GRIMSBY TOWN ................ 1
SOUTHPORT ...................... 1
Blundell Park is close to the sea in the small town of Cleethorpes. It is home to Division 5 side Grimsby Town, who sit top of the table, unbeaten in the 10 games played so far. Tonight they had a tough game, with Southport being the visitors. Southport were lying in fourth, five points behind Grimsby.
Grimsby have their ups and downs since this world started and in the very first season were unlucky to miss out on promotion to Division Four only losing to Cambridge United in the Play Off Final. That defeat gave them the determination to do well and under the guidance of Blake Horter, Grimsby stormed to the Division 5 title winning it by a massive 33 points and scoring an incredible 177 goals. Season 3 was a case of consolidation and despite losing 20 of their games they finished in a safe 16th place. With Blake Horter having left halfway through Season 3, their was concern for the upcoming season but they had nothing to fear although their was no improvement as they finished in 17th and again they had lost 20 games. With little money to spend, Season 5 turned out to be too much for the team and despite a reasonable start, things went downhill and a run of 10 defeats in 11 games seen them struggling at the bottom. Current manager Craig 'Cattermole' Smith was brought in to try and salvage the situation but the damage was already done and Grimsby were relegated. This season they started as one of the favourites and many peoples tips to go up automatically. With only one automatic place available there is no room for a bad run of any sort but Smith has them firing on all cylinders and the start of 7 wins and 3 draws has them leading the way, with the latest win being a 4-1 win at Hyde on Monday. Smith has overhauled the whole team and brought in players he thinks can do a job for them. His jewel in the crown signing is centre back Paulo Andre, signed as a free agent but with a signing on fee of 2.2m, a lot of money to a club like Grimsby. At the age of 39, Alvaro Recoba has been a sensation for the club and has already scored 9 goals. Injuries are already playing a part and Grimsby are without Rafinha, Cavaleiro and Mings for tonights game.
Southport have always been a small club plying their trade in the lower leagues of English football. In fact Southport is probably better known as the home of Royal Birkdale, a venue for many big golf tournaments including the British Open numerous times. As a football club they were always expected to just make up the numbers and they didn't disappoint, finishing bottom of the pile in Season 1, conceding over 100 goals. No manager was willing to take on the task of improving this side but at least the only way was up and in Season 2 they managed to win 10 points more than the first season and that enabled them to finish 20th, fifth from bottom. Still, the club could not attract a manager and they were run by committee and it showed as in Season 3 they finished second bottom although they had won the same amount of games as Season 2. The selection committee had earned some experience by now and Season 4 seen significant improvement. A poor run at the end of that campaign seen them take just 1 point from 6 games but they had still finished in a best ever 13th place and if it wasn't for that bad run they could have been top 10. Southport were now a team that other Division 5 sides respected and it got even better for the club when they appointed Graham Burley in mid-season. Their first ever manager set to work on improving the team with the small budget he had been given and he guided the club to a 9th place finish. So, after being an also ran and a team that other sides expected to take points from, they are now challengers near the top and a good start this season see them sitting in the play off places. Is this the season that Southport become a team of winners? Well tonights game was a big one for them. This is the venue where they suffered their heaviest defeat so far when they crashed 12-1 to Grimsby in Season 2. A win at Grimsby would be a huge statement to the rest of the division and would help to erase memories of that nightmare four seasons ago. A big night for Southport.
Rumours that Blackburn boss Stephen Beddows was at the game are unconfirmed
Blundell Park was looking in great condition. a nice playing surface. The stadium holds slightly over 10,000 but tonight 5,664 hardy souls hard turned up of which around 900 were Southport fans housed in the Osmond Stand. Meanwhile in the press box, which could have been busier, the team sheets are in and Craig 'Cattermole' Smith has opted for the ever popular 3-5-2 while Graham Burley seems to be setting up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The teams are:
GRIMSBY TOWN: Berezovsky; Toledo, Stewart, Akyoruk; Piscitella, Roman, Rost, Obeng, Krunic; Saglik, Recoba
SOUTHPORT: Eilhoff; Mitchell, Lucao, McDonald, Fitzpatrick; Kay, Foster; Brodie, Cyprien, Ogbonnaya; Miller
The teams emerged from the tunnel to a noise that was loud considering the size of the crowd, with Grimsby in their traditional Black and White stripes with Black shorts running away to the left and Southport, kited out in an all Sky Blue strip, running to towards the right. The referee brought the captains, Jordan Stewart for Grimsby and Andy Mitchell for Southport, together and Grimsby won the toss and elected to kick towards the Osmond end. Off we went and it was a settled start to the game with both sides looking to get into a rhythm. The visitors defence was happy to hold their ground and were protected by the two defensive midfielders anytime Grimsby threatened to come forward. The first chance of the game came on just 3 minutes for Southport when Mitchell ran down the right side to just beyond the halfway line before releasing the ball to Foster about 20 yards from goal. Foster managed to hold off a challenge from Rost before making enough space to hit a curling shot towards the Grimsby goal that Berezovsky dived to the left to make the save. It was a warning that Southport were prepared to push their full backs forward to create chances. This spurred Grimsby into action and with 5 minutes on the clock Krunic received the ball out on the left. With a nice move he feinted to go inside but quickly cut outside, catching out Mitchell, and sent the ball into the box where Roman hit it first time, beating Eilhoff but also going wide of the post. The game was warming up just nicely and both sides were showing some nice play. Grimsby came forward again, pushing the Southport defence back as they searched for the opening goal. Rost, who was starting to boss the midfield, played the ball out to Obeng on the left. Obeng had a quick look up and decided to play a high ball into the box where Saglik outjumped the defence to send a power header just over the bar. Grimsby were looking dangerous and were certainly getting the better of the visitors even at this early stage. Again they were on the move, looking dangerous and another ball into the box found top scorer Recoba. The Uruguayan forward, with his back to goal, couldn't find space to turn and he laid it back to Akyoruk, who hit a speculative shot from about 23 yards only for Eilhoff to get behind it, although he didn't hold on to it the first time, and smother the ball.
Saglik outjumps the Southport defence
Eilhoff kicked the ball out but again Grimsby got hold of the ball to come forward once more. Obeng picked up the ball and made a good run forward, beating Kay and Foster too easily for Southport's liking, before playing it through to Saglik. The striker found he had plenty of space and fired the ball past Eilhoff and into the net. The Grimsby fans let out a loud roar as Saglik turned away towards his team mates only for their celebrations to be cut short by the linesmans flag. Saglik couldn't believe it and made his way towards the linesman but he was held back by his team mates as the referee made his way over to protect his fellow official. Boos rang out from the crowd and to be fair, it was a very late flag from the far side linesman. Right or wrong, it didn't matter, the goal didn't stand and we were still at 0-0. All this in the first ten minutes of non stop action. The game was a credit to the division and the offside decision only added to the atmosphere. Southport tried to slow the game down and find their feet again. Boss Graham Burley was in the technical area barking out instructions to his players as they tried to take the sting out of Grimsby's play. It was still all Grimsby but Southport had tightened up in defence and Burley's instructions seemed to be working well. On 17 minutes, Roman weaved his way through a weak looking Southport midfield and played a pinpoint pass into Saglik's path. The Turk ran on to it before blasting a shot towards goal but Eilhoff seen it early and he managed to deflect it away before McDonald hoofed it away. Saglik was benefitting from Recoba's goalscoring record with the Southport defenders concentrating too much on Grimsby's leading scorer. Again Burley was out in the technical area trying to organise his defence, knowing his side were fortunate to still be at 0-0. 23 minutes had been played and Southport were still being pinned into their own half. Piscitella was making his way down the right wing but when he tried to cut inside McDonald brought him crashing down to the turf. The referee decided it was time for the first yellow and he took the big centre back's name before showing the yellow card. On 26 minutes, Southport managed to make a break with Foster racing through the middle before playing the ball through to Miller, splitting the defence. The striker ran on before rifling in a shot that just went inches wide of the keepers left hand post. It had been all Grimsby but that was an excellent break from Southport that could have quite easily put them in front. Half an hour had been played in a fascinating game as Grimsby again looked for the opener. Roman, was having a good game and he once again moved through the midfield far too easily. Seeing Recoba with a bit more space than usual, he fed him the ball in a dangerous area but the ball seemed to tight into him and Recoba seemed to scuff his shot as he had a try at goal enabling Eilhoff to scoop up the ball easily. Southport had managed to slow down the pace and Grimsby's attacks were not giving as much joy as they had earlier in the match. The visitors weren't making much impression up front as they struggled to find the killer pass that would give them the chance of a goal. Grimsby kept trying to press forward and pressure a defence that was looking a bit more assured now. On 40 minutes Krunic made progress down the left side with the Southport defence backing off and keeping their shape. Under pressure from Mitchell, Krunic found a yard of space to send the ball into the middle where Recoba got to it and tried to zip in a shot but again he scuffed it. This time though it nearly caught Eilhoff out and the keeper had to get right down to the turf to make a good save with both hands. Southport came forward but again the move broke down when Brodie's through ball went straight to the goalkeeper. The referee brought the first half to a close and both sides made their way to the tunnel although Grimsby boss Smith was aiting to have a word with the officials, no doubt unhappy at Saglik's disallowed goal. The first half had been all Grimsby but Southport managed to keep them at bay with Eilhoff having to bale out his defence on more than one occasion.
HALF TIME: GRIMSBY TOWN 0 SOUTHPORT 0
As the teams came out for the second half there looked to be no changes to either line up which came as a bit of a surprise with Southport boss Burley sticking with the under pressure side from the first half. Smith would have been happy with his sides performance but frustrated at not being in front. Burley would have had a few stern words and with his midfield in particular who gave Grimsby far too much space in the first half.
Southport got us underway for the second half and played the ball around a bit with Grimsby happy to settle in once more. On 49 minutes Southport tried to come forward and Ogbonnaya played the ball through to Miller. The striker held the ball up waiting for support but good play by Stewart forced Miller away from the danger area, out wide to the right. Miller refused to give the ball up and a quick turn gave him enough room to send a cross to the edge of the area where Foster had made the run forward. Foster controlled the ball with his first touch before firing a shot that was heading for the bottom corner but Berezovsky dived to his right to make the save. It was better play from Southport who seemed to have moved up the pitch a bit to try and relieve pressure on the back four. Two minutes later and it was Southport who came forward once more. Kay, who had been largely anonymous in the first half, found himself with space to attack and he moved forward, evading a tackle from Obeng, before sending a pass through to Miller. The lone forward strode forward, making an angle for a shot before sending in a low effort that beat Berezovsky only for it to go just wide of the far post. It was a big change from the first half and Grimsby were looking a bit shaken as they found themselves under pressure for the first time in the match. It was Southport who were starting to boss the midfield and another good run from Kay seen Miller receiving the ball once more but within a second of receiving it he was brought down with a crunching tackle from Obeng. The referee didn't have to think twice about brandishing the yellow as Obeng became the second player into the book. The game was going through a messy spell as Grimsby tightened the midfield and passing became scrappy. There seemed to be a bit of needle creeping in and when Mitchell went in late on Obeng their was a bit of a scuffle between the two sets of players. The referee quickly intervened and did a good job of calming the situation before booking Mitchell for what seemed a bit of retribution on Obeng.
Southport were getting on top in the second half
There was 70 minutes on the clock and chances were now at a premium with both sets of players starting to feel the pace of the first half. After all their dominance in the first 45 minutes, Grimsby had failed to get a shot on goal in the second half and Smith was in his technical box trying to urge on his players and trying to find the spark they had earlier in the game. Whatever Burley had done at the break had worked. He had obviously told his holding midfielders to push up a bit and deny Grimsby the freedom they had in the middle of the park. The game was dying as we entered the last 10 minutes and a goalless draw was on the cards. Southport had fell deeper as they looked to be happy with the score and even Miller was falling back to help out where needed. As Southport probed for an opening at the other end on 83 minutes, Cyprien had the ball outside the box when he was taken from behind by Saglik. The Southport players surrounded the Grimsby front man in anger and were looking for the red card but again the referee, who was having an excellent game, calmed the situation and decided a yellow was sufficient. One feels that if it had been a defender that made the tackle then he would have been off. Definitely a strikers tackle. With 4 minutes left on the clock, Southport launched another attack. Brodie had the ball on the right and he cut inside, being tracked by Akyoruk, before feeding the ball into Miller. The striker showed great awareness, spotting Brodie carrying on his run,, and played it back into his path. Brodie shrugged off a challenge from Akyoruk and aimed the ball for the far post. Berezovsky couldn't get down in time and the ball sneaked inside the post to put Southport ahead. Brodie turned away to celebrate behind the goal as his team mates arrived to jump all over him. The Southport fans behind the goal rushed to the front to help celebrate with one fan, unfortunately, getting over the barrier to join the players. He was soon removed by the stewards but nothing could spoil the fact that Southport had taken the lead so late in the game. Even Burley was out his dugout punching the air while Smith sat looking forlorn and wondering what had happened in this second half.
Southport players celebrate Miller's goal
Grimsby kicked off with the task of finding an equaliser in about 3 minutes. They pushed forward and a ball out to the right was knocked out for a thrown to Grimsby. Roman took the throw aimed towards Piscitella. The wide man got it under control with Fitzpatrick in close attendance. A nice turn gave Piscitella some space and on looking up, fired in a low cross towards Recoba. The league's joint top scorer controlled it and touched it forward before turning and firing the ball high past Eilhoff and into the roof of the net. The stadium erupted as the players rushed towards Recoba, who celebrated his 11th goal of the season and what a time to score it. Just when it looked like Grimsby were falling to their first defeat of the season he pops up with an equaliser two minutes from time. The Southport players looked devastated and Burley kicked the dugout in frustration.
Grimsby players celebrate late equaliser
Southport kicked off again. Surely there couldn't be a third goal? They tried to go down the left but the attack was quickly snuffed out. The ball was in midfield when the referee blew for full time. A great tussle had came to an end. A point for both sides it was as the players left the pitch and the fans started to head home. Smith and Burley stayed to shake hands with their opposing players and everyone seemed content with a point each.
Was a draw the right result? Well the first half was all Grimsby and it was difficult to deny that they should have been home and dry at half time but Southport were a different side after the break and on that showing probably deserved a point.
The point keeps Grimsby top of the table and they are now two points ahead of second placed Kidderminster Harriers. It also stretches their unbeaten start to 11 games although they still have a bit to go to beat their record of 21 games unbeaten. Craig 'Cattermole' Smith is doing a great job and if he can get the team playing like they did in the first half then they are going to take a lot of stopping. The division is of surprisingly high standard and there will be a lot of tough games to play for Grimsby but they have a manager with a lot of experience and they have players still to return from injury. Come the end of the season I expect Grimsby to be up there but whether it is as Champions or whether it is the play offs all depends on key players staying clear of injury. In Recoba they have a great striker with tons of experience but at 39yo it will be interesting to see if he can last the pace. If he does miss some games then they have in Saglik a player that can cause defences plenty of problems with his movement and ability to find room. They also have young Portuguese striker Cavaleiro, on loan from West Ham, to come back from a twisted ankle, although the jury is still out on him. Overall they seem to be a solid side that are capable of winning this division.
Southport are reaching new heights this season and seem to be enjoying their football. Boss Graham Burley has installed a mental toughness that was clear to see in this game although he will be disappointed at losing the late goal just as it seemed his side had scored the winner. Southport slip to 5th place but they know they have one of the hardest fixtures out of the way but they will also know they cant afford to let themselves be under pressure as much as they did in the first half against Grimsby. It's hard to predict how the rest of the season will go for Southport as they don't have a great squad and might find the going tough as they get deeper into the campaign. Striker Ashley Miller at 20yo looks an exciting player and he caused the Grimsby defence a lot of problems in the second half. He took his goal well and although it was his first one of the season he has given Burley a choice to make between him and Miljkovic when they go with the lone striker. It will be a season of up and downs for Southport but they have the right man in charge to try and take them to Division 4 for the first time.
Saturday night sees Grimsby on the road at Newport, a game they will expect to win, while Southport take on Dagenham & Redbridge at home.
Fannie Licker @ Blundell Park, Cleethorpes
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