A season which started with pretty high expectations and continued with what we thought was going to be a good point at Mansfield continues to collapse!
City took on Southport this weekend, having beaten Southport twice last season hopes were high for a City win and a kickstart to the new season.
The stripes unbelieveably kicked off with the same back 5 which had conceeded so many in the opening 6 games of the season, and 3 minutes in and true to form Southport scored first with a well taken goal from 20 yards out. The space and time allowed to Southport and the mistake which led to them gaining the ball was similar to the many troubles which have plagued the stripes this season.
Once again The Sandgrounders had seemed to bring a team of giants to Twerton Park, the smallest player on their team appeared to be over 6'2'' and they would have been less intimidating if they'd fielded Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage! City's debutant Ben Swallow (on loan from Brizzol Rovers) was impressive and lively in the opening exchanges, however, on 25 minutes Lewis Hogg went into a crunching tackle and injured his knee (something I'm very similar with having dislocated my knee cap playing at Twerton for the supporters club last Sunday!) and everyone hopes for a speedy recovery for Hoggy as he's been one of the few with credit from his performances this season!
In the second half City pressed and created more chances in a short space of time than they have all season. However, a spell where Marley Watkins danced his way through the Southport defence leading to a goal mouth scramble summed up Citys luck this season, as every ball broke to a defender rather than a man in black and white.
Southport then broke to the other end and scored, leaving City 2-0 down with just over 15minutes remaining. Then a miracle of miracles happened City scored! Allowing me to see the second goal of my season of watching all but one of the stripes games this season! Watkins swept the ball home from close range after after a Swallow effort.
However, City then resorted to pumping balls forward for poor Lee Phillips (who changed shirts from blood twice and once again was vaselined over cuts) but given the aforementioned size of the Southport team this was never an option (http://www.btinternet.com/~portconnection/squad/davise.htm) and once again City didn't manage to get that first win of the season.
The crowd of just over 600 shows how poorly the mighty stripes have been playing, and how a few wins are desperately needed to draw people back into Twerton and hope against hope that a win comes soon.
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