Silver lining before rains of Southport
MIXED emotions this week with two game and two very different results.
The first game against Kidderminster in the FA Trophy was arguably the harder of the week, while Southport, nestling just above the drop zone should have been points in the bag.
As it was I got things totally wrong.
So, first the positive, we’re in the next round of the Trophy and another £7,000 better off thanks to a great team effort against a play-off contender.
Both teams made changes to the first game at Aggborough, the Harriers were without the influential McQuilkin who normally dominates the midfield, we capitalised and ran out 3-0 winners.
Turner and McKenna both opened their County goals account and while I could have done without the handbags over who took the penalty, Bohan put it away so all’s well and it’s off to Maidenhead in the last 16.
At the weekend we went to Southport.
I have a thing about the sea – I can look at it for hours and Kate is always going on about how I take her the length and breadth of the country, yet we never see anywhere, except the football ground.
So we set of early, parked near the ground and set off to discover the delights of Southport.
There’s nothing worse than Britain in winter than a seaside town when it rains.
It rained as we walked through the town.
It rained as we walked along the pier and it rained as we walked back to the ground.
As the game started though, the floodlights were turned on and low and behold the sun came out just in time for Turner to score his second in as many games.
Sadly that was as good as it got for the travelling faithful. Southport, just like Kidderminster, were much more comfortable on the ball and on this occasion we just couldn’t handle the pressure.
After surviving till half time with a one-goal lead the home team scored very early in the second with a lucky deflection, a second soon followed and so did a third largely down to our own mistakes, the midfield never had any control on the game, the defence just dithered about. Clarke, O’Halloran and Winter were all culpable, while up front Stephenson looked like he wanted to pass the ball into the net when a shot looked a far better option.
At the death Jimmy Ball missed a sitter which summed up the half.
We could have been in the play-offs instead we’re still mid-table and with some huge games to come this week, Harrogate and York, we need to pull our socks up or it’ll be the bottom half of the table this time next week.