HOME SWEET HOME FOR POPPIES BUT IT’S A CHORE

By Jeff Long

Nov 27, 2022

JUST days after being removed from the FA Trophy, Kettering Town needed a lift, but could only produce a dour scoreless draw against Southport.However their unbeaten home run of games extends to seven games – form which is keeping them from the foot of the table.Southport will feel content with a point on the road, but now drop out of the play-off positions.Liam Watson’s side enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half but the first two notable chances fell to the hosts – Brad Gascoigne’s effort outside the area going wide on 20 minutes whilst Ethan Hill should have hit the target when one on one against Tony McMillan but pulled his shot wide on 36 minutes.Josh Hmani forced a smart save from range on 40 minutes, the better of Southport’s first half chances.Port stopper McMillan was needed again on the hour mark this time against Keaton Ward – the ball palmed wide for a corner from a Ward’s fizzing shot.Late pressure from the visitors including a bursting run by Connor Heath on 84 minutes kept the nerves jangling, but ultimately neither side did enough to earn three points.

ENTERTAINMENT:★★★★★

STAR MAN: Michael Carberry (Southport)

Kettering 0 Southport 0Nov 26, 2022It ended in stalemate at Kettering with the points shared in a 0-0 draw.On a difficult pitch and with a swirling wind it didn’t make for good football and whilst Southport dominated for long periods of the game and created more goal attempts and corners, 0-0 looked on the cards from early on.A point on the road is always nice to come home with but a feeling of we should have had more was the general consensus post match.Having said that, clear cut chances were hard to come by for both sides, Josh Hmami and Tyler Walton both came close for Southport and the home sides best effort drew a fantastic save from Tony McMillan.With illness and injury in the Southport camp this week the options were limited. It wasn’t the pitch to bring Niall Watson on and Liam is still nursing Charlie Oliver back to full fitness but it was good to see him get 20 minutes under his belt.Adam Anson was on the bench but feeling under the weather and not r

isked today.