Us and Kidderminster Harriers – once the biggest non-league heavyweight clash going? Of course, that’s if you’re willing to overlook Woking. And who isn’t willing to do that? This is more than about top-of-the-Conference battles, however. It’s had more twists and turns than you might think over the years. With Kiddy, our time is defined by an epic Conference title battle and FA Trophy history among other things.
Who could think that our first-ever meeting back during the early stages of the 1985-6 FA Cup would lead to such tales? We lost that day, by the way; our Conference opponents too strong for us as an Isthmian League Division Two north side. But it wouldn’t always be the case.
Both of us suffered the indignity of winning the Conference in the mid-1990s – only to be denied promotion. After we were kept down, the 1996-7 season saw our home game with Kiddy attract more than 6,000 fans; an incredible number for that time. They won the race to the Football League, however; promoted – finally – in 2000. Six years later, they were back down with us. A year after that? The historic FA Trophy Final at the ‘new’ Wembley.
In recent times, things have gone awry for Kiddy. After coming second in the Conference in 2012-3, the club found itself tumbling down another division; falling short in the playoffs as they sought an immediate return from National League North in 2017. Since then, league positions tumbled and the days of being a Football League side are now long gone.
