Kidderminster’s fairy-tale FA Cup story continues after they caused one of the biggest upsets in the third round by beating Championship side Reading 2-1 on home soil last month.
The Royals managed to break the deadlock on the stroke of half time through George Puscas; however, the Harriers came out fighting after the break and held their own against a team four divisions above them.
A goalkeeping error from Rafael Cabral handed Sam Austin a 69th-minute equaliser before a goal-line scramble in the 82nd minute resulted in Amari Morgan-Smith netting from close range. Kidderminster then had to see out 12 excruciating minutes of injury time, but they managed to hold on for a historic victory in front of their home supporters.
After starting their FA Cup journey in the second-qualifying round, the Harriers have now beaten six teams to get to this stage – Sporting Khalsa, Ware, Bedfont Sports, Grimsby Town, Halifax Town and Reading – but their biggest test yet will be on Saturday.
Kidderminster are one of nine non-league teams in FA Cup history who have reached the fifth round of the competition since the end of the Second World War. The Harriers competed at this stage back in 1994 when they were eliminated by none other than West Ham, who claimed a slender 1-0 win at the Aggborough Stadium.
This weekend, the two sides will lock horns in the fourth round, and although the Harriers have won five and drawn one of their last six FA Cup ties on home soil, a run which dates back to 2013, head coach Russell Penn will be aware that their dreams of another giant-killing will be slim against Premier League opposition.
After a run of four successive wins, including a 2-0 success at home against Leeds United in the FA Cup third round, West Ham have since suffered back-to-back league defeats against the Whites and Manchester United.
The Hammers were on course to claim a hard-fought point at Old Trafford before Marcus Rashford came off the bench to net a 93rd-minute winner for the hosts, condemning David Moyes’s men to their eighth league defeat of the season heading into the winter break.
West Ham have now slipped out of the top four, with the Red Devils moving above them by one point and with a game in hand. Nevertheless, Moyes and co will be confident of regaining their form and returning to winning ways on Saturday.
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The Hammers head to the Aggborough Stadium having progressed from their last 10 FA Cup ties against non-league opposition since being eliminated by Swindon Town back in 1911-12, when they were also a non-league side.
One statistic which will provide hope for Kidderminster is that West Ham have lost three of their last four fourth-round ties in the competition, all of which were against lower-league opponents, though they did beat Doncaster Rovers at this stage last season.
While Moyes is sure to prioritise West Ham’s challenge for the top four and reaching the latter stages of the Europa League, an FA Cup run would also be welcomed by the three-time winners as they bid to lift the trophy for the first time since 1979-80
