TT MATCH PREVIEW

Steve Harris – @SteveHarris84

Match details: Southport versus Torquay United

Venue: Haig Avenue, Southport

Date: Saturday 6th February 2021

Kick-off:  3pm

Top scorers:

Southport: Marcus Carver & Jordan Archer 4 each

Torquay: Danny Wright 8

Southport’s record in the FA Trophy 2020-21:

Round Two W 1-0 Marine A

Round Three D 2-2 Spennymoor United (W 5-4 on penalties) A

Round Four W 2-1 FC Halifax Town A

Torquay’s record in the FA Trophy 2020-21

Round Three W 1-0 vs Chesham A

Round Four W 4-0 vs Boreham Wood A

Last time the two teams met: Southport 1-2 Torquay United, Saturday 11th March 2017,

Torquay United moved out of the National League relegation zone with a last-minute victory over rock-bottom Southport as Ruairi Keating came off the bench with 10 minutes to go and later struck his first goal for the Gulls by converting a Daniel Sparkes pass.

United had taken a 36th-minute lead when Sparkes supplied a left-wing cross which Luke Young converted to score his second goal in three games. The Sandgrounders levelled just two minutes into the second half when Jim Stevenson’s fierce strike went in off the left-hand post for his third goal of the campaign.

Torquay goalkeeper Brendan Moore made a couple of great saves in the second half and Louis Almond also went close with a header for Southport towards the end, but Keating struck at the death to push the Gulls above Woking in the table on goal difference.

Manager: Liam Watson

Former England semi-pro international Liam Watson is currently in his fourth spell as manager of Southport, which also includes a spell in caretaker charge. After spending the bulk of his playing career in the North West non-league, aside from a brief spell with Preston North End between 1992 and 1994 which was cut short by injury, he started his managerial career with Runcorn in 2000.

In 2003, he took charge of the Sandgrounders for the first time and led them to the inaugural National League North in the 2004-05 season. Southport’s switch from part-time to full-time in 2006 saw Watson drop down a league to join Burscough, who he won the Northern League Premier title in the 2006-07 campaign.

Watson returned to Southport in 2008, where he stayed for five years until his departure in 2013. After leaving the Sandgrounders, he was appointed as manager of AFC Telford where he won a second National League North title in the 2014-15 season. However, they struggled to make the step up to the National League and he was dismissed with Telford bottom of the table in December 2014.

A brief spell with Stalybridge Celtic followed before he returned to Southport on an interim basis in 2017, following the dismissal of Steve Burr.  He was re-appointed as manager of the Sandgrounders on a permanent basis in May 2018.

One to watch: George Newell

The son of former Everton and Blackburn Rovers striker Mike Newell, George Newell started his career as a youth team player with the Toffees before moving onto Bolton Wanderers and had a brief spell in Scotland with Motherwell. He joined the Sandgrounders in 2019 and has established himself as a first team regular, following a loan stint with Marine.

Probable line-ups:                                                                        

Southport (4-4-2):

Tony McMillan

Charlie Oliver – Mohamud Ali – Adam Anson – Jack Bainbridge

Connor Woods – Russell Benjamin – Jack Doyle – Niall Watson

George Newell – Jordan Archer

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Torquay (4-4-1-1):

Shaun MacDonald

Ben Wynter – Gary Warren – Kyle Cameron – Dean Moxey

Ben Whitfield – Adam Randell – Asa Hall – Jake Andrews

Armani Little

Josh Umerah

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