Harborough Town Signs 6ft 9ins Striker Kyle Hudlin
Harborough Town have made a signing that quite literally towers over their history.
Non-league strikers do not usually arrive with Championship experience, a play-off final goal on their CV and a frame that brushes 7ft. Kyle Hudlin does. The 26-year-old, standing at 6ft 9ins (2.06m), has joined the National League North side in time for their FA Cup first-round trip to League One club Leyton Orient on Saturday.
For a club of Harborough’s size, this is a statement – and a gamble that could turn a cup tie on its head.
A giant for the big occasion
Hudlin is one of the tallest professional footballers in the world, but his career has never been a novelty act. He first made his name at Solihull Moors, where he scored 17 goals in 69 appearances and struck the opener in the 2022 National League play-off final at the London Stadium. That goal, on that stage, pushed him into the EFL spotlight.
Huddersfield Town moved quickly that summer, taking him into the Championship and testing him in a very different environment. Minutes were hard-earned, but the experience hardened him. Loan spells at AFC Wimbledon, Burton Albion and Newport County followed, each adding another layer to a forward who had already climbed a long way from non-league beginnings.
His most recent stop took him even further from home: Nam Dinh in Vietnam’s top flight. Now, he is back in English football, back in the FA Cup, and back in a setting where his presence can reshape a game plan in an instant.
Austin’s long view pays off
This signing did not happen on a whim. Harborough boss Mitch Austin has had Hudlin in his sights since that afternoon at the London Stadium.
“I remember watching Kyle score for Solihull in the promotion final at the London Stadium and have kept an eye on his career ever since,” Austin told the club’s website. That memory has lingered long enough to influence a major move.
The two were reintroduced months ago. “We met a few months ago through a mutual friend and, when I found out he was a free agent, I was naturally interested. What stood out first was Kyle as a person, before we even got to talking about him as a player.”
Once the conversation turned to football, the fit became obvious. Hudlin offers a focal point, an aerial threat, and a different kind of problem for League One defenders to solve.
“His attributes will give us more firepower going forward,” Austin said. “I’m delighted to welcome him to the club.”
The pressure to justify that excitement will arrive quickly in east London.
Building an EFL spine
Hudlin is not walking into a dressing room short on experience. He is the latest in a line of players with EFL backgrounds to sign for the Bees in recent months. Former Wigan Athletic winger Michael Jacobs is already in the building. So is ex-Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest striker Britt Assombalonga.
For a non-league club, that is a serious attacking arsenal. Jacobs brings craft and delivery, Assombalonga brings power and pedigree, and now Hudlin brings height and penalty-box menace. On paper, it looks like a front line built for exactly the kind of occasion that awaits at Leyton Orient.
Harborough will not control the ball for long spells on Saturday. They know that. What they can do is make every set-piece feel like a crisis for the home defence, every cross a test of nerve and timing. With Hudlin in the box, the percentages change.
The FA Cup has always loved an underdog with a plan. Harborough now have one – and a centre-forward built to execute it.
