Tamworth
V
Wealdstone
Southport v Tamworth
Southport
0-0
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Tamworth
Match Report
A week after their 2-1 home FA Cup victory over Harborough Town, Andy Peaks’ Lambs returned to Vanarama National League North action and made the journey to the seaside to take on The Sandgrounders at Haig Avenue.
With the sad passing of club legend John ‘Donkey’ Bayliss in the minds of everyone connected to the club, Peaks made no changes to the side that started seven days previously.
Against the 19th placed team in the league on paper another victory seemed more than likely, however Jim Bentley’s side, who, after a poor start, had won their last three league games before being knocked out of the FA Cup by lower league Morpeth Town, were not to be underestimated.
Tamworth got the game underway with the Lambs players, wearing black armbands, attacking the Jack Carr Stand. The open terrace at the opposite end housed the Tamworth fans and flags, willing the ball away from Singh’s goal in the opening minutes as both sides struggled to retain possession once won.
A cross from Finn on the right on 9 was headed away by Doyle on 9 and Cullinane-Liburd’s long throw was put behind by Carver for a corner on the right which Finn planted in the box but Renshaw, under no pressure, was equal to it.
The move seemed to give The Lambs a forward lift and they retained possession for the most part from then or battled it back once lost while being helped a couple of times by wayward forward balls from the home side.
On 14 though, Hmami made headway from the halfway line and unleashed a drive from 25 yards which went wide of the mark.
Arlott-John was upended Quansah as he tried to make headway over the halfway line on 16 but the well worked freekick down the left involving Milnes and the Lambs attacking left sided midfielder was cut out and cleared.
Homles received the ball in the right of Singh’s box on 20 but rolled his shot well wide of the near post and after cutting out an Arlott-John attack on 22, Southport countered quickly ending with Carver’s far post header back into the empty box, which could have seen Tamworth exposed had any of his teammates been able to get in the area to meet it and Reilly picked up a knock from the clearance and was unable to continue so Jellis replaced him in midfield.
Another Cullinane-Liburd throw brought another corner on 26 but Flowers was well positioned to head it away, and Arlott-John’s shot from 25 yards cleared the stand behind the goal.
And at the other end a flowing Southport move nearly brought them rewards on 29, but Watson’s ball from the left of the box towards the far post was just missed by Carver, sliding in at the back one.
Cullinane-Liburd was booked on 31, and Tamworth had to dig in deep to clear the corner, then as play moved upfield and went out of play Southport’s manager was shown a straight red card for comments made to the referee and had to watch the rest of the game from the stand.
Deacon closed Renshaw down and forced him to miskick a clearance on 38 but Tshikuna was unable to pounce on the ball before the home defence cleared their lines, and a threaded pass to Deacon in the next move was just too much for him to get a shot away.
Homles then seemed to have broken through in the left channel despite a tug on his shirt on 40, and inexplicably stopped running when he could have bore down on Singh’s box rather than wait for the whistle, which didn’t come.
Willets was then booked for a late challenge on the right on Carver allowing Southport to mount an attack which The Lambs needed to defend strongly, and four minutes added time was shown at the end of the first half.
Milnes was booked for questioning the referee’s lack of a whistle for a perceived dive by the Southport’s Watson and from the resulting corner, Morgan whipped the ball in and Quanash glanced his header just past the far post in the final action of the goalless first half.
HT 0-0
The Sandgrounders restarted proceedings and after a couple of minutes, Willets went toe to toe with the Southport’s Hmami and both reacted to the challenge giving the referee no option, after discussing it with his linesman, to how him a second yellow card and so was dismissed. Jellis was also booked for his comments to the official and so play restarted with ten Lambs on the field.
Gascoigne replaced Arlott-John in a quick pack reshuffle and a foul against Deacon on the left on 52 set up a Milnes freekick but it was too high for Cockerill-Mollett to reach.
A corner resulted when Finn tried a cross on the right on 56 but Southport scrambled it away and countered with Homes an Carver linking, before Milnes could intervene.
Tshikuna got the first real on target shot of the game away on the hour (from either side), striking low from 18 yards but it was straight at the keeper and Renshaw smothered it.
Cockerill-Mollett went past his man into the area on 63 before a toe denied him getting his cross away, so Milnes sent the corner into the box but after a defensive header it was cleared out of the ground for Cullinane-Liburd to try a long throw and it made it’s way to Jellis whose cross from the right was booted away for a corner on the right.
Finn’s flagkick was plucked out of the air by Renshaw and Holmes cross was put behind off Milnes but Southport Morgan’s corner came to nothing.
Finn’s cross from the left dipped and dropped onto the top of the net on 70 and Deacon was unable to get control of a Finn through ball in a good position in the box in the next Lambs move.
Carver struck a right footed volley on target on 72 and forced Singh to drop and smother it at the second attempt and the Sandgrounders made a double change as Creaney, who came on to score the winner a week earlier, replaced Deacon for the final 15 or so.
The Lambs continued to tentatively but purposefully push forwards and forced two corners in quick succession and it looked like Gascoigne would get a shot on target from a dropping ball in the box on 77 but it was blocked at the last second.
Carver headed a Cullinane-Liburd throw behind for another flagkick on 78 which Renshaw completely missed and Gascoigne was unable to get a touch at the far post.
Doyle was booked for kicking the ball away on 81 and Tshikuna shot from long range on 82 straight at Renshaw, while Walton’s header at Singh on 83 was also easy for the keeper.
A shot from Captain Morgan from 30 yards failed to trouble anyone other than the fans in the Jack Carr stand on 90, and six minutes added time was shown.
A low, fairly tame strike from Walton from outside the box saw Singh drop to deny the goalbound effort in the first minute and Morgan went down in the box on 95 but the referee was having none of it.
So Tamworth raced to the other end and Jellis shot low at the near left hand post and saw Renshaw fumble the ball but Creaney was too far away to pounce on it.
And so Southport countered, with Cockerill-Mollett booked for a challenge on Walton and Southport’s freekick came to nothing and the final whistle blew on what is ultimately a point on the road from a very frustrating run out for Andy Peaks side.
Southport:
Renshaw, Doyle, Flowers, Evans, Watson, Morgan (c.), Carver, Walton, Quansah, Hmami (Mariette 73), Holmes (O-Neill 72)
Subs: Thomson, McMillan, Heath
YC: Doyle 81, Watson 86
Tamworth:
Singh, Curley, Cockerill-Mollett, Reilly (Jellis 24), Finn, Milnes (c.), Deacon (Creaney 74), Willets, Cullinane-Liburd, Tshikuna, Arlott-John (Gascoigne 53)
Subs: Meikle, Jones
YC: Cullinane-Liburd 31, Willets 41 + 50 (sent off 50), Milnes 45, Jellis 50, Cockerill-Mollet 96
Att: 1137 (115 from Tamworth)
Referee: Lewis Dawson
Assistant Referees: Paul Mosley, Ben Schofield
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