Harriers vs Halesowen: A Lesser know derby. Kidderminster host the Yeltz

Words: Tom Reed

Images: Tom Reed

Shot on Digital and film where stated.

It’s rare that the the preamble to a non-League derby match is a hastily written complaint to a heritage railway, but that could easily have been the case at Kidderminster on Saturday.

Visitors to the Severn Valley Railway next to Kidderminster Harriers FC, were startled by the arrival of the away support from Halesowen Town FC into the mainline station next door.

Those looking forward to riding the GWR Pannier 7714 locomotive were treated to a rendition of “Kiddy’s a shit-hole, I wanna go home” by the fine people of Halesowen who had been there all of two minutes.

Maybe it was a Kidderminster supporter blowing steam from his ears or a trainspotter called Martin but nevertheless, he got called a “bald Kiddy twat” by one of the away supporters, who had decamped to the nearby pub.

Welcome to another lesser known derby between Kidderminster Harriers and Halesowen Town, a match that the vast majority of people in England will oblivious to, but, nevertheless, remarkable in its own way.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Kidderminster Harriers approach. On film.

Over a thousand had travelled the 10 miles from Halesowen on the outskirts of Birmingham to Kidderminster, deeper into Worcestershire, for an FA Trophy Round Two tie.

Some may argue that Kidderminster vs Halesowen is more of a grudge match than a derby, with the latter saving their true hatred for Stourbridge but, when fans travel in such numbers to a game and are prepared to have trainspotters tutting over their timetables, then maybe we are in true derby territory.

There was definitely an edge that these Midlands matches do so well. A couple of police posted to keep an eye on hundreds of young casuals.

The scent of a slight shoeing, a casual kick up the arse.

Both sides come with chips on their shoulders and social history never gets forgotten.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Kidderminster Harriers vs Halesowen Town. Digital.

Halesowen were denied promotion to the Southern League in the 80’s due to a sloping pitch, while Kidderminster were kept out of the Football League in 1994 thanks to tenuous ground grading rules.

Saturday’s attendance of nearly 4,000 was a similar packed-out Aggborough crowd to the 1987 FA Cup replay between Kiddy and Halesowen.

Kidderminster took the 80’s tussle 4-0 with the backdrop of similar heavy November skies, advertising hoardings of Banks’s Mild and the tooting of air horns with each goal.

Aggborough held the first ever FA Cup match under floodlight’s in the early 50’s and the modern day LED’s were pushed to the limit on Saturday as mother nature decided to throw a blanket of Nimbostratus cloud that made it night before night was ready.

Kiddy’s defence didn’t seem that prepared for Jordan Ponticelli’s opener for the visitors, following a tremendous high press on the home keeper, the Halesowen number 10 was able to slot into an empty net, with the clock registering the same number of minutes as his shirt.

Cue scenes that the away support had come for, raptures on their terrace and a couple of obligatory blue smoke bombs, pouring on that added bit of seasoning for the understandably salty Kiddy fans.

No-one really knows why Halesowen are called “The Yeltz”, which adds it’s own mystique but the Halesowen chant of “You Yeltz” for Ponticelli’s goal was about as loud as you’’ll hear at any level on the day.

It’s a quiet secret on the scene that the atmosphere at Halesowen is up there with the best in non-League and the away fans had come to put on a show.

There is however, a step of the football pyramid between National League North Kidderminster and Southern League Premier Division Central Halesowen, so nothing could be taken for granted.

Halesowen’s defending looked tired on 32 minutes as former Manchester United youth player Reece Devine took with his left and then finished with his right after an all-too-easy Kiddy cross into the box.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Kidderminster Harriers supporters. Digital.

“You’re just a bus-stop in Stourbridge” chanted the home faithful, as is the done thing.

Halesowen were going to do their best stuff on the break and Ponticelli, the player they sing “drinks Moretti and eats spaghetti” was only a string of pasta away from scoring the winner in the second half, save for the post.

It was a suitably shambolic 92nd minute winner for Kidderminster, the product of last-gasp adrenaline and pinball, that saw an attack that Halesowen really should have cleared, pumped back into the box for Kobe Hall to knock home at the second time of asking.

Cries of Yeltz became yelps of disappointment and Martin was in the car on the way home before the fans filed out past the heritage railway.

Where would we be without our rivalries? The petty nonsense that fuels our football longevity. You come to ours, we’ll come to yours.

There’s enough here for the next one, whenever that may be.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Kidderminster station. Digital.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Severn Valley Railway. Digital.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Halesowen Town supporter. Digital.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Stadium Close. In more ways than one. Digital

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Kidderminster Harriers vs Halesowen Town. On film.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Kidderminster Harriers supporter. On film.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Halesowen Town blue smoke at Kidderminster Harriers. Digital.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Kidderminster Harriers supporters vs Halesowen Town. Digital.

🏆 4,000 packed into Aggborough in 1987 for the last major meeting between Harriers and @halesowentownfc

The FA Cup replay delivered with plenty of talking points!#Harriers 🦅 pic.twitter.com/g36Oryf7ce
— Kidderminster Harriers 🦅 (@khfcofficial) November 15, 2024