Getting to know the Blue Square Premier : Kidderminster

Kidderminster Harriers started a brief trend in League Two of teams getting relegated back to the non-league after five seasons in the Football League and other than finishing sixth twice, they have not looked like returning to the League since.

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I love going to Kidderminster. A lovely little stadium that's not too far away and a great set of fans. I went there three times following Lincoln and strangely it is also the site of probably my most random game ever.

In July 2008 I moved to Nottingham and two weeks after moving, I fancied a game of football. I hadn't had a chance to go to many Lincoln friendlies due to the distance, so I was a bit hungry for football and looking at the friendlies that were being played that night, I decided to make a Friday night trip to watch Kidderminster vs Plymouth. If memory serves, it finished 2-2. Away fans will again be split into two blocks in the seated stand in the picture above and the terrace behind one of the goals.

When we were relegated just over a month ago, being able to go to Kidderminster again was one of the positives about joining the Blue Square Premier. The Harriers haven't set the world alight since being relegated back in 2005 with the majority of seasons wielding a midtable finish, although two of their last three seasons have finished with sixth position. Last season they looked outsiders for the Playoffs before points deductions and a poor finish saw them fall away.

Kidderminster have spent most of their 125 year history in the non-league, other than the aforementioned five year spell in the Football League. That five year spell saw a record of 72 wins, 59 draws and 99 defeats, 28 of which came in their final season. There was a brief spell in 2002/3 where they were second and were in the Playoff hunt for most of the season as half the division were still in with a realistic chance of promotion with only a few games to go, they did get a top half finish but eventually fell short of the Playoffs.

Their history has some excellent numbers, with their record win coming against Hereford Club in 1889, beating them 25-0. In 1985-6 Kim Casey also scored 73 goals in just over 60 games, an amazing record that most supposedly world class strikers couldn't even come close to.

The Imps and Kidderminster have an interesting history against each other, even though it was brief. The 10 meetings in the Football League were generally controlled by the Imps, with Kidderminster winning just twice in that time compared to Lincoln's four, the other four ending as draws including a memorable 3-3 draw in 2000/1.

In 2003/4 the Imps played at Aggborough in September and a striker called Mickael Antoine-Curier made his Kidderminster debut that day.....he quickly left Kidderminster after that and joined Rochdale, making his debut for them the following Saturday....against Lincoln.

City and Kidderminster have shared some good players and some shockers recently. Simon Weaver, one of the stars of the Playoff years, left City in late 2004 to join the Harriers. Dean Keates and Gary Birch both left Kidderminster in 2005 to join the Imps, whereas Terry Fleming, Michael Blackwood, Drewe Broughton and John Finnigan have all played for both recently.