Kiddie capers

Kidderminster Harriers v Darlington

LDV Vans Trophy Round 1

Tuesday 18th October 2005, 7.45pm

Usually a popular destination for most DAFTS, so for those not living too far away, this will go a little way for the seriously committed (or should that be those who should be committed) to make up for the disappointment of losing Kiddie from the League calendar.

AT KIDDIE: Aggborough from the away end.

.Many will doubt the value of this competition and the point of this trip - certainly you can't get a longer journey from Darlo, with this part of Worcestershire being counted as "northern section." Kiddie have struggled on relegation from the Conference. Regular strikers Iyseden Christie and Michael Blackwood (ex-Wrexham) have been joined by on-loan Taiwo Atieno (from Walsall) up front, bu the latter two are unavailable. There is also an injury doubt over experienced player-coach Martin O'Connor.

Man to watch

Full match preview on the D@rlo Uncovered website.

Ticket prices to be confirmed - normally £13 standing and £16 to sit for league games. Would be shocking if it was that expensive.. Plenty of room, the stadium has a capacity of 6,300 with room for about 1,600 away fans!

Kidderminster Harriers FC: Aggborough Stadium, Hoo Rd, Kidderminster, DY10 1NB Worcestershire Tel: 01562 823 931 History: Formed in 1886, most of their history has been spent between the Birmingham and Southern Leagues, until they joined what became the Conference in 1983. 1993/94 was a high point - winning the Conference title and reaching the FA Cup 5th Round (losing to West Ham 1-0) after wins over Birmingham City and Preston. Denied promotion due to their ground but eventually won it six years later with Jan Molby. Spent five seasons in the Football League, before relegation back to the Conference for this season. Record Attendance: 9,155 v Hereford Utd, 1948 Capacity: 6,238 Last season: 24th (relegated to Conference) Honours: Conference champions 1993/1994, 1999/2000, FA Trophy winners 1987. Record victory: 25-0 v Hereford, 1889, Birmingham Senior Cup. Defeat: 0-13 v Darwen, 1891, FA Cup 1. Nicknames: Kiddie, The Harriers. Colours: Red/white Manager: Stuart Watkiss Chairman: Barry Norgrove Famous fans/players/connections: Jan Molby (manager), Mike Marsh, Lee Hughes (players); Peter Wassall (record goalscorer) 432 between 1963-74 and brother Brendan, who made a club record 686 appearences in the same period. Click for Streetmap of ground

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Exit M5 at junction (sign-posted A456) and head towards Kidderminster (c12 miles). At roundabout on Kidderminster ring-road, take first exit (signposted A451 Stourport). At next roundabout, take first exit (s-p A448 Bromsgrove), then take first turning on right (Hoo Rd). Aggborough Stadium is half a mile along on the left hand side.

There are services from Birmingham New Street, which aren't direct but via Smethwick, but it's best to take direct services from Birmingham Moor Street (about 1/4 a mile away). It's then about a 10 minute walk to the ground from Kidderminster station, down Comberston Hill, left turn just before Motorway Tyres near the bottom of the hill. Then walk up Hoo Road for approximately half a mile (around old cattle market and new industrial units) and around the ground to the away end.

Albany Taxis 01562 823333; Regency Radio Cars 01562 823354; Travel 2000 01562 827000. Darlington FC Supporters Club Coach: £16, 2pm. Contact: 01325 243911. See DFCSC website for more details.

Trains: For our Midlands fans, there are regular direct trains from Birmingham Moor Street (10 mins walk, signs from New Street), sugg 17.50-arr Kidderminster 18.28, return 22.11 or 22.45, £4.50 cheap day return or £6 day return.

Kiddie itself is known for one thing - and it's not football. It's carpets. The town's in Worcestershire, but "'ar kid" reckons it's close enough to the Black Country for them to be speaking in funny accents, loik.

Puffer-Buffers might wish to indulge in the Severn Valley railway, which runs alongside the ground, with steam trains running to Bewdley and up to Bridgenorth in Shropshire. There are a list of places to stay on the excellent Harriers Online site.

Real ale/station The King and Castle, Severn Valley Railway station (right). A two minute walk from the main railway station, this is a quaint recreation of a pre-War railway buffet and waiting room. Imagine Trevor Howard walking in for a quick snifter before heading onto the platform. Sadly, the prices aren't 1930s vintage, but they're still reasonable with a great choice of ales. This bar is so good, it's quite tempting to forget the game altogether! Food served after 12pm, a reasonably priced menu. Follow the brown road signs for the Severn Valley Railway and there's a pay-and-display parking at the station next door. DAFTS recommended. Click for street map

At the ground Social Club, Kidderminster FC, 01562 67644 The social club at the far corner of the ground is good value. It costs £1 for daily membership, but then the beers are at club prices (Stella £2.20). There's a chippy on Comberston Hill between the station and the stadium. The ground also has a decent catering outlet - the cottage pie in a tray is still tasty (pictured left) although prices had risen past the £3 mark and it was a little dry, lacking its usual gravy. The kiosk also boasted an excellent vegetarian selection too, far more than at most Premiership grounds. Ian White (DAFTS E Midlands) also adds a mention of the soup. "It's homemade and has the kitchen sink in it. Second best food last year behind the shepherd's pie. Take an oven glove though! The foil tray left me with a blistered hand...."

Town centre The Railway Bell, Comberston Hill (pictured) You can't miss it coming out of the station, a plain Banks's boozer, with a decent enough pint and handy for the ground. Another option is the The Redman Inn 129 Blackwell Street - a town centre pub that has decent ales and food, off the main shopping street. The Viaduct 619 Old Chester Road South Banks' pub with home-cooked food. Pool and darts and Sky. The Boar's Head, 39 Worcester Street Town centre Banks' pub near the sports centre, which also serves Strongarm and Camerons.

Birmingham and beyond Those staying around Birmingham, there are some good suggestions on the Birmingham CAMRA site. Can I strongly recommend The Anchor Inn 308 Bradford St, Digbeth, which has an excellent real ale selection and is a great Brummie-Irish backstreet pub to boot. Also The Old Joint Stock, Temple Row near St Philip's cathedral, a Fullers pub in an old bank. While Harbo Darlo and DAFTS will be kicking off the weekend at the usual haunt of The Sportsman, Metchley Lane, Harborne. The HarriesNet website has a good round-up of Kiddie drinking dens, it also advises that the Harriers Arms nearest the ground is for home fans only.

Rail timetables Virgin Trains GNER National Express Online map Midlands Pubs
Hotels/B&Bs Hotels/B&Bs Kidd'ster Shuttle

The Kiddie websites include Harriers Net, which is a Rivals site, but probably the best and most comprehensive is Harriers Online. Also there's the Official site - it has a map to find the ground, if you get stuck. There is also the local newspaper's Harriers' pages This Is KHFC

Next away match:
Wrexham (Sat October 29)

No responsibility is taken for accuracy, if in doubt check before travelling.

© DAFTS 2005