Kidderminster want nothing but West Ham's best in the Cup

The FA Cup fourth round tie at Aggborough ranks among the biggest matches in club history for non-league Harriers, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.

And Richards admits he and his team-mates are hoping the Hammers, who sit sixth in the Premier League, will field close to their strongest line-up.

He said: “You want to play against the best and there are a few players I would like to face. Declan Rice is one, he could be a future England captain.

“Then you’ve got the best of the best at the moment, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen, both of whom are flying. Those are the kind of players we want to face.”

Richards admitted players have struggled to stop thinking of tomorrow’s clash, despite boss Russ Penn banning talk of it in the dressing room during a gruelling run of seven league matches which followed last month’s third round victory over Reading. For the 23-year-old it will be the 31st appearance of a season in which he has so far been an ever-present in league and cup, earning him the deserved nickname of Harriers’ Mr Consistent.

A product of Blackpool’s academy, his career path has been similar to many in the National League, taking in a stop at Norwich and several loan moves, the last of which was to Aggborough before he eventually joined on permanent terms last year.

“It has been great to be playing football full-time, to have started my career properly playing in a team challenging for things, not just being on loan but being part of a group,” he explains. “At Norwich I trained around the first team, I had an opportunity but to break through into the Premier League you have to be exceptional.

“Obviously, I wasn’t quite good enough but hopefully now I can progress my career. You never know one day I might end up back there (in the Premier League). You see loads of players move from this league, the league below and above all the way up to the top. Jamie Vardy is the best example. Scouts should definitely take a look at this league. You never know why someone might have dropped down, maybe they got an injury or lost form.

“There are a lot of good players in this league which are overlooked. Saturday is a chance for us as a team to compare ourselves to those players currently at the top.”

Richards is not the only one with ambitions which extend beyond one match. Harriers primary aim for the season is to win promotion back to the National League Premier Division and currently sat just four points behind leaders Gateshead, it feels an achievable goal.

“We’ve got good players and good people,” said Richards, who recently signed an extended contract through to 2023. “We kept a lot of the players from last season and it is a tight-knit group. You could feel in pre-season. We work together on the ball and off the ball. If someone isn’t doing so great we will help them out. What has helped us out this season is the togetherness.”