Nick Clayton-Phillips: “Team form can help us do a job against Grimsby”

Kidderminster Harriers latest signing Nick Clayton-Phillips is confident the team’s form can help them cause an upset when they play Grimsby Town on Saturday in the first round of the FA Cup.

Kiddy come into this game on the back of three wins from their last four games, which included a thumping 4-0 victory over Spennymoor Town last weekend, with Clayton-Phillips coming off the bench to register an assist on his return to the club.

The former West Brom man is unfortunately cup-tied for the game against The Mariners but is feeling optimistic his team-mates can get a positive result.

Clayton-Phillips said: “I’m cup-tied for the game which I’m a bit gutted about but with the form the team is in I feel really confident they will do a job.

“I’ll be there but just not on the pitch.

“If you look at our last three games it shows we’re scoring goals and beating teams that are higher up in the league as us, in fact not just beating teams but hammering them.

“It’s not even by luck, if you watched the games, we played really nice football and earned the chances that we created.

“Grimsby are obviously a league above us so it will be more of a challenge than we’ve had, but we’re doing everything we can in our previous games to make sure we’re right for Grimsby.”

The 22-year-old is back at The Hatters for a second time after having a loan spell here just over two years ago and Clayton-Phillips admitted a return to the club was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

Clayton-Phillips added: “It was a great feeling to be back playing here, when I left last time, I enjoyed it that much I just wanted to come straight back.

“When I came out of West Brom I just needed to play games, so I had brief spells at Stourbridge and Alvechurch but then the opportunity came up for me to come back to the Harriers and I just didn’t want to turn it down.

“We’ve got a good team already; I think we’ve scored ten goals in our last three games so it’s just up to me when I get on the pitch to show what I can do, and I feel that’s what I did last weekend.”

The left-winger added one of the main attractions for his return to the club was how good The Reds supporters were to him.

Clayton-Phillips said: “For where it is Kiddy is a properly run club, it’s very professional which is why I feel the club is lower then where it should be.

“The fans too were great, the club has a really good fanbase and they were really nice with me last time I was there, I had a few fans every now and then asking when I’m coming back so when you feel like you’re wanted at a place it makes you want to go back there even more.”