Twenty-eight years ago, Harriers walked off the pitch at Aggborough having captured the hearts of the footballing nation. West Ham United were the visitors that day, in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup and Harriers were beaten only by a looping Lee Chapman header, bringing to an end a journey powered by Delwyn Humphries’ somersaults.

Nowadays, it’s Ashley Hemmings’ somersaults that have propelled Harriers to another meeting with The Hammers, but in the Fourth Round this time.

In 1994, Harriers were part of a non-league scene that was very much of its time – part time, in fact. The pitches weren’t the carefully curated carpets of today and the game has moved on massively since then. Now, Harriers are a full time outfit, having come on strong against Championship opposition and part of a burgeoning non-league scene that seems to get stronger each year. Indeed, big former football league clubs like York City and Darlington are stranded with Harriers in National League North, and one only has to look at the investment levels in the league above to measure the progression of the non league game as a whole.

The only difference this time is that it isn’t a mid-table West Ham that they will host. More than 100 places above Kiddy, the Hammers currently sit in fifth place in the Premier League with the ability to call upon multi-million pound international players, including England international Declan Rice. This is what makes Saturday’s clash bigger than the first meeting. There will be no boggy pitch to level the playing field, instead two full time teams fighting it out for a place in the Fifth Round. The visitors have been keen to do their research on Harriers, former England full back Stuart Pearce having watched them for the last three games. David Moyes is clearly showing plenty of respect for Penn’s charges.

It will be Harriers’ first game on terrestrial TV. Media coverage around the tie has been plentiful, as expected ahead of a game of this magnitude. It will be a spectacle as the great and the good of TV and radio punditry will converge on Aggborough. While 1994’s clash was the first game of its kind for Harriers and helped lay the foundations towards eventual promotion to the Football League, Saturday’s game is a chance to cap off a sense of redemption. After relegation from the Conference and decline in recent years, Saturday’s game represents the recent upturn in fortunes, both on and off the pitch. Despite the likely result, it will be a marvellous occasion for Harriers and their fans.

The odds are stacked against Harriers on Saturday, as they try to become the first team to reach Round Five twice as a non-league outfit. The task is a mighty one, but will Lady Luck be a Harrier on Saturday?

If she is, one of the biggest games in the club’s history will surely become the biggest, should the magic of the Cup strike once more.