Enterprise National League North
Hednesford Town v Harborough Town
Friday 28th August 2026
Kick-off: 7.45 pm
Venue: Keys Park
Author – Ben Monti
Image – Rob O’Brien
Enterprise National League North football continues this Friday night under the lights, as two newly promoted sides go face to face for the first time since their encounter in last season’s FA Trophy Third Round Qualifying. Harborough will be looking for a similar outcome this time round, having beaten the Pitmen 2-0 previously, courtesy of goals from Ben Stephens and Luis Rose, who are no longer with the club.
The battle of the HTFCs has all the ingredients for a captivating fixture, echoed by manager Mitch Austin: “That will be great, I can’t wait for that… They have a great fanbase and a great stadium.” The gaffer remained cautious, however, of letting last season’s victory affect the mentality going into the game: “We certainly won’t be a pushover, but we’re coming up against a really credible side.”
Hednesford Town certainly aren’t short of history when it comes to the non-league game. Formed in 1880, the Pitmen have enjoyed memorable moments over the years, reaching the FA Cup Fourth Round in 1996-97 before lifting the FA Trophy at Villa Park in 2004. Last season gave their supporters another campaign to remember, with Hednesford coming through the Northern Premier League play-offs to book their place in the National League North.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Kelvin Davis is the man in the dugout. Having made more than 300 appearances for Southampton, Davis took charge towards the back end of last season and did a pretty decent job of making his case for the permanent role, guiding the Pitmen to promotion. A busy summer followed, with plenty of new faces arriving at Keys Park, including players with Football League and National League experience. It hasn’t quite clicked in the league yet, with Hednesford still searching for their first win after four games, although back-to-back draws against Southport and AFC Telford United suggest they might just be starting to find their feet.
Harborough will certainly need to keep an eye on a few players. Jamie Cooke impressed throughout pre-season, scoring three times, while Omari Sterling-James bagged a brace in The Pitmen’s opening home league fixture defeat to Scarborough Athletic. Dylan Mottley-Henry and Lenni Cirino both found the net against Southport, with summer signing twenty-one-year-old Aussie Jai Curran-Nicholls rescuing a point at Telford last time out. Throw former Wrexham defender Aaron Hayden into the mix, and there’s plenty of experience in this Hednesford side. They might still be waiting for that first win, but under the lights at Keys Park on a Friday night, and with seven goals from their opening four games, I don’t think anyone in yellow will be taking them lightly.
Harborough head to Keys Park still unbeaten after their opening four games in the National League North. The Bees started life at Step Two with a hard-earned point at King’s Lynn before returning to the Beehive and beating former Football League outfit Morecambe. A midweek trip to Oxford City brought a further point on the road, before another ex-Football League side, Darlington, made the lengthy trip south. Despite trailing 2-1 at the break, a Britt Assombalonga beauty and some late Michael Jacobs magic helped turn the game on its head, with the Bees eventually running out 4-2 winners.
Four games, eight points and still no defeats. Not bad for a side playing at this level for the first time. More importantly, Harborough haven’t looked out of place. They’ve beaten Morecambe and Darlington at home and dug in to take points from King’s Lynn and Oxford City away. There have been moments where the step up has shown, as you’d expect, but this group seem to have carried that same bit of grit with them from last season. They don’t particularly enjoy losing football matches.
Up top, Britt Assombalonga and Riley O’Sullivan lead the way with two goals each. Britt looks like he’s starting to have some fun as well, scoring in each of his last two appearances, including that ridiculous half-volley against Darlington. Riley, meanwhile, has pretty much carried on where he left off. Not exactly a bad pair to have knocking around ahead of Friday night.
Tickets
Harborough Town supporters are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance using the dedicated away supporters’ ticket link below.
All Harborough Town supporters should purchase tickets for the Hednesford End, which is the designated away stand at Keys Park Stadium and the only option available in the dedicated link below.
🎟️ | Away Supporters’ Tickets: https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Tickets/ViewAllocation?fixtureId=20965&allocationGuid=d0fafe06-fdb6-4ed3-ac2f-7acc03a3f1f9
Matchday admission prices are:
– Adults: £15.00
– Concessions: £12.00
– Under 18s: £5.00 with a paying adult
– Under 13s: £3.00 with a paying adult
Any remaining tickets will be available for cash or card purchase from the Keys Park Stadium Ticket Office on the day of the game, subject to availability.
Supporters’ Travel
Official Bees Supporters’ Travel, in association with Fleckers Coaches, is available for the trip to Hednesford.
🚌 | Return fare: £20.00
Further information and booking details can be found here:
https://beessupporters.co.uk/fixtures/hednesford-town