It's felt like a long week this week but tomorrow is the day the squad get to show whether the performance and result v Telford was the new benchmark or just a flash in the pan. It would be a welcome sight before our tough FA cup fixture at home to BPA to put some more point on the board and string together back to back wins for the first time this season.

Like us, Southport are dwelling well below where they thought they might be in the league. The return of Liam Watson has seen them occupy 20th position with a record of 1 win, 3 Draws and 5 Defeats and a goal difference of -7. They do have some good players though. Late season acquisitions Elliott Osbourne (ex-Fleetwood) and Jason Gilchrist (ex-FCUM) along with the summer acquisition of GK Dan Hanford (ex-Gateshead) mean they have quality in their squad.

Focusing back on ourselves I've mentioned on other threads the importance, above all else, of retaining the 4-2-3-1 / 4-5-1 formation that was so successful against Telford. The returning to fitness of players will give Tommy some difficult, but welcome decisions to make. However, it should at least mean we have options on the bench to change the game in our favour should we need to.

Plenty of debate on the team we should be going with but for me we make one change. Styche is our best striker, he proved it last season, and is ahead in the charts this season. For me he has to come back into the team. So I would set us up:

--------------------------- Maddison--------------------------

Trotman ------------ Burn ------- Hughes ------- O'Hanlon

--------------------- Wheatley ---- Elliott --------------------

Thompson --------------- Syers ----------------- Nicholson

---------------------------- Styche -------------------------------

Subs: Saunders, Ainge, Henshall, Galbraith, Bancroft.

I Think this team is good enough to win a fair few on the bounce if we can maintain the system that allows them to perform to their best.

Im away so missing this one but as DBTS has stated on another thread its cashless turnstyles.

https://southportfc.net/admission-prices/

Just hope Darlo play like last Saturday!

Happy with that line up , bit tough on Saunders but you cant leave your captain/top scorer warming the bench when he's been away on international duty.

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Saunders knows his place in the pecking order. The difference is this season he looks like he could make the chances he gets count. He's already, more toned this season, and he's clearly learning. As he continues to develop, we'll see if he has the mettle to become a regular. But that won't be this season.

Totally agree with the OP's team.

I'm very concerned it will be 4-4-2, and he will drop Syers for Ainge though. The OP's formation works better for us imo. A much better shape.

Yeah can't disagree with any of that. 4-5-1 with Syers playing off a front man has worked for us in the past and it would be silly to deviate from that.

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Depending on Southport's forward options I'd consider Ainge and Hughes at the back. Perhaps not if they play with a nippy forward or two but they'd be an imposing pairing.

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Wheatley out injured. Henshall comes in to replace him and Styche comes in for Saunders. Ainge not fit enough for the bench.

Guessing that will leave us as:


--------------------------- Maddison--------------------------

Trotman ------------ Burn ------- Hughes ------- O'Hanlon 

--------------------- Wheatley ---- Syers ---------------------

Thompson -------------- Nicholson ---------------- Henshall

------------------------------- Styche -------------------------------

Subs: Saunders, Glover, Galbraith, A. Burn, Morrison.

Syers pulls out in the warm up. Glover takes his place.

We seem very lightweight in midfield, would have put Tez in instead of Glover and a big blow being without Syers and Wheatley.Will do well to get anything out of this game to be honest.


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Be interested to see how Glover does, good opportunity for him to impress

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0 - 0 at half time. Sounds like a balanced game.

Darlo turned down a obvious sounding penalty. 4 minutes later Southport are awarded one. But it's saved by Maddison.

Even the southport end said: "got away with that one" after nicholson was very obviously brought down in the box.

Will take the 0-0 seeing as though we sounded under the cosh.

Positive - unbeaten in 2, clean sheets 2.

Get Wheatley, Syers, Ainge back and the next 2 league matches (Stockport H and FCUM A) look winnable.

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“Everybody knows where that club is going now, so I’m out of the way. They can carry on, it’s their club, they can keep it." - Raj Singh, 2017

Happy with that. 2 clean sheets in a row with a threadbare squad.

Get some players back and it’ll all begin to click imo.

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It was important to keep southport down below us as it will be with FCUM as with about a quarter of the season gone the relegation zone is a bit too close for comfort. We dont want that still to be the case when the next quarter is done and dusted. Sounded like we were hanging on a bit against a big-spending side that has had a dreadful start to the season but a relief to get another clean sheet. Hopefully we will soon be looking more up the table to the challengers than down at the strugglers. The last two games have suggested progress despite depleted numbers.

I love a clean sheet, me.

We may find out at the end of the season that Southport are much higher than they are now, and hopefully same with us.

Think we're on the right path and would love a couple of cup wins and some £££££s for once.

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“Everybody knows where that club is going now, so I’m out of the way. They can carry on, it’s their club, they can keep it." - Raj Singh, 2017

Sounds like a decent point. 2 clean sheets in a row - something to build on that. Now, on to the FA cup and the dream of making it to the 3rd qualifying round...

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Anyone know how bad Wheatley injury is?

Believe it's not a bad injury, I guess the hope will be that he could be available for next week.

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It was an abdominal strain according to Echo.

Just back from the game. How it ended 0-0 I'll never know, if Southport had had a half decent striker they could have won 4-0 (or more). However, the positive to take from this was the stout and resolute defending from Darlo having defenders in the right place (on the goal line) at the right time. In all honesty we never really looked like scoring apart from one Styche header that the Southport keeper did well to parry. Great save by Maddison from the Southport penalty and I thought Glover did well given his short notice start when Syers was seemingly injured in the warm-up. Hughes excellent in defence - he seems to get better with every match.

We were under the cosh for first 20 mins, then we got into the game and we matched them the rest of the first half. Second half started ok but under the cosh for most of it, so good to get a clean sheet by some excellent defending (although they did get a penalty and hit the post a couple of times), some great long passes to feet by the team. In the first half thought that Hughes would be man of the match again, but Maddison in goal saved us multiple times so he would be my choice overall.

Never really caused their keeper any problems at all in the whole game with Styche often isolated and later on looking a little despondent. We missed Syers and Wheatley as there was no real link up between midfield and the forward although Elliott tried hard.

Saying all that, the players ran their socks off, and we finally carried that bit of luck that all teams need in a season.

It does show that we are running on a thin squad and a few injuries can really impact on the flow of football, with a few of the team looking a little injury prone this is going to be a difficult year for TW to get a settled team, and I can't see us being able to afford more players (unless some move out?).

Still happy with a draw and clean sheet, so we may be on an upward curve.

Onward and upwards
"Up the Quakers"

Agree with all that above. Close call between Hughes and Maddison for me, I would have said Hughes. Not ideal having to re-shuffle before a ball was kicked but I do still worry how over-run we were in midfield? Maybe people will stop moaning on about the Blyth game after today because to be honest we could have lost by 5 or 6 had they taken their chances. I believe luck evens itself up and the table doesn't lie so let's move on please.

Good to hear of Hughes' continued improvement, perhaps starting to get match fit as well as having more time to pick his passes having been forced to play in back four?
Also Maddison seems to be settling into the team with another penalty save (shame it wasn't at BM as a number of fans need convincing of his skills).
Hopefully, both Syers and Wheatley will be fit & available for a long FA Cup run.

Sounded like a much better performance from Maddison yesterday, probably no coincidence that he’s now got a composed, dominant defender in front of him in Hughes. Sounded like Burn had a mare though.

I thought that Burn did ok to be honest in both of the last two games, he looks much more comfortable next to Hughes who was quite vocal organising the defence and they make a good pairing, I would not change pairing as it can only improve with game time together. Hughes is very good at anticipating and has a great footballing brain being in the right place, looks a perfect centre back being strong in the air and in tackle not to mention his ability to accurately pass the ball and not panic under pressure. Also need to say you can see he is losing weight and getting fitter. With Collins and Galbraith able to cover the full back places we have cover at the back in all areas.

Our weakness is in midfield with not a lot of cover for that central area with only Elliott and Wheatley. Mitchell Glover played ok, not wasting many passes, but needs to build up a bit of strength (like Saunders has), he was more of a holding midfielder than dynamic but the stronger opposition players were able to overpower him a few times and lacked a bit of strength in the tackles but he is still very young and that will come.

We have options up front and on wings, and Saunders looks better every time I see him play now.

Some of the young lads on the bench look useful as well

Think the future is bright in my humble opinion

Agreed we are short centre mid, but I suppose until we can move Caton on our hands are tied. At some point I think we need to try and come to a compromise about paying Caton off, as Tommy doesn’t fancy him. Then he can go and try and get a contract elsewhere.

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