Previous Meetings - Kidderminster Harriers

Last updated : 16 December 2004 By Jon Palmer
Harriers secured a win on the final day of the season to consign Cheltenham to the Southern League.

The two clubs met on eight occasions during Steve Cotterill's reign at Whaddon Road, with the Robins having the edge over their Worcestershire rivals.

In Cheltenham's first season back in the Conference after a five-year absence (1997/98), they came away from Aggborough with three points after a thrilling 2-1 win.

Ian Arnold gave the home side an early lead, but a fine brace from Dale Watkins stunned Graham Allner's side, who had finished as runners-up to Macclesfield the previous season.

In the return fixture, Paul Davies kept up his remarkable scoring record against Cheltenham. He netted the only goal as Kidderminster won at a Whaddon Road ground under heavy construction in order to meet
Football League grading requirements.

The following season saw Cheltenham claim two vital victories over the Harriers on their way to the Conference title. Dale Watkins returned from injury to score again at Aggborough in Cheltenham's narrow 1-0 victory during the Christmas period.

The teams met again in April 1999 and a Neil Grayson strike was enough to give the Robins another three-point haul before a bumper crowd of 4,518. The game came just two days after Cheltenham's epic 2-1 win at Rushden and Steve Cotterill always highlighted the win over 'Kiddy' as one of the key moments in his side's title success.

Kidderminster followed Cheltenham into Division Three and the first meeting between the clubs as professional outfits resulted in a 1-1 draw in November 2000. Chris Banks scored his one and only Football League goal for the Robins to cancel out Adie Smith's opener. Michael Jackson made his Football
League debut on the right side of midfield and produced a performance that Cotterill described as possibly the best League debut he had ever seen.

Harriers put a severe dent in Cheltenham's push for a play-off place in the return fixture at Whaddon Road in April. Long-serving midfielder Paul Webb and Daire Doyle gave Harriers a two-goal advantage. Neil Grayson pulled a goal back for Cheltenham, but a 64th minute header from Drewe Broughton confirmed a fine win for Jan Molby's men.

During season 2001/02, Cheltenham visited Aggborough in October and the two sides played out a drab goalless draw. The corresponding clash at Whaddon Road was a much more exciting affair and resulted in a vital win for Cotterill's promotion chasing side.

Colin Larkin gave Kidderminster the lead after 19 minutes, but a Tony Naylor volley before half-time and a dramatic winner for the on-loan Nathan Tyson earned Cheltenham a hard-fought win, in what was Chris Banks' last appearance in Cheltenham colours.

With Cheltenham back in Division Three after a one year absence, last season's meeting at Whaddon Road saw Bobby Gould's men hit back from a goal down to claim a thrilling 2-1 win. Jamie Victory and Grant McCann were on target late on to seal their first win of the season.

At Aggborough, floodlight failure postponed the original meeting and in the rearranged fixture, it was another goalless stalemate.