Get the lowdown on the U’s next opponents: Kidderminster Harriers.

The Opposition

A former League Two club, Kidderminster Harriers have spent the last two decades in non-league and have competed as low as the sixth tier in all but one season since 2016.

After relegation was confirmed at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, the Worcestershire-based outfit subsequently achieved top seven finishes in all but two of their next seven seasons but fell short at the final hurdle in each, before finally returning to the fifth tier via the play-offs for 2022/23. Their time back in the National League would be limited to just one season though as the Carpetmen were relegated along with Oxford City, Dorking Wanderers and Boreham Wood. However, the arrival of Phil Brown as manager in January 2024 saw an initial upturn in form, winning six of his first eight matches in charge, and although the club did finish in the drop zone, they have been looking up under the former Hull City and Southend United boss and currently sit third in the National League North.

With Brown keen to make the Kidderminster side his own, the club saw a whole host of change in the summer in an attempt to build a side capable of achieving promotion. They brought in a number of players from the National League including David Davis, Luke Summerfield, Jim Kellerman and Maziar Kouhyar, and have contributed to the club challenging at the top end of the sixth tier throughout the campaign.

The Reds sit five points behind league leaders Chester with two games in hand, but will take a break from National League North action on Saturday and will be looking to progress in the FA Trophy, taking a closer step towards a trip to Wembley Stadium, having previously beaten AFC Fylde on penalties before breezing past Slough Town in the Fourth Round, with a 4-0 victory to set up this weekend’s tie with the U’s.

Recent Form

Kidderminster Harriers 0-1 Rushall Olympic

Hereford 0-3 Kidderminster Harriers

Kidderminster Harriers 2-0 Southport

Radcliffe 0-4 Kidderminster Harriers

AFC Fylde 2-2 Kidderminster Harriers (0-3 on pens)

Kidderminster Harriers 1-0 Leamington Spa

The Manager

Phil Brown

A right back between the 1970s and 1990s, Phil Brown made over 200 appearances for Hartlepool United and Bolton Wanderers, as well as over 100 appearances for FC Halifax Town, before ending his career at Blackpool. He would go on to become a reliable boss throughout the lower leagues, and is into his 26th year in football management.

After hanging up his boots in 1996, Brown remained at Blackpool as assistant to Sam Allardyce before returning to Bolton in the same role, and was later named caretaker following the departure of Colin Todd, winning four of his five games in charge prior to the appointment of Allardyce. He would remain at the Macron Stadium for the next six years as assistant to Allardyce, before opting to depart in order to forge his own career as a manager.

His first full-time position saw him take the reins at Derby County, spending a season at Pride Park before a successful four-year stint at Hull City followed. Having initially been appointed as a first team coach under Phil Parkinson, Brown later took over as joint-caretaker manager and guided the club to safety, before leading The Tigers to promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, competing in the top flight for the first time in their 104-year history.

Hull lasted two years in the Premier League with Brown departing the KCOM Stadium before the 2009/10 season had come to an end, and remained out of work until January 2011. A year at Preston North End preceded a move to Southend United, where he oversaw three play-off attempts. His first came just a month after his arrival at Roots Hall with the Shrimpers being defeated in the final by Crewe Alexandra, before being eliminated in the semi-final at the end of Brown’s first full season, losing to Burton Albion. The Shrimpers went one better the following season, finally reaching League One with a victory over Wycombe Wanderers on penalties.

Under Brown’s guidance, Southend would continue their rise up the Football League and found themselves challenging for a place in the League One play-offs in just their second season, although Millwall would beat them to the final berth on the last day of the season, and the Shrimpers followed this up with a relegation battle during the 2017/18 season.

This brought an end to his time in Essex, with a stint at Swindon Town preceding a move to Indian Super League side Hyderabad, and was followed by a brief return to Southend in 2021. He was unable to prevent the Shrimpers’ slide into the National League though, and departed for a second time with the club sat 20th in the fifth tier at the start of the following season.

He would join Barrow six months later and oversaw a rise out of the drop zone, before taking two years out the game. He returned to management in January 2024 with a move to Kidderminster Harriers, and although he was unable to save them from relegation from the National League, remained at Aggborough ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and currently has them third in the sixth tier.

One to Watch

Ashley Hemmings

Experienced striker Ashley Hemmings entered his sixth season as a Kidderminster player at the start of the campaign, and has continued his fine form in front of goal with a team-high 13 goals.

A product of the Wolverhampton Wanderers academy, Hemmings gained experience on loan in the South-West of England with stints at Cheltenham Town, Torquay United and Plymouth Argyle, before returning to the Midlands on a permanent basis when he moved to Walsall, having appeared just twice for Wolves.

Hemmings appeared 56 times for Walsall across two years, with a loan stint at Burton Albion bringing an end to his time at the Bescot Stadium. He would contribute to the Brewers’ run to the play-offs, before moving to Dagenham & Redbridge ahead of the 2014/15 season. He went on to make 80 appearances for the Daggers before moving to Mansfield Town, which preceded a drop into non-league with stints at Boston United, Salford City and AFC Fylde. His season with the former was without a doubt the most successful, being voted by Boston fans as the club’s Player of the Season after top scoring with 16 goals.

He later moved on loan to Altrincham in 2018 before departing Fylde permanently in October 2019, moving to Aggborough on an 18-month contract. This would kick-start a superb spell with Kidderminster, contributing to the club’s rise up the sixth tier. Two top seven finishes were secured in his first two full seasons in Worcester, winning the division’s Player of the Month award for October in the former, and later helped the club win promotion to the fifth tier with 11 goals in 46 appearances during 2022/23.

He then scored nine goals as the club were relegated back to the National League North, but has kept up his form as the Carpetmen look to return to the National League at the first time of asking, netting 13 times with the club sat third in the division.

Last Time We Met

Kidderminster had to come from behind to avoid an FA Cup first round upset against Conference South Sutton.

Charlie Clough had the visitors in front after ten minutes, heading in Sam Rents’ corne, but the lead lasted three minutes as Amari Morgan-Smith finished after a Michael Gash shot was blocked.

Gash then fed Callum Gittings for Harriers to take the lead and second half strikes from Joe Lolley and Anthony Malbon put them through.

Head-to-Head

Kidderminster Harriers 4-1 Sutton United (09/11/2013)

Sutton United 1-1 Kidderminster Harriers (3-2 on pens) (21/11/1995)

Kidderminster Harriers 2-2 Sutton United (11/11/1995)

Played for Both

Shaun Cooper

Former U Shaun Cooper enjoyed two years in South London, but had previously spent a brief time on loan at Kidderminster at the start of his career.

A product of the youth system at Portsmouth, Cooper made a handful of first team appearances while at Fratton Park, before moving on loan at Kidderminster during the 2004/05 season where he made 12 league and cup appearances during Harriers’ last campaign as an EFL club.

At home in defence or midfield, the following season he began a seven-year playing association with AFC Bournemouth, making over 200 appearances, and after subsequent spells with Crawley and Torquay, and a brief return to Portsmouth, he signed for Sutton in October 2014.

A member of our National League South championship squad in 2015/16, he left the following season with 60 league and cup appearances and two goals to his credit, finishing his playing career with Eastbourne Borough and Poole Town. He subsequently returned to Bournemouth in a coaching capacity, first in the academy set up and now often seen on the touchline as Assistant First Team Coach to Andoni Iraola, helping to guide the Cherries into the Premier League’s top seven.