A look back to Saturday’s contest at Southport in National League North….
By Matty Paddock - 22/04/2023
Posted 3 years ago
HARRIERS made it five successive wins with a superb showing and 3-1 victory at Southport.
Ashley Hemmings grabbed a brace with a goal in each half, while Amari Morgan-Smith was also on target.
The result means Harriers keep up the pressure on the play-off places, their form enough to ensure the gap to the top seven has been narrowed to just a point going into next weekend’s final day.
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As has been the case for the last few games, Harriers were aided by a blistering start. Hemmings got the ball rolling for the day with a superb finish from the edge of the area that beat Tony McMillan all ends up, clipping the post and finding the net.
Southport, battling against the drop, went close to an immediate leveller when Heath got through on goal, but his shot was well blocked by Christian Dibble between the sticks.
Midway through the first half, Morgan-Smith went close to doubling his side’s lead when he shot on the angle from inside the area. McMillian was well beaten, but the ball rolled wide of the far post.
Harriers controlled large spells of the game and had a Hemmings chance, over the bar, to find a second goal early after the restart. Four minutes later, an excellent McMillian save thwarted Morgan-Smith as he looked to have slotted the ball home for 2-0.
Just four minutes later the home side were level as Harriers found their defence breached for the first time in several outings. Caleb Richards was somewhat harshly adjudged to have fouled inside the area, with Oliver finishing from 12 yards.
Southport were at parity for just ten minutes or so. A dangerous Leesley corner wasn’t dealt with decisively and was looped high in the air, Morgan-Smith reacting quickly to nod it into the far corner to send the near 200 away following into raptures.
Just seven minutes later it was all over as Harriers grabbed the third goal that ultimately killed off any Southport resistance. It owed much to Leesley’s quality; he twisted and teased his way through the Southport defence before standing one up for Hemmings at the far post, and the talisman made no mistake with his 12th goal of the campaign.
The remainder of the game – including four minutes of added time – yielded little to extend the lead or threaten it was the visitors comfortably saw out a deserved but crucial victory, leaving plenty of possibilities still open ahead of the final day next weekend.
Get full team news and key match facts at The Match Centre.
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