Match preview Vs Southport

The Harriers travel up to the seaside town of Southport tomorrow hoping that we'll be come back down to Worcestershire a few hours later with three points tucked under our belts.  We've always had a decent record of results at Haig Avenue - or the tongue twisting Merseyrail Community Stadium as it's now known - in past years and we can trace our last league defeat there to 1996.  We did lose a FA Cup game there by the single goal back in 2005 though.

In previous seasons Southport have always seemed to start well and then drift away come the end of the season.  This year that trend is being bucked and they currently sit in fifteenth place with a simply shocking away record.  Just the one victory on the road in their second game of the season at Hyde and since then nothing, zero, zilch.  Not a single point.

Their home form is much better though and they have yet to taste defeat at home.  Their last game at home to Woking did end in a draw but Haig Avenue is still something of a fortress.  A fortress we need to break down if we wish to return home happy.

Our emphatic 4-1 win against FGR at Aggborough on Tuesday evening should help us in that quest but it'll have to be done without the services of James Dance following his late, needless, dismissal for a reckless tackle minutes after coming on with the game well won and us just running time down until the final whistle.  We did try to appeal against the red card yesterday but it was upheld and Dance will now have to sit through a three game ban that will see him miss Southport, Lincoln City and a FA Cup game against as yet unknown opponents.

We'll still be without long term injury victims Mickey Demetriou (fractured wrist), Michael Gash (hamstring) and Chey Dunkley (knee) but their deputies, Danny Jackman, Jamie Grimes and Nathan Blissett are all coping well while Amari Morgan-Smith (above) stood in for the out of sorts Anthony Malbon on Tuesday and scored two goals in the win with one coming from the spot.

Southport seem to be injury free looking at their somewhat lurid website but they should be seeing Chris Almond and Matty Flynn available for selection following injury.

I have a feeling that our record there will stand us in good stead and we could end up winning the game and putting paid to Fortress Haig Avenue.




Harriers from:
Lewis, N Vaughan, L Vaughan, Grimes, Gowling, Tolley, Storer, Fowler, Jackman, Lolley, Angus, Johnson, Malbon, Morgan-Smith, Gittings, Blissett.

Southport from:
Hurst, Stevenson, Smith, Willis, Akrigg, Flynn, Brown, Chalmers, Milligan, Tames, Ledsham, Almond, Challoner, Rutherford, Hattersley, Joyce, Lynch, George, Fitzpatrick, Osawe, Irie-Bi.

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