Craig Priest & Emily Sykes write... After Sunday’s FA Cup exit to Liverpool we write this with a feeling of relief, finally we’ve got another game to look forward to and hopefully it will be our results and performances which dominant the headlines rather that Luis Suarez’s handball – frankly we are fed-up of hearing about it now. It’s a shame really that the controversial hit man’s goal continues to dominant the headlines, with each story that’s published we get the feeling that the performance, desire and sheer brilliance of Mansfield Town last Sunday becomes forgotten – everybody is talking about Suarez rather than Stags and the heart they showed, ahead of tomorrow’s game with Kidderminster, we think it’s time to not only remember to performance of Stags last Sunday but build on it – lets use the energy, the confidence and the euphoria to carry us on as our quest for promotion steps up a gear. Should we be playing Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday, possibly but the fact is we have got Stockport County; the point is let’s focus on the here and now. The Kidderminster match kicks off a hectic schedule for Paul Cox and his players, the only thing on their mind now should be collecting three points in every match. You too can play your part by coming along and singing loud, demonstrating that proudness the nation witnessed last weekend – we all harbour dreams of success but sometimes we have to realise that success isn’t just a moment in the spotlight it’s a collection of hard graft and desire over time – our story isn’t over, its only just beginning. If ever you needed evidence that football is a game of twists and turns then look back to the start of this current season, Kidderminster Harriers after 10 games had failed to collect a single win, losing their opening five games back-to-back – now they sit just outside the play offs having lost just once in 11 outings. Steve Burr’s side are always competitive and when they hit form, well it’s best to avoid them put it that way! Tomorrow at the One Call Stadium, Mansfield have a rare opportunity to hit Kidderminster whilst there rocking – the departure of striker Jamille Matt earlier today to Fleetwood would have come as a huge blow. With eight goals this term including a treble in the dramatic 3-2 win over Newport, Matt’s contribution will be sorely missed, just like the Harriers missed the influence of Nick Wright at the start of the season – we believe that if Kidderminster are unbalanced and weak in an area following the departure then Stags have to make it count. It’s not just this season that the now Fleetwood front man has made a mark, departing Aggborough with 22 goals in just over 50 appearances for the club, Harriers boss Burr is left with another dent in Harriers armoury – they are always a side that have goals in abundance. Naturally one player doesn’t make a team and Stags will have to be wary of the threat posed by Kidderminster’s leading scorer Ryan Rowe and that of Anthony Malbon, another solid defensive display will be key for Paul Cox’s side. All the talk of Liverpool, all the memories and all the discussions that followed need to be shelved for now, our ambition and our aim is promotion from the Blue Square Bet Premier – we have shown the world that we can fight now it’s time to show our competitors that we can achieve anything we put our minds to, where better to start than against a play-off chasing, inform side such as Kidderminster. LAST TIME WE MET As mentioned above it took Kidderminster time to get out the starting blocks this term during that run of five consecutive defeats came the last meeting between the two sides, Stags grabbing their first victory of the season as Matt Green plus two from Lindon Meikle gave Stags a 3-2 victory at Aggborough. The sides have met 17 times in total since they first locked horns on Boxing Day 2000, Stags have been slightly the better side statistically recording eight wins to the Harriers six . At the One Call Stadium Stags have four victories to their name being beaten by Kidderminster only twice, Kidderminster’s wins coming on their last two trips to the One Call Stadium. TEAM NEWS Paul Cox should have a full squad to pick from tomorrow with the exception of Ross Dyer, he may have some selection headaches too following the reserves 5-0 thrashing of Hartlepool on Tuesday, Lee Stevenson and Matt Rhead the stand-out performers. Exodus Geohaghon should be available to take on his former club, his transfer in late August a permanent one rather than a loan meaning there should be no restrictions on his selection. MATCH COVERAGE As Stags return to the bread and butter of the league, catch regular updates with Craig from 2pm tomorrow by either tuning your radios into 106.9FM or logging onto our MM-LIVE page.
The views expressed in this blog are those the writers, not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a blog email mtfcmatters@gmail.com
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