RUSS Penn purred as his threatening Harriers side geared up perfectly for the FA Cup clash with Grimsby Town by sweeping aside promotion contenders Spennymoor 4-0 at Aggborough.
The Reds meet Grimsby – near the top of the league above – in a tantalising First Round proper clash on Saturday, 6th November.
Their form going into the clash has been electric, particularly on home soil, where this rout of the Moors came on the back of a 5-1 stuffing of Bradford Park Avenue in the league seven days prior.
Spennymoor came to Worcestershire as one of the fancied teams at Harriers’ level but were undone in style thanks to goals from Alex Penny, Omari Sterling, Sam Austin and Ethan Freemantle.
With a point secured at Chorley in between the two home wins, Penn’s men ready themselves to face the Mariners in arguably the ideal form.
“We were at it today, and when we’re like that we’re a match for anybody,” the boss explained after seeing his side move back into the play-offs.
“I thought we defended as a team superbly but, going forward, I believe we are a threat to say the least at the moment.
“I think it was vital we got the three points because we are carrying a few injured bodies, and this is great recovery time for the lads.
“We’ll go into next week and enjoy the occasion, but we want to win the game and our full focus is on that.”
Penn saw his team dominate pretty much from start to finish, taking a deserved lead on 14 minutes as Penny gambled in the area and poked the ball beyond goalkeeper Dale Eve.
That gave them a slender lead at the break, with Eve then pulling off a string of saves to keep his side in the game before Harriers turned the screw.
It was 2-0 before the hour as Sterling found a chink in the stopper’s armour – his firm drive proving too much as it went through his hands on its way to the net.
Ryan Hall threatened a comeback for Spennymoor when his curling effort struck the post, but that was ultimately the sum of the visiting total, with the hosts making it 3-0 soon after. Austin exchanged passes with Clayton-Phillips before firing expertly into the far corner.
On as a sub, Freemantle completed the rout in added time. White had robbed the ball well deep in Moors territory before passing to the striker who made no mistake from eight yards.
Harriers now move on to the Grimsby tie and their first FA Cup First Round proper appearance in four years.
Harriers: Simpson, Penny, Richards, Cameron, Austin (Freemantle 85), Carrington, Morgan-Smith, Hemmings (Clayton-Phillips 72), Sterling (White 81), Bajrami, Bonds.
Unused subs: Lowe, Martin, Freemantle.
Attendance: 1,420
Referee: Claudio Gavillucci
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