Matt Maher: At least Phil Brown knows what he is walking into at Kidderminster Harriers
Writing about the FA Cup this time of year brings back memories of one of the great shocks that never quite was.
Next month will mark two years since Kidderminster Harriers came within seconds of knocking West Ham out in the fourth round, a stoppage-time Declan Rice equaliser preventing the Hammers from becoming the first ever top flight team to be beaten by one from the sixth.
That match was also on the mind this week because Harriers’ decision to sack Russ Penn, the manager who together with assistant Jimmy O’Connor was so close to masterminding a modern sporting miracle.
Penn’s departure after more than four years in charge is a huge shame.
True, in terms of results this season, he can have few complaints. Harriers sit bottom of the National League Premier with four wins from 28 matches, seven points from safety.
On the other hand, it is Penn and O’Connor who are responsible for Kidderminster being in that division in the first place, having helped revitalise the club under the ownership of Richard Lane, winning promotion from National League North in thrilling fashion via the play-offs last term.
In Penn’s place, arrives Phil Brown, an interesting appointment if ever there was. The 64-year-old has no shortage of experience and brings a profile, though it must be noted his managerial record since those heady Premier League days at Hull has been somewhat inconsistent.
His last job, at Barrow in the spring of 2022, ended in success as he kept the club in League Two. The one before that, at Southend, concluded rather less happily. Brown was sacked with the Shrimpers sitting 20th in the National League, a similar position to the one Harriers find themselves now. At least that brief stint in non-league’s top flight will have given him an idea of what he is walking into. As a division, the National League has long been non-league in name only.
This month marks another FA Cup anniversary for Harriers, 10 years since they beat Peterborough in the third round. At the time, the club’s realistic ambition was promotion back to the EFL. In terms of budget, they truly were one of non-league’s big players.
That is no longer the case. If Brown rescues them from here, it will be quite the job.
