Premiership title from Chelsea after taking 19 points from their final seven games. United then have the chance to claim a domestic double, but a 90th-minute winner from Joleon Lescott takes the FA Cup to Liverpool instead. Emile Heskey also scores on what will be his final appearance for the Reds. Saint-Denis is the venue as Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona clash in the Champions League Final. John Carew gives Real the lead after 17 minutes at the Stade de France... but goals from Fernando Zaniratto, Lionel Messi and Mikel Arteta secure a 3-1 Barça win that delivers their first European Cup since 1992. Barcelona might be kings of Europe, but Real have the last laugh domestically. Los Blancos win 2-1 at Mallorca to secure a 28th La Liga title - and end Barça's six-year reign at the top. It's also a glorious season for minnows Toledo, who secure promotion to La Liga while also reaching the Copa del Rey Final, which they lose 2-1 to Espanyol. After nearly a decade of Lazio-Roma dominance, Serie A’s capital duopoly is finally broken by Internazionale! The Nerazzurri lift their first scudetto for 20 years on the final day, with ex-Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko delivering the decisive goal at Venezia. To rub more salt into Milan wounds, the Rossoneri are beaten 3-2 in the UEFA Cup Final by Marseille, who go on to win a third consecutive Ligue 1 title. VfB Stuttgart clinch the Bundesliga title, defeating HSV 4-2 in their final home game to stave off Hertha BSC's challenge. The final day sees Leverkusen produce another great escape, as Landon Donovan's hat-trick against Bielefeld saves 'Der Werkself' from relegation - and sends Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg down. Leverkusen's season ends on an even better note, with victory over HSV in the DFB-Pokal Final sending them back into Europe! IN OTHER NEWS... A humble middle-aged Scotswoman named Susan Boyle appears on ITV's "Britain's Got Talent" - and becomes an overnight sensation after her performance of "I Dreamed A Dream" gets over 200 million views on YouTube. Boyle is installed by bookies as the favourite to win the Final... but is beaten by London street dance troupe Diversity. A music "Fairytale" comes true for Norwegian singer/violinist Alexander Rybak, who wins the Eurovision Song Contest after charming millions of people across the continent. Jade Ewen finishes a respectable 5th for the United Kingdom, immediately setting her up for a long and glittering solo career. Four-time reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal suffers his first ever defeat at Roland Garros. The Spaniard loses in Round 4 to Sweden’s Robin Söderling, which at least gives him more time to film a music video with Shakira. Duffy is appointed as the UK’s new Poet Laureate. No, not the Welsh soul singer who’s begging us for mercy… but Carol Ann Duffy, who becomes the first Scot, the first woman, and the first openly gay poet to hold the position. Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 KIDDERMINSTER PLAYER STATISTICS (2008/2009) Goalkeepers Apps Con Asts Yel Red MoM Av R ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Forde, John 52 56 0 0 1 3 7.21 13 Ivarsson, Kent 3 (1) 7 0 0 0 0 6.25 24 Mooney, Noel 1 1 0 0 0 0 7.00 Outfield Players Apps Gls Asts Yel Red MoM Av R ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Aðalsteinsson, Baldur 17 (16) 2 4 1 0 0 6.45 4 Bell, Simon 33 (1) 0 1 2 0 4 7.24 17 Berntsson, Billy 29 (1) 1 1 1 0 1 6.90 37 Berry, Jamie 1 (10) 4 2 1 0 1 6.91 8 Carter, Ryan 34 (6) 5 7 2 0 3 6.85 31 Collins, David 38 (5) 27 6 3 0 7 7.53 39 Fowler, Paul 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 6.00 * Gallacher, David 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.00 7 Gallego, César 24 (18) 4 8 2 0 1 6.74 10 Garside, Robert 13 (13) 5 3 2 0 1 6.96 19 Gray, Alan 7 (1) 0 3 1 0 0 6.88 * Guðmundsson, Haraldur 5 0 0 0 0 0 6.60 * Haarala, Hannu 9 (6) 0 1 0 0 0 6.27 6 Heikkinen, Markus 46 (4) 1 1 2 0 4 7.10 * Hume, Iain 18 (3) 6 3 0 0 1 7.14 18 Hyde, Kevin 15 (6) 0 0 4 0 0 6.81 * Marjamaa, Timo 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 5.50 2 McCluskey, Stuart 21 (18) 0 0 2 0 0 6.62 21 Miller, Barry 43 (1) 1 0 5 1 3 7.30 15 Nicholls, Kevin 16 (8) 1 0 1 0 0 6.63 12 Ormeño, Jorge 15 (6) 0 2 2 1 0 6.43 * Osman, Leon 6 (5) 3 3 0 0 0 6.73 * Roberts, Gareth 16 (1) 1 4 4 0 0 7.00 * Roberts, Nick 6 (4) 1 1 1 0 0 6.60 23 Scott, Alan 27 (10) 8 5 1 0 0 6.89 16 Simpson, Scott 35 (12) 11 9 2 1 1 6.66 14 Simpson, Terry 36 (1) 1 3 8 0 0 7.11 27 Watson, Lee 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 7.00 33 Whitley, Jeff 48 1 3 2 0 0 6.71 * [Player not currently at club] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oche balboa Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 Well done on Promotion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 21, 2023 Author Share Posted April 21, 2023 JUNE 2009 Following Kidderminster Harriers’ promotion to Division 1, you could probably have forgiven me for wanting to go on a spending spree. Despite coming up through the play-offs, we had some serious weaknesses that needed strengthening if we were to avoid a swift return to Division 2. Of course, that was never likely to happen. In my eight-year managerial career, I'd spent less than £4million on transfers - and my most expensive purchases cost no more than £300,000. As football managers go, I'm about as frugal as they come. But even if I wanted to bring out the chequebook, my budget was still somewhat limited. The board would only give me a maximum of £3million to spend on new players, as they were ready to significantly invest in the club's infrastructure. Our average home attendance this season was a mere 3,873 - not even filling two-thirds of Aggborough's 6,237 capacity. However, chairman Darren Gibson was anticipating a large spike in attendances for the Harriers' return to Division 1 and announced that 1,000 new seats would be installed over the summer. Gibson also accepted my request to improve our training facilities. Considering how rapidly the club had risen over the past decade, it was alarming that our training ground was still barely adequate by Conference standards, let alone the second tier of English football. How could we even begin to compete with the likes of Aston Villa and Wolves, whose players were fortunate enough to be honing their skills in top-class facilities? So, if I was to significantly improve this team, I would need to spend my money very wisely - or raise some extra funds through sales. The latter was easier said than done. Winger Baldur Aðalsteinsson came into my office a few days after the Playoff Final, asking for a new contract. Instead of accepting his demand, I told him that he was being put up for sale. Baldur got two goals and four assists in 33 games last season, averaging 6.45. If he wasn't good enough for Division 2, he sure as hell wasn't going to make the grade in Division 1. I offered Aðalsteinsson out to several lower-league clubs, but nobody was yet ready to stump up the £100,000 I believed he was worth. I was also unsuccessful in my initial efforts to move on defender Stuart McCluskey and midfielder Ryan Carter and Jorge Ormeño - three other players who were surplus to requirements. Our only departee so far was 17-year-old defender Stephen Kavanagh, whose youth contract expired. Kavanagh had endured a very disappointing loan spell at Lancaster, who were relegated from the Conference in dead-last place. Frankly, I'm not sure Stephen will ever be good enough to play professionally. I have better hopes for the other young Harrier who’d been out on loan. Hucknall were also relegated from the Conference, but Lee Watson’s midfield performances had shown plenty of promise. The 22-year-old playmaker will be back in our senior team next season. Kidderminster also said a sad goodbye to our hero and saviour, John Forde. The Irish goalkeeper's season-long loan spell had come to an end, and although Newcastle were happy to send him back to us for another years, he wanted to challenge for a starting place at St James' Park instead. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if John is playing Premiership football for the Magpies in a year or two. Thankfully, our other loanee was happy to stay at Kidderminster. Left-winger Alan Gray made two important assists late in the season to take us into the play-offs, and another to help defeat Swindon in the Semi Final. The 23-year-old Ulsterman's speed and crossing ability would make him a threat at any level, so when his contract at Bristol City expired, I wasted no time signing him up permanently. On the right wing, we recruited 24-year-old Adrian Morfitt following his release by Grimsby. Morfitt relies more on hard work and clever decision-making rather than his pace and technique. Nonetheless, he's still an upgrade on the young and enigmatic César Gallego, who doesn't yet have the consistency needed to be a regular starter. After Billy Berntsson's successful first year at Kidderminster, I decided to sign another Swedish defender. 25-year-old centre-half Tobias Redhe arrives in a £100,000 deal from Allsvenskan side Brage, where he was criminally underused despite having excellent man-marking abilities. I also added some experience to the squad by signing 31-year-old Shaun Derry from Reading for £200,000. A veteran of nearly 400 Football League games, Derry is a fearless defensive workhorse who can play at right-back, centre-half, or in a midfield anchor role. Derry is already a popular figure at Aggborough, where he'll be welcomed back for a third spell at the club. He was voted the Fans' Player of the Year for his performances while on loan from Portsmouth in the 2001/2002 season, when they were still in the lower reaches of Division 3. He then returned for the 2006/2007 season, when he was again one of their top performers as they were relegated from Division 1. Most recently, I signed my former Dagenham & Redbridge goalkeeper Espen Baardsen for £300,000 to replace Forde as our number 1. Baardsen was ruthlessly discarded by my successor Willy Wordsworth and has spent the last 18 months out on loan. Despite this, I still believe the 31-year-old Norwegian international has what it takes to be a dependable shotstopper at this level. Oh, and while I was at it, I also signed Lee Matthews as a player-coach. Matthews was another victim of the Wordsworth revolution, not playing a single match in the final year of his Dagenham contract. I got back in touch with my former captain, offering him the chance to start his coaching career at Kidderminster. At 36, Lee's days as a useful Football League defender are probably over, though I've still registered him as a player, just in case we have an injury crisis. Matthews joins our coaching staff as a replacement for Gavin Hall, who is now working for Bournemouth in Division 3. Meanwhile, Paul Tisdale has officially retired from playing aged 36, and will now concentrate full-time on his coaching duties. I also recruited a new scout - 46-year-old Scotsman John Rankin, who has spent the last seven years working for Finnish side Inter Turku. He replaces Kevin Scott, who was relieved of his duties after eight years of service. It’s taken me a while to settle into life in the West Midlands, but now Kidderminster Harriers is starting to feel like my club. And having secured promotion back to Division 1, I’m now determined to consolidate our status in the second tier. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 21, 2023 Author Share Posted April 21, 2023 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Eric Gerets ends his six-year tenure as Liverpool manager shortly after lifting a second FA Cup, having been drawn to the sun, sea and sand of Mallorca. After taking Grimsby into the Division 1 play-offs, Nigel Winterburn is hired as his successor... and his first move is to re-sign former Anfield favourite Ludovic Giuly from Real Madrid. Ruud van Nistelrooy officially exits Manchester United after eight years, in which he scored a measly 253 goals in 402 matches. Fellow United legend Ryan Giggs is released after 18 years of service, while Brazil striker Amoroso joins Perugia on a free transfer. It appears the Red Devils are planning to rebuild their team around a certain Portuguese winger at Sporting... Leeds agree deals to sell winger Harry Kewell to Bayern München for £13million, and attacking midfielder Pablo Aimar to newly-promoted Schalke for £10.25million. Chairman Peter Ridsdale insists that there is no firesale at Elland Road and that everything is totally fine. England climb to 2nd in the FIFA World Rankings after a 1-0 victory over World Cup runners-up France, as captain Rio Ferdinand heads in the winner from Leeds team-mate Lee Bowyer's corner. Having masterminded a 1-1 away draw against top-ranked Italy in April, David Seaman is hailed as England's greatest manager since Alf Ramsey. Meanwhile, FIFA controversially award the 2014 World Cup jointly to Norway (who will also host Euro 2012) and Sweden... and announce that this summer's Confederations Cup will be the last. French legend Zinedine Zidane retires on his 37th birthday, having guided Rostock to 11th place in the Bundesliga. It's also the end for fellow 'galactico' Figo, who winds down his career back home in Portugal with Leiria. Long-time Roma coach Fabio Capello also quits football to enjoy a quieter life delivering mail and looking after his black-and-white cat. IN OTHER NEWS... Three weeks before his comeback concerts in London, music megastar Michael Jackson suffers a fatal cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home. The King of Pop’s death - at the tragically young age of 50 - triggers an incredible outpouring of grief across the world. Jackson’s death also overshadows the sad passing of another icon of American culture just hours before. Farrah Fawcett, who succumbed to cancer at age 62, became world-famous in the 1970s for her starring role in “Charlie’s Angels”, her marriage to Lee Majors… and that red swimsuit. An outbreak of the H1N1 virus - dubbed 'swine flu' - is declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Since being first reported in Mexico at the start of this year, the virus has spread worldwide and infected thousands of people. Professor Stephen Hawking throws an extravagant party at Cambridge University, complete with champagne and hors d’oeuvres… but he only sends out invites to time travellers, and only after the party is over. Nobody shows up, and Prof Hawking concludes this is "experimental evidence that time travel is not possible". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 21, 2023 Author Share Posted April 21, 2023 SEASON REVIEW 2008/2009 ENGLAND NOTE: All goals and assist records relate to league matches only. PREMIERSHIP Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Man Utd 38 14 2 3 41 11 10 5 4 37 24 79 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Arsenal 38 14 4 1 41 11 8 4 7 28 24 74 3rd Chelsea 38 13 5 1 38 15 8 3 8 31 29 71 4th Liverpool 38 10 6 3 26 17 9 5 5 24 16 68 5th Everton 38 12 5 2 29 11 8 1 10 22 31 66 6th Newcastle 38 13 1 5 40 24 7 4 8 33 33 65 7th Leeds 38 13 2 4 36 18 5 7 7 30 31 63 8th Bolton 38 7 8 4 26 22 8 6 5 27 29 59 9th Blackburn 38 10 2 7 36 28 7 4 8 28 27 57 10th Sheff Wed 38 11 3 5 29 15 4 6 9 21 35 54 11th Southampton 38 10 5 4 30 22 5 2 12 20 34 52 12th Stoke 38 11 5 3 26 16 3 5 11 19 39 52 13th Man City 38 10 4 5 35 22 4 4 11 26 40 50 14th Sunderland 38 9 6 4 26 23 4 3 12 13 26 48 15th Middlesbrough 38 9 4 6 28 19 4 4 11 19 33 47 16th Burnley 38 9 4 6 35 37 3 4 12 23 35 44 17th Tottenham 38 10 3 6 35 26 2 2 15 16 41 41 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th R Birmingham 38 8 1 10 34 37 1 6 12 18 39 34 19th R Coventry 38 5 4 10 34 41 1 3 15 6 28 25 20th R Aston Villa 38 1 6 12 11 33 0 2 17 7 42 11 Top Goalscorer - Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd): 25. Most Assists - Danny Bruce (Birmingham), Elano (Man Utd), Philip Mulryne (Southampton): 13. Highest Average Rating - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Newcastle): 8.16. PFA Player of the Year - Fernando Morientes (Chelsea). PFA Young Player of the Year - Rene Adams (Sheff Wed). DIVISION 1 Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Crystal Palace 46 18 2 3 41 16 10 6 7 35 31 92 2nd P Ipswich 46 15 6 2 40 21 10 7 6 42 31 88 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Notts Co 46 14 4 5 45 29 11 3 9 40 31 82 4th Grimsby 46 16 3 4 38 19 6 10 7 33 39 79 5th P Crewe 46 12 7 4 44 32 8 7 8 28 29 74 6th Wolves 46 11 8 4 40 34 8 5 10 35 37 70 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th West Ham 46 11 7 5 45 29 8 5 10 37 35 69 8th Bradford 46 14 4 5 41 25 6 5 12 33 41 69 9th Sheff Utd 46 12 6 5 34 26 7 6 10 23 31 69 10th Chesterfield 46 7 10 6 40 39 10 6 7 46 41 67 11th Carlisle 46 13 4 6 33 25 6 5 12 28 37 66 12th Charlton 46 11 4 8 34 34 7 7 9 41 43 65 13th Brentford 46 13 4 6 40 26 5 6 12 28 33 64 14th Huddersfield 46 12 5 6 45 38 6 3 14 24 42 62 15th Dag & Red 46 10 10 3 19 9 4 9 10 18 25 61 16th W.B.A. 46 12 4 7 41 33 5 6 12 30 47 61 17th Peterborough 46 9 6 8 37 35 7 5 11 35 48 59 18th Norwich 46 8 3 12 34 37 6 7 10 22 27 52 19th Derby 46 12 3 8 47 38 3 4 16 17 41 52 20th Preston 46 8 5 10 35 36 4 6 13 22 38 47 21st Fulham 46 7 7 9 39 43 4 4 15 30 46 44 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd R Luton 46 6 10 7 14 16 2 9 12 12 28 43 23rd R Leicester 46 9 5 9 36 35 2 5 16 22 46 43 24th R Gillingham 46 3 12 8 13 20 5 3 15 14 28 39 DIVISION 2 Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Torquay 46 15 6 2 61 32 14 6 3 58 33 99 2nd P Nottm Forest 46 15 4 4 47 23 14 3 6 47 32 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wycombe 46 18 3 2 61 39 11 2 10 50 54 92 4th Swindon 46 16 2 5 46 18 9 5 9 33 38 82 5th P Kidderminster 46 12 4 7 33 23 8 10 5 36 31 74 6th Q.P.R. 46 13 4 6 44 33 9 4 10 39 37 74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Watford 46 14 2 7 50 31 6 9 8 36 42 71 8th Northampton 46 14 4 5 43 23 6 6 11 35 49 70 9th Doncaster 46 14 4 5 52 33 6 5 12 29 42 69 10th Shrewsbury 46 12 9 2 43 28 6 6 11 19 34 69 11th Reading 46 13 4 6 46 30 7 3 13 31 40 67 12th Cambridge Utd 46 11 7 5 40 30 6 6 11 36 44 64 13th Wrexham 46 10 5 8 46 39 7 6 10 36 43 62 14th Millwall 46 12 5 6 52 26 4 8 11 27 42 61 15th Rochdale 46 11 6 6 54 37 5 6 12 40 56 60 16th Hull 46 11 2 10 44 39 7 3 13 41 56 59 17th Darlington 46 6 8 9 33 31 8 3 12 21 32 53 18th Bristol City 46 9 6 8 50 45 5 4 14 35 55 52 19th Oxford 46 9 6 8 54 50 5 3 15 30 56 51 20th Tranmere 46 10 10 3 31 22 1 7 15 16 48 50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st R Oldham 46 9 7 7 45 30 3 6 14 29 49 49 22nd R Walsall 46 10 5 8 47 50 2 6 15 29 62 47 23rd R Colchester 46 7 8 8 27 28 0 7 16 15 44 36 24th R Hartlepool 46 3 7 13 27 43 1 4 18 15 57 23 DIVISION 3 Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Leyton Orient 46 19 1 3 60 26 11 5 7 40 37 96 2nd P Mansfield 46 14 6 3 39 14 9 6 8 36 31 81 3rd P Port Vale 46 16 2 5 51 24 8 6 9 36 37 80 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Bristol Rovers 46 10 7 6 36 26 12 6 5 45 32 79 5th P Portsmouth 46 9 9 5 29 19 12 5 6 36 32 77 6th Barnsley 46 13 7 3 34 21 10 1 12 28 32 77 7th Cardiff 46 10 8 5 36 25 10 3 10 28 27 71 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Bury 46 11 7 5 53 36 7 8 8 38 40 69 9th Brighton 46 9 8 6 30 24 10 4 9 38 36 69 10th Macclesfield 46 12 6 5 48 28 5 10 8 27 38 67 11th Scarborough 46 8 6 9 39 39 11 3 9 31 26 66 12th Blackpool 46 14 3 6 40 29 5 5 13 33 53 65 13th Exeter 46 11 6 6 38 31 6 5 12 29 33 62 14th Plymouth 46 13 6 4 20 9 2 8 13 10 23 59 15th Rushden 46 8 10 5 30 30 6 6 11 32 36 58 16th Lincoln 46 8 9 6 36 30 5 7 11 27 48 55 17th Telford 46 10 4 9 25 22 3 10 10 11 21 53 18th Stockport 46 10 3 10 44 42 5 5 13 34 55 53 19th Bournemouth 46 8 9 6 28 21 3 8 12 9 28 50 20th Wigan 46 9 5 9 43 42 5 2 16 27 50 49 21st Swansea 46 11 2 10 31 29 2 8 13 23 48 49 22nd Rotherham 46 9 4 10 32 34 4 5 14 22 43 48 23rd Scunthorpe 46 9 7 7 45 41 2 5 16 27 57 45 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th R Wimbledon 46 7 4 12 34 44 2 8 13 19 38 39 CONFERENCE Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Stalybridge 42 16 4 1 52 18 10 4 7 41 35 86 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Northwich Vics 42 14 5 2 51 20 12 3 6 27 19 86 3rd Morecambe 42 17 3 1 43 18 9 1 11 36 36 82 4th Southend 42 16 4 1 51 26 8 5 8 39 42 81 5th Clevedon 42 14 3 4 33 18 7 6 8 27 28 72 6th Boston Utd 42 13 5 3 48 23 7 5 9 38 39 70 7th Salisbury 42 11 4 6 38 30 8 7 6 35 33 68 8th Nuneaton Borough 42 12 2 7 42 31 7 6 8 26 24 65 9th Hereford 42 13 3 5 40 30 4 9 8 29 34 63 10th Farnborough 42 12 3 6 38 29 7 3 11 26 38 63 11th Cheltenham 42 10 3 8 33 31 7 5 9 38 37 59 12th Bath City 42 9 7 5 35 30 6 6 9 30 31 58 13th Slough 42 9 3 9 29 27 7 5 9 38 40 56 14th Barnet 42 9 6 6 33 29 5 4 12 31 39 52 15th Yeovil 42 8 8 5 35 32 4 5 12 26 46 49 16th Margate 42 10 4 7 37 32 2 6 13 17 34 46 17th Stevenage 42 7 8 6 30 29 3 7 11 28 41 45 18th York 42 8 7 6 25 22 1 8 12 16 38 42 19th Aldershot 42 6 6 9 25 32 4 6 11 18 35 42 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th R Hucknall 42 7 7 7 33 35 2 3 16 12 44 37 21st R Kettering 42 6 6 9 25 32 2 3 16 15 37 33 22nd R Lancaster 42 4 8 9 18 26 0 2 19 7 44 22 Promoted to Conference: Harrow Borough, Merthyr Tydfil, Worksop. FA Cup: Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd. League Cup: Arsenal 2-0 Grimsby. Community Shield: West Ham 3-3 Chelsea (3-1 pens). Football League Trophy: Nottm Forest 1-0 Northampton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted April 21, 2023 Author Share Posted April 21, 2023 (edited) OTHER LEAGUES FRANCE Ligue 1 Top Three: Marseille (1st), Toulouse (2nd), Nantes (3rd). Relegated: Nîmes (18th), Montpellier (19th), Nice (20th). Promoted from Ligue 2: Troyes (1st), Grenoble (2nd), Châteauroux (3rd). Top Goalscorer - Alexandr Shirko (Nantes): 27. Most Assists - Rolan Gusev (Paris-SG): 13. Highest Average Rating - Francisco Salazar (Toulouse): 8.36. Coupe de France: Sedan 2-0 Bordeaux. Coupe de la Ligue: Nancy 2-1 Marseille. GERMANY 1. Bundesliga Top Three: VfB Stuttgart (1st), Hertha BSC (2nd), FC Bayern (3rd). Relegated: Frankfurt (16th), Wolfsburg (17th), Mainz (18th). Promoted from 2. Bundesliga: Schalke 04 (1st), Ahlen (2nd), Saarbrücken (3rd). Top Goalscorer - Claudio Pizarro (FC Bayern), Emanuel Villa (SC Freiburg): 19. Most Assists - José Antonio Reyes (FC Bayern), Zé Roberto (FC Bayern): 12. Highest Average Rating - Alexandr Kerzhakov (1.FC Köln): 8.25. DFB-Pokal: Leverkusen 2-1 HSV. DFB-Liga Pokal: VfB Stuttgart 1-0 Dortmund. HOLLAND Eredivisie Top Three: Ajax (1st), PSV (2nd), Feyenoord (3rd). Relegated: Willem II (16th, lost play-off), ADO (17th, lost play-off), Roda (18th). Promoted from Eerste Divisie: Heerenveen (1st), Groningen (4th, won play-off), Telstar (7th, won play-off). Top Goalscorer - Mateja Kezman (PSV): 26. Most Assists - Stéphane Bossis (RKC): 16. Highest Average Rating - Clint Mathis (Ajax): 8.48. KNVB Beker: Cambuur 1-0 Twente. ITALY Serie A Top Three: Inter (1st), Roma (2nd), Lazio (3rd). Relegated: Empoli (15th), Sampdoria (16th), Lumezzane (17th), Udinese (18th). Promoted from Serie B: Napoli (1st), Gualdo (2nd), Lecce (3rd), Salernitana (4th). Top Goalscorer - Hernán Jorge Crespo (Lazio), Fausto Rossini (Atalanta): 18. Most Assists - Darijo Srna (Bologna): 16. Highest Average Rating - Ronaldo (Inter): 8.20. Coppa Italia: Lazio 4-3 Milan (aggregate). PORTUGAL Primeira Liga Top Three: Benfica (1st), Porto (2nd), Vitória Setúbal (3rd). Relegated: Campomaiorense (16th), Vitória Guimarães (17th), Ovarense (18th). Promoted from Segunda Liga: Belenenses (1st), Bragança (2nd), Salgueiros (3rd). Top Goalscorer - Cristiano Ronaldo (Sporting): 27. Most Assists - Simão (Benfica): 21. Highest Average Rating - Cristiano Ronaldo (Sporting): 8.61. Taça de Portugal: Benfica 4-0 Estrela da Amadora. SCOTLAND Premier League Top Three: Rangers (1st), Celtic (2nd), Hibs (3rd). Relegated: Arbroath (12th). Promoted from Division 1: Hearts (1st). Top Goalscorer - Gordon Weir (Celtic): 26. Most Assists - Barry Ferguson (Rangers): 14. Highest Average Rating - Gordon Weir (Celtic): 8.24. Scottish Cup: Rangers 3-1 Celtic. League Cup: Rangers 5-0 Celtic. SPAIN La Liga Top Three: Real Madrid (1st), Barcelona (2nd), Atlético Madrid (3rd). Relegated: Levante (18th), Racing Santander (19th), Numancia (20th). Promoted from Segunda División: Toledo (1st), Real Sociedad (2nd), Éibar (3rd). Top Goalscorer - Pawel Brozek (Sevilla): 26. Most Assists - Mikel Arteta (Barcelona): 14. Highest Average Rating - Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 8.47. Copa del Rey: Espanyol 2-1 Toledo. CONTINENTAL & INTERNATIONAL CLUB Champions League: Barcelona 3-1 Real Madrid - in Saint-Denis. UEFA Cup: Marseille 3-2 Milan - in Roma. Super Cup: Lazio 3-0 HSV. Intercontinental Cup: Lazio 3-1 Boca. FIFA World Player of the Year - Francesco Totti (Roma & Italy). World Footballer of the Year - Ronaldo (Inter & Brazil). African Player of the Year - Mohammed Sylla (FC Bayern & Guinea). European Player of the Year - Patrick Kluivert (Barcelona & Holland). South American Player of the Year - Falcao (River & Colombia). Oceania Player of the Year - Harry Kewell (Leeds & Australia). LEADING TRANSFERS (Premiership) DATE NAME POSITIONS FROM TO FEE 10/07/08 Damien Duff AM L Man City Chelsea £11M 13/11/08 Daniel Bierofka AM RL VfB Stuttgart Man Utd £10.5M 08/07/08 Mark van Bommel DM C PSV Leeds £9.75M 28/07/08 Kieron Dyer AM RC Bordeaux Liverpool £8.25M 24/07/08 Luizão S C Hertha BSC Man Utd £7.25M 17/12/08 James Austin D RC Notts Co Aston Villa £7.25M 14/10/08 Ian Gibson D LC Sheff Utd Middlesbrough £6.25M 02/06/09 Andrea Barzagli D C Newcastle Bolton £6.25M 27/11/08 Jim Paterson D/AM LC Notts Co Man City £6M 07/08/08 Fernando Morientes S C Club Brugge Chelsea £5.75M LEADING TRANSFERS (not including Premiership) DATE NAME POSITIONS FROM TO FEE 01/07/08 Wilfred Bouma D/DM/F L Lazio Roma £19.25M 27/09/08 David Trezeguet S C Juventus FC Bayern £16M 15/11/08 Diego Forlán S C 1.FC Köln Werder Bremen £14M 11/07/08 Denílson AM/F LC Porto Lazio £13.5M 01/07/08 Lúcio D C Leverkusen Schalke 04 £12.25M 01/07/08 Mancini AM RL Bologna Juventus £10.75M 02/01/09 Zlatan Muslimovic S C Chievo Milan £10.75M 26/07/08 Aliaksandr Hleb AM RLC VfB Stuttgart M'gladbach £10.25M 17/07/08 Lúcio Flávio AM C Corinthians Porto £10M 14/07/08 Ricardo Carvalho D C Porto FC Bayern £9.75M Edited March 26 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oche balboa Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Blues, Wolves, Albion, Coventry, Villa and Kidderminster in the 2nd tier. Will be interesting Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 10 minutes ago, oche balboa said: Blues, Wolves, Albion, Coventry, Villa and Kidderminster in the 2nd tier. Will be interesting Stoke the best team in the Midlands right now! A lot of 'local' derbies to look forward to next season, but I'm afraid that won't be for a little while. I'm taking a break from this story until around July/August, as I'm preparing to move house over the summer. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 (edited) JULY 2009 After two seasons away, Kidderminster Harriers were about to return to Division 1. Promotion via the Division 2 play-offs had reinvigorated a club - and a town - that had gone through a period of soul-searching since the Harriers' rapid ascent was cut short in 2007. Having led Kidderminster back into the second tier, I was determined to keep them there. I had already made five new signings that I hoped would consolidate our Division 1 status. Alan Gray made his stay at Aggborough permanent following a loan spell from Bristol City, with fellow winger Adrian Morfitt also coming on board. Scandinavian duo Espen Baardsen and Tobias Redhe strengthened our options in goal and defence respectively. Lastly, the experienced and versatile Shaun Derry had returned for a third stay at Kidderminster. With those new recruits, I was now happy with the makeup of my squad… and I had learnt from past experience not to change too much too quickly. When I led Dagenham & Redbridge into Division 1 in 2006, I got myself into a panic and ended up making sweeping changes to my team throughout our first season up. Although we narrowly survived, this overhaul wrecked the team atmosphere and ultimately contributed to my acrimonious departure from Victoria Road. Naturally, we still had a few players who I really didn't believe could hack it in Division 1. One such player was Jorge Ormeño, who had failed to meet expectations and had largely been frozen out since his red card at Reading last December. When Münster offered us £110,000 to sign the Chilean defensive midfielder, I would have driven him to Germany himself. Ormeño was our first sale of the summer, and it was unlikely to be the last. Left-back Terry Simpson was reportedly coveted by a couple of Premiership teams, while 18-year-old striker Paul Graham had already been the subject of a couple of offers from Sheffield United. Graham hadn't yet made his senior debut, but my assistant Neil Kennedy was a huge fan of the pacey Scotsman and suggested I give him some opportunities in pre-season. 17-year-old Jamie Berry broke into the first-team with 6 goal contributions in 11 games last season - earning him a new four-year contract - so why couldn't Paul follow in his footsteps? I would also use this pre-season to have another look at Lee Watson. The 22-year-old midfielder had shown some impressive form on loan at Hucknall in the Conference, and I thought he had the potential to grow into a fine playmaker. We kicked off our preparations for the new campaign with a three-game tour of Wales. First up was a trip to Cwmbran, who finished 15th in the Welsh Premier League last season. 18 JULY 2009: Cwmbran Town vs Kidderminster Harriers My teams always start pre-season very slowly - and this was no different, as Cwmbran striker Gari Evans headed home a corner to put us behind after just nine minutes. Fortunately, the returning Shaun Derry didn't waste much time to draw us level. When both Barry Miller and Alan Scott scored later in the second half, it was a case of "Bang, and Cwmbran are gone!" Teenage starlet Paul Graham then struck just after the break to complete a 4-1 Harriers win. Cwmbran Town - 1 (Evans 9) Kidderminster Harriers - 4 (Derry 20, Miller 26, Scott 41, Graham 48) Friendly, Attendance 1,013 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Baardsen (Mooney); Berntsson, Heikkinen (Fowler), Miller (Bell), T Simpson (Fitzgerald); Morfitt (Gallego), Derry (S Simpson), Whitley, Gray (Aðalsteinsson); Scott (Garside), Berry (Graham). BOOKED: Derry. Four days later, we looked for another win at Victoria Road - the stadium in Port Talbot which shared its name with my former home. The last time I came here was with my Dagenham & Redbridge team seven years ago, when we suffered a shock 3-1 defeat. I hoped there would be no embarrassments this time around... 22 JULY 2009: Port Talbot Town vs Kidderminster Harriers After tearing Cwmbran apart, we took an attacking game to Port Talbot, registering nine shots on target. Eight of them were saved by the hosts' new goalkeeper Ciaran McLaughlin, who spent four seasons at Wycombe without making a single competitive appearance. The only shot that managed to beat McLaughlin came from Shaun Derry, who fired home a 60th-minute free-kick after Town defender Wayne Jones was sent off for a very dangerous challenge on Robert Garside. Rob was in considerable pain afterwards, but Shaun's stunner had at least saved us from the agony of a miserable 0-0 draw. Port Talbot Town - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Derry 60) Friendly, Attendance 837 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Baardsen; Berntsson (Morfitt), Redhe, Bell (Miller), T Simpson (Hyde); Gallego (Watson), Carter (Garside), Derry, Gray (Nicholls); Scott (Graham), Berry. Another win, but we had to be more clinical in front of goal - and losing Robert Garside for a month with a thigh strain didn't help matters. Thankfully, we now had top scorer David Collins back in action, having missed our first two friendlies with a thigh injury. The last match of our Welsh tour was at Recreation Park in Llansantffraid, close to the English border. Could we make it three victories from three, or would the home fans be dancing in the streets of Total Network Solutions at full-time? 25 JULY 2009: Total Network Solutions vs Kidderminster Harriers David Collins was all over the TNS defence throughout this match, in which he did literally everything... except put the ball in the net. The closest Collins came to scoring was in the second minute, when he unluckily flicked Baldur Aðalsteinsson's cross against the post. In general, though, we were wasteful in front of goal. By stark contrast, TNS were much more clinical. Ten minutes from full-time, they launched their only counter-attack of the match, from which captain Duncan McArther - a former Kidderminster striker, no less! - rocketed the ball home. McArther's stunner would leave some Kiddy fans more tearful than Ellen MacArthur on one of her round-the-world yacht trips. Total Network Solutions - 1 (McArther 80) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Friendly, Attendance 1,387 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Baardsen; McCluskey (Derry), Heikkinen (Redhe), Miller, T Simpson (Hyde); Morfitt (Gallego), Carter (Watson), Whitley, Aðalsteinsson (Gray); S Simpson (Scott), Collins (Berry). BOOKED: T Simpson. What a Total disaster. How on Earth did we get promoted last season? After the match, we said goodbye to one of our longest-serving players, as midfielder Kevin Nicholls dropped back down to Division 2 with Mansfield. The Stags agreed to pay us £200,000 for the 30-year-old, who made 142 league appearances in five seasons at Aggborough. We then turned to our next friendly, against Boston United. Former England defender Mark Wright had been in charge at the Conference side since last summer. Incidentally, his predecessor-but-one - a certain Steve Evans - was in prison serving time for fraud. Told you he was a nice fella. 28 JULY 2009: Boston United vs Kidderminster Harriers Apparently, Shaun Derry is the only Kidderminster player who still knows how to score! It was our returning utility man - now playing at right-back - who thundered in the opener after just 12 minutes. From that point, though, Boston dominated the midfield and turned the tie around, with Jamie Lyons and the long-serving David Town scoring either side of half-time. That put the Pilgrims on course for a surprise 2-1 win, which would have been even bigger had Harriers goalkeeper Kent Ivarsson not made some Superman-esque saves to spare our defenders' blushes! Boston United - 2 (Lyons 34, Town 50) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Derry 12) Friendly, Attendance 2,262 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Ivarsson; Derry (T Simpson), Bell, Redhe (Miller), Hyde; Gallego (Morfitt), S Simpson (Berry), Whitley (Watson), Gray (Aðalsteinsson); Scott, Collins (Graham). BOOKED: Redhe, Miller. I repeat - HOW did we get promoted last season? If you're losing to a team THREE divisions below you, something is clearly wrong. I know I should stop panicking whenever we hit a rough patch, but this side really needs more reinforcements, otherwise Division 1 is going to be a brutal experience. Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 (edited) ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Brazil secure a third successive Copa América at the Maracanã in typical Samba style... by beating Colombia on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Their breakout star is 20-year-old Vasco striker Wellington da Rosa, who scores his first Seleção goal in the Quarter Final win over Chile. Wellington's pace, power and flamboyance earns inevitable comparisons to a certain buck-toothed compatriot. After years of speculation, Premiership holders Manchester United finally sign a silky, skilful attacking midfielder from Portugal... after paying Porto £8.25million for Rodrigo Taddei. In other news, Cristiano Ronaldo gets his long-awaited move to England, joining Chelsea for £12.25million after scoring 226 goals in 284 games for Sporting. A decade after their last Ligue 1 title, Bordeaux hope to recapture their glory days by signing Ruud van Nistelrooy on a two-year contract. Ex-Liverpool hotshot Emile Heskey is surprisingly hired as player-manager of J-League side Vissel Kobe, while his former strike partner Robbie Fowler makes the shorter and less glamorous journey to Crewe. Speaking of iconic forwards pursuing unlikely career moves, Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero leaves Bayern München to replace the retiring Barry Fry as manager of English Division 1 side Peterborough. Meanwhile, the women of Buckinghamshire are on high alert after Ryan Giggs is named as player-manager of Division 2 Wycombe. Cameroon hire an unknown 62-year-old Irishman named Martin Ryan as their new head coach 48 hours before a crucial World Cup qualifier against Kenya. The Indomitable Lions are subdued 2-1, and Ryan is fired after just one match - but he is then rehired on the orders of star striker Samuel Eto'o, who recently joined Dortmund from Mallorca for £10.25million. It’s just a typical month in African international football! IN OTHER NEWS... The BBC announce that "Strictly Come Dancing" judge Arlene Phillips has left her position, and will be replaced with 2007 winner Alesha Dixon for this year's series. ITV are reportedly considering making a similar move on "The X Factor", by ditching Dannii Minogue for Leon Jackson. It’s not as if anyone would notice, right? The much-loved football manager and Geordie gentleman Sir Bobby Robson loses his battle with lung cancer, aged 76. Robson won the UEFA Cup with Ipswich in 1981 and the Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona in 1997, before retiring at his boyhood club Newcastle in 2002. The last two surviving British servicemen who fought in World War I both pass away. Henry Allingham - the longest-lived British man in history - dies at the grand old age of 113, a week before Harry Patch passes aged 111. And finally, the legendary American journalist Walter Cronkite passes away at 92 years of age. The anchorman of "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981, he covered numerous major events, such as the assassination of John F Kennedy and the Moon landings. And that's the way it is: Friday, July 17, 2009. Edited August 14, 2023 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 (edited) Kidderminster Harriers squad - Start of 2009/2010 season GOALKEEPERS 1. Espen Baardsen - GK, age 31, Norwegian [9 caps] Despite playing only 31 competitive matches in the last three years, Baardsen has vast experience. His excellent agility and reflexes should keep our goal safe. 13. Kent Ivarsson - GK, age 25, Swedish Ivarsson is a tall shotstopper who's good at claiming aerial balls but will probably never be more than a backup. In four senior games last season, he conceded seven goals. 24. Noel Mooney - GK, age 33, Irish Formerly of Watford, Mooney is a brave goalie whose biggest strengths lie in his agility. Though pretty reliable on the pitch, he has some fitness issues off it. DEFENDERS 2. Stuart McCluskey - D RC, age 31, Scottish McCluskey's stamina and intelligence made him a useful presence at centre-half or right-back last term. Unfortunately, he's now surplus to requirements after our promotion. 3. Terry Simpson - D L, age 21, English Simpson is an aggressive left-back who's intelligent beyond his years. An integral part of our promotion-winning team, this exciting talent is surely destined for the top level. 4. Simon Bell - D C, age 25, English My former Daggers stopper Bell was one of our most successful signings last season. He's an absolute beast in the air and seldom gets caught out of position. 5. Tobias Redhe - D C, age 25, Swedish After a shaky pre-season, I'm not sure Redhe is quite ready for Division 1 football. I'll play a patient game with this expert man-marker and gradually ease him into the team. 6. Markus Heikkinen - D/DM C, age 30, Finnish [15 caps, 2 goals] Heikkinen justified his £10,000-per-week salary by making 50 appearances last season. The tough-tackling Finn is a huge influence on the pitch, either at centre-half or as an anchor. 17. Billy Berntsson - D R, age 25, Swedish Berntsson hit the ground running by scoring on his Kidderminster debut. Since then, the right-back has put in a lot of smart if not spectacular performances. 18. Kevin Hyde - D L, age 23, English Hyde struggled at times last season after stepping up from Division 3 football. The energetic and two-footed left-back will be massively determined to regain his place. 21. Barry Miller - SW/D C, age 33, English Captain Miller is a model professional who brilliantly guided us up via the play-offs. His contract expires next summer, and if those legs start to creak, this could be his swansong. 36. Lee Matthews - D C, age 36, English My erstwhile Dagenham captain joins us as a player-coach but will almost exclusively focus on the latter. Barring a flu epidemic or meteor strike, he won't play for the first-team. MIDFIELDERS 7. César Gallego - AM RC, age 22, Spanish Gallego is an athletic winger and attacking midfielder with significant potential and a knack for set-pieces. Consistency has always been an issue, but time is on his side. 8. Ryan Carter - M C, age 23, English Having got 12 goal contributions last term, Carter's work rate and playmaking skills are not in question. Sadly, his erratic form and attitude problems have not won over the fans. 11. Baldur Aðalsteinsson - AM/F L, age 29, Icelandic [capped at B level] Aðalsteinsson made 33 appearances last term, but nearly half of them were from the bench. The brave but often ineffective winger has been made available for transfer. 12. Shaun Derry - D/DM RC, age 31, English Utility man Derry is back at Aggborough for a third spell with the Harriers. The Nottingham-born workhorse will mainly be used as a holding midfielder or right-back. 16. Scott Simpson - AM C, age 26, Scottish Pacey attacking midfielder Simpson blew hot and cold last season. Despite getting 11 goals and 9 assists, I expected a little more from a player with his technical abilities. 19. Alan Gray - AM L, age 23, Northern Irish [capped at Under-21s level] Gray's initial arrival on loan from Bristol City arguably inspired us to promotion. Now a full-time Harrier, this speed merchant and crossing connoisseur looks set to thrive. 20. Adrian Morfitt - AM R, age 24, English Morfitt arrives from Grimsby in search of regular action from the right flank. A player with his endeavour and flair could become a firm favourite, especially if the goals flow. 27. Lee Watson - M C, age 22, English Watson is a skilful playmaker with the makings of a future Harriers captain. Despite suffering relegation on loan at non-league Hucknall last term, he's a firm part of my plans. 33. Jeff Whitley - DM C, age 30, Northern Irish [6 caps, 1 goal] Former captain Whitley is a fine holding midfielder who can spur the whole team on when he's on top form. Those days don't come often enough, though, so I'm open to selling him. FORWARDS 9. Jamie Berry - S C, age 17, English Berry broke through last season, getting four goals in his first 11 senior appearances. A natural finisher with his pace and stamina is surely headed for the Premiership one day. 10. Robert Garside - F C, age 23, Welsh [1 cap] Garside took a while to warm up last season before showcasing his goalscoring and creative talents. A skilful dribbler with great balance, he can tear teams apart on his day. 23. Alan Scott - S C, age 22, English Scott is a local boy done good whose aerial prowess can be a real handful for opposition defences. Sadly, a spate of injury issues restricted him to just 8 goals last season. 31. David Collins - F C, age 28, English Lastly, we come to Collins - the undisputed star attraction of this Harriers team. Deadly both in the air and on the ground, he finished last season with a career-high 27 goals. RESERVES DEFENDERS: Kevin Fitzgerald (19), Paul Fowler (20), Daniel Modigh (20) MIDFIELDER: Graham Hutchison (16) FORWARD: Paul Graham (18) Edited August 14, 2023 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 (edited) AUGUST 2009 After two consecutive defeats against much weaker opposition, Kidderminster's return to Division 1 was already turning into a disaster - barely a fortnight before the league campaign even got started. Our midfield in particular looked painfully short of the quality we needed to stay up. And so, just before we kicked off our first home friendly against Sam Allardyce's Burnley, Wales midfielder Carl Robinson was introduced to the Aggborough crowd as the newest Kidderminster Harrier. The 32-year-old box-to-box player had won 49 caps for his country and had featured in the Premiership for Wolves, Middlesbrough and most recently Aston Villa. There was no time to waste, so Robinson went straight into the starting XI against the Clarets, who were about to kick off their third consecutive season in the Premiership. 1 AUGUST 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Burnley It would be fair to call this a baptism of fire - Burnley had Marcelo Salas playing up front, for heaven’s sake! The 34-year-old Chilean legend was still as lethal as ever, putting the Clarets ahead after less than two minutes. When attacking midfielder Dulee Johnson doubled their advantage in the 31st minute, it seemed like Big Sam's boys would run riot. 18-year-old Paul Graham did pull a goal back for us shortly after Johnson's strike, though Burnley's captain Dimitris Papadopoulos restored their two-goal cushion just before the break. Salas then got another goal in the second half to complete a dominant display, in which they could have easily won by a much bigger margin than 4-1. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Graham 34) Burnley - 4 (Salas 2,58, Johnson 31, Papadopoulos 42) Friendly, Attendance 1,423 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Baardsen (Ivarsson); Berntsson (Derry), Heikkinen, Miller (Bell), T Simpson (Hyde); Morfitt, Carter (Whitley), Robinson (Gallego), Gray (Aðalsteinsson); Scott (Berry), Graham (Collins). BOOKED: Bell, Robinson. As if things couldn't get any worse after a third straight loss, Alan Scott was stretchered off with an injury during the second half - and a scan later confirmed that he had torn a thigh muscle. Our hometown hero and target man would miss the first two months of the season. Next up - an away trip to Stalybridge, the Football League's newest members. No way this could go wrong, right? 5 AUGUST 2009: Stalybridge Celtic vs Kidderminster Harriers After 12 minutes, all was well, with winger Adrian Morfitt heading us into the lead from a delightful assist by David Collins. But although Collins was playing another blinder up front, he was having absolutely no luck when it came to converting chances into goals. Our frustrations were compounded nine minutes before full-time, when an extended spell of Celtic pressure ended with midfielder Luke Woods scoring an equaliser. Bloody typical. Stalybridge Celtic - 1 (Woods 81) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Morfitt 12) Friendly, Attendance 2,703 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Mooney (Ivarsson); Derry (Berntsson), Redhe (Miller), Bell (Heikkinen), Hyde (T Simpson); Morfitt (Gallego), Watson, Robinson, Aðalsteinsson (Gray); Collins; Graham (S Simpson). At least we know Adrian Morfitt can play. Unfortunately, our new winger wouldn't be able to play in our final warm-up friendly after hurting his thigh in the second half. That final friendly before the new season kicked off in earnest was at home to Division 2 Port Vale. I switched back to the ol' faithful diamond, as we desperately battled to take a positive result into our Division 1 opener. With growing concerns about our potency in front of goal, I decided to take 22-year-old Gavin Cross on a season-long loan from our Midlands rivals Chesterfield. The former Everton youth product is a pacey poacher who scored 7 goals in just 15 games for the Spireites last season, so he certainly has some pedigree at this level. 8 AUGUST 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Port Vale Gavin Cross may not have scored on his Kiddy debut, but it was our midfielders who shone brightest. Scott Simpson's 9th-minute strike was followed up nine minutes before half-time by another from Ryan Carter, which went some way to silencing some of his biggest doubters at Aggborough. Though we didn't add to our 2-0 lead in the second half, a solid defensive display at least made sure we didn't lose it, as we limited Port Vale to just a solitary shot on target. Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (S Simpson 9, Carter 36) Port Vale - 0 Friendly, Attendance 1,403 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Mooney; Berntsson (Derry), Bell (Redhe), Miller, T Simpson (Hyde); Heikkinen; Carter (Watson), Gray (Robinson); S Simpson (Gallego); Collins (Berry), Cross (Graham). Just the result we've been looking for. Well, not really, but it's good enough for now. With such a marked improvement, I was very tempted to stick with the diamond for our league opener at Brentford the following weekend. The decision was effectively made for me a few days later, however, when winger Alan Gray picked up a groin strain in training that would set him back three weeks. To add to my frustration, Robinson would also miss the start of the season after twisting his knee. Seeing as I'm paying him £9,000 per week, I hope this doesn't become a habit. Meanwhile, I signed 18-year-old Northern Irish attacking midfielder Alan Rice for our reserve team. Naturally, he got injured as well - another groin strain. What is it with all our Alans getting injured at the moment?! Anyway... Brentford. They finished 13th in Division 1 last season and have become an established side at this level under David Jeffrey. This visit to Griffin Park would not be an easy re-introduction to second-tier football, that was for sure. 15 AUGUST 2009: Brentford vs Kidderminster Harriers I had been so impressed with 18-year-old Paul Graham that I gave the promising striker a senior debut from the start. Graham almost repaid my faith after just four minutes, but his more experienced strike partner David Collins pulled his through-ball horribly wide of the goal. We didn't threaten the Brentford goal again in the first half. The Bees almost stung us in the 27th minute, when Ryan Amoo's drive was turned behind by debutant keeper Espen Baardsen. Mind you, the home fans would be buzzing by half-time, as Amoo set up the opening goal for his midfield colleague Sean Thornton just before the break. Brentford doubled their advantage in the 55th minute. Baardsen pushed behind a Jay Smith free-kick to concede a corner, which former Celtic left-back Jamie McQuilken crossed deep into our box. On the other end was the Bees' homegrown centre-half Jonathan Foley, who headed in just his 9th goal in 156 games for the hosts. While our Nordic goalkeeper did not impress at all, Brentford's was in excellent form. Jussi Jääskeläinen made five saves in the second half - including two from our new loanee Gavin Cross and one from his Finnish compatriot Markus Heikkinen - to ensure our Division 1 comeback ended in a shutout defeat. Brentford - 2 (Thornton 45, Foley 55) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 1, Attendance 6,622 - POSITIONS: Brentford 3rd, Kidderminster 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Baardsen; Derry, Bell, Miller (Gallego), T Simpson; Heikkinen; Carter, Whitley (Hyde); S Simpson; Collins (Cross), Graham. BOOKED: Derry, Hyde, T Simpson. [Sigh] This could be a long hard season... After our opening-day blues, Mansfield helpfully shifted some more dead wood off our scrapheap by signing right-back Stuart McCluskey for £120,000. After three seasons with the Harriers, McCluskey would rejoin his former team-mate Kevin Nicholls at Field Mill. We also agreed a deal with Spanish third-division side Pontevedra that would have seen winger César Gallego join them for around £480,000. Unfortunately, a dodgy fax machine meant that the deal could not go through before the Spanish transfer deadline, and so César was staying with us... for now. Our first home game of the league campaign was against our West Midlands rivals Coventry. John Toshack's Sky Blues had just been relegated from the Premiership, but they had already set out their intentions with a 4-0 thrashing of Huddersfield in their opener. 22 AUGUST 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Coventry City Two of Coventry's longest-serving players combined to open the scoring after just 22 minutes. Captain Calum Davenport's free-kick into the Kidderminster box found the former Peru striker Ysrael Zuniga, who outjumped Espen Baardsen to head in the opening goal. The Sky Blues' fearsome front three had a South American feel about it, consisting not just of Zuniga, but also the Chilean Sebastián Rozental and... er, Kenny Miller. A deft header from Rozental in the 44th minute sent Zuniga through to score what he thought was a second goal, but he had just strayed offside. That was a huge let-off, and we needed to respond strongly. Instead, we responded with 45 minutes of utter dross, where we frequently gave the ball away cheaply and conceded two more goals. Latvian substitute Marian Pahars came off the bench to put Cov 2-0 up in the 67th minute, and that was followed in the 69th by another Zuniga goal - courtesy of a Miller assist. Not nice at all. Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Coventry City - 3 (Zuniga 22,69, Pahars 67) Division 1, Attendance 6,577 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 23rd, Coventry 1st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Baardsen; Berntsson, Miller, Heikkinen, T Simpson; Morfitt, S Simpson (Watson), Derry, Aðalsteinsson; Collins (Cross), Berry. We really aren't cut out for this league, aren't we? I'd tried to give Espen Baardsen a chance in goal. Even after just two matches, though, it was clear to see that the former Norwegian international - note the emphasis on 'former' - was not good enough for Division 1 anymore. Noel Mooney would take his place in goal for the foreseeable future. Mooney's tenure as our new de facto number 1 began in Round 1 of the League Cup. Our opponents were Bristol City, who welcomed us to Ashton Gate after taking four points from their opening fixtures in the new Division 2 campaign. After inflicting a couple of giant-killings in last season's competition, there was now a chance we would be on the receiving end of one. 25 AUGUST 2009: Bristol City vs Kidderminster Harriers We faced our lower-league opponents with two strikers who had a combined age of just 35. After we survived an early spell of Bristol City pressure, it was Jamie Berry - the younger of the pair at 17 - who outshone his partner Paul Graham. Berry won a foul off Sean Gregan in the 42nd minute, and then headed César Gallego's free-kick into the net to get us up and running! Noel Mooney saved a couple of potential equalisers from Robins winger Phil Charnock and striker David Freeman early in the second half. We clearly needed to pull further ahead, and we did just that in the 55th minute. Substitute midfielder Scott Simpson's corner delivery found 22-year-old midfielder Lee Watson, who headed home his first Kidderminster goal for nearly four years! What should have been a straightforward victory from that point soon became more complicated. Barely a minute after the resumption, a brilliant cross from City right-back Graeme Murty was expertly finished by captain Marvin Brown, who made a triumphant return to Ashton Gate last season after taking a year out of football. Thankfully, there would be no such comeback from the rest of the Robins, as we clung onto our 2-1 lead until the final whistle. Bristol City - 1 (M Brown 56) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Berry 42, Watson 55) League Cup Round 1, Attendance 7,827 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Mooney; Fowler, Bell, Miller, Hyde (T Simpson); Gallego, Carter (S Simpson), Watson, Aðalsteinsson; Graham, Berry (Cross). BOOKED: Bell. We were through to Round 2 - and another away tie against Exeter. However, at least one regular member of the Harriers team would not be going to St James Park. After returning home from Bristol, Ryan Carter came into my office and said that he was fed up with the Kidderminster fans frequently getting on his back. He asked to leave the club, and so I obliged. His contract was terminated. To be honest, things just weren't working out for Carter and Kidderminster. Despite getting five goals and seven assists last season, Ryan's inconsistent form was a source of huge frustration among the Aggborough faithful, and it was clear that he didn't have the mentality to hack it in Division 1. Such a shame. With Carter's exit, the stage was now set for 22-year-old Lee Watson to take his place as a midfield regular. I'd been so impressed with Watson that I gave him his first league start of the season when we went to Grimsby. This match would also see right-winger Adrian Morfitt return to Blundell Park after his summer move across the Midlands. 29 AUGUST 2009: Grimsby Town vs Kidderminster Harriers Left-back Terry Simpson had been one of our better performers during our disappointing start to the season. However, the brilliant 21-year-old had to take responsibility for giving Grimsby a goal after just five minutes. Simpson pulled on striker Jason Jenkins' shirt to pick up a yellow card and concede a free-kick, which Stephen Cosgrove hammered straight into the net. Things got worse in the 22nd minute, as ex-Manchester United and Middlesbrough midfielder Jonathan Greening laid on an excellent assist for Rory Allen. Our captain Barry Miller was looking every one of his 33 years trying to keep up with the pacey poacher. Seven minutes before half-time, though, there were signs of an improvement. Terry Simpson sprayed the ball across the pitch to right-winger Adrian Morfitt, who marked his return to Cleethorpes with a brilliant near-post cross that David Collins deftly headed home. Our 27-goal man from last season was off the mark in this campaign! Sadly, our defence crumbled again after 56 minutes, when Allen scored his second and Grimsby's third goal. Even a quick riposte from 17-year-old Jamie Berry couldn't inspire us to a full-on fightback, as we were too wasteful in possession during the final half-hour. Another weekend, another defeat. Grimsby Town - 3 (Cosgrove 5, Allen 22,56) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 38, Berry 57) Division 1, Attendance 6,685 - POSITIONS: Grimsby 1st, Kidderminster 24th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Mooney; Berntsson, Heikkinen, Miller, T Simpson (Aðalsteinsson); Morfitt, Watson (S Simpson), Derry, Hyde; Collins, Berry (Graham). BOOKED: T Simpson. Despite another shaky defensive display sending us to the bottom of the league, I was much more impressed with our potency going forward. With Watson and Morfitt getting into their groove, it seemed we now had that creative spark again. Our next match, though, would be a real test of character. On Bank Holiday Monday, we played host to Torquay, who had adapted to Division 1 football much quicker than we had. In fact, Chris Kamara's Gulls were flying unbelievably high in 2nd place - just behind Grimsby on goal difference. 31 AUGUST 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Torquay United There was some good news before this match, as Carl Robinson was now back from injury and finally ready to make his competitive Kidderminster debut. The veteran Welsh midfielder struck an excellent swerving shot in the 10th minute, only to see Torquay keeper Richard Kingson turn it behind. The much younger Paul Graham also lacked some much-needed luck seven minutes before half-time, when the Scottish striker flicked César Gallego's cross against the woodwork. With the scoreline still at 0-0, it was anyone’s guess who would come out on top. When play resumed after the interval, the momentum shifted firmly towards Torquay. In the 54th minute, Harriers left-back Terry Simpson needlessly pushed Gulls striker Alun Armstrong just outside our penalty area. That presented the visitors' new Swedish superstar Anders Svensson with a free-kick, which he ruthlessly thundered into the top corner. For the second time in three days, Terry had shot his team-mates in the feet. Torquay dominated from that point, and Svensson was unlucky not to score again on 73 minutes, thanks only to a blinding save from Noel Mooney. Noel's heroics would be for nothing though, as old dog Armstrong tried some 'new tricks' and drove home a Paul Sheerin corner just before full-time to complete a 2-0 Gulls victory. Their unbelievable ascent under Chris Kamara showed no signs of ending any time soon! Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Torquay United - 2 (Svensson 54, Armstrong 90) Division 1, Attendance 6,329 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 24th, Torquay 1st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (4-4-2): Mooney; Derry, Heikkinen, Miller (Redhe), T Simpson; Gallego, Watson, Robinson (S Simpson), Aðalsteinsson; Graham (Collins), Berry. Four games, four defeats. Rock bottom of Division 1. It's like the 2006/2007 season with Dagenham & Redbridge all over again! Three years ago, my Daggers took five matches to get even a solitary point on the board. When the campaign resumes after the international break, Kidderminster's fifth league match of the campaign will be against... yep, Dagenham & Redbridge. You couldn't make it up. Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of August 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Torquay 4 1 1 0 5 4 2 0 0 4 0 10 2nd Coventry 4 1 0 1 5 2 2 0 0 5 1 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Bradford 4 2 0 0 6 3 1 0 1 4 4 9 4th Notts Co 4 2 0 0 4 1 1 0 1 4 4 9 5th Norwich 4 1 1 0 3 2 1 1 0 3 1 8 6th Grimsby 4 2 0 0 7 3 0 1 1 2 4 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Preston 4 2 0 0 5 1 0 1 1 2 4 7 8th Charlton 4 2 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 2 3 7 9th Fulham 4 2 0 0 5 1 0 0 2 1 3 6 10th West Ham 4 2 0 0 7 3 0 0 2 2 5 6 11th Wolves 4 1 0 1 4 3 1 0 1 3 3 6 12th Dag & Red 4 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 0 1 1 6 13th Nottm Forest 4 1 0 1 2 4 1 0 1 3 4 6 14th Sheff Utd 4 0 1 1 3 4 1 0 1 3 2 4 15th Birmingham 4 0 0 2 1 4 1 1 0 4 1 4 16th W.B.A. 3 1 0 0 3 2 0 1 1 2 3 4 17th Carlisle 4 1 1 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 3 4 18th Derby 4 0 1 1 1 3 1 0 1 4 4 4 19th Huddersfield 3 1 1 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 4 4 20th Peterborough 4 1 0 1 2 3 0 1 1 2 5 4 21st Brentford 4 1 0 1 3 2 0 0 2 2 6 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Aston Villa 4 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 2 1 5 3 23rd Chesterfield 4 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 2 2 8 2 24th Kidderminster 4 0 0 2 0 5 0 0 2 2 5 0 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... There's a major shock at the Club World Championship in Germany, where the NYNJ Metrostars beat Dortmund 3-1 in the Semi Final - and HSV 1-0 in the Final! Winger Steve Anschutz scores the winner in the 8th minute, before captain Tim Howard saves a late penalty from Hamburg's Lukas Podolski. Metrostars are the first US soccer team to win a major intercontinental title, which the sports-mad people of New Jersey celebrate with indifferent apathy. Germany also hosts the last ever Confederations Cup, where Brazil's quest for another major title is halted by arch-rivals Argentina. The world champions prevail 1-0 in Berlin thanks to a 60th-minute strike from Walter Erviti. The Real Madrid winger is one of FOUR Walters in the Albiceleste squad, along with Samuel, Gaitán and Mondale. After losing the Community Shield 3-2 to Liverpool, Manchester United start their latest Premiership title defence with a disappointing 2-1 loss at Arsenal. The Gunners go on to win their first three matches and go top of the table... just ahead of Blackburn, whose 18-year-old wonderkid striker Phil Davis bursts onto the scene with four goals. Barcelona president Joan Gaspart splashes out a cool £16million on Lazio's Dutch wing-back Wilfred Bouma. This helps soften the blow of David Beckham and Mattias Jonson both leaving the club. 34-year-old Beckham signs a two-year contract with Leeds, where he wears the number 14 jersey in honour of Elland Road icon Stephen McPhail. Serie A champions Inter start the season at top-flight newcomers Gualdo - a tiny club from Umbria who were playing in Serie C2 just five years ago. Corrado Colombo gives Gualdo a shock lead after 11 minutes, but the Nerazzurri's class shows as they triumph 3-2. Roma stutter to a 2-2 draw at Venezia, which prompts new manager Masami Ihara to spend £11million on Schalke 04's Brazilian stopper Lúcio. IN OTHER NEWS... The Scottish Government releases Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi from prison after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Meanwhile in England, Ronnie Biggs - who helped carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963 and then fled to Brazil - is also freed from jail on compassionate grounds. Britpop giants Oasis suddenly and acrimoniously split up just minutes before a concert in Paris. The 652nd feud between the Gallagher brothers ends with Liam smashing Noel's guitar, and Noel quitting the band in a huff. Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt breaks his own 100 metres world record at the World Athletics Championship in Berlin, seeing off Tyson Gay in a time of 9.58 seconds. Sheffield-born heptathlete Jessica Ennis also strikes gold, becoming the new poster girl of British athletics in the process. England regain the Ashes after defeating Australia 2-1 in a tense home series. England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff retires from Test cricket to pursue a new career as a TV presenter… and a boxer… and a fish-and-chips salesman. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oche balboa Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 Glad this is back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 29 minutes ago, oche balboa said: Glad this is back Thanks. Unfortunately, the house move I was talking about didn't go ahead, so I'm still here in Romford (yay). At least I feel refreshed after a summer break and am ready to crack on with this story. I've also built up a healthy backlog, which means this 25-year story will definitely reach the halfway point at least. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 (edited) SEPTEMBER 2009 It was inevitable, and now it's official. I have panicked. 4-4-2 just does not work in Division 1 - at least not for my teams. It didn't work for Dagenham & Redbridge a few years ago, and it hasn't worked for my Kidderminster team either. It's time to try a different approach. No, I haven't switched back to the diamond for the 27th time. Instead, I'm trying out an attacking 3-5-2 with wing-backs. It should suit our captain Barry Miller better to deploy him as a sweeper, with Simon Bell and Markus Heikkinen either side of him in defence. This tactical switch of course means our new wingers Alan Gray and Adrian Morfitt may struggle to stay in the team, but that's just the way things are. I've also moved onto my third goalkeeper of the season already, as 25-year-old James Jowsey has joined the Harriers on loan from Manchester City for the next four months. Jowsey's not the most agile shotstopper, but his excellent anticipation and ball-handling skills should make up for that. If Jowsey is a short-term signing, then Simon Quinn is very much a long-termer. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder joins us from non-league Aldershot for an initial £65,000 - with another £24,000 due to be paid if Quinn wins 10 caps for England. To be honest, I'd be pleasantly surprised if he ever breaks into the England team as a Harrier! Going back to more urgent matters, Kidderminster's next game on Friday 11 September was a big one. For the first time in my managerial career, I would be managing against Dagenham & Redbridge - the club where it all started for me eight years ago. While my Harriers were rooted to the bottom of Division 1, the Daggers were in mid-table - and still unbeaten, having made a habit of grinding out goalless draws under my ultra-defensive successor Willy Wordsworth. Willy had also overhauled the squad since taking over the reins in late 2007, with David Navarro and Luke Beckett my only former Daggers who were still regular starters at Victoria Road. 11 SEPTEMBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Dagenham & Redbridge It didn't take long for one of my former players to come back and haunt me. In the 14th minute, Spanish defender David Navarro swung an excellent free-kick into our penalty area to the Daggers' new captain Sebastian Helbig, who outjumped Barry Miller to head it home. Just two years ago, Helbig was playing Bundesliga football for Oberhausen and earning his first (and to date only) cap for Germany. Nine minutes later, the 32-year-old showed his star qualities again, breezing past our centre-back Simon Bell to sprint onto Mark Summerbell's lob and flick it beyond James Jowsey's reach. Though Jowsey had saved a Scott Huckerby free-kick just before then, this was turning into a forgettable debut for our new goalkeeper. Bell had been such a liability that I subbed him off during the break and fined him a week's wages. With Billy Berntsson taking his place in the back three, we were much stronger during the second half. One of our other centre-backs - Markus Heikkinen - even managed to drive in a long-range stunner in the 66th minute to halve our 2-0 deficit. Heikkinen's goal was our first at Aggborough this season, but we would have to wait at least a week for another. Though the Daggers were weakened by a late injury to midfield substitute Adam Johansson, we couldn't break through again. The search for our first league points continued. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Heikkinen 66) Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Helbig 14,23) Division 1, Attendance 6,343 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 24th, Dag & Red 5th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller (Redhe), Bell (Berntsson); Derry, T Simpson; Watson, Robinson; S Simpson; Collins, J Berry (Graham). What a mess. That's FIVE defeats in a row, and already our survival prospects were looking grim. Five days later, we went to Craven Cottage to face Fulham, who had lost three of their first five matches under their new manager - my Dagenham & Redbridge predecessor Garry Hill. Could this apprentice get one up on his master and finally get Kiddy's campaign up and running? 16 SEPTEMBER 2009: Fulham vs Kidderminster Harriers We immediately made our attacking intentions clear, with David Collins playing in the hole just behind his younger strike partners Jamie Berry and Gavin Cross. Though Collins had a shot saved by Fulham keeper Mike Edwards in the second minute, the other two would fare slightly better not long afterwards. Cross deftly controlled the ball with his chest and then skilfully laid it off to Berry, who smashed in the opener! Fulham responded with a flurry of shots - including two from their Northern Ireland frontman Paul McVeigh, both of which James Jowsey managed to successfully repel. Our loanee goalkeeper was also helped by surprisingly resilient defending, particularly from Tobias Redhe, who won several key headers to keep the hosts at bay. Things got worse for the Cottagers on the stroke of half-time. Right-back Stephen Carr was already carrying a yellow card when he wiped Collins out, leading to a swift red. As we headed back to the dressing room, we found ourselves both one goal and one man up on Fulham. If we couldn't win the match from that scenario, there really was no hope for us. There was no need to worry after all, as Fulham's 10 men barely threatened us after the break. And when Berry was upended by his fellow 17-year-old Nigel Proffitt in the Cottagers' penalty area in the 75th minute, we had the opportunity to rubber-stamp our first league win. Scott Simpson stepped forward, put the penalty away, and sent us on our way to a massive three points! Fulham - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Berry 4, S Simpson pen75) Division 1, Attendance 9,692 - POSITIONS: Fulham 17th, Kidderminster 24th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller (Bell), Redhe; Berntsson, T Simpson; Watson, Robinson; Collins (S Simpson); Cross (Graham), Berry. When I was first promoted to Division 1 with the Daggers three seasons ago, it took me 15 matches to get my first win. This time around with Kidderminster, we needed only six matches to claim our first three-pointer. That's progress, right? But seriously, this was a massive result that would potentially galvanise the whole team. Our new goalkeeper Jowsey and Swedish centre-back Tobias Redhe had both put in excellent performances, and 17-year-old Jamie Berry was looking like a genuine star after scoring three goals in six games. Even David Collins was feeling good about the future, despite being hooked at half-time. The feelgood factor grew as we announced another exciting new signing for the future. Bradley Howe is a 16-year-old defensive midfielder who's already quite strong both physically and mentally for his age. If we can develop his technical abilities, he could grow into a fine player. Next up was a home game against Peterborough, whose new player-manager Alessandro Del Piero was also finding the going quite tough in Division 1. If we could defeat Del Piero's Posh boys, we would leapfrog them in the table - and potentially jump out of the bottom three altogether. 19 SEPTEMBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Peterborough United Peterborough had a team full of aggressive, no-nonsense characters, typified by their wonderfully-named Nigerian centre-back Danny Shittu. He lived up to his name in the 3rd minute by committing a cynical foul on Jamie Berry - and giving away a Kiddy free-kick, which Lee Watson thundered in from 20 yards out. 1-0 to the Harriers! Of course, any team who can call upon Alessandro Del Piero will always be a threat. The 34-year-old Posh boss showed he'd lost none of his on-field talents when, in the 17th minute, the Italian stallion tore our defence apart with a stunning through-ball. Pugilistic poacher Leon McKenzie punched it home and celebrated wildly... ...perhaps too wildly, as McKenzie accidentally stood on Jimmy Tamm's toe while trying to hug his team-mate! The Swedish left-back was left wincing in pain and had to be substituted. Peterborough struggled to recover their momentum before the break, with Del Piero driving a shot wide in the 29th minute. Three minutes after the break, though, McKenzie was back in a fighting mood. Posh's all-time top scorer added yet another to his collection in the 48th minute, when he beat Kidderminster captain Barry Miller to a free-kick from Scott Williams and nodded it beyond James Jowsey. Peterborough were now 2-1 up, and we were facing a FOURTH successive home defeat. Thankfully, Watson had other ideas. The rising midfield star delicately trapped a 73rd-minute cross from Markus Heikkinen, then rifled in an equaliser to fire up the Aggborough crowd. They were in full voice again five minutes later, when attacking midfielder Scott Simpson came off the subs' bench and unleashed a vicious shot that completed the Harriers comeback - from 2-1 losers to 3-2 winners! Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Watson 3,73, S Simpson 78) Peterborough United - 2 (McKenzie 17,48) Division 1, Attendance 6,314 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 20th, Peterborough 23rd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller, Redhe; Berntsson, Hyde (Gray); Watson, Robinson; Collins (S Simpson); Cross (Graham), Berry. Having risen from 24th all the way up to 20th, our focus now turned towards Round 2 of the League Cup. A journey south-west took us to Exeter, who were mid-table in Division 3. Target man Alan Scott was now back from injury and ready to make his first start of the season, while left-flanker Gray also started for the first time since joining the Harriers permanently. 23 SEPTEMBER 2009: Exeter City vs Kidderminster Harriers Despite the two-division gap, it was Exeter who bossed the early stages against a second-string Harriers team. The Grecians took the lead after just six minutes, when former Blackburn youth winger Ray Naylor's cross was finished by striker Andy Booth. In this case, Andy Booth was a 19-year-old local lad scoring his first ever league goal - not the former Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield veteran who's now a coach at Hull. This would also be a red-letter day for one of our hottest prospects. 18-year-old Paul Graham headed in his first senior goal from Alan Gray's cross in the 28th minute, which drew us level... for a couple of minutes. Then Naylor restored Exeter's advantage with a vicious drive into the top corner. And yes, that was his first ever goal too! By the 34th minute, 20-year-old Kiddy centre-back Paul Fowler was looking to pop his own cherry as well! His ambitious shot was parried by Lee Grant, only as far as Graham, who tucked it away like an experienced poacher to get us back on terms once again! 2-2. Unsurprisingly, the second half didn't match the first. Shaun Derry put a Harriers free-kick just over the bar in the 68th minute, shortly before our goalkeeper Noel Mooney was forced to parry a shot from the experienced Exeter striker Steve Kabba. It looked like the game was heading for extra-time... until a last-minute Kabba strike beat Mooney and knocked us out. Drat. Exeter City - 3 (Booth 6, Naylor 30, Kabba 90) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Graham 28,34) League Cup Round 2, Attendance 6,164 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Mooney; Fowler (Heikkinen), Bell, Redhe; Morfitt, Gray; Watson, Derry (S Simpson); Gallego; Scott (Berry), Graham. BOOKED: Derry, Redhe. I had fielded a rotated team, so we kinda deserved what we got. But conceding three goals from four shots against a team that's 41 places below you in the league pyramid? That's just not acceptable. After an early exit from the League Cup, we sought a third straight league victory as we travelled to Deepdale. David Moyes was still in place as one of the longest-serving managers in Division 1, despite only leading Preston to 20th place last season - their lowest finish since they were promoted from Division 2 back in 2000. 26 SEPTEMBER 2009: Preston North End vs Kidderminster Harriers Preston's League Cup-winning glory days of 2007 might have been a fading memory, but the Lilywhites now had their sights set on continuing a solid start that had put them in early play-off contention. Their most substantial attacking threat in the early stages came from Scottish forward Steven Campbell, whose header in the 10th minute narrowly hit the post. We then survived a few more Preston attacks, albeit with decreasing confidence, until four minutes from half-time. Home captain Paul McKenna hypnotised our defence with a free-kick to David Healy, whose header was parried back to him by his former Manchester United youth colleague James Jowsey. The Northern Ireland star took his second bite at the cherry, and we trailed 1-0 at the break. Centre-back Simon Bell bore some responsibility for failing to intercept Healy's header. His struggles continued shortly after the restart, when he was booked for pulling on Campbell's shirt. Thankfully, we didn't have too many defensive issues thereafter... ...but it was instead a toothless attack that let us down most in the second period. Jamie Berry, Alan Scott and their substitutes registered zero shots on target between them, handing Stephen Bywater a pretty straightforward clean sheet in the Preston goal. Preston North End - 1 (Healy 41) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 1, Attendance 16,579 - POSITIONS: Preston 6th, Kidderminster 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Bell, Miller, Redhe; Berntsson, T Simpson; Watson, Robinson (Derry); Collins; Scott (Graham), Berry (S Simpson). Was that a blip, or were we regressing back to the mean? We would likely find out the answer in our next match at Upton Park, against mid-table West Ham. 30 SEPTEMBER 2009: West Ham United vs Kidderminster Harriers West Ham had an ominously strong squad full of top-flight players who had no business being in Division 1. Coming up against Shay Given in goal, Lauren at right-back, and Luís Boa Morte and Luke Chadwick on the wings, our ragtag bunch of misfits looked rather starstruck early on. It took us some time to settle down, and target man Alan Scott eventually gave Given something to worry about when his injury-time header was saved by the Irishman. Hammers boss David Platt was probably not happy with his team's inability to find the target in the first half. They returned for the second period looking more determined, not least when captain Darren Fletcher's header drew a save out of James Jowsey in the 56th minute. Fletcher was on the prowl again two minutes later. After Jowsey stopped a header from Belgian striker Benjamin De Ceulaer, Fletcher got the loose ball and found Chadwick in space out right. The former England B international tried his luck, caught Jowsey momentarily off guard, and hammered United into the lead! We threw everything at West Ham in the final half-hour to try and get back level, but without success. Given was just too strong, thwarting both Scott and substitute Paul Graham to keep us at bay. That made it back-to-back 1-0 losses on the road - and our third away defeat on the spin. West Ham United - 1 (Chadwick 58) Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 1, Attendance 15,425 - POSITIONS: West Ham 12th, Kidderminster 22nd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Bell, Miller (Graham), Redhe; Berntsson, Gray (T Simpson); Watson (S Simpson), Robinson; Collins; Scott, Berry. BOOKED: Collins. And now we're back in the relegation zone, having lost seven out of our nine games. While I do now believe the 3-5-2 is the right tactic for us moving forward, we still need greater quality in defence and midfield to pull it off. This is about to turn into another Daggers-style squad overhaul, isn't it? Here we go again... Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of September 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Bradford 9 4 0 0 9 4 3 1 1 12 8 22 2nd Wolves 9 4 0 1 11 6 2 0 2 7 8 18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Dag & Red 9 3 1 1 6 5 2 2 0 4 2 18 4th Coventry 9 2 1 1 7 3 3 1 1 9 5 17 5th Torquay 9 2 3 0 13 11 2 2 0 7 3 17 6th Notts Co 9 4 0 0 8 3 1 2 2 8 9 17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Grimsby 9 4 0 0 11 5 1 1 3 5 7 16 8th Preston 9 4 0 1 10 5 1 1 2 4 6 16 9th Birmingham 9 1 1 3 7 10 3 1 0 9 3 14 10th W.B.A. 8 2 1 0 6 3 2 1 2 9 9 14 11th Charlton 9 3 0 1 5 1 1 2 2 6 7 14 12th West Ham 9 3 1 1 9 5 1 0 3 7 10 13 13th Chesterfield 9 1 2 1 6 5 2 1 2 9 13 12 14th Fulham 9 3 1 1 7 4 0 1 3 2 5 11 15th Carlisle 9 1 1 3 9 9 2 0 2 5 5 10 16th Derby 9 1 1 2 4 7 2 0 3 10 10 10 17th Nottm Forest 9 1 1 3 7 13 2 0 2 6 7 10 18th Norwich 9 1 2 2 7 9 1 1 2 7 7 9 19th Huddersfield 8 1 2 1 8 7 1 1 2 5 9 9 20th Sheff Utd 9 0 2 2 5 8 2 1 2 7 7 9 21st Aston Villa 9 1 1 2 4 5 0 3 2 4 8 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Kidderminster 9 1 0 3 4 9 1 0 4 4 7 6 23rd Peterborough 9 1 1 3 4 8 0 1 3 5 10 5 24th Brentford 9 1 1 3 7 9 0 0 4 3 9 4 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... England celebrate reaching the top of the FIFA World Rankings by qualifying for the World Cup with a match to spare. Michael Owen's penalty against Iceland secures the Three Lions' tickets to Argentina - but Germany and Spain both face the prospect of play-offs after Belgium and Russia win their respective groups. With 23-year-old Craig Ward running the midfield, Arsenal make it six wins from six to consolidate top spot in the Premiership. Liverpool also have a 100% record after winning their first four games, but suffer a shock 3-0 defeat at Swiss side Grasshoppers in the Champions League. Sunderland lose their first six Premiership games and crash out of the League Cup to Division 2 Portsmouth. Fans become even more worried when Mackems boss Steve McClaren puts on a Dutch accent when talking about goalkeeper Alexis Passalis, captain Stephan Lichtsteiner, and midfielder Sebastian Larsson. None of them are Dutch. Last season's Ligue 1 runners-up Toulouse look set to go a step further, taking 16 points from their first seven matches. Les Violets' 22-year-old France striker Frédéric David scores seven goals and makes two assists to kick off his campaign in style. Meanwhile, champions Marseille make another sluggish start and drop to 18th after throwing away a 3-1 lead late on against Monaco, prompting captain Didier Drogba to scream, “It’s a f***ing disgrace!” Barely a year after leaving Real Madrid, 36-year-old left-back Roberto Carlos makes a shock return to the Santiago Bernabéu in a £400,000 transfer from Fluminense. He instantly recaptures the old magic, with a sublime free-kick setting up Raúl for the opening goal in a 2-0 Champions League win over Charleroi. Real also agree a deal to re-sign Chelsea striker Fernando Morientes - a spring chicken at 33 - in December. IN OTHER NEWS... A huge haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure is discovered buried beneath a field in Staffordshire. The collection, which dates to the 7th century AD, includes 1,500 gold and silver pieces... and Steve Bould’s first pair of football boots. Girl group Sugababes officially become the Trigger's broom of British pop music, as their last original member Keisha Buchanan is replaced by Eurovision star Jade Ewen. Media reports reassure fans that Buchanan is launching a solo career, which is the pop music equivalent of telling your child that their pet dog has gone to a farm upstate. Two years after retiring from tennis to have a baby, Kim Clijsters completes the mother of all sporting comebacks. The 26-year-old - whose late father Lei was a Belgium international footballer - wins her second US Open title after defeating Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki in the Final. The insania romance between 90s pop star Peter Andre and glamour model Katie Price is over. The couple divorce after a three-year marriage that produced two children, a reality TV franchise, and some dreadful music. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 (edited) OCTOBER 2009 The first two months of our Division 1 adventure had been a stressful experience, and one player in particular was struggling. Former captain Jeff Whitley had not played since our opening-day defeat at Brentford, where he had looked so out of his depth that I subbed him at half-time and then demoted him to the reserves. At the end of September, Jeff came into my office and opened up about his personal problems. After talking things over, I decided to grant the troubled midfielder some compassionate leave. He would go back home to Manchester for two weeks - and once he returned, I would consider giving him another chance. Gavin Cross would also be unavailable for the next fortnight, but for very different reasons. Our loanee striker from Chesterfield had strained his knee ligaments, which meant he would miss our last match before the October internationals. The odds were firmly stacked against us when Wolves arrived at Aggborough. While we had won just two of our opening nine matches, Sammy Lee's Wanderers had won six - and were only being kept off top spot by a rampant Bradford side. This looked every inch like a West Midlands mismatch. 3 OCTOBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Wolverhampton Wanderers And so it proved, as the wolfpack devoured us in the first half. James Jowsey was hardly given a moment to rest, saving shot after shot from a fearsome Wolves attack. The visitors' efforts eventually paid off in the 33rd minute, when Black Country boy Andy Whitehead got his Caucasian noggin to Dickson Etuhu's cross and nodded it beyond Jowsey. Ten minutes later, though, a promising 17-year-old forward called Berry scored the game's second goal. Unfortunately, that man was another of Wolves' homegrown talents - Stuart Berry, who volleyed in his first senior goal to make it 2-0. In truth, it wasn't a bad finish for someone who was apparently wearing an upside-down number 9 on his shirt! Nine minutes into the second period, Jamie Berry matched his namesake's effort. Right-back Billy Berntsson precisely picked out the young striker's fun, and after having our deficit, Jamie cheekily pointed out to Stuart Berry that his number 9 was the right way up! That gave us fresh hope of getting back level, but we wouldn't even get close to drawing level. Midfielder Lee Watson was putting in his worst performance of the season and could only blast his shot wide in the 64th minute, while substitute striker Paul Graham sent a header way off target in the 89th. Jowsey then made another big save late on - this time from Wolves left-back Alan Rogers - to make sure that we only lost by a single goal. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Berry 54) Wolverhampton Wanderers - 2 (Whitehead 33, Berry 43) Division 1, Attendance 6,316 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 23rd, Wolves 2nd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller, Redhe; Berntsson (Gallego), T Simpson (Gray); Watson, Robinson; Collins (Graham), Scott, Berry. James Jowsey deserved huge credit for keeping the scoreline down to 2-1, but the rest of the defence wasn't doing him any favours. In 10 league matches this season, we'd conceded 18 goals and kept just one clean sheet - against Fulham. With that in mind, signing a new centre-back was next on my priority list. I eventually found what I was looking for in the Spanish second division, signing Unai Vergara from Villarreal for £250,000. Simply known as Unai, the 32-year-old was incredibly strong and resilient, had incredible left-foot technique, and had even been capped once by Spain... in 2001. For all his experience in La Liga, there was one significant concern about Unai - he'd never played outside of Spain before and thus didn't speak a word of English. Of course, we already had a couple of Spanish speakers in Whitley and winger César Gallego, so I would call on them to help our new man settle. Unai would immediately make his debut on the left side of our back three when we played host to 8th-placed Birmingham. Whitley was also in the starting line-up, having felt refreshed after his leave of absence. 17 OCTOBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Birmingham City Birmingham left-back Danny Bruce came second in the PFA Young Player of the Year voting last season, so it was a surprise to see such a talented prospect stay with the Blues after their Premiership relegation. It wasn't a pleasant surprise, either. After just eight minutes, the 22-year-old latched onto a cross from Richard Murphy and headed it home. As the Harriers faced back-to-back home defeats, target man Alan Scott realised that he needed to do something about it. After having a shot saved by City goalkeeper Jørn Mikkelsen in the 20th minute, Scott got his head to Shaun Derry's corner and planted it beyond the young Norwegian's reach. Then, two minutes from half-time, two of our most experienced players completed the turnaround. The returning Jeff Whitley played an excellent ball into the penalty area, where 17-year-old Jamie Berry quickly laid it off for David Collins to score! At half-time, we found ourselves 2-1 up on one of the strongest teams in the division! Our hopes of a famous win were raised six minutes into the second half, when Bruce was forced off with a knee injury. He was replaced by Richard Hughes, who ran the midfield with Murphy for the rest of the second half. By the 66th minute, Hughes had got Birmingham back level, hammering in a fierce shot from a clever pass by Steven Hampshire. Although we couldn't get our lead back, there were still plenty of positives to take from this performance. Unai had enjoyed a solid debut at the back, winning several key headers that at least ensured Birmingham would only take one point home rather than three. Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Scott 20, Collins 43) Birmingham City - 2 (Bruce 8, Hughes 66) Division 1, Attendance 6,343 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 23rd, Birmingham 7th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller, Unai; Berntsson, T Simpson (Gray); Whitley (Watson), Derry; Collins (Garside); Scott, Berry. BOOKED: Unai, T Simpson. By most accounts, a draw against a Birmingham side who were the highest-placed relegated team from the Premiership last season was a decent result. However, I couldn't help thinking we deserved a bit more than that. Three days later, we made one of our longest away trips of the season, facing mid-table Carlisle at Brunton Park. The Cumbrians were a fine example of a team punching well above their weight, having finished 9th and 11th in Division 1 since coming up in 2007. 20 OCTOBER 2009: Carlisle United vs Kidderminster Harriers This match marked Paul Graham's tenth league appearance for Kidderminster - and just his third start. The promising teenage forward hadn't yet scored a league goal for us... until the 18th minute, when he headed in a far-post cross from strike partner Alan Scott. That gave us a 1-0 lead, which was surprisingly secure for the rest of the first half. Carlisle's manager Nicky Law must have laid down the law to his players at the interval, as they looked a completely different team after the break. After 53 minutes, former England defender Ugo Ehiogu - now seeing out his career as a makeshift libero - played an excellent through-ball into the box for striker Simon Lynch. After a swift lay-off, the ball was driven home by midfielder Jamie Ingledow, and the Cumbrians were back level. With Carlisle attacking us relentlessly after their equaliser, our defence had to work extra-hard just to keep us level. Unai was putting in another magnificent shift, but by the 84th minute, the Spaniard was looking a little leggy. I decided to replace him with the fresher legs of Swedish stopper Tobias Redhe and thought, "What could possibly go wrong?" You know where this is going. Not even two minutes later, it was another Kiddy defender - Finnish veteran Markus Heikkinen - who made the costly slip as he failed to knock the ball from Lynch's feet. The former Celtic frontman ghosted past Heikkinen, then unleashed a powerful effort to send the home fans crazy. Carlisle United - 2 (Ingledow 53, Lynch 86) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Graham 18) Division 1, Attendance 14,452 - POSITIONS: Carlisle 12th, Kidderminster 22nd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Bell, Unai (Redhe); Morfitt, Gray; Watson, Robinson (Derry); S Simpson; Scott (Collins), Graham. Five defeats in six straight winless games. Four points adrift of safety. Maybe we're simply not good enough to stay up. With Robert Garside back in full training, and Alan Scott steadily recapturing his best form, there was no need to keep Gavin Cross on loan anymore. After just five matches, in which he scored no goals and made just one assist, I sent the 22-year-old forward back to Chesterfield. Our next defeat - ahem, match - was at home to Norwich. The Canaries were only a couple of places above us in the standings, mind, so perhaps we might actually have a chance here? 24 OCTOBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Norwich City My former Dagenham striker Isaiah Rankin spearheaded the Norwich charge in the first half, though he wouldn't have much luck in front of goal. After a 5th-minute header was easily caught by James Jowsey, Rankin's next two efforts flew off target. In fact, the Canaries were so toothless in front of goal that they would only get one more shot on target. That was a tame 33rd-minute strike from Swedish midfielder Andreas Dahl, which Jowsey made light work of. It was a very different story at the other end, where we had plenty of good scoring chances but couldn't quite deal the killer blow. Paul Graham - who replaced the injured Alan Scott midway through the first half - had two shots saved by Norwich keeper Steve Griffiths, who also kept out efforts from another four Harriers. Eventually, with 14 minutes to go in the second period, it finally clicked for us. Jamie Berry's knockdown to midfielder Lee Watson was threaded through to David Collins, who dribbled through the Norwich defence and went one-on-one with Griffiths. One tidy finish later, and David was celebrating what would prove to be the winner! Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 76) Norwich City - 0 Division 1, Attendance 6,324 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 23rd, Norwich 20th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller (Bell), Unai; Morfitt, T Simpson; Watson, Robinson; Collins; Scott (Graham), Berry (Whitley). A home win and a clean sheet! Hallelujah praise the lord! What wasn't such good news was that Scott had twisted his knee and was out for two weeks. Perhaps I shouldn't have ended Cross' loan spell so soon? We stayed at home for our final game of the month, as we welcomed Alan Curbishley and his Charlton team to Aggborough. Having scored just 13 goals from our 13 league games, it would take a lot of effort to break through an Addicks defence that was one of the meanest in the division. 30 OCTOBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Charlton Athletic Charlton enjoyed the livelier start, with midfielder Kevin Saunders drawing a couple of awkward saves out of Kidderminster keeper James Jowsey. It won't surprise you, then, that it was the Harriers who drew first blood in the 23rd minute. Robert Garside timed his run perfectly to reach Jamie Berry's through-ball ahead of the onrushing Addicks goalie Kostas Chalkias, and then selflessly laid it off for David Collins to tap into an empty net! Our lead would last for just seven minutes. A handball from Unai gave Charlton a free-kick in a dangerous position, which Alan Pouton exploited by providing the perfect delivery for his midfield colleague Damien Delaney to head home. Veteran striker Darren Huckerby then wasted a chance to give the visitors a 2-1 lead just before the break. Going by the barrage of Basque profanities I heard in the dressing room at half-time, I could safely assume that Unai was pretty furious with himself over his role in Charlton's equaliser. He was desperate to make amends, and that chance came when we won a corner after 64 minutes. Lee Watson tried an outswinging delivery to the Spanish centre-half, who rose above visiting right-back Kevin Lewis and nodded in his first Kidderminster goal! We were back ahead! Though a couple of bookings for right-back Adrian Morfitt and centre-back Markus Heikkinen had them walking a disciplinary tightrope, we defended very well for the next half-hour to see the victory through. Special credit should go to our left-back Terry Simpson, who made several vital tackles and was rewarded by being named 'Man of the Match'. Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 23, Unai 64) Charlton Athletic - 1 (Delaney 30) Division 1, Attendance 6,345 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 22nd, Charlton 11th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen (Bell), Miller, Unai; Morfitt (Gallego), T Simpson; Watson, Robinson; Collins (Graham); Garside, Berry. BOOKED: Morfitt, Heikkinen. The last time we recorded back-to-back wins, we quickly hit another slump... but this feels like a genuine turning point. Unai has brought some much-needed stability to the defence, and Collins is hitting form again with three goals in four games. In fact, we finish the month sitting outside the relegation places. Brentford were heavily beaten 3-0 at home to Preston, which means the Bees drop below us into 22nd place on goal difference. Only Aston Villa and Peterborough have fewer points than us, though the Villans have a game in hand. Could another great escape be brewing? Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of October 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Bradford 14 6 2 0 15 8 4 1 1 17 11 33 2nd Notts Co 14 8 0 0 16 6 1 3 2 10 11 30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Grimsby 15 7 1 0 19 8 2 1 4 9 13 29 4th Wolves 14 5 0 1 13 7 4 1 3 15 15 28 5th Dag & Red 15 5 1 1 11 6 3 3 2 6 7 28 6th Torquay 15 4 3 0 17 11 3 3 2 12 10 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Coventry 15 3 2 3 11 7 4 2 1 11 6 25 8th W.B.A. 14 5 2 1 13 6 2 1 3 10 12 24 9th Birmingham 15 2 2 3 12 12 4 3 1 15 8 23 10th Preston 15 5 0 2 13 7 2 2 4 9 11 23 11th Chesterfield 14 2 2 2 7 6 4 2 2 15 16 22 12th Carlisle 14 2 1 3 11 10 4 1 3 11 9 20 13th Charlton 14 4 0 3 7 4 2 2 3 10 11 20 14th Sheff Utd 14 3 3 2 16 13 2 1 3 7 9 19 15th West Ham 15 5 1 1 12 5 1 0 7 10 19 19 16th Norwich 14 2 2 3 13 14 2 1 4 9 11 15 17th Fulham 15 4 2 1 11 5 0 1 7 5 16 15 18th Huddersfield 15 2 2 4 13 15 2 1 4 7 14 15 19th Nottm Forest 14 1 2 3 9 15 3 0 5 9 13 14 20th Derby 14 2 1 4 10 13 2 0 5 11 13 13 21st Kidderminster 14 3 1 4 10 14 1 0 5 5 9 13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Brentford 15 3 1 4 14 14 1 0 6 6 16 13 23rd Aston Villa 13 2 2 3 10 11 0 4 2 6 10 12 24th Peterborough 15 1 1 5 7 14 0 1 7 6 20 5 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... As Arsenal and Liverpool start to falter, Manchester United regain their place at the Premiership summit with three straight wins - including a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley. Djibril Cissé bags a hat-trick as he takes the goalscoring mantle from former United hero Ruud van Nistelrooy, whose renaissance fires Bordeaux up to 2nd in Ligue 1. van Nistelrooy scores his 73rd goal in 75 caps as Holland take an early lead in a decisive World Cup qualifier in Greece. However, two goals from Southampton's Angelos Charisteas inspire the Greeks to a 4-1 comeback win, which secures their place at Argentina 2010. Louis van Gaal’s men must now face Scotland in the play-offs. Following his departure from Lazio last summer, veteran midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón leads his new team Betis to the top of La Liga. His Argentine compatriot (and club legend) Gastón Casas continues to delight the Béticos supporters by scoring five goals in his first nine games... until he is poached by Liverpool for £13.5million. If you're wondering where Ariel Ortega is now, the 35-year-old former Argentina striker cancelled his Bologna contract after less than two months, and then signed for The Strongest club in Bolivia. They are indeed the strongest club in Bolivia, having secured the Primera División title this month. No surprises, then, that Ortega is happy to stay in La Paz... until February, at least. After a decade at Milan, Gennaro Ivan Gattuso makes a late-career £16.5million move to Juventus. The Rossoneri stutter without their midfield general and lose 3-0 to Gualdo, who sit in 6th place just seven games into their Serie A debut. Meanwhile, Parma defy their financial issues to take 22 points from eight matches and go top. IN OTHER NEWS... After nearly a decade in Formula 1, Jenson Button succeeds his British compatriot Lewis Hamilton as drivers' champion. His Brawn GP team win the constructors' title in their first season - which also happens to be their last season before being bought out by Mercedes-Benz. Amid mass protests, British National Party leader Nick Griffin makes his debut on the BBC's "Question Time" panel show. The insufferable fascist is inevitably criticised by almost everybody else for being an insufferable fascist. In his first year as President of the United States, Barack Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". Or, to put it another way, for doing absolutely nothing. Stephen Gately - the Irish pop star who rose to fame in the 1990s boy band Boyzone - dies suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition, aged just 33. Gately was found dead at his holiday home in Mallorca by his husband Andrew. Boyzone had only reunited last year following a lengthy hiatus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 (edited) NOVEMBER 2009 After ending October with back-to-back wins, this was the first time in ages that Kidderminster Harriers had gone into a new month in high spirits. It had taken some time for our star players to find their feet in Division 1, but now it seemed that we were tentatively on track to stay up. Of course, that could all change if our next six matches went badly. November was the month when my last Division 1 journey with Dagenham & Redbridge was cut short two years ago - and I knew that another slump at this stage would put my Kidderminster job at risk. A crucial month began with a trip to the City Ground, and a reunion with one of the teams who had come up with us from Division 2 last term. Nottingham Forest's first 14 games had yielded them 14 points - only one more than we had. While our main issue was with putting shots into the net, their biggest struggle was with trying to keep them out. 4 NOVEMBER 2009: Nottingham Forest vs Kidderminster Harriers Things didn't get off to a great start for us. After wasting two early scoring opportunities, we fell to Forest's first attack on 15 minutes. Ghana striker Zema Abbey looked visibly delighted after driving home the opener, though one of his young team-mates - German right-back Marco Scholz - was in some pain after suffering a knee injury in the build-up. Scholz had to come off, and home manager Joe Royle had to reshuffle his team. Despite that, the Tricky Trees were soon looking good to double their lead. One-time wonderkid Tonton Zola Moukoko - who joined Forest from Walsall in the summer - was denied just his second goal for the club by a great save from James Jowsey in the 25th minute. The subsequent corner was swung in by Moukoko to defensive midfielder Graham Elliott, whose header drew another stop out of Jowsey. Our first chance to get back in the game arrived in the 35th minute, when we won a free-kick close to the home goal. Captain Barry Miller delivered it perfectly to David Collins, who stabbed in the equaliser... but that wasn't all! Just five minutes later, Lee Watson's corner drew an awkward clearance from Forest's captain Peter Handyside, who then watched Markus Heikkinen drive in a 20-yarder to give us a 2-1 lead at the break! Things got even better after the break, as Robert Garside spearheaded the Harriers charge. First, he volleyed in a Terry Simpson cross to make it 3-1 after 50 minutes. Then, about a quarter-hour later, Garside sent his strike partner Jamie Berry bearing down on goal. The teen sensation's coolly-taken fifth goal of the season secured a 4-1 win for Kidderminster! We had battered Nottingham Forest, but our aggressive game went a bit too far at times. Four of our players picked up yellow cards, one of whom was our new Spanish defender Unai. When he upended Moukoko in the 71st minute, Unai was shown a second yellow, followed by a red, and we finished with 10 men. It was just as well the game was already over by then… Nottingham Forest - 1 (Abbey 15) Kidderminster Harriers - 4 (Collins 35, Heikkinen 40, Garside 50, Berry 64) Division 1, Attendance 7,253 - POSITIONS: Nottm Forest 21st, Kidderminster 17th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, B Miller, Unai; Berntsson (Gallego), T Simpson (Gray); Watson, Robinson; Collins (Bell); Garside, Berry. BOOKED: Unai. SENT OFF: Unai. After such a slow start, I was delighted that we delivered a devastating response, which moved us three points clear of the drop zone. The only disappointment was Unai's red card, which meant he would be suspended for our next away game at Derby on 21 November. That was preceded by two home games, both against Yorkshire opposition. The first of them was against an inconsistent Sheffield United side who had the division's top scorer - 13-goal striker Billy Paynter - but also had major issues defensively. 7 NOVEMBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Sheffield United Just like in the previous game, we found ourselves a goal down at around the 15-minute mark. More specifically, it was in the 17th minute when defender Markus Heikkinen was booked for a clumsy challenge on Sheffield United's midfield general Hamed Kavianpour, who then scored direct from the free-kick. And just like against Forest, we equalised 10 minutes before half-time. This time around, the goal came from Paul Graham, who replaced an exhausted Jamie Berry in the starting line-up and volleyed in a delicious cross from right wing-back Adrian Morfitt. At 1-1, the game was very much anyone's to win... right? Unfortunately, we'd still not addressed the disciplinary issues that had reared their heads in Nottingham. The referee showed four yellow cards to Kidderminster players before half-time - and two of those were to Heikkinen, whose 45th-minute trip on Mark McCormick was the final straw. We would have to play the entire second half with just 10 men. It may not surprise you that the Blades sliced us apart after the break. The rout began in the 55th minute, when Harriers captain Barry Miller gave away a corner under pressure from Richie Partridge. The one-time Liverpool winger's delivery was finished by United captain Per Hissing - and I was indeed hissing at my defenders afterwards. The stage was now set for Billy Paynter to power Sheffield United to an emphatic win... but he instead stepped back and let his strike partner Jimmy Moran take control. A 64th-minute Paynter assist led to Moran scoring his first goal of the season, which he followed up with a second strike just 18 minutes later. From 1-1 at half-time, we had been thrashed 4-1 - and one feckless Finn had to take the flak for it. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Graham 35) Sheffield United - 4 (Kavianpour 17, Hissing 55, Moran 64,78) Division 1, Attendance 6,561 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 20th, Sheff Utd 13th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller, Bell; Morfitt, T Simpson (Gray); Watson, Robinson; Collins (Berry); Garside (Unai), Graham. BOOKED: Heikkinen, Robinson, Collins, Unai. SENT OFF: Heikkinen. And that's Markus Heikkinen out of the Derby game as well. I might actually have to play Lee Matthews in defence at this rate! But seriously, we needed some cooler heads in the defence. I had a quiet word with captain Barry Miller and the rest of his backline before Bradford paid us a visit. The Bantams were top of Division 1 by five points and were also the league's highest goalscorers, so we couldn't afford to make any careless mistakes against them. 14 NOVEMBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Bradford City Though we enjoyed slightly more possession than Bradford in the first half, the Bantams' heavyweights still managed to batter us with shots. Midfield captain David Jack and Finnish striker Samuli Lindelöf each had multiple attempts on goal for Bradford, and James Jowsey had to produce some excellent saves just to keep his clean sheet intact. Despite that, we were still giving our opponents a pretty good contest - we just needed a bit more encouragement to attack them. Two minutes into the second half, we did exactly that. Shaun Derry threw the ball short to left-back Terry Simpson, whose cross was headed in by David Collins to give us the opening goal - almost out of nowhere! Incredibly, Bradford had not lost a league game since going down 3-2 to Torquay on the opening day. After 15 games unbeaten, Dermot Keely's Bantams had got complacent - and they wouldn't make that mistake again. They relentlessly pressed us for the rest of the match, then continued to increase the tempo to try and force an equaliser. Eventually, it all got a little too much. Four minutes before we were set to celebrate a huge win, City right-back Kurt Elshot got past Simpson and put a low cross to the near post. Unfortunately, none of our defensive players could catch up with Lindelöf, who tapped in the equaliser and silenced Aggborough. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 47) Bradford City - 1 (Lindelöf 86) Division 1, Attendance 6,312 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 21st, Bradford 1st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Redhe, Miller, Bell; Berntsson (Gray), T Simpson; Watson (Robinson), Derry; Collins; Scott (Graham), Berry. BOOKED: Bell. After the match, backup goalkeeper Noel Mooney bade farewell, moving to South China Athletic in Hong Kong for £100,000. The Irishman had a brief run in the team early in the season after Espen Baardsen's shocking start to his Harriers career. Unfortunately, Noel had looked very lethargic and lazy in training over recent weeks, so I was happy to get rid of him. The Midlands derby against Derby was next, and we went to Pride Park low on defensive options. Of course, both Unai and Heikkinen were serving their suspensions, but we were also missing our right-back Billy Berntsson, who'd damaged his heel in training. Adrian Morfitt would have to take his place. 21 NOVEMBER 2009: Derby County vs Kidderminster Harriers Derby's goalkeeper Alistair White had some work to do in the early stages, saving a couple of potentially dangerous shots from David Collins and Jamie Berry. Collins had another attempt in the 16th minute, when he planted a header to Shaun Derry's corner and broke the deadlock. Would David's seventh goal of the season be a lucky one for us? If the Rams' shooting didn't improve in the second half, we wouldn't have anything to worry about, as Kiddy keeper James Jowsey was hardly threatened at all before the break. Sadly, Collins' luck didn't hold out until half-break, as he was forced off in the 45th minute with a dead leg. Derby manager John Beck's traditional long-ball game made way for a more methodical approach in the second period, and his team gradually got closer to equalising. Captain Keith Lasley smashed a shot against the bar in the 59th minute, and Jowsey had to make a flurry of saves about 10 minutes before full-time. At that point, I decided to rest our tiring Swedish centre-back Tobias Redhe - and give his 20-year-old compatriot Daniel Modigh a senior debut in his place. Big mistake. Derby picked on Modigh and put him under constant pressure late on. In the 86th minute, Lasley beat our rookie defender to a cross from David Noble, which he powered home for 1-1. Modigh's misery was then compounded in the 90th minute, when Norwegian striker Ole Talberg scored a header to complete an incredible Rams fightback. Derby County - 2 (Lasley 86, Talberg 90) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 16) Division 1, Attendance 24,137 - POSITIONS: Derby 17th, Kidderminster 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Redhe (Modigh), Miller, Bell; Morfitt, T Simpson; Watson, Derry; Collins (Gallego); Scott, Berry (Graham). BOOKED: Redhe, Graham. It would be very easy to blame that defeat on young Daniel Modigh, but there's no excuse for the utter cowardice all our defenders had shown late on. If we hadn't choked that up, we would have been five points clear of the drop in 17th place, not Derby! We were back in Derbyshire just four days later - and Unai and Heikkinen were back in the defence for the meeting with 8th-placed Chesterfield at Saltergate. David Collins' dead leg had put our top scorer out of contention, but we weren't short of goalscoring options. 25 NOVEMBER 2009: Chesterfield vs Kidderminster Harriers Target man Alan Scott hadn't scored since his return from injury, and he was unlucky not to change that in the fourth minute, when a promising header was cleared off the line by Chesterfield defender Christopher Doig. We would have to wait nearly half an hour for the breakthrough, until Lee Watson's midfield chip was headed in by Adrian Morfitt - the wing-back's first official Kidderminster goal! Morfitt's strike should have given us a 1-0 lead at the break. But after withstanding a 45th-minute free-kick from Shaun Derry, Chesterfield countered to devastating effect. Chris Carruthers' long ball from the left wing picked out the Welsh midfielder Gavin Williams, who drew Bryan Robson's team back level. I replaced the luckless Scott with Jamie Berry at half-time, but neither Jamie nor his fellow youngster Paul Graham could threaten Chesterfield's goal in the second period. Having a 35-year-old strike partnership didn't seem to worry Spireites stoppers Mark Warren (age 35) and Richard Rufus (age 34), who ruthlessly ruffled our kids up with some firm tackling. Unsurprisingly, they failed to hit the target with any of their four shots. By contrast, Chesterfield were frustratingly clinical at the other end. They mustered their second shot on target after 76 minutes - and attacking midfielder Matthew Christensen smashed home a cross from Mark Boyd to give them a 2-1 win. Chesterfield - 2 (Williams 45, Christensen 76) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Morfitt 31) Division 1, Attendance 5,710 - POSITIONS: Chesterfield 4th, Kidderminster 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Miller, Unai; Morfitt, T Simpson (Gray); Watson, Derry; Garside; Scott (Berry), Graham. In our last three games, we've thrown away EIGHT points from winning positions. Rather than being 10 points clear of the drop zone, we were now only a couple of points ahead of Brentford in 22nd. When we went to 20th-placed Huddersfield in midweek, my patience with the team was already wearing thin. If we had another choking fit at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, I warned my players, there would be "major consequences". 28 NOVEMBER 2009: Huddersfield Town vs Kidderminster Harriers James Jowsey failed to make a single save in the Chesterfield defeat, but our goalkeeper was back on form in West Yorkshire. David Pounder pounded an early Huddersfield shot goalwards in the 5th minute, and Jowsey caught it with ease. He would also tip wide a header from Joe Burnell - the Terriers right-back who was terrorising that flank in both halves of the pitch. We had our moments too, such as when Lee Watson's fierce 26th-minute shot drew an excellent save from Huddersfield goalie Dembo Touray. Our young midfielder picked up a calf injury just before half-time, but I kept him on... which I regretted when he broke down completely at the hour mark. With one of our chief playmakers unable to continue, a significant part of our attacking threat was lost. And that was basically that. We struggled to convert our numerical midfield advantage into anything meaningful, while Huddersfield's direct attacks often being broken up very early, which basically led to the game fizzling out into a 0-0 draw. At least we kept our first clean sheet in over a month. Huddersfield Town - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 1, Attendance 8,654 - POSITIONS: Huddersfield 20th, Kidderminster 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen (Bell), Miller, Unai; Berntsson, T Simpson; Watson (Gallego), Robinson; S Simpson; Garside (Scott), Berry. The news surrounding Lee Watson's injury was not good. Our young midfield playmaker had strained his calf and was out for a month, potentially bring his 2009 to an early end. Things didn't get much better when I heard the scores from elsewhere. Brentford had drawn 1-1 at home to Carlisle, so they were still in the relegation zone... but Aston Villa had leapfrogged them into 22nd after beating Bradford by a single goal. Villa were now only a single point behind us... and they were heading to Aggborough on 5 December. Lose that match, and we would be back in the relegation zone, after enjoying one full month of relative safety. Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 (edited) DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of November 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Notts Co 19 10 0 0 20 6 3 4 2 19 17 43 2nd Bradford 20 7 2 1 17 10 6 2 2 24 16 43 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Wolves 19 7 0 2 19 11 5 1 4 16 18 37 4th Chesterfield 20 6 2 2 15 10 5 2 3 16 18 37 5th Birmingham 20 4 3 3 19 16 6 3 1 19 8 36 6th Torquay 20 6 3 1 24 15 3 4 3 14 14 34 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Grimsby 19 7 2 1 20 10 3 1 5 11 16 33 8th Sheff Utd 20 5 3 2 20 13 4 2 4 15 13 32 9th W.B.A. 20 5 3 2 15 9 4 2 4 19 19 32 10th West Ham 20 8 1 1 17 6 2 0 8 16 23 31 11th Dag & Red 19 5 2 2 11 7 3 5 2 7 8 31 12th Preston 20 6 2 2 18 10 2 2 6 11 15 28 13th Carlisle 20 3 4 3 14 12 4 3 3 13 11 28 14th Coventry 20 3 3 4 13 10 4 3 3 14 12 27 15th Charlton 20 4 2 4 11 9 3 4 3 14 13 27 16th Fulham 20 5 3 2 16 11 1 1 8 7 18 22 17th Derby 20 4 2 4 15 16 2 1 7 12 17 21 18th Nottm Forest 20 3 2 5 17 24 3 1 6 13 18 21 19th Norwich 20 2 2 6 17 23 3 3 4 17 18 20 20th Huddersfield 20 3 3 4 14 15 2 2 6 9 20 20 21st Kidderminster 20 3 2 5 12 19 2 1 7 11 14 18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Aston Villa 20 3 4 3 15 15 0 4 6 8 17 17 23rd Brentford 20 3 3 4 19 19 1 1 8 8 23 16 24th Peterborough 20 1 1 8 11 23 0 2 8 6 23 6 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo immediately has his new Chelsea fans spellbound, scoring 15 goals in his first 18 matches for the Blues. 'CR31' is rested for the League Cup Round 3 game at Cambridge... and watches on in horror as the Division 2 side record a shock 4-1 win, thanks to Demba Traore's hat-trick! After Leeds sell their star defender Jonathan Woodgate to Premiership leaders Arsenal for just £6.25million, David O'Leary finally has enough of Peter Ridsdale's asset-stripping. O'Leary walks out of Elland Road and moves to Spain, taking charge of a Celta team fighting relegation from La Liga. A few days later, Leeds appoint Rangers boss Alex McLeish as their new manager. Before exiting Ibrox, McLeish gives the Gers a leaving present by signing Chelsea striker Eiður Guðjohnsen for £10million. Ironically, the Rangers board replace their outgoing manager with Huub Stevens - the same man whom O'Leary had just succeeded at Celta! Barcelona finish the Champions League's first group phase with six straight clean-sheet wins. The last of those is a 2-0 victory over Liverpool, which knocks out the four-time champions and sends Grasshoppers into the second phase! Roma also make an early exit after losing 2-1 at home to 1.FC Köln. Germany have a close shave in the World Cup play-offs, as Miroslav Klose gives them a 1-0 aggregate win over Romania. Holland edge out Scotland by a controversial goal from Andy van der Meyde in the first leg in Amsterdam, while Spain come from behind to defeat Turkey 2-1 in Istanbul. In the CONCACAF qualifiers, the United States lose a decisive match 3-2 in Jamaica, breaking the hearts of literally tens of American soccer fans. IN OTHER NEWS... It's not a great month for world number 1 golfer Tiger Woods. Shortly after being involved in a car accident near his home in Florida, news emerges that Woods had cheated on his wife Elin Nordegren with numerous women. The revelations will ultimately cost the 33-year-old his marriage, not to mention several sponsorship deals. Justin Bieber - a 15-year-old prepubescent boy from Canada who got popular on something called YouTube - releases his first album. Meanwhile, Rihanna unveils her 36th album in the last four years, which is "Rated R". Sorry, Justin, I guess you're not old enough to listen to that yet... Belle de Jour - the best-selling author of “The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl” - reveals her true identity. Ex-pop star Billie Piper says she had originally intended to write an adult version of “Honey To The Bee”. Channel 4 airs the pilot episode of its new black comedy “The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret”, in which David Cross plays a clueless American trying to run a business in England. The Glazer family sue for defamation. Edited August 28, 2023 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 31, 2023 Author Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) DECEMBER 2009 In our first 20 league games this season, we had conceded 33 goals - an alarming record which had left us battling relegation. While the arrival of Unai last month had improved things somewhat, I still felt we needed another quality centre-back to stop us leaking so many goals. After our collapse against Chesterfield late in November, I held meetings with my coaches and scouts. During this meeting, my assistant Neil Kennedy suggested that we should make an offer for Sol Campbell - the former England centre-back who was now a free agent after cancelling his contract at AC Milan in October. Kennedy said that the 35-year-old would be the huge physical presence our defence badly needed. The thought of a small Division 1 team like Kidderminster signing a player of Campbell's world-class calibre sounded ridiculous to my ears, yet I sensed that Kennedy was only half-joking. However, I still had major doubts. "That's a great idea, Neil, but surely we couldn't afford to pay Sol Campbell the wages he'd want... surely?" Even so, I discussed this idea with chairman Darren Gibson, who was very much on board. The club opened talks with Campbell's representatives, and after a week of negotiating... well... Even I could hardly believe what was happening on Thursday 3 December, when I presented Sol Campbell at Aggborough as our newest Kidderminster Harrier. Sol had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract worth £15,000 per week, making him by far our highest-paid player - but his indisputable leadership qualities and defensive expertise would surely justify the outlay. Campbell was handed the number 32 shirt - and the captaincy - as he went straight into the starting line-up for a huge relegation six-pointer. Aggborough was almost packed for the visit of Aston Villa, who were one point below us in 22nd. We'd already lost half of our 10 home league games this season, and another case of Aggborough agony would send us back into the relegation zone. Aston Villa had also made a big change ahead of this match, sacking their manager Roy Keane and hiring Dundee United boss Ian Holloway in his place. The wise-cracking Bristolian hadn't taken long to warm himself to his new players, and was reported to have greeted Villa striker Peter Crouch by saying, "You're quite a big lad, ain't you?" 5 DECEMBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Aston Villa Of course, we had a big frontman of our own in Alan Scott. In the 2nd minute, the local hero towered over Aston Villa winger Jesper Grønkjær to win a header that unfortunately hit the post. Scott's luck turned for the better nine minutes later, when he flicked in a corner from near-namesake Scott Simpson. An early lead for Kidderminster turned into an even bigger advantage in the 31st minute, as two veteran midfielders combined to great effect. Carl Robinson got the first assist of his Harriers career against the club he left in the summer, sending Jeff Whitley through on goal before the Northern Ireland international opened his account for the season! Whitley hadn't seen much gametime this term, but perhaps this was a turning point for him? At the other end, the Villans didn't give James Jowsey too many problems. Our goalkeeper saved a couple of strikes from midfielder Ryan Williams and also managed to tip away a header from striker Graeme McCulloch, but that was about it. With Sol Campbell marshalling the defence superbly on his debut, we recorded back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season. Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Scott 11, Whitley 31) Aston Villa - 0 Division 1, Attendance 6,331 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 19th, Aston Villa 22nd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai (Bell); Berntsson (Gallego), Gray; Whitley, Robinson; S Simpson; Scott (Garside), Graham. BOOKED: Unai, Graham. Campbell's arrival could be a turning point in our season. We were now four points clear of the relegation zone, and with our next two games also coming on home soil, we had an opportunity to build a nice cushion before going back on the road. However, it wasn't all good news. Unai had picked up his fifth yellow card of the season - an impressive feat in only nine matches - and would have to serve a one-match suspension later in the month. We would also lose left wing-back Alan Gray for the next two weeks with a thigh strain. On the plus side, leading scorer David Collins returned to the starting line-up against Grimsby, having missed three games through injury. The Mariners were 8th in the league, but arrived at Aggborough having failed to score in their previous three matches. 12 DECEMBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs Grimsby Town David Collins hardly needed any time to warm up. Grimsby gave up a corner in the fifth minute, after Andy Paxton turned behind a header from Harriers right-back Billy Berntsson. Midfielder Shaun Derry took the corner and aimed straight for Collins, whose header was too powerful for Paxton to produce another save. After that, though, it was Grimsby who enjoyed the better attacking opportunities. While Jonathan Rowan's pace up front did sometimes cause problems for an ageing Sol Campbell, it was the midfielders who provided the Mariners' greatest threat. Jonathan Greening and Dominique van Dijk each drew some big saves out of James Jowsey, who also had to stop a wayward Derry clearance from flying into his own net just before half-time. We did have a few chances to pull further ahead in the second half but couldn't take them. David Collins was involved in a running battle with his namesake Grimsby defender Lee Collins, who managed to stop him in his tracks a few times - and not always within the rules of the game. When Lee pulled on David's shirt in the 59th minute, he picked up one of the game's two bookings - the other going to our left-back Terry Simpson. Then, five minutes before full-time, Lee Collins struck a major blow at the other end. From the centre circle, he aimed a long ball ahead of his central defensive colleague Adam Tann, who had bombed forward unnoticed by the Kiddy defence. Tann wasn't closed down quick enough as his header flew past Jowsey and into the net, leaving us with only one point from a match which we'd led for 80 minutes. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 5) Grimsby Town - 1 (Tann 85) Division 1, Attendance 6,589 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 19th, Grimsby 10th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai; Berntsson (Robinson), T Simpson (Hyde); Whitley, Derry; Collins; Scott, Berry (Garside). BOOKED: T Simpson. More points dropped late on in games. This is becoming a very annoying habit. The following afternoon, we tuned in to ITV for the FA Cup Round 3 draw. Would we get a plum draw against a Premiership giant, a tricky away game against an in-form lower-league team... or perhaps a nice and easy tie against Isthmian League minnows Billericay, who were the lowest-ranked team left standing? "That's number 25, Kidderminster Harriers... and they will be at home to... number 11, Chelsea." That's the 3rd-best team in the Premiership - now boasting one of the world's best attacking talents in Cristiano Ronaldo - coming to Aggborough on 9 January. Nice and easy! Our next league game was also a nice and easy one, at home to a goal-happy West Brom side who were just outside the play-off places. Our task was complicated by Unai's suspension, which meant a recall for Tobias Redhe. The Swedish defender would need to be very ready. 19 DECEMBER 2009: Kidderminster Harriers vs West Bromwich Albion West Brom burst out of the traps after just three minutes. A half-volley from midfielder Jody Morris was awkwardly parried by James Jowsey, and the Grenadian poacher Jason Roberts blasted the rebound in off the bar. The worst possible start for us. Things could have got even worse after Sol Campbell was booked in the 11th minute for a clumsy foul on Roberts. Thankfully, a 35-year-old with his vast experience knew how to keep his cool, and he would survive the remainder of the match without picking up another card. With Campbell holding his nerve and stopping us from falling further behind, we soon set about restoring parity. Carl Robinson had spent much of his early career at Wolves and was especially hungry to beat their bitter rivals, so it came as no surprise when he provided the equalising assist for Jamie Berry in the 35th minute. Albion's defence had been rattled, and an injury to centre-half Rob Penders just before half-time unsettled them further. During the half-time break, I subbed off a tiring David Collins in favour of Robert Garside - and it was the one-time Wales forward who made all the difference after the interval. In the 74th minute, Garside perfectly timed his run to the back post, where he stabbed in a low cross from Terry Simpson and secured a famous 2-1 win! Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Berry 35, Garside 74) West Bromwich Albion - 1 (Roberts 3) Division 1, Attendance 6,588 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 18th, West Brom 10th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Jowsey; Heikkinen, Campbell, Redhe; Berntsson, T Simpson; Derry, Robinson; Collins (Garside); Scott (Gallego), Berry. BOOKED: Campbell. A brilliant result - and what a comeback! James Jowsey was excellent in goal once again, but after 19 matches (and a 7.32 average rating), his loan spell from Manchester City came to an end. With City reluctant to extend his stay at Kidderminster, we were once again in the market for a new shotstopper. Of course, the first thing I did was go back to Newcastle and ask once again if they would loan John Forde back to us. The Magpies agreed... and this time, John was happy to come back! Newcastle manager Brian Quinn had given Forde a chance earlier in the month, only to watch him four goals at Sunderland on his full Premiership debut. The 21-year-old Irishman perhaps realised he was not ready for top-flight football, and that he needed more experience in the lower leagues. Where better to get that experience than at the club where his heroics inspired us to promotion from Division 2 last season? Forde's second Harriers debut came against a different Magpies team on Boxing Day, when we faced 3rd-placed Notts County at Meadow Lane. Last season's losing play-off finalists were desperate to secure the Premiership place that had eluded them for so long, but a recent spate of bad results had derailed their charge. 26 DECEMBER 2009: Notts County vs Kidderminster Harriers Robert Garside's match-winning cameo against West Brom was rewarded with a rare start at Meadow Lane. He would soon get a great opportunity to add another goal to his tally - but not before the crossbar kept out a David Collins volley in the 10th minute. Ten minutes later, Garside's young striker partner Jamie Berry was wiped out in the area by a clumsy challenge from Notts County's goalkeeper and captain Christopher Kirkland. The 28-year-old, who was capped six times by England before his top-flight career stalled, narrowly avoided a red card but now had to keep out a Garside penalty. He couldn't, as Rob left him rooted to the spot and put us 1-0 up! We were unlucky not to score again just before half-time. Terry Simpson had only scored once in two-and-a-half years at Kidderminster, and the young left-back winced in agony when his 36th-minute piledriver clipped the crossbar and went out. That same bar would actually do us a favour late in the second half, deflecting away a last-ditch free-kick from Notts County midfielder Leon Britton. Before then, the Magpies had managed just three shots on target, all of which were expertly saved by John Forde. The 21-year-old's second debut for Kidderminster really could not have gone any better! Notts County - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Garside pen20) Division 1, Attendance 7,888 - POSITIONS: Notts County 4th, Kidderminster 17th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai; Berntsson, T Simpson; Derry (Whitley), Robinson; Collins (Graham); Garside, Berry. A win, a clean sheet, and a 'Man of the Match' performance. It's like John Forde never went away! But after such a hard-fought win, and with only one day's rest between matches, I had to rotate the team very heavily at Coventry on Monday night. Even an incredible physical specimen like Sol Campbell could not, at 35, play back-to-back matches in three days, so he stayed at home - and Barry Miller took on captaincy duties again. 28 DECEMBER 2009: Coventry City vs Kidderminster Harriers After starting our last three games, Jamie Berry was also given a rest, which meant another opportunity up front for his fellow 18-year-old Paul Graham. The Scot would break the deadlock after just nine minutes at Highfield Road - and in some style. Graham skilfully controlled a long throw from wing-back Adrian Morfitt, cheekily nutmegged Coventry's midfield libero Ross Lee, and then thundered home a shot from just outside the penalty area! That wasn't the last time Morfitt and Graham would leave Coventry fans feeling sky blue. In the 33rd minute, Morfitt skipped past the challenge of City defender Hermann Hreiðarsson and swung in a cross which Graham nodded home. Though home keeper Andy Marshall managed to deny Graham a third goal in stoppage time, Scott Simpson's rebound did make it a hat-trick of Scottish goals. Leading 3-0 at the break, I decided to replace Jeff Whitley with Bradley Howe - a promising reserve midfielder who made his senior debut just three days before his 17th birthday. Howe looked pretty solid on his debut and distributed the ball well, but I was disappointed to see our more experienced players show signs of complacency at the second half. For example, there was a laboured clearance from Markus Heikkinen in the 57th minute, which quickly resulted in Lee blasting in a shot that gave Coventry fresh hope. In fact, that was Lee's first ever senior goal… …and the 22-year-old would even bag another before the game was up! Luckily, that second goal didn't come until well into injury time, but we were so poor after the break that we barely even deserved a 3-2 win in the end. Coventry City - 2 (Lee 57,90) Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Graham 9,33, S Simpson 45) Division 1, Attendance 8,192 - POSITIONS: Coventry 10th, Kidderminster 16th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Miller, Unai; Morfitt, Gray; Whitley (Howe), Robinson; S Simpson (Derry); Scott (Collins), Graham. BOOKED: Whitley. It's incredible what a new signing can do to a club. Since Campbell's arrival, we have won four games and drawn the other - and having been just one point above the relegation zone at the start of this month, we finish it with a TEN-point advantage over the bottom three! In fact, we're also ten points behind Dagenham & Redbridge in 6th place! Dare we start dreaming of another play-off push... or are we about to hit yet another slump? Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted August 31, 2023 Author Share Posted August 31, 2023 DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of December 2009) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Bradford 25 9 2 2 22 14 7 2 3 27 20 52 2nd Wolves 25 11 0 2 30 13 5 2 5 18 22 50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Birmingham 25 5 5 3 28 23 7 4 1 23 11 45 4th Notts Co 25 10 1 1 21 8 3 5 5 22 23 45 5th Torquay 25 8 3 1 28 15 3 6 4 15 16 42 6th Dag & Red 24 6 3 2 14 8 5 5 3 12 11 41 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Grimsby 25 9 2 1 25 10 3 3 7 13 22 41 8th Sheff Utd 25 6 4 3 24 15 5 3 4 17 14 40 9th W.B.A. 25 6 4 2 19 11 5 3 5 24 24 40 10th West Ham 25 9 1 2 19 9 4 0 9 20 27 40 11th Coventry 25 4 3 5 19 15 7 3 3 21 15 39 12th Carlisle 25 5 5 3 18 13 5 3 4 16 14 38 13th Chesterfield 24 6 3 4 16 13 5 2 4 16 19 38 14th Charlton 25 6 3 4 15 10 3 4 5 16 18 34 15th Preston 25 7 3 2 21 11 2 3 8 13 23 33 16th Kidderminster 25 5 3 5 17 21 4 1 7 15 16 31 17th Nottm Forest 25 5 2 6 22 26 4 2 6 19 22 31 18th Aston Villa 25 5 4 3 20 17 0 6 7 10 21 25 19th Derby 25 5 3 5 22 22 2 1 9 12 21 25 20th Norwich 25 3 2 8 21 28 3 4 5 17 20 24 21st Fulham 25 5 4 3 16 13 1 1 11 8 25 23 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Huddersfield 25 3 4 6 15 18 2 2 8 10 26 21 23rd Brentford 25 4 3 5 21 21 1 1 11 8 30 19 24th Peterborough 25 2 2 8 16 26 0 3 10 8 29 11 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Premiership champions Manchester United return to top spot, as Paul Scholes' penalty salvages a 1-1 home draw with Arsenal before a 2-1 win over their other title rivals Chelsea. Scholes still can’t tackle, mind you. Tottenham slump to the bottom of the Premiership, despite sacking the unpopular Roddy Collins and hiring Millwall's Dave Watson as their new manager. Meanwhile, karma comes back to haunt Glenn Hoddle, who is sacked by Bolton after making controversial remarks about Soccer AM's topless weather presenter Sheephead. Alex McLeish's first full month as Leeds manager brings mixed news - Paul Robinson keeps seven clean sheets in a row, but his team-mates only score six goals. Mark Viduka stubbornly refuses to renew his contract, while fellow striker Michael Bridges is ruled out for the season after tearing his ACL at Crystal Palace. Parma record an impressive 2-0 win over Lazio to pull six points clear at the top of Serie A. Eredivisie leaders Ajax build a 13-point lead over closest challengers PSV, while the Bundesliga looks like a two-way battle between Dortmund and champions VfB Stuttgart. Things are even tighter in La Liga, where just six points separate the top five, which include Betis, Barcelona and Valencia - but not Real Madrid! Sitting 12th in La Liga after some incredibly erratic results, Real Madrid decide to spend over £23million on five veteran players. Chelsea striker Fernando Morientes is joined at the Bernabéu by defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Duilio Davino, wing-back Paulo César, and Athletic Bilbao frontman David Karanka. The average age of the new-look Real squad is just over 31, making 29-year-old winger Ronaldinho one of their youngest players! IN OTHER NEWS... The Treaty of Lisbon comes into force, giving more powers to the European Parliament... and making Nigel Farage's face grow even redder. The first permanent President of the European Council is Belgian politician Herman Van Rompuy, who desperately begs British tabloids not to make fun of his name. "Avatar" - also known as “that movie with the blue aliens” - hits cinemas worldwide just before Christmas. Making over $2billion in the box office, James Cameron's sci-fi epic becomes the highest-grossing film in history, surpassing the record held by the Canadian director's previous movie "Titanic". Da-ba-dee, da-ba-die. A Finnish video game company releases a new mobile puzzle game, where players use a slingshot to help some angry birds kill some green pigs who have stolen their eggs. I believe it's called "Irritated Avians"... "The X Factor" judge Simon Cowell wants another Number 1 record for Christmas, so he urges the British public to buy the debut single from this year's winner Joe McElderry. Over 500,000 music fans rage against the machine and yell, "F*** YOU, I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted September 5, 2023 Author Share Posted September 5, 2023 (edited) JANUARY 2010 As much as we all love to bring in a new year - and a new decade - I asked my players to keep their celebrations to a minimum, as a big home game against Brentford was less than 48 hours aways. Unfortunately, one Harrier didn't seem to get the message. Loanee goalkeeper John Forde showed up late for training on New Year's Day, and he looked distinctly short of match fitness. Contrary to the lazy Irish stereotype, Forde insisted he had not been drinking, though he had been partying with his mates in Newcastle until quite late. Indeed, he didn't get much sleep before returning to Kidderminster. In these circumstances, I would usually fine a player for unprofessional conduct. Of course, I couldn't fine John because he was a loanee - so I dropped him from the starting line-up the following afternoon. This meant a surprise recall for Norwegian shotstopper Espen Baardsen, who hadn't played since conceding five goals in our opening two games. Seeing as Brentford were second-from-bottom and had one of the worst scoring records in Division 1, surely even he could shut the stingless Bees out? 2 JANUARY 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs Brentford In the end, it was an incredibly comfortable afternoon's work for Espen Baardsen. Brentford lined up in a very defensive 5-3-2 formation, and the few counter-attacks they did launch hardly got going at all. They would muster just one shot, which Liam George fired wide midway through the first half. By contrast, Brentford had another Nordic goalkeeper who was being kept very busy by our attackers. Patrik Eklund might have only just joined the Bees on loan from their London rivals Crystal Palace, but the Swede had a debut to remember, making six saves as well as several crucial interceptions. David Collins and substitute midfielder Scott Simpson each had two shots saved. To add to our frustration, Jamie Berry volleyed a shot against the crossbar in the 13th minute, and another Collins shot in the 58th had the same outcome. Though 'man of the match' Terry Simpson created some magnificent opportunities with his left-wing crosses, we just could not strike that killer blow. Nil-nil. Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Brentford - 0 Division 1, Attendance 6,588 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 17th, Brentford 23rd KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Baardsen; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai; Morfitt (Berntsson), T Simpson; Derry, Robinson (S Simpson); Collins; Garside, Berry (Graham). BOOKED: Robinson, Heikkinen. While I was pleased to see Baardsen keep a clean sheet, Brentford's inability to get a single shot on target also meant it had a big asterisk next to it. I still couldn't trust Espen against any kind of semi-competent opposition, and so Forde was back in goal for our next match. I had not been back to Victoria Road since my departure from Dagenham & Redbridge in November 2007. Though I got a warm reception on my return to my old stomping ground, I also got a sense that Daggers fans had firmly moved on from my tenure. After all, Willy Wordsworth's boring but effective tactics had put this team firmly in the play-off mix. 5 JANUARY 2010: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Kidderminster Harriers We would endure the same frustration in east London as we suffered against the Brentford boys from west London. David Collins and Paul Graham each had early scoring opportunities kept out by Dagenham keeper Alex O'Reilly - a sign of things to come. The Daggers' attacks were also lacking in sharpness. Their best effort was Matt Gray's injury-time volley, which - to be fair - did force John Forde into an excellent save. Meanwhile, this match marked Lee Watson's return to action, after five weeks out with a calf strain. The young midfielder's enthusiasm got the better of him when he was booked for a holding foul on Dagenham striker Sebastian Helbig. In the mini-scuffle that followed, our other midfielder Shaun Derry clattered into Daggers counterpark Mark Summerbell and also got carded. While I felt Derry was mature enough to continue walking the tightrope, I didn't take any risks with Watson and subbed him off at half-time. As for the second half, it was utterly dire. Mind you, we did put together an excellent attacking move in the 77th minute which ended with right-back Billy Berntsson hitting the post, which summed up our fortunes in front of goal. Nil-nil, again. Dagenham & Redbridge - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Division 1, Attendance 7,226 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 10th, Kidderminster 17th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai; Berntsson, Gray; Derry, Watson (Robinson); Collins; Scott, Graham (Berry). BOOKED: Watson, Derry. Well... the good news is that Forde and Sol Campbell have fixed this defence. The bad news is that we've forgotten how to score! We certainly couldn't expect many scoring opportunities in our next game - an FA Cup Round 3 tie at home to Premiership giants Chelsea. Jean Tigana was keen to avoid an upset, as he fielded several regular starters, including England midfielder Jermaine Jenas and Portuguese megastar Cristiano Ronaldo. 9 JANUARY 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs Chelsea Unsurprisingly, Chelsea - and Cristiano Ronaldo in particular - swiftly went on the attack. The Ronster had three shots at goal in the first eight minutes alone, all of which were repelled by John Forde. The young Irishman might have faltered in his last match against top-flight opposition, but he was determined to keep out the four-time FA Cup winners all on his own! Our resistance started to crack in the 17th minute, when midfielder Lee Watson broke his toe and had to be replaced with Jeff Whitley. Two minutes later, Jermaine Jenas ran through unmarked and finally broke the deadlock. Jenas then ran over to the nearest camera, put up a finger, and said, "I want your job, Adrian Chiles!" Four minutes after Jenas announced his intention to start a TV career, Ronaldo was wowing the cameras with his fancy Portuguese footwork. Ronaldo shimmied past Sol Campbell - making him look every one of his 35 years - and then escaped both Shaun Derry and Markus Heikkinen before driving in Chelsea's second goal. Even by CR31's sky-high standards, that was magnificent, and even I was applauding it! The Blues mercifully eased off in the second half, though ex-England midfielder Stephen Hughes hit the bar in the 48th minute. Some resolute defending from Swedish sweeper Daniel Majstorovic made sure that we wouldn't get even a sniff of a consolation goal. Our FA Cup adventure was over before it had a chance to get going. Kidderminster Harriers - 0 Chelsea - 2 (Jenas 19, Cristiano Ronaldo 23) FA Cup Round 3, Attendance 6,575 KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai; Berntsson, T Simpson; Derry, Watson (Whitley); S Simpson; Scott, Collins (Garside). While we could be proud of restricting Chelsea to just a couple of goals, Lee Watson's broken toe was a cause for concern. Another three-week injury after just recovering from a month-long calf strain was a significant setback to the young midfielder's development. And I'm afraid our injury plight only got worse a few days later. Billy Berntsson suffered a calf strain of his own and Markus Heikkinen twisted his ankle, depriving us of two key defenders for the next two games. The first of those was at home to West Ham, who were just outside the play-off places. Halfway through January, could we finally score our first goal of the new year? 16 JANUARY 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs West Ham United Thanks to their impeccable approach to squad-building, West Ham had literally one goalkeeper on their books - Shay Given, who was sent off against Derby two weeks earlier. That meant new manager Steve Bull was forced to put a local amateur keeper between the sticks. At full-time, I was convinced that the Hammers' number 60 James Cooke would one day be England's number 1. Halfway through the match, though, I had every reason to be concerned about the state of our defence. John Forde had already been forced to save a 29th-minute drive from winger Thomas Holt after being left widely exposed by his own backline. Unfortunately, even the Irish sensation couldn't do anything about West Ham's next effort just before half-time, when Luke Chadwick's right-wing cross was headed home by midfield captain Gregoor van Dijk. A dressing-room dressing-down got the Harriers all fired up for the second period. Within 11 minutes, David Collins had got us back level, evading the Hammers defence to prod in a square ball from Shaun Derry. Was that the turning point? It wasn't. Cooke then made two world-class saves to stop either Collins or Jamie Berry from doubling our lead before his team-mates struck a Hammer blow in the 74th minute. Target man Benjamin De Ceulaer jumped above Forde to cushion a header to Luis Boa Morte, who fired into a clear target - and inflicted our seventh home defeat of the season. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 56) West Ham United - 2 (van Dijk 45, Boa Morte 74) Division 1, Attendance 6,582 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 17th, West Ham 6th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Bell, Campbell, Unai; Morfitt (Gallego), T Simpson; Whitley (Howe), Derry; Collins; Garside, Berry. BOOKED: Whitley, Berry. Because of our early FA Cup exit, the following weekend's trip to Plainmoor was our final match of the month. I had an awful record against Chris Kamara's Torquay, whose form had dropped off a bit since their fantastic start - but a watertight Gulls defence was sure to make life difficult for a blunt Harriers attack. To try and bring about a change in fortunes, I decided to bring 17-year-old Bradley Howe into the starting XI. The reserve midfielder had impressed me in two substitute appearances with his passing ability and his guile, so I felt the time was right to give him a full debut. 23 JANUARY 2010: Torquay United vs Kidderminster Harriers But how about this - we took the lead after just four minutes! David Collins ran through the Torquay defence unchallenged and then silenced Plainmoor with his 10th goal of the season. As I celebrated in my technical area, Chris Kamara screamed at his players demanding to know who was supposed to be marking Collins. His captain Richard Kingson shrugged, "I don't know, Kammy." Things got worse for the hosts in the 30th minute, when Berry and Derry made me very merry! Adrian Morfitt's deep cross was headed down by Jamie Berry into the path of Shaun Derry, who span past Gulls right-back Lee Beevers and drove the ball home! That was Shaun's first competitive goal since rejoining the Harriers - his ninth for the club overall. Meanwhile, Simon Bell was proving an excellent defensive stand-in for the injured Markus Heikkinen, winning several key headers to keep Torquay at bay before the break. Worryingly, though, Bell was also carrying a booking after a shirt-pull on striker Stephen Strong in the 36th minute. As great as Bell had been in the first 45 minutes, I didn't want to risk a second yellow, so the experienced Barry Miller replaced him for the second 45. The change seemed to back fire just seven minutes after the restart. A cross from Torquay left-winger Victor Sikora found Strong, who then set up right-winger Bjarni Guðjónsson to pull a goal back. Things didn't get any easier for us in the 73rd minute, when Sol Campbell also went into the book for fouling Anders Svensson. The ex-Sweden midfielder lined up a potential equalising free-kick, which John Forde did well to catch. His save proved to be a critical one, as we held on to finish the month with a 2-1 away win! Torquay United - 1 (Guðjónsson 52) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Collins 4, Derry 30) Division 1, Attendance 6,005 - POSITIONS: Torquay 10th, Kidderminster 17th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Bell (Miller), Campbell, Unai; Morfitt, T Simpson; Howe (Robinson), Derry; Collins; Scott (Garside), Berry. BOOKED: Bell, Campbell. It feels like our season has had more turning points than a Formula 1 circuit, but I really hope a result like this can get us back on track. 10 points off the relegation zone, 12 off the play-off places. 17 games to play. Anything is possible between now and May! Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted September 5, 2023 Author Share Posted September 5, 2023 DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of January 2010) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Bradford 29 11 2 2 24 14 7 2 5 28 23 58 2nd Wolves 29 13 0 2 37 14 5 2 7 19 26 56 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Birmingham 29 6 5 4 31 26 8 4 2 26 17 51 4th Chesterfield 29 7 4 4 17 13 8 2 4 19 19 51 5th West Ham 29 10 1 3 21 11 6 0 9 24 29 49 6th Grimsby 29 11 2 1 28 10 3 4 8 14 24 48 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Notts Co 29 10 3 1 23 10 3 5 7 23 27 47 8th W.B.A. 29 7 5 2 23 11 5 5 5 24 24 46 9th Coventry 29 5 4 5 21 15 7 5 3 23 17 45 10th Torquay 29 9 3 2 30 17 3 6 6 15 19 45 11th Dag & Red 29 7 4 3 17 9 5 5 5 13 15 45 12th Sheff Utd 29 7 4 4 26 17 5 3 6 17 19 43 13th Charlton 29 7 4 4 18 11 4 5 5 18 19 42 14th Carlisle 29 6 5 4 21 14 5 3 6 18 19 41 15th Preston 29 7 4 3 23 16 3 4 8 14 23 38 16th Nottm Forest 29 6 2 7 26 30 5 2 7 21 25 37 17th Kidderminster 29 5 4 6 18 23 5 2 7 17 17 36 18th Norwich 29 4 2 9 25 31 5 4 5 24 23 33 19th Aston Villa 29 7 4 3 25 18 0 6 9 10 24 31 20th Huddersfield 29 4 5 6 17 18 4 2 8 13 27 31 21st Fulham 29 6 4 4 17 14 1 2 12 9 27 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Derby 29 5 4 6 24 25 2 1 11 13 28 26 23rd Brentford 29 5 3 6 24 24 1 2 12 8 33 23 24th Peterborough 29 3 2 9 20 28 0 4 11 9 32 15 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... With Joe O'Shea refusing to sign a new contract, Tottenham reluctantly sell the 23-year-old Irish striker to Premiership leaders Manchester United for a cut-price £4.8million. O'Shea returns to White Hart Lane just a week later - and doesn't even get off the bench as his replacement Toni Hahto earns rock-bottom Spurs a shock 1-0 win! Bruce Grobbelaar gets itchy feet and leaves Crystal Palace to take charge of their Premiership relegation rivals Bolton. The shellshocked Eagles respond by bringing back former boss Joe Royle from Nottingham Forest. Vasco's Brazilian wonderkid Wellington da Rosa makes his big move to Europe, joining Bundesliga mid-tablers Nürnberg for a club-record £16.5million. Though Wellington fails to score in any of his first three games, the 20-year-old does make a crucial 90th-minute assist for Robin Van Persie to earn the Bavarians a 3-3 draw against Leverkusen. AC Milan fall to 9th in Serie A after a shock 1-0 loss to Reggina, prompting their owner - and Italy's Prime Minister - Silvio Berlusconi to give Gérard Houllier his marching orders. While searching for a long-term successor, Berlusconi hands the caretaker manager's job to his teenage blonde mistress, who also happens to be his Health Minister. What appeared to be a thrilling La Liga title battle turns into a procession, as Barcelona win 10 straight games to go nine points clear. The highlight is a 1-0 home win over the Real Madrid dads' army. When Real draw 1-1 with David O'Leary's strugglers Celta three days later to remain stuck in mid-table, the Madridistas bring out their white hankies for Vicente Del Bosque. IN OTHER NEWS... A new decade begins with a new record-breaking skyscraper, as the Burj Khalifa opens in Dubai. Standing at 829.8 metres (or 2,772 feet) tall, it serves as a big distraction from the United Arab Emirates' record on migrant workers and human rights abuses. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. It causes around $8billion worth of damage, particularly devastating the capital city Port-au-Prince, and claims the lives of between 100,000 and 300,000 people. In a world first, Sky Sports broadcasts Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Everton live on 3D TV in nine pubs across Britain. It’s a huge success, and Rupert Murdoch announces his plans to introduce ‘Smell-O-Vision’ next year. One of the most iconic voices in British sport is silenced, as rugby union commentator Bill McLaren dies aged 86. Renowned for his distinctive Scottish brogue and turn of phrase, McLaren worked for the BBC for nearly 50 years until his retirement in 2002. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 FEBRUARY 2010 While Kidderminster were on course for survival on the pitch, things were not exactly great off it. At our latest board meeting, I was informed that we had lost £450,000 over the course of January - and had just short of £550,000 left in the bank balance. It turns out that paying £15,000 a week to one player when your average attendance is barely 6,400… is not exactly viable! But seriously, we would have to cut costs quickly to avoid falling heavily into debt. The first player out of the door was reserve defender Daniel Modigh. After making just one senior appearance in 19 months at Aggborough, the 20-year-old Swede went all the way across the Midlands and joined Conference side Boston on a free transfer. Veteran midfielder Jeff Whitley was also informed he could leave on a free transfer if anybody asked for his services. Whitley was earning £7,750 per week on a contract that still had two full seasons left to run, but he wasn't playing well enough to justify those wages. In all likelihood, the Northern Irishman had played his last match for Kidderminster. Our next match was at home to Fulham, who were just above the relegation zone, having only scored 26 goals in their 29 matches so far. We weren't exactly prolific ourselves, but perhaps our fortunes were about to change... 6 FEBRUARY 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs Fulham Fulham's 21-year-old goalkeeper Jimmy Wilkinson made two brilliant saves in the first three minutes, pushing behind Shaun Derry's free-kick and then stopping Sol Campbell's header from the subsequent corner. Another fine save on 26 minutes kept Jamie Berry at bay... but not David Collins, whose rebound finish gave us the lead! Our attackers kept Wilkinson busy for the rest of the first half, with Fulham struggling to conjure up any attacks of their own. That was largely down to Campbell organising his defence brilliantly, but also our accurate passing - particularly from the metronomic Derry. Sadly, we could not add to Collins' solitary goal, with the crossbar keeping out a very good Berry volley in the 51st minute. It didn't matter too much, as John Forde's 74th-minute save from 16-year-old Cottagers substitute Michael Butler kept our lead intact and secured back-to-back victories. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 26) Fulham - 0 Division 1, Attendance 6,316 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 16th, Fulham 21st KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Bell, Campbell, Unai (Heikkinen); Morfitt, Gray; Watson (Howe), Derry; Collins; Scott (Garside), Berry. Another win was great and all - this one took us 13 points clear of relegation. However, I was frustrated that, David Collins aside, all our attackers were making every opposition goalkeeper look like peak Craig Forrest. One striker in particular - Alan Scott - had really lost his spark. In 19 matches so far this season, Scott had scored just two goals and provided one assist, recording an average rating of 6.53. Unless Big Al could adjust his game to play against second-division defences, his days as a Harrier were numbered. To try and solve our goalscoring blues, I decided to recruit one of my former players. Cherno Samba scored 17 goals for Dagenham & Redbridge in the 2007/2008 season - my last season at Victoria Road - before earning a £1.3million move to Middlesbrough. Sadly, the 25-year-old Gambian international had failed to establish himself at the Riverside and was now available for transfer. While we obviously couldn't afford to sign Samba permanently, Boro agreed to loan him to us for the rest of the season. Samba made his Kidderminster debut in a West Midlands derby against Birmingham at St Andrew's. The Blues hadn't lived up to their promotion favourites tag, but Andy Johnson's prolific goalscoring was at least keeping them in the top six. 13 FEBRUARY 2010: Birmingham City vs Kidderminster Harriers The first six minutes didn't exactly go great for Kidderminster playmaker Lee Watson. He looked certain to give us the lead in the second minute after David Collins' shot was parried by Birmingham keeper Jørn Mikkelsen, but Watson could only scuff his follow-up into the Norwegian's hands. Four minutes later, Lee pulled up with a knee injury, bringing his match to a very early end. Our young midfielder might have had a nightmare, but this would become a dream for Birmingham's midfielder Youngs. Long-time Blues servant Tom Youngs opened the scoring with a half-volley from Kevin Kane's right-wing cross in the 11th minute. He then beat John Forde in the 25th, outjumping our goalie to head home a Claude Davis delivery. At 2-0 down, we badly needed our new striker to fire us back into contention. Cherno Samba obliged, heading in a Collins chip to pull one goal back in the 38th minute. Then, just before half-time, Cherno made it a two-goal debut with another header - this time from Robert Garside's centre! Having back level with two goals late in the first period, the match only seemed to be heading in one direction. That was until injury befell another Harrier in the 51st minute. Right wing-back Adrian Morfitt had hurt his groin in an innocuous challenge and couldn't continue, with Billy Berntsson taking his place. Birmingham sensed blood - and Youngs sensed a hat-trick. In the 63rd minute, the Blues' star left-back Danny Bruce spearheaded a counter-attack that took him to the byline, from which he aimed a low cross to the near post. Youngs got free from his marker, blasted in a shot from point-blank, and put his name firmly on the match ball. With a weakened team, that third goal was a setback we could not recover from. Collins almost headed in an equaliser in the 90th minute, but Birmingham defender Clint Hill put him under enough pressure to force his header wide. Birmingham City - 3 (Youngs 11,25,63) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Samba 38,45) Division 1, Attendance 16,933 - POSITIONS: Birmingham 4th, Kidderminster 16th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Bell, Campbell, Unai (Gallego); Morfitt (Berntsson), T Simpson; Watson (Heikkinen), Derry; Collins; Garside, Samba. BOOKED: Heikkinen. Another month, another injury for Lee Watson. The midfielder would miss another three weeks with strained ligaments in his troublesome right knee, which had been a constant issue throughout his career. The news around Adrian Morfitt was even worse. A scan confirmed a torn groin muscle, which meant three months out. Adrian's season was basically over. And to make matters worse, Markus Heikkinen's fifth yellow card of the season meant he would have to serve a one-match ban at the end of the month. Preston at home was our next match on the schedule. 17-year-old midfielder Bradley Howe's excellent showings in training earned him a second start - and the chance to emulate Jamie Berry by becoming an established first-teamer. 20 FEBRUARY 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs Preston North End Sol Campbell doesn't score many goals - and when they do, they usually get disallowed by Anglophobic referees. But the 35-year-old former England centre-back broke his Kidderminster duck after four minutes, outmuscling the Preston defenders to head Shaun Derry's corner beyond Stephen Bywater! David Moyes' Lilywhites took a wee while to get going after their early setback - but six minutes from half-time, they got themselves back level. Midfielder Paul McKenna told Campbell, "I can make you look 35 years older," as he beat the veteran to a cross from Greek winger Ilias Androutsos. McKenna's header was parried by John Forde, and North End stalwart David Healy prodded in the follow-up for 1-1. Things got more frustrating for us in the 48th minute, when Robert Garside screwed wide a great chance to restore our lead. However, Preston centre-half Colin Drew sustained a knee injury while trying to defend against that attack, and his game was over. Drew had started every single match for the visitors this season, so losing him was a great blow to their defensive integrity. We attacked again on 60 minutes. Our brilliant left-back Terry Simpson teed up a cross from Derry, whose delivery was headed in by Cherno Samba! Three minutes after we regained the advantage, yet another Harriers header doubled it - as David Collins converted from a rare Carl Robinson assist. Robinson had been a half-time replacement for young Bradley Howe, who had struggled in the first period. Terry got a well-earned rest late on, but his substitute Alan Gray helped finish Preston off in the 83rd minute. The Northern Irishman's flick-on set up a second goal for Collins, who made it 4-1 and secured the points. Colin Morrison did get a second goal for Preston in stoppage time, but that basically didn't matter. Kidderminster Harriers - 4 (Campbell 4, Samba 60, Collins 63,83) Preston North End - 2 (Healy 39, Morrison 90) Division 1, Attendance 6,417 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 16th, Preston 15th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai; Berntsson, T Simpson (Gray); Howe (Robinson), Derry; Collins; Garside, Samba (Berry). While Campbell was delighted to score his first Harriers goal, he was in some pain after taking a knock to his knee late on. I decided not to take any chances with his long-term fitness, so he sat out our midweek trip to Peterborough. Our hosts were in utter chaos. Posh were bottom of the table by 10 points, adrift of safety by a further four - and haemorrhaging money after reportedly paying their player-manager Alessandro Del Piero £70,000 per week! They had also won only three league games all season, though they had all come at London Road, so we still had to take them seriously. 23 FEBRUARY 2010: Peterborough United vs Kidderminster Harriers Unai wasn't afraid to get stuck into the weakest team in the division. Two crunching tackles from the Spanish defender gave Peterborough a couple of early free-kicks in dangerous positions. When the man standing over them is Alessandro Del Piero, you always expect the worst, but our defensive walls frustrated the Posh player-manager. Del Piero cut an even more frustrated figure in what was an unlucky 13th minute for his side. Billy Berntsson's flick-on from the right wing sent the ball into the Peterborough area for Cherno Samba, who skilfully cut inside and then unleashed a cool finish. That was Cherno's fourth goal in three games for us - and the first that he scored with his feet! That goal kick-started a game of intensive attacking football from both sides. While Samba was unfortunate not to improve further on the outstanding start to his Kidderminster career, Peterborough's attackers were even more so! Even by his standards, Harriers goalkeeper John Forde was playing like Gianluigi Buffon, saving two shots from Del Piero - and another FIVE from his Costa Rican strike partner Rolando Fonseca! As Posh battled in vain to get back in the game, we looked to pull further ahead. Substitute attacking midfielder César Gallego sent a shot wide in the 62nd minute, but our next attack four minutes later had a different outcome. While Matthew Gilks did well to deny Samba a second goal, the home goalkeeper could not stop Carl Robinson converting the follow-up to make it 2-0! The Welsh veteran's first ever Kidderminster goal had sent us on our way to another win! Peterborough United - 0 Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Samba 13, Robinson 66) Division 1, Attendance 17,646 - POSITIONS: Peterborough 24th, Kidderminster 16th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Miller, Unai; Berntsson, Gray; Robinson, Derry; Garside (Collins (Gallego)); Scott (Fowler), Samba. BOOKED: Gray. Despite recording back-to-back wins, I now had to contend with even more injuries. Alan Scott was ruled out for three weeks with strained knee ligaments, while Collins was facing a month on the sidelines with a twisted ankle. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Paul Graham had twisted his knee while playing for the reserves, so he too was out for a fortnight. That left us with just three fit strikers. All those injuries, combined with Heikkinen's suspension, meant that six players were missing when we played host to Nottingham Forest. We might have beaten Forest 4-1 at the City Ground in November, but I expected a trickier performance from a side now under the guidance of Steve Bruce. 27 FEBRUARY 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest had the first great scoring opportunity after just 13 minutes. Horacio Angel Carbonari played a quick free-kick to his fellow defender Fernando Derveld, whose cross then found striker Beli Moumouni Dagano. The Burkina Faso international's volley clipped the crossbar and went behind. Eight minutes after that narrow escape, we made Forest pay. As Scott Simpson lifted a corner into the visitors' penalty area, Shaun Derry got ahead of Carbonari to power a header into the net. That goal was enough to take a narrow lead into the break, though we could've been further ahead if we'd been a bit more clinical with later scoring attempts. This was an ageing Forest defence - all three centre-backs plus the goalkeeper were in their mid-30s - so I told my players to make more use of Cherno Samba's explosive pace in the second half. In the 62nd minute, Robert Garside obliged with a long ball ahead of Cherno. The Forest defenders moved like trees compared to the 25-year-old Gambian, who lost his markers and volleyed home for 2-0! This was a great team performance all round, with a well-structured defence restricting Steve Bruce's side to just two shots on target. Indeed, all our players (including the two subs) got a match rating of at least 7/10. Sol Campbell rated the highest with a 9, but our captain declined the 'Man of the Match' award and instead gave it to Samba, whose performance deserved 'only' an 8 rating. Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Derry 21, Samba 62) Nottingham Forest - 0 Division 1, Attendance 6,598 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 14th, Nottm Forest 17th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Miller, Campbell, Unai; Berntsson, T Simpson (Gray); Robinson, Derry; S Simpson (Berry); Garside, Samba. BOOKED: T Simpson. It really has been a month to remember. Four wins out of five have taken us to our highest position of the season, given us a positive goal difference - and moved us 18 points clear of the bottom three! With survival almost secured barring a complete disaster, we can now set our sights a little higher. Kidderminster's best ever finish at this level was 13th place in the 2005/2006 season. Can we better that by breaking into the top half? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of February 2010) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Bradford 33 13 2 2 27 14 7 3 6 31 27 65 2nd Wolves 34 14 0 3 43 18 6 3 8 25 32 63 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Grimsby 34 14 2 1 32 11 5 4 8 18 25 63 4th Birmingham 33 8 5 4 41 29 9 4 3 30 21 60 5th Chesterfield 34 7 5 5 19 16 10 3 4 26 23 59 6th Notts Co 34 12 3 2 27 11 3 7 7 25 29 55 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th W.B.A. 33 8 6 2 26 13 6 6 5 26 25 54 8th West Ham 33 10 2 4 21 13 6 2 9 27 32 52 9th Dag & Red 34 8 4 4 19 10 6 5 7 14 17 51 10th Coventry 33 6 5 5 24 16 7 6 4 24 19 50 11th Carlisle 34 7 6 4 24 16 6 5 6 23 23 50 12th Charlton 34 8 5 5 24 16 5 6 5 21 21 50 13th Preston 34 9 4 3 29 18 4 5 9 21 30 48 14th Kidderminster 34 8 4 6 25 25 6 2 8 21 20 48 15th Sheff Utd 34 7 7 4 29 20 5 4 7 17 21 47 16th Torquay 34 9 5 2 31 18 3 6 9 15 24 47 17th Nottm Forest 34 6 3 8 28 33 5 3 9 27 35 39 18th Norwich 34 4 2 11 28 36 6 5 6 28 27 37 19th Aston Villa 34 7 7 3 31 24 1 6 10 12 27 37 20th Huddersfield 33 5 5 7 20 22 4 2 10 13 31 34 21st Fulham 34 7 5 4 20 16 1 3 14 11 31 32 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Derby 34 6 5 7 34 35 2 1 13 14 39 30 23rd Brentford 33 6 4 7 26 26 1 3 12 10 35 28 24th Peterborough 33 3 2 11 21 32 0 4 13 9 35 15 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... After getting Wolfsburg relegated last season, Rafa Benítez takes over at Belgian Pro League champions Club Brugge, whose manager Franky Van Der Elst was poached by Dortmund. The Spaniard quickly makes his mark by masterminding a couple of 0-0 Champions League draws over Real Madrid, who freshen up their ageing squad by bringing Alfredo Di Stéfano out of retirement. While their neighbours Arsenal take the initiative in a thrilling Premiership title race, Tottenham set about their great escape. New manager Dave Watson spends £33million on 17 new players in just four months - including £10.25million on Wolves striker Mikael Forssell, who kick-starts the revival with two assists in a 3-1 win over relegation rivals Crewe. The situation looks even more dire at Sunderland, who finally sack Steve McClaren after losing 5-1 at home to Crystal Palace. The Mackems appoint Roy Keane to try and save them from relegation, which makes as much sense as setting up a bank account with Fred Goodwin. Lazio win four straight games to establish a five-point lead in Serie A, while city rivals Roma languish in 5th after losing at home to Inter and Parma. Meanwhile in Milan, Silvio Berlusconi gives the Rossoneri's top job to Cruzeiro boss Lori Sandri, having apparently mistaken him for a glamorous Brazilian supermodel named Lora Sandra. It's a truly sad day for professional football. After playing for 10 clubs across seven countries in just nine seasons, former Argentina forward Ariel Ortega retires aged 35. 'El Burrito' says he wants to spend more time travelling the world with his families. IN OTHER NEWS... The Canadian city of Vancouver hosts the 21st Winter Olympic Games. The good news from a British perspective is that Amy Williams wins gold for sliding very fast down an ice track on a tea tray. The bad news is that everybody has to listen to Nickelback at the closing ceremony. Five years after their city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints win their first ever NFL championship, defeating the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLIV. From 17-16 behind heading into the final quarter, quarterback Drew Brees inspires the Saints to a 31-17 win in Miami. Birmingham chocolate factory Cadbury is bought out by Kraft Foods for £11.5billion. The American conglomerate soon announce their plans to fire the drumming gorilla and replace him with the Kool-Aid Man. Supermodel Katie Price marries her second husband - cage-fighter and all-round nice-guy Alex Reid - in a good ol' Las Vegas wedding ceremony. Yeah, I'm sure this one will last... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtown1414 Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Team is definitely in good form. Top ten is doable for sure, maybe even a bit better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 5 minutes ago, dtown1414 said: Team is definitely in good form. Top ten is doable for sure, maybe even a bit better. Samba and Campbell have definitely had big impacts on this team, bearing in mind where we were in November. If we can wrap up survival quickly, we can realistically aim for a top-half finish. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 (edited) MARCH 2010 Kidderminster were closing in on Division 1 survival - and if the next five matches went well, we would consolidate our second-tier status. Those games would be far from easy, mind. After opening with an away game at 18th-placed Norwich, we would take on the teams who started the month in 11th, 2nd, 5th and 1st. We also had more than a few injuries to contend with. Winger Adrian Morfitt's season was over due to a groin muscle tear, while forwards David Collins and Alan Scott were still two weeks away from returning from ankle and knee injuries. Playmaker Lee Watson and striker Paul Graham were back in light training following knee injuries, but they were also unavailable for our trip to Carrow Road. 6 MARCH 2010: Norwich City vs Kidderminster Harriers After just two minutes, some shaky keeping from Norwich goalie Nicky Reynolds handed us a very early lead. The 20-year-old came off his line and got his fingers to a fierce shot from Cherno Samba, but he could only divert it into the path of Scott Simpson, who drove the rebound into an open net. Perhaps young Nicky should have tried his luck as a centre-forward instead! Reynolds' afternoon ended on an even worse note in the 12th minute, when he upended Carl Robinson in the penalty area and was given his marching orders. That meant a surprise introduction for my former keeper Robert Green, who had returned to Carrow Road from Shrewsbury in December. Green's first act of this match was to collect a Cherno Samba penalty from the back of his net, with one ex-Dagger beating another to double our lead. Samba played a key role in yet another goal in the 19th minute, setting up a Robert Garside volley that put us 3-0 ahead! Six minutes later, however, we gave Norwich a penalty of their own when Terry Simpson went in hard on Canaries striker Isaiah Rankin. A no-nonsense penalty from Ben Thatcher comfortably beat John Forde, and suddenly the game was live again... ...or perhaps it wasn't. Norwich only had two more shots - one from midfielder Stephen Cooke just before the penalty, and another from defender Peter Green in the 60th minute, but Forde saved them both to preserve our advantage. Meanwhile, some inexplicably impressive goalkeeping by Robert Green prevented Samba from running riot in the second half. Make no mistake, we could and perhaps should have won by an even bigger scoreline than 3-1! Norwich City - 1 (Thatcher pen25) Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (S Simpson 2, Samba pen12, Garside 19) Division 1, Attendance 17,494 - POSITIONS: Norwich 20th, Kidderminster 13th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai; Berntsson (Gallego), T Simpson (Gray); Robinson, Derry; S Simpson (Berry); Garside, Samba. BOOKED: Derry, T Simpson, Campbell. There was some more cheer for Kidderminster fans after the match. 21-year-old left-back Terry Simpson had committed his long-term future to the Harriers, signing a new five-year contract worth £3,200 per week. Terry then went from making a signing... to getting a fining from the FA. He had picked up too many yellow cards, which meant he was docked a week's wages and banned from our trip to Wolves the following weekend. Thankfully, he was still available to play at home to fellow mid-tablers Carlisle in midweek. Though Watson was back in the squad, I stuck with the same starting XI that had dismantled Norwich. 10 MARCH 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs Carlisle United Those fans who'd travelled all the way south from Cumbria would have plenty to cheer about in the first half. Left-winger James McKenzie had not scored for Carlisle since signing from Partick Thistle in 2008, but his potshot from Jamie Ingledow's 13th-minute corner still managed to find its way into the back of our net. After Cherno Samba hit the bar for Kidderminster in the 20th minute, our plight got worse in the 35th. Carlisle's direct counter-attacking tactics were wreaking havoc upon our defence, and we were in disarray when Ingledow’s cross was finished by captain and striker Jimmy Davis. 2-0 to the visitors. Changes were desperately needed, and I couldn't wait until half-time. To try and counter Carlisle's focus on long balls out wide, I packed the middle and switched to a narrow 4-3-1-2 formation, with Lee Watson replacing Scott Simpson in midfield. We pulled one back just five minutes later, with the goal ironically coming from a wide player - right-back Billy Berntsson! Though we still trailed 2-1 at the break, the tide had well and truly turned. We put Carlisle firmly on the back foot early in the second half, and when a fierce shot from Watson in the 52nd minute flew past Mark Brown in the Cumbrians goal, we pulled ourselves back level! The assist for that goal came from centre-back Markus Heikkinen, whose passion and drive was inspiring his fellow Harriers. That passion did sometimes spill over into indiscipline, as Heikkinen picked up the third of our four yellow cards for tripping Ingledow in the 56th minute. To be fair, Carlisle also had four players go into the book, and nobody on either team overstepped the mark for a second time. The game was still closely poised when, after 79 minutes, Heikkinen decided that he wanted to be more like his compatriot Jari Litmanen. Taking the ball just inside the Cumbrians' half, Heikkinen skilfully weaved past Jamie Richardson in their defence, and then unleashed a fierce shot that Brown couldn't do anything to keep out! Incredibly, from 2-0 behind, we had fought back tremendously to win 3-2!! Kidderminster Harriers - 3 (Berntsson 40, Watson 52, Heikkinen 79) Carlisle United - 2 (McKenzie 13, Davis 35) Division 1, Attendance 6,570 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 11th, Carlisle 16th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai (Fowler); Berntsson, T Simpson; Robinson, Derry (Gray); S Simpson (Watson); Garside, Samba. BOOKED: Derry, T Simpson, Heikkinen, Campbell. A huge roar erupted at Aggborough at full-time, and it's not hard to see why! Five consecutive wins had moved us into the top half for the first time this season - and just five points off the play-off places! Having been down in 21st place as recently as December, the Harriers had shown great bouncebackability. (Wait... bouncebackability? Is that even a word?) I made two changes to the starting line-up when we went to Molineux three days later to face the mighty league leaders Wolves. Alan Gray came in for the suspended Terry Simpson on the left wing, while attacking midfielder Scott Simpson was replaced by 18-year-old striker Jamie Berry. 13 MARCH 2010: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Kidderminster Harriers John Forde was under pressure to perform after a poor game against Carlisle, but our young goalkeeper handled the early Wolves pressure pretty well. After stopping a 3rd-minute drive from midfielder Scott Hughes, he reacted quickly to also keep out the rebound from former England Under-21s striker Andy Whitehead. It took a moment of real quality for Wolves to break through in the 25th minute. Ex-Australia defender Con Blatsis caught out our defence with a whipped cross into the box for midfielder Iain Reilly, who swept through and finished. Reilly then had the chance to score again just two minutes later, but this time, the former Manchester United youth graduate sent it wide. After that narrow escape, we hit Wanderers on the break in the 29th minute. Teenager Jamie Berry's recent barren run in front of goal ended with a ruthless bullet header from Shaun Derry's long ball, which put us back level... until Reilly scored again five minutes later. This time, the assist came from Wolves' captain Luke Ellis at left-back. Once again, though, we showed our fighting spirit by equalising within four minutes. Alan Gray delivered one of his customary powerful crosses into the area, and Cherno Samba's header was unstoppable. Having twice come back from behind to leave the match level at half-time, could we now go all the way and shock our hosts? Sadly not. Blatsis went close to restoring Wolves' lead with a 72nd minute that hit the woodwork, but our luck could only hold out for five more minutes. Early in the second period, Sammy Lee had brought on his special one - French striker Armand Oné, whose header from another brilliant Ellis cross brought the Wanderers their third and decisive goal. Considering how much classier they were for large spells of the match, I couldn't begrudge them the win. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 3 (Reilly 25,34, Oné 77) Kidderminster Harriers - 2 (Berry 29, Samba 38) Division 1, Attendance 18,749 - POSITIONS: Wolves 1st, Kidderminster 13th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Unai (Fowler); Berntsson, Gray (Fitzgerald); Watson, Derry; Garside (Gallego); Samba, Berry. The winning streak was over, but there's no shame in losing to a team of Wolves' quality. Unfortunately, Lee Watson was now out for another month, having strained his ankle ligaments in the closing stages. This was the fourth medium-term injury he'd picked up this season, adding to a worrying record that left me wondering if the playmaker would ever play a full 90 minutes again. Our defensive record also had a worrying look about it, with six goals conceded in our last three games. Unai and Sol Campbell were both rested for our home game against play-off chasers Chesterfield, with Simon Bell and Barry Miller both earning recalls. Even more importantly, Terry Simpson was back in the fold too! 16 MARCH 2010: Kidderminster Harriers vs Chesterfield Terry Simpson showed just how vital he was to this Kidderminster team just 14 minutes into his return. The marauding left-back passed Chesterfield right-winger Chong-Goog Song like he wasn't there, and then curled a delightful cross to the near post. Cherno Samba's explosive pace was too much for the Spireites to handle, as was his powerful point-blank header! We had chances to double our lead - but once again, the opposition goalkeeper was proving something of a thorn in our attackers' sides. Steve Croudsen kept out Jamie Berry with a fingertip save in the 25th minute, and then denied Markus Heikkinen in the 26th. When another Croudsen save early in the second half thwarted Carl Robinson, I wondered if this would be 'another of those nights'. Fortunately, Spireites supremo Bryan Robson didn't exactly have a supreme attack at his disposal. Even with our defence not in convincing form, the visiting strikers couldn't get a single shot on target. Their best chance fell to wideman Song in the 70th minute, but the South Korean - who's much more of a creator than a scorer - thundered it off the bar. Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Samba 14) Chesterfield - 0 Division 1, Attendance 6,567 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 11th, Chesterfield 7th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Miller, Bell; Berntsson, T Simpson; Robinson, Derry; Garside (Gray); Samba, Berry (Graham). BOOKED: T Simpson. Cherno Samba's eighth goal in eight games was our most important of the season. A long look at the league table showed that we were now on 57 points - only six behind West Ham in the last play-off place, and 25 ahead of Brentford in the relegation zone. As bizarre as it would have sounded four months ago, Kidderminster Harriers had secured their survival with eight games still to play! We had a fortnight to celebrate - for want of a better word - before our late play-off push began in earnest at Valley Parade. Bradford's high-intensity, quick-passing football had kept them in the top three for virtually the entire season, and they sat just behind Wolves in 2nd place after going unbeaten in their last four games. The Bantams were sure to pack a punch, but our star prizefighter was back in the ring after a long lay-off. David Collins returned to the starting line-up, sitting in the attacking midfield hole behind Berry and Samba. 31 MARCH 2010: Bradford City vs Kidderminster Harriers In truth, David Collins was rather rusty and never looked like getting on the scoresheet. Cherno Samba also failed to seriously trouble John O'Dowd in the Bradford goal - but things were rather different for his strike partner. Jamie Berry showcased his aerial prowess with a fantastic bullet header from Shaun Derry's corner, which broke the deadlock after 22 minutes! The Bantams hit back within five minutes, as a messy goal kick from Harriers keeper John Forde resulted in a quick counter-attack. Midfielder Gavin Mahon nodded the ball to Henrik Pedersen, whose clinical strike sent the Valley Parade crowd wild... until an offside flag was raised against Andy Gray. That's the Scottish striker Andy Gray. No, not that Scottish striker Andy Gray. There was only one Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, however. The journeyman attacking midfielder found the net from Pedersen's square ball in the 55th minute, and this time, there was no offside flag to keep our lead intact. Bradford were back level, and they would be on top for essentially the final half-hour. Collins' evening ended on a couple of bitter notes, as he was first booked for pushing City defender Graham Guy, and then came off after twisting his knee (his own knee, not Guy's). Meanwhile, Bradford ended the match by creating two match-winning chances for Pedersen, which the experienced Dane somehow missed. With a couple of huge strokes of luck, we had managed to take a point away from Bradford! Bradford City - 1 (Bridge-Wilkinson 55) Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Berry 22) Division 1, Attendance 19,476 - POSITIONS: Bradford 2nd, Kidderminster 12th KIDDERMINSTER LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Forde; Heikkinen, Campbell, Bell; Berntsson, T Simpson; Robinson, Derry; Collins (S Simpson); Samba (Graham), Berry. BOOKED: Collins. Though Collins faces another spell on the sidelines, things are looking up. We've survived a difficult run of fixtures with an unlikely play-off dream still alive - and now have seven games left to bridge a five-point gap? Can we do the impossible? Could Kidderminster be heading for the Division 1 play-offs? Edited March 27 by CFuller Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of March 2010) Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Wolves 39 16 1 3 51 23 8 3 8 30 33 76 2nd Bradford 39 15 3 3 35 20 7 5 6 32 28 74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Birmingham 39 10 6 4 46 30 10 5 4 35 26 71 4th Grimsby 39 16 2 1 37 12 5 6 9 21 31 71 5th Coventry 39 9 5 5 31 16 9 7 4 29 21 66 6th West Ham 39 12 3 4 26 13 7 3 10 33 38 63 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Chesterfield 39 7 6 7 21 21 11 3 5 28 24 63 8th Notts Co 39 12 4 3 28 14 5 7 8 31 31 62 9th Sheff Utd 39 9 7 4 33 20 7 5 7 20 21 60 10th Preston 39 12 4 3 38 21 5 5 10 25 31 60 11th Charlton 39 10 5 5 28 17 6 6 7 23 24 59 12th Kidderminster 39 10 4 6 29 27 7 3 9 27 25 58 13th W.B.A. 39 8 6 5 27 22 6 8 6 27 27 56 14th Carlisle 39 7 8 5 26 19 7 5 7 27 26 55 15th Dag & Red 39 8 4 6 19 13 7 5 9 15 20 54 16th Torquay 39 9 7 3 32 21 4 6 10 16 27 52 17th Huddersfield 39 6 6 8 25 28 6 2 11 16 33 44 18th Nottm Forest 39 6 3 11 31 41 6 4 9 32 38 43 19th Norwich 39 5 3 12 33 41 6 5 8 30 33 41 20th Aston Villa 39 7 8 4 34 29 1 7 12 14 32 39 21st Fulham 39 7 7 5 21 18 1 4 15 12 34 35 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Brentford 39 7 4 8 27 27 2 4 14 12 43 35 23rd Derby 39 7 5 8 35 37 2 1 16 16 48 33 24th Peterborough 39 3 3 13 21 34 1 5 14 13 40 20 ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL... Three teams from Division 2 make it to the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup. Leicester are beaten 1-0 at Guus Hiddink's Southampton, while Wrexham are spanked 7-0 by Premiership leaders Arsenal - with Francis Jeffers scoring four goals. However, Millwall spring a major surprise by beating Manchester City 3-1, as Kris Reid's brace books a Semi Final showdown with Arsenal. The Gunners are on track for the treble, as they beat Leeds and Newcastle to go four points clear in the Premiership standings, then qualify for the Champions League Quarter Finals as group winners. Joining them in the last eight are Manchester United and Chelsea, for whom Cristiano Ronaldo takes his season tally to 37 goals in 44 matches. Three Spanish clubs advance to the Champions League Quarters too, with Real Madrid and Barcelona being accompanied by Atlético Madrid, who reach that stage for the first time since 1997. Atlético also climb back up to 3rd in La Liga after thrashing rock-bottom Celta 7-1. A distraught David O'Leary phones his old boss Peter Ridsdale and asks if he can take Paul Robinson on loan, but winds up signing David Beckham's butler instead. Terry Yorath leads Celtic into another UEFA Cup Semi Final, as Gordon Weir's double sees off Leeds in Round 4, before the Bhoys shock Roma in the Quarter Finals. Giallorossi left-back Ashley Cole misses the second leg with a bruised ego after separating from his pop star wife Cheryl. There's further agony for Roma in the Olimpico derby, as a 20th-minute strike from Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini earns Lazio a 1-0 win. The result sees Alberto Zaccheroni's Biancocelesti move within nine points of their seventh Serie A scudetto in 11 years - an outcome which would crank the pressure on Roma counterpart Masami Ihara. IN OTHER NEWS... Kathryn Bigelow's war thriller "The Hurt Locker" wins big at the Oscars, taking the coveted Best Picture accolade ahead of James Cameron's blue alien blockbuster "Avatar". Bigelow also becomes the first woman to be named Best Director. It's the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony. Tim Burton directs his own unique take on “Alice In Wonderland”. Burton’s version stars his partner Helena Bonham Carter (duh) as the Red Queen, and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter (duh). President Barack Obama signs the Affordable Care Act - also known as 'Obamacare' - into American law. This starts the biggest overhaul of the US healthcare system for nearly half a century. Incredibly, some Republicans still don't believe ordinary Americans should be entitled to free basic healthcare. Before visiting a barracks in Exeter, Queen Elizabeth II begs her husband, “Please don’t say anything stupid today, Philip!” Moments later, the 88-year-old Duke of Edinburgh asks a young Navy sea cadet if she works at a strip club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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