Cup-tied Joe Lolley will be taking in his FA Cup fourth-round action at the John Smith’s Stadium tomorrow – but he’ll be checking up on former club Kidderminster’s result at Sunderland straight after the final whistle.
Town’s £300,000 recruit scored the third-round replay goal against Peterborough which earned the Conference side their tilt at Premier League opposition 24 hours before completing his switch to the John Smith’s Stadium last week.
It was the 21-year-old’s second goal in four FA Cup outings for Harriers, who had previously beaten Bradford Park Avenue (needing a replay), Sutton and Newport, and he’d love to see them spring a shock against Gus Poyet’s Capital One Cup finalists (incidentally the Uruguayan’s son Diego, 18, could be involved for Charlton against Town).
“It was a great way to sign off for Kidderminster,” said Lolley, who notched a hat trick against Salisbury in his last Conference appearance for the Black Country club, who signed him from Midlands Combination minnows Littleton in the close-season.
“It was a great feeling in the dressing room after the Peterborough match and the lads are buzzing at the prospect of playing up at Sunderland. It’s a huge day for the club, and they’ll be taking more than 3,000 fans.
“My focus is on Town now, and I’ll be watching our game very closely, but of course I’ll be keeping tabs on Kidderminster, and I’m willing them to go up there and pull off a shock.”
Former Football League club Harriers, now managed by former Coventry chief Andy Thorn and whose squad includes former Town player Lee Fowler, reached the fifth round in 1993-94, beating Kettering, Woking, Birmingham and Preston before going down 1-0 at home to West Ham.
