HARRIERS have been urged to ensure their season isn't defined by their FA Cup success, as they bid for promotion to the National League via the play-offs.

The men from Aggborough face Boston United in the first stage of the National League North play-offs on Thursday night.

It's a chance for the Reds to get back to the top table of non-league football after dropping down into this level in 2016.

2021/22 has already been a season of highs thanks to strong league form and incredible FA Cup run that took them to within seconds of beating Premier League giants West Ham in Round Four.

That captured the imaginations of many, but Assistant Manager Jimmy O'Connor is adamant the players don't want that to be what the season is remembered for when all is said and done.

O'Connor explained: "It has been a major part of the season, whatever happens.

"It has been a season that will be celebrated in years to come, I'm sure, because of what happened in the FA Cup.

"But we don't want to be defined by just The FA Cup run this season, we want to go on and really achieve something.

"Our goal at the start of the season was to do that and nothing's changed."

O’Connor was speaking after Harriers signed off their regular campaign with a 1-0 Aggborough victory over Darlington.

Having bossed most of the game, the hosts got the breakthrough they deserved through Keziah Martin’s second goal of the season, eight minutes into the second half.

Martin, Sam Austin and Mark Carrington had all gone close to finding a way through beforehand, while Ethan Freemantle and Omari Sterling had efforts at goal soon after.

After the final whistle, hundreds of fans stayed behind for the club’s end-of-season awards.

Caleb Richards scooped two of the gongs by clinching the awards for Young Player and Players’ Player of the Season.

Jack Tolley won Academy Player of the Season while FA Cup hero Alex Penny bagged the coveted Supporters’ Player of the Season.

Harriers will hope for another bumper Aggborough crowd against Boston on Thursday – the winner of the tie going on to face AFC Fylde in the semi-final.

“They can be our twelfth man,” added O’Connor of the home support. “That’s not a cliché, they’ve been fantastic this year.

“It has really showed up, especially in the Cup games, so we want to create that kind of atmosphere on Thursday night.

“Hopefully the players rise to it and we can kick on from there.”