A team meal of curry on Monday night helped spark a 3-0 FA Cup first-round victory against Doncaster Rovers.
Kidderminster Harriers headed into the fixture following a difficult period in the National League where they had not won in almost two months, slipping from the top three down to 13th place.
The club’s only victory during that nine-game run had been a 2-1 fourth qualifying round triumph at home against Solihull Moors. However, when the two teams met again at Damson Park on the Saturday before the cup rematch, Harriers lost 2-1 despite taking a third-minute lead.
To lift spirits following the Solihull defeat, chairman Richard Lane paid for the entire club to go out for a curry on Monday night, including players, staff, and administration.
We had a little bit of a hangover after the Solihull game,
Kidderminster manager Paul Wotton told BBC Hereford & Worcester. It really affected us a little bit. The chairman took us all out, everyone, the players, the staff, the administration, for a curry on Monday night. The mood was great and it kind of really helped us get over the disappointment of Solihull.
Wotton noted that the team produced a lot of 8 out of 10s
against Doncaster, a stark contrast to the 5 out of 10s
from the previous week. Despite facing a League One opponent positioned 40 places higher in the English pyramid, the National League side secured the 3-0 walloping through strong defending and excellence without the ball.
Following Saturday night’s celebrations—which included a nice cold beer—and Monday afters of bread and butter pudding, Wotton emphasized that the squad must return to league action. The manager is in his first season in charge as first-team boss, while Lane has spent seven years at the helm as chairman at Aggborough.
Monday morning and we’re back to work,
Wotton said. Without sounding too miserable, it’s back to our bread and butter. We’ve got Halifax at home on Saturday, which is a big game.