Son of Eric watched a disappointing performance by Hereford at Edgar Street yesterday afternoon.
On a bright sunny day with a strong wind from the Blackfriars end 1908 Hereford fans welcomed about 40 Sandgrounders. With the poor performance at Curzon Ashton Gowling made some changes dropping McLean to the bench and bringing in Touray with Storey moving to the right, Kouhyar completing the attacking trident. Tom played in the hole with Vincent sitting in front of the back four on the right. Haines came in on the left after Patten’s very poor performance midweek. The Hodgkiss, Pollock, Egan, Revan defence was unchanged in front of Sondergaard.
Luke Haines Back In The Starting Eleven
Southport
set up in a 5-3-2 formation. This was a grim game and it started as it
was to continue. Southport were more focused on stopping Hereford and
relied on dead and long balls for their limited attacking options. The
word is out on how to stop Hereford and just like at Chester and Curzon a
defensive midfielder sat tight on Owen-Evans. It does not take a
managerial genius to see Kouhyar in the non-league weekly team of the
week for the last three weeks to know he needs to be stopped. Whenever
he got the ball Southport doubled up on him, Oliver and Bainbridge
mostly undertaking this for Southport. Finally, respect the pace of
Storey and McLean so do not push up the rear line too quickly and if in
doubt sit a little deeper.
Southport set up clearly happy with a point and both attacks struggled when entering the final third, neither team looking fully committed and the game started slowly and did not get much better. When Kouhyar did get down the left Bainbridge tackled him well as he approached the box. When Owen-Evans was threatening down the middle Anson fouled him at the expense of a yellow card. Both sides were relying on long throws, Southport’s Doyle entertaining Len Weston fans by sticking the ball inside his shirt as if he was pregnant every time he came to hurl the ball in. That levity was as entertaining as this grim game got in the first half.
Southport combined down the right with Mansell and Walton. Owen-Evans working back put in a challenge on Walton as he looked to cross from just outside the box. Tom caught the attacker, but it was more clumsy than deliberate and perhaps because of the advanced position resulted in a booking. Tom’s working back and tackling is an excellent part of his game. Just before half time Southport took off Newell with a strain and brought on Wood. For the improved half term crowd, it was a little hard for the father behind me with two youngsters to explain that this was a treat not a punishment.
Hereford’s best moment came when Owen-Evans drilled in a cross, but no Hereford player made the near post run it invited and captain Anson fed it back to keeper Mason. Things could only get better in the second half, couldn’t they?
Southport had come for the point, but manager Liam Watson clearly saw that with Hereford lacklustre more was a possibility and attacked from the start Vassallo shooting from range and bringing a fine save from Sondergaard at the expense of the first corner of the game in the 47th minute. The corner was poor and cleared by Egan who stood up well to Southport’s aerial assaults throughout the game. Southport had been more motivated by their manager at half time than Hereford and showed more enterprise winning another corner.
This was cleared and fired back in hopefully from about 35 yards. The ball struck Pollock on the right side and viewing from afar it did not seem an obvious penalty, but referee Martin was clear that it was. There was no obvious arm movement from Ben and the shot was struck from venom so he could not and indeed should not get out of the way. Oliver stroked it leftwards and Sondergaard dived to the other way for the lead.
Haines was booked for a robust challenge and McLean came on for Touray. Momodou often took a decent first touch but the follow up play was lacking, and he does not look fully fit. Josh has said that he needs to get up to match fitness, but this puzzles me. Patten has come from Cardiff’s reserves and looks as fit as a butcher’s dog. If anything, sometimes Keenan needs to stop running and take up better positions, as a youngster this will come. Touray looks short of pace and has not yet managed 90 minutes, it would appear that Salford’s reserve team fitness standards are some way behind Cardiff’s.
Southport grew increasingly cynical and Walton getting into the box on the right chasing a loose ball was between Revan and Pollock. Recognising he had no chance of getting to the ball he theatrically dived with all the integrity of Vladimir Putin and was rightly booked. Hodgkiss put in a couple of sharp challenges and seemed to catch himself with the second, going off and Gillela coming on. Gowling then brought Owen-Evans off and brought Pinchard on. Tom was on a booking and still making challenges but chasing the game Vincent would have been my choice. Having shown outstanding form before and after Xmas he seems to be struggling with playing two games a week and just as at Curzon made a limited impact on the game.
In the 78th minute Hereford finally won their first corner. Maz swung it in, and Mason wrestled Storey into the back of the net. The referee was oblivious, but the assistant referee flagged vigorously and convinced referee Martin to change his mind. Southport went into cheat mode. Player after player tried to interrupt the two officials’ conversation, then they were surrounding Martin and haranguing him. Martin is a weak man and instead of using his yellow card superpower to stop this he just saw this abuse and timewasting as acceptable. The more he told Southport’s players to stop the less respect they had for him, and they continued. Taking the ball, standing in the box, even shouting to the referee as . All the while leaving Kouhyar waiting and waiting, abused and abused.
In the World Club Cup final Azpillicueta pretended to take the penalty so that he could take all the abuse and distractions, allowing Havertz to actually take it without having had all the psychological hassle. With Owen-Evans the usual penalty taker substituted Kouhyar claimed the ball and in goal scoring form he seemed a good choice. However, after lengthy delays and distractions Maz hit it just to the right of Mason and he barely had to save it almost just falling on it, a dreadful penalty.
When reporting in the first third of the season I questioned how street wise this Hereford team were and whilst Southport seemed to have a series of strong characters trying to manage the referee, with Hodgkiss substituted Hereford were largely meek. Only one man stood up and told the referee to get a backbone as Southport disputed the penalty Haines asked referee Martin to stand up to the abuse he was getting. Haines is always prepared for the challenge, and he clearly has a captain’s instincts. He had a decent game, and his long throws were Hereford’s best form of attack so my man of the match.
With Hereford pushing up Walton surged down the right beating Revan and drilling a low cross into the box, Mansell glanced it goalward and fortunately it deflected off the far post.
Hereford huffed and puffed whilst Southport time wasted. Referee Martin seemed unable to appreciate that every time he was asked to turn his back by a Southport player it was so that another Southport player could kick the ball away or try and steal ten yards on a throw-in. For the Sandgrounders it was like stealing candy from a baby. Eventually after perhaps the 50th opportunity to book someone for timewasting Doyle received a token yellow card in time added on. Walton went off and Hmami came on just before the referee blew up for full time.
This was 6th versus 7th and an appalling advert for football at this level. Southport’s players at the end went over to wind up Hereford’s fans which highlighted the standards they play by.
Hereford’s team had four loan players to Southport’s one. Hereford appeared to be down to the bare bones with only youngster Keenan unused on the bench. Several Hereford fans questioned how Southport, with half the crowds of Hereford, and Curzon Ashton than with less than a third of Hereford’s attendances can have better squads and players. The table does not lie. Neither club unlike some in the division appear to have a generous benefactor. Some clarity on why Hereford are in such a poor financial position relative to their promotion rivals would be welcome rather than just repeated exhortations for more supporters to turn up. There are more fans, there is (or has been?) more money relative to other better placed teams and the results do not reflect the funding the supporters have consistently provided. This is the most vital time of the season.
Next week feels like the last chance saloon for the play-offs with Hereford having played more games than other teams around them. York are flying inspired by star player Mitch Hancox who is regularly scoring goals, but thankfully he will be unavailable as he cannot play against his parent club. The Minstermen are one of the best supported teams in the division, they will bring several hundred fans, maybe a thousand. Hereford have a financial windfall coming. The Bulls need a big crowd to get behind the team and match York’s enthusiastic support. Could the board reduce attendance fees? Could they say that every season ticket holder can get a ticket for a friend for a fiver? No doubt they will know other ways to incentivise a large crowd so the Bulls can bounce back.