Son of Eric braved the harsh conditions to watch Hereford at Haig Avenue yesterday.
I enjoy visits to Southport you always receive a warm welcome and the good hearts at the club were having a Food Bank collection. Turnstile operators advised Bulls fans going on to the terraces that if it got very windy and wet to upgrade themselves to the main stand at no cost. This is a regular feature of their hospitality and almost all the just over 200 Hereford supporters took advantage in the crowd of 851. Southport face five away games in December so the matchday announcer was jigging away and cranking out the Xmas tunes. The delicatessen takeaway had an impressive selection of food and the compact programme at only £1.50 still had better content than some with twice the price.
The weather spoilt the occasion. Driving rain, blustery but blowing in from the West down and at times across the pitch made for challenging conditions. Southport’s pitch remains one of the poorest in the division with muddy goalmouths especially at the home Scarisbrook end, and lines every 5 yards or so the whole length of the pitch mark futile drainage attempts. Everton women have now moved to their own ground but Everton under-23s now help churn up the pitch and compared to the smoothness of Edgar Street, Haig Avenue provides a very different challenge.
Hereford kept an unchanged defence of Hall, Hodgkiss, Pearce, Haines and Andoh. Lloyd stayed sitting on the left with Vincent coming into the starting line up and Kouhyar dropping to the bench. TOE stayed in the hole and the Smith, Gordon, McLean trident continued. It was good to see Storey and Pollock back on the bench after their recent head injuries.
The wind made football very difficult. Hereford were kicking into it and struggled to allow for surges with longer forward balls shanking away. When Hall took goal kicks the ball moved at times such was the strength of the gale and he had to reposition it. Southport overhit balls forward and Hereford looked the better side but there was limited entertainment.
Andoh broke down the left, and crossed the clearance fell to Tom on edge of the box but his strike went over the bar.
An overhit Southport cross came to Hodgkiss in the box and he tried to dribble away but he was dispossessed by Hmami who shot, Hall saving and then another Southport shot was blocked on the line by Haines and Vassalo fired wide, a lucky escape. It was good to see youngster Smith go over to captain Hodgkiss and tell him to clear the ball first and play football later.
The conditions were difficult, but Hereford struggled to adapt. It was like playing golf with a strong wind where if you want to get near the hole you need to aim ten or twenty yards right of the flag. Any slight curl on a passed ball was turned into a shank. Hall’s kicks out would climb and then drop like a stone before they met the halfway line. Add to this an unreliable pitch which was progressively getting worse. Hodgkiss with his experience did adjust flighting balls down the right as close to the touchline as possible knowing the gale coming from the end of the big stand would bring the ball back in. Vincent produced one beautiful slightly sliced half volleyed pass that fought back into the wind, but too many players and especially the youngsters repeatedly wasted possession.
In fairness the best preparation for this game would have been getting on a rugby pitch next to the Wye and hiring a portable wind tunnel. Training on a plastic pitch is no preparation for mud and wet. Just before half time Woods beat Andoh and got to the by-line and clipped an inviting ball to Archer one of Southport’s two big men. He met the cross balletically getting great power into this header and Hall was helpless, but the ball glanced off the top of the bar.
The weather was varying with the rain ceasing, lightening, and returning. The wind gusted and turned a little so that it was a little more across the pitch. Southport immediately showed how comfortable they were with their home conditions regularly putting longer balls down the right into a twilight zone with uneven bounce and a little slight pooling of water, so that the ball did not run true. Local knowledge aiding them to hit the sweet spots or should that be the swamp spots to discombobulate defenders. This was more lottery than football but with the wind added in home advantage was considerable.
Andoh looked good going forward and a whipped cross found Gordon who headed over. Southport immediately replied and crossed from the left. Haines stretched to clear but did not get a clean connection and the ball fell to Woods on the edge of the box who shot. Hall did well to save it, but the ball fell to Archer who made no mistake. This was not the weather or pitch for the tricky close control of McLean, and he was replaced by Storey, but Miles also struggled with the lottery of how the ball would run.
Gordon put his regular shift in and was replaced by Ismael with Storey moving into the central striking position. Haines normally one of Hereford best passers struggled to distribute and was replaced by Pollock.
Zeli Ismail With An Effort That Went Over The Crossbar
Right winger Woods was a constant threat and got down the by-line, thankfully greedily shooting into the side netting with two amber shirts waiting in the box. Under no pressure Vincent passed back into the quagmire that was the penalty box, the ball did not run true and although Hall got to it the slowing of the ball allowed Carver to challenge and the ball ran free, Woods picked it up knocking it past Hall and into the empty net. You normally see goals like this scored on park pitches. I wonder how many other “assists” the impure Pure stadium pitch gets during a season. It was a poor decision by Vincent, but you do not expect such poor conditions at this level of football.
Hereford kept on trying but still struggle to score the number of goals their possession and play would suggest. It was notable that Southport did not make any substitutions and having not played on Tuesday they were the fresher team. Hereford’s dead balls were not to their usual standard but again conditions were a factor. The run of wins comes to an end. Hereford played the better football but seemed poorly prepared for the conditions. With Burr having managed Southport the wind and pitch could not have come as a surprise and Hereford played too much as if they were at Edgar Street.
The home sponsors rightly gave mudlark Woods the man of the match, for Hereford Lloyd made fewest mistakes in difficult circumstances.
It will be good to be back on grass next week!