Match preview Vs Southport Venue: Aggborough Date: 09-04-22 Kick off: 15:00hrs

08-04-22 - Preview - Kidderminster Harriers Vs Southport

Preview: Phil Lench

The return to form that we saw in the 5-0 win against Curzon Ashton appeared to be something of a false dawn. There was us thinking that after a poor run of results we’d need just one win to set us back on our way again. A lacklustre draw at Bradford (PA) followed by Tuesday evenings dire home defeat against an agricultural Alfreton Town saw that sunny dawn soon cloud over.

Let’s face it we’re just not as good as we thought we were. The poor run started with the Farsley Celtic game back at the end of February and in the nine games since then we’ve accrued a grand total of six points from a possible twenty seven. Playoff form? More like relegation form!

Now we face Southport at Aggborough tomorrow. They too are on a run of negative results but in their last nine games they’ve picked up seven points from their twenty seven possible so slightly better than the Harriers. 

We won’t be at full strength for the game with Geraldo Bajrami out for a few more weeks, Alex Penny back in training but probably too soon to return, Lewis Montrose was missing, still ill, on Tuesday night and now we have Sam Austin doubtful after getting injured in the dying minutes of the Alfreton game. Some say it was concussion but I thought that he was limping as he was being helped off meaning that it could be the Achilles problem that he’s supposedly being managed with.

Southport sit in seventh place in the league table and have just about squeezed into the current playoff places due to their better goal average than the other two sides on fifty points: Darlington FC and Kettering Town. Their points total still leaves them twelve points behind us, but with a game in hand, so it’s up to us to stretch that difference a little and also to keep in touch with a certain team in third place above us.  

The last thing we want is to be heading the other way into fifth place, then sixth, then…. you know what I’m getting at. The answer to that is to win, to beat Southport, to score goals, to get three points, to keep the fans happy and above all to give us the confidence to finish as high as we possibly can as long as it’s third.


Teams:

Harriers from:

Simpson, Emery, Richards, Cameron, Foulkes, Moyo, Nolan, Penny, Bajrami, Lowe, Austin, Redmond, Lissimore, Montrose, Carrington, Martin, Freemantle, Bastable, Tolley, Hemmings, Bell, Morgan-Smith, White, Sterling-James, Stenson.

Southport from:

Mason, McMillan, Anson, Bainbridge, Corrigan, C Doyle, J Doyle, Edwards, Tharme, Benjamin, Hmami, Munro, Oliver, Walton, Watson, Woods, Vassallo, Archer, Buckley-Ricketts, Newell.

Referee: Mr Aaron Bannister. Wakefield


Shanes Opposition Stats Pack:

Away from home in the league: (P17, W5, D4, L8). Spennymoor 3-2, Fylde 2-1, Brackley 1-0, York 3-1, Leamington 1-1, Guiseley 0-2, Blyth 1-2, Curzon 0-0, Gloucester 0-1, Kettering 2-1, Chester 5-0, Telford 0-3, Boston 1-1, Hereford 0-1, Chorley 2-1, Darlington 1-0, Alfreton 2-2

Goals (all competitions): 17 – Carver (left club), 16 – Archer, 6 – Woods, 4 – Watson, 4 – Tharme, 4 – Hmami, 3 – Bainbridge, 2 – Walton, 2 – Vassallo, 1 – Oliver, 1 – Newell, 1 – Munro, 1 – C Doyle, 1 – Anson, 1 – Own goal.

The streaks (league only):

Games since last win: 6

Games since last away win: 3

Games since last draw: 1

Games since last away draw: 0

Games since last defeat: 0

Games since last away defeat: 1

Games since last clean sheet: 5

Games since last away clean sheet: 3

The Squad (appearances are starts + sub, includes both league and cups):

Goalkeepers: Cameron Mason (P39, conceded 48, saved 4out of 6 penalties), Tony McMillan (P3, conceded 4).

Defence: Adam Anson (P41, 1 goal), Jack Bainbridge (P39, 3 goals), Ryan Corrigan (P5), Chris Doyle (P22, 1 goal), Jack Doyle (P40), Liam Edwards (P 11, on loan from Bolton), Douglas Tharme (P32, 4 goals, on loan from Blackpool).

Midfield: Russ Benjamin (P8), Josh Hmami (P30, 4 goals including 1 penalty), Charlie Munro (P34, 1 goal), Charlie Oliver (P40, 1 goal), Tyler Walton (P15, 1 goal), Niall Watson (P26, 4 goals including 2 penalties), Connor Woods (P32, 6 goals), Dylan Vassallo (P40, 2 goals).

Attack: Jordan Archer (P38, 16 goals), Isaac Buckley-Ricketts (P22), George Newell (P5, 1 goal).

Another team looking to sneak into the back door of the play offs. Southport have endured a rough patch lately with their last win coming at Hereford on 26the Feb. However, the barren run since then has counted teams in and around them, the exception being Alfreton in a game that I’m sure was football at its finest…

We remember the reverse fixture at the start of the season when The Port were struggling. It was a hard, physical game with Tharme’s long throws a major threat. Marcus Carver got himself a move to Hartlepool but Jordan Archer has stepped up in his absence.


Talk about the game here

Links to Southport websites here

Find Pubs around Kidderminster here


Previous games against Southport
Played: 40Won: 19Drew: 10Lost: 11
DateH/AComp:ScoreGoalsAtt: (away)
28-08-2021ANational North1 – 1Hemmings903 (112)
07-03-2020ANational North1 – 2Lowe, Hemmings903 
30-11-2019HNational North0 – 1 1206 (70)
22-04-2019ANational North2 – 2Butterfield, Ironside956 (138)
03-11-2018HNational North1 – 4O’Connor1513 (63)
27-01-2018HNational North3 – 0Sonupè, Horsfall, Ironside1968 (99)
09-09-2017ANational North0 – 3Longbottom, Brown 2901 (69)
30-04-2016ANational Premier3 – 4McQuilkin, N’Gwatala, Williams, Garnett1473 (152)
17-10-2015HNational Premier0 – 1 1593 (89)
28-12-2014HNational Premier0 – 1 1883 (76)
09-09-2014ANational Premier1 – 0 769 (80)
22-03-2014HSkrill Premier1 – 1Malbon1818 (71)
12-10-2013ASkrill Premier1 – 2Lolley, Blissett1018 (143)
23-03-2013ABlue Square Premier1 – 3Gash, Malbon, Rowe949 (212)
08-09-2012HBlue Square Premier2 – 2Storer, Malbon1650 (104)
07-04-2012ABlue Square Premier1 – 2Malbon, Jones1544 (244)
27-08-2011HBlue Square Premier2 – 0Byrne, Williams1763 (89)
29-10-2010ABlue Square Premier2 – 2Morris, McPhee1447 (45)
17-08-2010HBlue Square Premier3 – 4Briscoe, Wright, Williams1417 (102)
30-12-2006ANationwide Conference0 – 1Reynolds1016 (200)
19-09-2006HNationwide Conference2 – 0White, Hurren1258 (44)
28-01-2006ANationwide Conference1 – 4Jackson, Harkness, Christie, Russell1076
22-10-2005AFA Cup 4th qual rd1 – 0 1108 (135)
27-08-2005HNationwide Conference1 – 1Hatswell1753 (77)
15-04-2000ANationwide Conference0 – 1Midgeley2033
13-11-1999HNationwide Conference5 – 0Druce 3, Petersen 21404
19-12-1998ANationwide Conference1 – 1Hines976
26-10-1998HNationwide Conference2 – 1OG, Arnold1780
14-02-1998HVauxhall Conference1 – 1Arnold1612
11-10-1997AVauxhall Conference1 – 2Doherty, Deakin1200
26-04-1997HVauxhall Conference3 – 0Davies, Brindley, Olney3139
31-08-1996AVauxhall Conference1 – 0 1423
09-12-1995HVauxhall Conference2 – 3Casey, Webb1664
30-09-19951AVauxhall Conference0 – 2Davies 21164
28-01-1995HVauxhall Conference0 – 1 1851
03-09-1994AVauxhall Conference4 – 1Davies1168
12-03-1994HVauxhall Conference2 – 0Weir 23877
18-12-1993AVauxhall Conference1 – 1 Davies1739
17-02-1986HFA Trophy 3rd rd replay6 – 1Davies 2, Casey 3, Buckland1113
08-02-1986AFA Trophy 3rd rd1 – 1Casey1902