Yan Klukowski's Black And White Army

One for the purists on Tuesday night at Edgar Street, those aesthetes who like to see the beautiful game played the right way, and who have a shrine to Andrea Pirlo in their spare room – that’s right, Southport are in town.

OK, not really. The chances are that the following will happen: timewasting, crowding of the referee and an impressive array of dark arts from the visitors at 0-0, a long diagonal punt into the box not dealt with by the home defence and bundled in from a yard out by the visitors after 75 minutes, then more timewasting, crowding of the referee, dark arts and some thoroughly unsavoury goading of the home fans thrown into the mix for the remainder of the match and at the final whistle. 0-1, the ‘crowd’, or more likely ‘intimate social gathering’ given recent Bulls form and the weather forecast, trudge off home feeling very much lessened as human beings by the experience.

The head-to-heads certainly don’t favour the hosts, who have gained just two points from the seven matches these clubs have contested since Hereford’s arrival in the National League North. However, ‘the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there’, and if the Bulls can bring their ‘A’ game they can do things differently here by actually winning a match against the Lancastrians. Hell, why be so specific, they can do things differently by actually winning a match full stop. Admittedly that ‘A’ game seems to have slipped very deeply down the back of the club sofa recently. If it does emerge on Tuesday it’ll have all fluff and mysterious sticky stuff on it, but nevertheless it would be lovely to see.

Aaron Amadi Holloway’s absence through injury on Saturday, added to Jack Evans’ own sicknote, was always going to leave a huge hole in the Hereford line-up, and so it proved with a meek capitulation to struggling Farsley. That was the Bulls’ fourth loss in five games. It was of course also Josh Gowling’s final game in charge. Whether his commute from Grimsby suggested a commitment to the club or the opposite, it would be churlish now to suggest the latter, and better to assume the former and thank him for his efforts as both player and manager.

As for Josh’s replacement, will it be a Purdie/Green dream ticket? Will it be Super Gavin Williams? Will it be not-so-super Gavin Williamson? Presumably none of the above, although appointing the latter would raise a few eyebrows at least. The new person will get a good bedding-in period before starting work on a summer shopping list, so in that respect the timing by the board looks reasonable. I know who I’d like but I’m not saying (it’s not Gavin Williamson).

I don’t know how this would be done formation-wise as it would be daft to drop Levi Andoh, but tactically it would be a good idea to shoehorn captain Jared Hodgkiss into the starting XI for this match somehow if his fitness allows – his steadying influence alone looks badly needed, and given who the opponents are he’ll readily point out any monkey business to the ref. In fact, he may as well be tried up front. If he can finish this season in the same rip-roaring form that he finished the last, he could end up with ten goals as a striker. Actually given that he’s been given the nod as assistant caretaker gaffer I suppose he can do what he wants.

Jack Holmes looks to have a good case for a starting place too in place of Ryan McLean, who sadly just seems to be strangely distracted at the moment. 

The Sandgrounders had slipped to 12^th place in the table having won just one game in their last ten, before stopping the rot with a win at Chorley last Saturday. Admittedly they’d drawn six of those so they’re still tough to beat even when they’re in a bit of a form trough, but that was the lowest they’ve been in the table all season, so it was looking fortunate that this match has been delayed by a couple of months as a result of the December cold snap. However, with that win they’ve risen one place in the table and are two points off the play-offs. Their last defeat was a couple of weeks ago at Blyth, and given the season Spartans are having that gives cause for some encouragement, as does the fact that, clutching at straws alert, Hereford simply can’t keep losing – can they?

Striker Jordan Archer is contracted to the club until May 2024, and scored 17 in 43 games last season. He’s strong, quick and knows where the goal is, and is one of those players who seems to have found his spiritual home at Haig Avenue following a few false starts earlier in his career. He has scored nine league goals this season.

Niall Watson, the manager’s son, has proved himself worthy of a place in the team regardless of his familial connections, with 21 goals in 53 matches for Southport since his move to the club from Accrington Stanley. He’s scored six this season from midfield.

Attacking midfielder Josh Hmami is another one to watch, and a player expected to move on to higher things soon. Southport’s MOTM on multiple occasions this season, the 22-year-old adds a creative spark to what has at times in the past been an exhibition of monochrome, unremitting brutality.

It does seem that a lot of new players have been brought in by manager Liam Watson over the last year or so, so maybe their ethos will have mellowed with that change in personnel, and they won’t be quite so objectionable.

It would be sweet indeed to actually beat Southport for a change, and there really is nothing to lose now – may as well play the rest of the season with a bit of freedom. A fresh start then - make it a winning one Yan and Jared, and sign Andrea Pirlo if you have to. He's currently with Leicester Nirvana but you might be able to get him dual reg.

Thank you Josh and good luck.

COYW