Harriers in play-off final with big belief - Murray

Kidderminster Harriers manager Adam Murray says his side will make the trip to South Shields for Saturday's National League North promotion final with "bundles of confidence, focus and energy" after their excellent form over the last month.

Harriers booked their spot in the one-off promotion match for a place in the National League with a 3-1 win over Macclesfield Town in their semi-final tie.

That was Harriers' seventh victory in a row, having finished the regular season by beating Hereford FC, AFC Telford, King's Lynn, Radcliffe Borough, Leamington and, Saturday's opponents - the Mariners - in their final league game at Aggborough on 25 April.

That win completed the double for Harriers over South Shields, although Murray said the play-offs are totally different.

"Like we've seen against Macclesfield [who beat Kidderminster 5-1 in the league], the league game's gone out the window now," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"I think for us, and I imagine for them, it's cup football - it's a cup final, it's do or die - but we're going into it in a really good place, we're in good form, we've got bundles of confidence and focus and energy and a real good feeling."

Murray, in his first season in charge, is trying to steer Harriers back to the National League for the second time in the past four seasons after they last went up via the play-offs under Russ Penn in 2022-23.

"Saturday for us is just another mindset - we're approaching it that we've got three points on the line," Murray said.

"We've not got any fear in the camp, any anxiety. Where we've finished in the league in terms of third place, we were really happy with.

"We're excited to be in a play-off final and we're going to give it everything we've got now because it's a big prize at the end of it."

South Shields were early leaders of the division, and were two points clear with 10 games left, but were beaten to the title by AFC Fylde, who Murray took to promotion two seasons ago.

Murray said he thinks the Mariners were a bit unlucky not to have gone up as champions.

"If I'm being honest, I know Fylde won it, but I think they [South Shields] probably over the course of the season were the best team in terms of what I've watched and seen.

"Sometimes it just works out that way, so I think it's a different pressure for them because I've been in their shoes when we [Flyde] went up and it went down to the last few games and I remember thinking if we don't get this over the line as a title it's a real big push down for the play-offs.

"I think that mentality is a tough one but we know we're up against a very, very tough opponent.

"The game will be small margins. It's the final knockout."