Season 2004/05This season saw Kidderminster harriers ladies football club field two teams for the first time in their history, with the first team playing in the west midland prem division and the reserve side playing in the Worcestershire county league.
1st team
The first team started the season poorly due to injury losing the first 3 games to telford 3-2, headless cross 4-3 and W.B.A. 10-1. On October 17th harriers played Worcester city in the county with a fully fit squad and a new goal keeper in Gemma Scriven. Harriers had a comfortable 4-1 win with Emma Purslow bagging all 4 goals, this win lifted the whole squad and they went on to have a 10 game unbeaten run winning 9 and drawing 1.Harriers next game was away to W.B.A and after losing 10-1 at home in the 3rd game of the season harriers were looking for a much better result, harriers put in a much better performance and were in front for most of the game. But 2 late goals by Hayley Phillipowsky the leagues top goal scorer gave W.B.A. a 3-2 win. Sunday 20th Feb saw harriers play local rivals headless cross in the county cup semi final, harriers got off to a great start when Rachel Baldwin gave harriers an early got, after that things went down hill and harriers went on to lose 5-1. In the final headless lost 2-1 to Hereford.
Harriers best game was played on Sunday 3rd April at home to welsh side T.N.S. At this point in the league harriers were 3rd with T.N.S top of the table so far unbeaten.
After losing the away fixture 4-0 harriers new they could put in a much better performance and the did. Sam Rogers gave harriers a well deserved goal. Harriers out played T.N.S for most of the game but T.N.S. did not give up and with 20 mins left they levelled the scores. In the dying mins of the game T.N.S. scored a second goal to give them a 2-1 victory. T.N.S won the league going the whole season without losing a league fixture.
Winners T.N.S (53pts)
Runners up W.B.A (51pts)
Harriers 3rd (33pts)
Top goal scorer - Emma Purslow 25 league & cup goals
Most improved player - Kailee Hurdiss
Players player- Lynsey Pollard
Managers player & league player of the season - Emma Bowdler
Reserve team
The reserve team had an up and down first season, but in the end they finished in 6th place. For a very young side with a couple of older players they started the season well under manger lee who was a young manger with a lot of promise, but after 6 games he was forced to leave due to work commitments. Harriers then played a number of games without a manger and their form dipped. Soon after one of the players partners (Jim) took over the managers roll. Jim soon had the team playing some good football and they finished the league on a high beating 3rd place burlish 6-0 and then they went one better by beating league winners Malvern town 5-1.
Winners Malvern town (49 pts)
Runners up Worcester city (43 pts)
Harriers 6th (23 pts)
Top goal scorer - Kirsty Roberts
Most improved player - Amber Cox
Players player - Kirsty Roberts
Managers player - Alison Thorpe
Season 2003/04
A tough season for harriers as they returned to the premier division. On the opening day harriers lost to w.b.a 3-1 at home.. This wasn’t to be a one off for harriers which saw them fighting the season out at the wrong end of the league table. With defeats of 12-2 against Stoke at home and 9-0 away at Leafield it was looking like a quick return into division 1 south for the harriers. But a turn of luck in the fate saw them beat high placed Cosford 2-0 at home giving them high hope of survival. Only one win out of the last two games would see Harriers stay up, resulting in a well fought relegation battle between Harriers and Rushall saw Kiddy win 4-3 keeping Harriers in the premier and more than likely sending Rushall down.
winners leafield
Most Improved Player - Kailee Hurdiss
Young Player - Sue Stokes
Players Player - Emma Bowdler
Managers Player - Kelly Preece
Season 2002/03
This year harriers played their football back in division 1 south, because harriers did not take promotion for the second year running the league management and the other clubs voted to relegate harriers down a division. Harriers did not mind this as it gave the young harriers side more time to gel into a better unit. Harriers won the league yet again finishing 4 points above headless cross in the runners up spot. Harriers played 20 games winning 17 drawing 2 and losing their only game to Ross town on the last day of the season, winning the title the scored 96 and conceded 29.
Winners- Kidderminster (53pts)
Runners up- headless Cross (49pts)
Most Improved Player - Emma Jones
Young Player - Samantha Rogers
Players Player - Lynsey Pollard
Managers Player - Rachel Baldwin
Season 2001-2002
With a number of star players leaving in the closed season it did not look to good for the harriers, but an add in the local paper asking for new players paid off as several young players from Ferndale under16’s and Louise Holmes from Aston villa turned up for pre-season training. With a very young squad harriers had a fantastic season winning the west midland Premier division for a second time and beating Fairfield villa in the county cup final 6-1, with Louise Holmes picking up player of the match award. Harriers did not take promotion into the combination because they felt the side was too young and inexperienced for such a high league, so Bridgnorth were promoted.
Winners- Kidderminster (56pts)
Runners up- Bridgnorth (51pts)
Relegated- Hereford (8pts)
Most Improved Player - Lisa Stokes
Players Player - Louise Holmes
Managers Player - Julie Freeman
Season 2000/01
And what an awful season it was. Atrocious weather conditions, a fuel strike and an outbreak of 'foot and mouth' which all went to ensure that disruption could not have been worse. All credit to those teams which managed to complete their fixture list, not too many. The battle in the Premier Division was just as thrilling as in seasons past with Kidderminster Harriers, Lichfield Diamonds, Stratford, Tamworth and Shifnal Town all leading the table at one stage or another. Lichfield fell at the final hurdle and as in both of the previous two seasons they finished as runners up with Kidderminster winning the title. But a twist in the tale turned failure into success as Kidderminster Harriers declined promotion to the Midland Combination League. At the end of the season a number senior players who had played a big part in harriers winning the league were retiring from the game.
So by finishing in 2nd position Lichfield at long last gained the promotion they have worked so hard for over the year. Harriers played 15 winning 11 drawing 2 and losing 2 on their way to winning the title they scored 40 and conceded 19.
Winners Kidderminster (35 pts)
Runners up- Lichfield (28pts)
Relegated- Tipton town (8 pts)
Most Improved Player - Victoria Hyde
Players Player - Lynsey Pollard
Managers Player - Emma Jones
Season 1999/2000
Harriers now playing in the west midland premier division found the standard of football much high but they held their own finishing a respectable 3rd position 1 point behide runners up Lichfield diamonds on 40 points.
Winners- Stafford rangers (49 pts)
Runners up- Lichfield
Relegated - willennial town
Season 1998/99
During the closed season a number of new teams were formed and the west midland league had a reshuffle with the league structure. Kidderminster now found themselves playing in division 1 south. Harriers brought in a number of new players with higher league experience, this paid off as they won the league by 8 points over ledbury who finished runners up for the second year running. Harriers played 18 games and only lost 1 scoring 100 goals and conceding only 18. Propping up the table was Worcester goodfellows who went the whole season without wining a game or picking up a point, they scored only 3 goals but conceded a mammoth 193 goals.
Winners- Kidderminster harriers (47 pts)
Runners up- ledbury (39 pts)
Relegated - goodfellows
Season 1997/98
In this year harriers played their football in west midland division 2 south with 5 other teams making up the league, ledbury, villa Aztecs, Woodbourne, Leamington and w.b.a… Harriers had a poor season playing 10 and only winning 2 games and to make things worse they had 2 points deducted by the league management and finished bottom with only 4 points. w.b.a. won the league beating ledbury into top spot by 1 point.
Winners- w.b.a.(22pts)
Runners up- ledbury (21pts)