NATIONWIDE Conference honours have worked out evenly in derbies between Kidderminster Harriers and Hereford United.

While Hereford recorded a double over Harriers in 1997/98 after relegation from the Football League, the Worcestershire side got their own back the following season.

And though both games finished 1-1 in 1999/2000, Kidderminster's promotion as champions to take a league place once occupied by the Bulls did not go down well at Edgar Street.

There followed a five-year stay in the higher ranks for Harriers until they also suffered the drop last May.

So although fans of both clubs can sympathise with each other on that basis, there will be little goodwill at Aggborough tomorrow.

Harriers have great memories of the 1980s, ironically between the two English clubs in the Welsh Cup.

Harriers knocked them out of the cup in 1986/87, 1987/88 and 1988/89.

In the first Conference meetings between the sides eight years later, crowds of nearly 4,700 watched Bulls win twice.

A Richard Leadbeater hat-trick in a 4-1 success at Aggborough was the highlight of the clashes.

It was the end of an era in December 1998 when long-serving Harriers manager Graham Allner quit after a 2-1 home defeat to the Bulls in the Bob Lord Trophy.

But, under caretaker Phil Mullen, the Aggborough side gained revenge with a 1-0 home league win through Clinton Thomas and a 3-1 triumph on their travels, including a spectacular Leroy May strike.

In their final Conference games before Harriers' promotion, there was no separating the sides.

Paul Fewings and May, against his former club, were on target for the Bulls over the two games with Stewart Hadley and Ian Foster scoring for Harriers.