Southport 3 Grays Athletic 1
Sat, January 6, 2007. Kick off: 3:00 PM
Match Report by Martin Candler
Any hopes the travelling Blues fans had of an upturn in their side‘s fortunes were dashed in the opening 18 minutes of the game against bottom of the table Southport at the Haig Stadium. After the departure in the week of manager Paul Cook, Southport turned to a new managerial partnership of Dino Maamria and Steve Whittall to salvage their season. The homesters responded with great gusto and goals by Blackpool loanee Ciaran Donnelly and Tony Gray in the 2nd and 18th minute produced a flying start for the new regime. However the ease with which the seasiders breached the Grays rearguard pointedly demonstrated the lack of understanding in the Grays ranks. Despite having plenty of possession, Grays lacked penetration in the final third and when Andy Sambrook and debutant, Aaron O‘Connor, did have chances to score their finishing let them down. In contrast, Mark Boyd shot narrowly over following a well-worked corner as Southport continued to carve openings in the Grays defence.
Two minutes after the restart, Carl Baker profited from a deflection to score Southport‘s third goal from an acute angle and peg Grays back even further. However, Justin Edinburgh‘s substitution of Vincent Fernandez by Ashley Nicholls did bring a bit more urgency to Grays play and with O‘Connor a willing front runner, the Blues began to push Southport back a little. Their reward came in the 58th minute when Jamie Stuart headed in a Glenn Poole free kick to give the visitors a glimmer of hope. Nicholls and O‘Connor both missed chances but so did Southport through, Baker, sub Sean Paterson and Donnelly. The introduction of Ben Harding and Sheku Kamara for John Turner and Matt Bodkin respectively could not produce any further addition to the Blues tally and left them tumbling towards the relegation dog-fight. How the team needs a period of stability and continuity! A thoroughly dispiriting day, then, for the Grays faithful and a stark reminder to Justin Edinburgh of the size of the task he has inherited. Let‘s wish him well and get behind the team in the crucial games to come.
Grays Athletic: Bayes, Sambrook, Cowan, Fernandez (Nicholls 46), Stuart, Bodkin (Kamara 83), Williamson, Martin, Poole, O'Connor, Turner (Harding 63)
Subs Not Used: Knowles, Bull
Booked: Cowan
Goals: Stuart 58
Att: 810
Ref: M Oliver (Ashington)
Fans Man of the Match: Fernandez
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