Kidderminster Match Preview

Jan Molby has always received a warm welcome on his return to the Vetch Field and this weekend is likely to be no different. However, the ex-Liverpool midfielder may feel under slight pressure on Saturday following his team’s poor start to the season and may well target a point as a decent result. It is more than likely that Molby will employ similar tactics to those used in Kidderminster’s last visit to the Vetch – when they sat behind the ball and held out for an incredibly dull 0-0 draw.

Yet several players within their ranks will be hoping to impress in Saturday’s match - none more so than local boy Stuart Roberts. Roberts was a firm fans’ favourite in his first spell at Swansea, before being shipped out to Wycombe for £100k during the lows of the Petty era. Roberts was deemed surplus to requirements last season at Wycombe, rejoining his boyhood club on an initial end of season loan under Brian Flynn. Unfortunately, Roberts failed to impress Kenny Jackett and found himself desperately searching for a club throughout the summer. After an initial period at Chester, Roberts signed non-contract terms with Kidderminster, making the perfect debut by scoring after just 38 seconds against Mansfield.

Also likely to feature on Saturday are ex-Swans Lee Jenkins and Richie Appleby. Jenkins was allowed to join the Harriers midway through last season by Brian Flynn, whilst Appleby was a member of the 2000 Championship winning side. Since then, the ex-Newcastle midfielder followed Molby to Kidderminster, then Hull…and back to the Harriers once again. Indeed, the former England Youth International has been recently touted by Molby as the best midfielder in League Two and has warned Swansea to watch out for him on Saturday.

Nevertheless, Swansea fans will be expecting their side to take all three points against a Kidderminster side struggling in the bottom two of the table. The Harriers started the season with two 0-0 draws against Rushden and Notts County, before grabbing their only victory of the season with a 1-0 home win over Darlington. Since this win, four straight league defeats have ensued against Mansfield, Wycombe, Bury and Leyton Orient – scoring twice and conceding ten. In fact, Kidderminster are one of the few League Two sides who can boast a worst goal-scoring record than Swansea – with just three goals (one penalty) so far this season.

For Saturday’s visit to the Vetch Field, Kidderminster will be without Iyesden Christie, Abdou Sall and Youssou Diop, while Adrian Viveash has returned to Swindon after a disappointing loan spell. West Brom’s Simon Brown is likely to start after Kidderminster extended his loan deal by a further month and ex-Swan Richie Appleby should be fit after coming through his first fixture in seven months unscathed at the weekend.

Swansea has virtually a fully fit side to choose from, missing only the injured pair of Leon Hylton and James Thomas and the suspended Garry Monk. Kenny Jackett is likely to hand a home debut to Andy Gurney and has targeted this fixture as an ideal opportunity to start scoring some goals.

So can Kenny’s boys do it? Will the Swans finally score two goals at home or will Kidderminster sit with eleven men behind the ball and try for a 0-0? All the post-match stats that matter will appear here directly after the game – so don’t miss out!!