MotM: 26-04-24. Southport (A) Richards

[TrialistA]

Scunthorpe have already started selling tickets for their game at the weekend too. Frustrating how slow on the uptake we are sometimes.

https://harriers.co.uk/news/2025/04/28/play-off-tickets-on-sale/

Only took a few more hours!

May the 4th be with you.

Sorry, but it had to be done.

[Jasper]

Scunthorpe have already started selling tickets for their game at the weekend too. Frustrating how slow on the uptake we are sometimes.

https://harriers.co.uk/news/2025/04/28/play-off-tickets-on-sale/

Only took a few more hours!

Tickets selling well. Including STH's that haven't yet claimed their seats main stand virtually sold out.

[HarrierN2]

Two massive games now where we won't be favourites but at least we have a second bite of the cherry.

Saturday was awful but are you seriously suggesting we wouldn't be favourites at home to Chester/Buxton?

As an indicator we are 5/4 favs with the bookmakers to win the whole play offs. I think that price is tight and I'm not sure I agree that we should be a shorter price than Scunthorpe but it does show how our chances are perceived by others.

Interestingly our price on Saturday drifted like a barge. We opened up at 2/9 and went off at 8/15. That was a huge market move against us, the type of move you'd expect if there was a sickness bug around the camp.

Huh. Why would the odds shift like that? Interested that you'd choose "sickness bug" as a possible reason?

[Dan]

Can’t see this one being in higher demand than the Hereford one, don’t think we’ve sold out a play off game in the NLN

[harry211]

On the highlights...they are an interesting watch when you compare the recollection and the footage. We did seem to actually get behind Southport a couple of times in the opening 20 minutes. Perhaps we have become so used to getting early goals, that when the Zak Brown chance dribbled wide of the post, the drain began?

I looked back at the Hemmo run and delayed shot. I still think if he pulled the trigger earlier, we'd have gone a goal up. Fine, fine margins. Dreadfully bad that we basically conceded from kick off for their second!

[Jim mankey]

Chatted earlier with my mate Rusty about the reason we played so poorly on Saturday. He reminded me of a conversation we had with Russ Penn a few years ago. The gist of it was that Russ didn't like overnight stays away before a game as it was like taking a bunch of kids away, horse play at 1 am etc. I'm not saying that this happened at all but it would be interesting to know if all the players were tucked up in bed at 10:30 pm.

[tonythescout]

We’ve had a fair few over night stops this season if truth be known and it hadn’t affected us before. The simple matter is we froze on the day, end of.
Harry I agree hemmo should have pulled the trigger earlier but to stay he would have scored is semi ambitious, it isn’t in a fantastic position, only the keepers right to aim for. It isn’t a sitter. But him taking an extra touch pretty much summed up our performance-unusual.
Too warm for us to freeze on Sunday, I’d be surprised if we pulled in more than 3500 home ticket sales.
Not too fussed who we get. All very very tough games in their own rights.

[Jack Hammer]

Two massive games now where we won't be favourites but at least we have a second bite of the cherry.

Saturday was awful but are you seriously suggesting we wouldn't be favourites at home to Chester/Buxton?

As an indicator we are 5/4 favs with the bookmakers to win the whole play offs. I think that price is tight and I'm not sure I agree that we should be a shorter price than Scunthorpe but it does show how our chances are perceived by others.

Interestingly our price on Saturday drifted like a barge. We opened up at 2/9 and went off at 8/15. That was a huge market move against us, the type of move you'd expect if there was a sickness bug around the camp.

Out of interest, which bookmaker is offering those odds?

[Dr Shrimp PuertoRico]

Two massive games now where we won't be favourites but at least we have a second bite of the cherry.

Saturday was awful but are you seriously suggesting we wouldn't be favourites at home to Chester/Buxton?

As an indicator we are 5/4 favs with the bookmakers to win the whole play offs. I think that price is tight and I'm not sure I agree that we should be a shorter price than Scunthorpe but it does show how our chances are perceived by others.

Interestingly our price on Saturday drifted like a barge. We opened up at 2/9 and went off at 8/15. That was a huge market move against us, the type of move you'd expect if there was a sickness bug around the camp.

Out of interest, which bookmaker is offering those odds?

Bet 365. Not sure many others have priced up the play offs.

Kiddy 5/4
Scunthorpe 13/8
Chester 15/2
Chorley 9/1
Kings Lynn 18/1
Buxton 28/1

[Jack Hammer]

Thanks. I think ours and Scunthorpe odds should be reversed.

[Paulwj]

Perhaps they take into account performance against these sides this season ?

[Medieval]

If those highlights were representative of the game, then im surprised at the negativity. Reminds me of our earlier season performances (& many of last seasons also), we dominate chances & dangerous situations but either fluff them or make the wrong decisions. It looked like Southports lucky day.

[Mirage Molby]

If those highlights were representative of the game, then im surprised at the negativity. Reminds me of our earlier season performances (& many of last seasons also), we dominate chances & dangerous situations but either fluff them or make the wrong decisions. It looked like Southports lucky day.

Apart from the nasty corners and the great goal after half time their threat level was minimal. And yes, it did resemble a pre PB meltdown performance. We looked vulnerable where we haven’t for 13 /14 games.

Anyway, it’s gone now. I think we’ve seen enough from this team to know they are capable of beating whichever two teams are put in front of them from the NLN.

Let’s see how they line up and the tempo and energy they adopt from the whistle on Sunday. We’ll find out soon enough.

[tonythescout]

Yes their threat was minimal but so was ours. Did we really test the keeper? Did we create anything clear cut? Failed to really dominate them and cause them issues. Their keeper had a chilled day. Long balls headed away all day long as just aimless, as was the crossing. NKP old and has a mistake in him. We failed to target and test him and played into his hands with hoof ball to a cooked AMS and NKP won everything on him. And Brown took off our only decent crossers of the ball. Usual games or not, if either of them had a yard they;d have delivered some quality in.

[Mirage Molby]

100% agree Tony. After a slightly hopeful opening 15 minutes our attacking edge faded to nothing.