Sandgrounders v Rovers

[Sparky]

After a morale boosting win on Saturday rovers face the short trip on the Northern Line to Haig Avenue. Not sure when we last played them in a competitive match.

The Sandgrounders are managed by GBs former assistant Paul Carden who would have come to PP had he not been given the reins at Southport. A poor start to the season saw a brief upturn before another loss at Forest Green on Saturday. Notable players include former rovers youth keeper Andy Coughlin and former Rochdale/Bradford stalwart who I always liked, Gary Jones.

Without getting over excited after Saturday we need to win this to set us up for Grimsby on Friday. Southports 5 points from 10 games this season sees them in the bottom 3 and given our excellent performance on Saturday (mainly first half), we should go at Southport from the first minute.

All being well I would expect the same rovers eleven. Why change a winning team when your playing a side low on confidence near the bottom of the league. That said, as recent results against Alty & Kidderminster have shown, we can't take anyone lightly no matter where they are in the league - and I expect Southport to raise their game - but the result on Saturday surely means we should be winning this one.

Prediction: Same rovers starting 11 and a comfortable 3-0 win.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

To answer Sparky's question, our last competitive game at Haig Avenue was a League Cup tie in 1977, nine months before Southport failed re-election and were replaced in the Football League by Wigan. Before my time as a Rovers fan, but I am sure some on here remember the game.

I agree with Sparky that we should start with the same team and formation as Saturday. I also agree that this is the sort of game we must start winning if we are to be promoted, particularly given the very difficult match that follows on Friday. However, there is certainly no room for complacency. We have struggled badly against the weaker sides this season and Southport certainly won't give us the time and space Chester allowed us on Saturday. It will be a very different game.

Hopefully another great Rovers turnout and three points.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Just seen the official site. Rovers allocation of 1,500 tickets has sold out. Very impressive.

 

[Ian]

Go at them from the off and keep to the same side. Just managed to get a ticket albeit a standing one. Should be interesting given the points mentioned above. Hope it's not a disappointment.

 

[Boz]

I'd agree that we should start with the same line-up as Chester, assuming everyone's fit.

By all accounts, Southport gave Forest Green a good contest at the weekend. Paul Carden, having worked with Brabin before will have a good idea how his mind works and may gain some advantage from that. It won't be an easy game.

As well as those Sparky mentions Southport also have Ben Davies on loan from Preston. When with us, he was weak in the air, so our long balls may be more productive than usual.

Great to sell out our ticket allocation, let's hope the team give the travelling SWA something to cheer.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I remember us playing Southport several times, but we never won at Haig Avenue, so that makes it at least 50 years since our last triumph there. I'm hoping the momentum from Saturday plus GB's knowledge of the opposition will chang history. Two-one to Rovers.

 

[drwhoman]

You are pretty spot on BBTC. Consulting my trusty Gilbert Upson earlier and I see a home win in 64-5 after a 2-2 draw away. Goals to John Manning, Barry Dyson and Charlie Mac. What a crowd favourite he was! A 7-1 win in 62-3 with Alan Arnell scoring 3 and Dave Hickson 2. Would you believe that we might have to go back to 57-8 and the Third Div North for our last win at Haig Ave! 3-0. Probably around the time I was first taken to Rovers by my father. The team included Peter Farrell and Tommy Eglington who had both arrived from Everton at a time when players needed to slip down the leagues given their poor pay. We are due for a win then! In that 57-8 Div were another 9 teams who are no longer in the top 4 Divisions. It is not just us!

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

You are pretty spot on BBTC. Consulting my trusty Gilbert Upson earlier and I see a home win in 64-5 after a 2-2 draw away. Goals to John Manning, Barry Dyson and Charlie Mac. What a crowd favourite he was! A 7-1 win in 62-3 with Alan Arnell scoring 3 and Dave Hickson 2. Would you believe that we might have to go back to 57-8 and the Third Div North for our last win at Haig Ave! 3-0. Probably around the time I was first taken to Rovers by my father. The team included Peter Farrell and Tommy Eglington who had both arrived from Everton at a time when players needed to slip down the leagues given their poor pay. We are due for a win then! In that 57-8 Div were another 9 teams who are no longer in the top 4 Divisions. It is not just us!

Ah, yes, I remember well seeing all those players you mention - and I believe all of them in their prime would walk into Rovers' team this season.

I was definitely at both the games in '64/'65 and seem to remember we threw away a two-goal lead. It seems things haven't changed much!

 

[drwhoman]

Agree! Just out of interest the nine teams were Barrow, Workington, Bradford PA,Gateshead, Stockport, Halifax, Southport, Chester and Wrexham.

 

[bigmart]

should be another win this im going for 2 1

 

[bigmart]

A disappointing result against a team who will struggle to avoid relegation. We cant get a run going at the moment & are in danger of losing a lot of ground in the hunt for the play offs

 

[drwhoman]

I agree. Looks like another poor first half and then a better effort in the second helped by an early goal and a sending off for Southport. Should have won arguably against ten men for 30 mins. Still there we are - the teams around us did not all win so we are still close to the play off positions. Need to do better at Grimsby though. I see Andy Bishop was playing for Southport.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

While good character was shown by the players in the second half to battle their way back into the game, there is no escaping the fact the first period was appalling, shades of Altrincham and Borehamwood. I am happy with a point, simply because we were so poor in the first period and other results were not too bad for us.

In the first half we were pedestrian on the ball and woeful defensively. Hogan and Hill had nightmares and all of Southport's attacks came through Armond on the left hand side. Not for the first time this season we went into a game against inferior opposition with the wrong attitude, and failed to match Southport for energy and enthusiasm in the first twenty minutes. This is something that has to change if we are to have a successful season.

Individually, there were not any really outstanding displays, but Jenno stepped up and drove us forward in the second half and Norwood again showed his quality with a fantastic goal.

It was disappointing that after a twenty minute purple patch at the start of the second period our play became pedestrian when they went down to ten men, and Southport saw the game out fairly comfortably in the end and deserved their point.

As a ninety minute performance it was disappointing, but it was a great atmosphere and an entertaining encounter. We will have to be better to get anything at Grimsby.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

Perfect summary. Ikky needs to play centre back and Sutton shouldn't be near the team.

My question is: are we fit enough? I think there's an issue there, not just with the players coming back from injury.

Mangan was mingin.

Couldn't see us getting a point at half-time so glad of that crumb of comfort.

National League football really is poor.

 

[Ian]

Completely agree RLC. They should have been embarrassed by that showing in the first 45. Just disappointed we couldn't finish them off after a much brighter start to the second half. We'll be going nowhere if they continue to play like this. The first 45 was simply unacceptable. At 2-0 they should have started to play, not wait till after half time.

There is something just not right with this team.

 

[drwhoman]

Maybe Gary is the problem. There were mixed reviews when he was appointed. However, I might be being a bit unfair. This is a completely new team which has seen new players added even in the last couple of weeks. We will have a better sense by Xmas I imagine.

 

[Ian]

Yes drwhoman, it seems very much an experimental season. GB has said we dominated possession in the first half, I must have been at a different game.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

We might have had more of the ball in the the first half, but we did nothing with the ball. Port just sat back and picked us off. Apart from Mangan's free kick, we never got near their goal. Overall we hardly made their keeper work, even during the 20 minute period at the start of the second half when we were swarming all over them. I just don't understand how we start so many games with no energy, totally lethargic. Oh well, maybe we'll never know why.

 

[Boz]

It was a dismal first half. Southport had already had a couple of attacks from their right flank onto our left side, which they failed to finish and Rovers didn't heed the warning. Two goals in the space of a few minutes, both originating from that area and the rest of the half, Mangan free-kick aside, was dominated by the Sandgrounders. TT64 is right about of failure to use possession when we had the ball.

Second half started brighter, though not literally, as the lighting was weak. Rovers went at them from the off and pulled an early goal back. Why hadn't we gone at them like that from the kick-off? Brabin soon replaced a clearly unfit Mangan with Jackson and Norwood scored an excellent leveller. Rovers continued to press during a purple patch, but then Southport reduced to 10 men for a foul on Jackson. I thought at the time and having seen highlights remain of the view that it was a harsh red card. However, the hosts re-grouped with most of the action in the last quarter hour taking place around the Tranmere box. I was grateful for a point, as the way the game was ending, a Southport winner wouldn't have surprised.

Brabin praised Hill and the midfield in his post-match remarks. I thought Matt had a poor game and should have been covering Hogan for their second goal. The midfield didn't do enough covering for either goal. Hard to pick out a MoM, Norwood's tendency to give the ball away when building promising attacks counted against him, despite the quality finish and general threat in the box. If pushed, I'd give it to Jay Harris, though the Sandgrounders Lewis Almond on the right-wing was probably the best player on the park.

Brabin probably got more right than wrong last night. He picked the same side as Saturday, can't really be blamed for all eleven losing their spines as they crossed the touchline. He fired them up to pull a goal back at the start of the second half and when he saw Mangan's inability to attack a decent ball across the box, replaced him with Jackson. The wrongs include a subs bench with Holness ahead of Ridehalgh, while Riley's continuing absence adds weight to behind-the-scenes bust-up theories.He should have looked at a second substitution to up the pressure when Southport went down to ten, Blissett up front, Jackson on the wing, one of the wide men off. Perhaps even a third introducing Margetts instead of Norwood, who'd taken a knock.

Finally a little puzzled as to how the attendance is calculated. Apparently 1,450 SWA attended. Yet we sold all our 1,500 tickets AND there was paying on the gate. spot of doctoring the figures?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

the Sandgrounders Lewis Almond on the right-wing was probably the best player on the park.

Gary Jones was also very good for them, a player who could probably do a job for us at this level.

I agree with Boz that we should have made a second substitution after the red card. Although Jackson showed some nice touches when he came on, I thought he was ineffective as a partner for Norwood and his pace was little use with Southport defending deep at that stage.

Given how inconsistent we have been, I am just pleased we are still reasonably placed in eighth. I still believe we have good quality players for this level, we are just not seeing the best of them.

I notice Palios has again commented on the bad behaviour of some of our supporters yesterday, a recurring theme with these big away turnouts. That said, the atmosphere was the best thing about the game yesterday, probably the most exciting night Southport have had for a while.