Everything you need to know ahead of Emirates FA Cup First Round Replay...
The Cod Army will be looking to complete the job against National League side Southport in Tuesday night’s Emirates FA Cup First Round replay at Highbury Stadium.
The two teams played out a 0-0 draw in front of the BT Sport cameras last Monday and both will be looking to secure their place in the Second Round where a trip to Shrewsbury Town awaits the winner.
Last Time Out
Town were defeated 2-1 at Port Vale on Saturday. Chris Long flicked in Devante Cole’s knock-back to give the visitors the lead, but Vale struck late through Rigino Cicilia and Alex Jones to take the points. Long and the Valiants’ Anthony Grant received red cards in the closing stages after an off the ball incident.
Saturday’s match was the final of four successive away games across three competitions for the Cod Army. None of those matches yielded victory for Uwe Rosler’s team who’ll be hoping a return to home comforts can lead to an upturn in fortunes.
Southport were also in league action on Saturday. What our match with the Sandgrounders lacked in excitement they certainly made up for with their thrilling 3-2 win over Maidstone United. Steve Burr’s side raced into a 3-0 lead courtesy of a Jamie Allen brace either side of a Liam Nolan strike.
The Stones mounted a comeback in the second half via Yemi Odubade and Bobby-Joe Taylor but they couldn’t draw level as the Port saw the game out and extended their unbeaten run to six games.
Ones to Watch
Two goals on Saturday make Jamie Allen a real threat to Town’s defence on Tuesday night. The 21 year old, who joined the Sandgrounders from Fleetwood after failing to nail down a first-team place, has five goals in his last six matches and will be looking to extend that good run at Highbury.
One man bringing a wealth of experience to Southport is left-back Neil Ashton. The Liverpool-born defender came through the ranks at Tranmere Rovers but made just one senior appearance before impressing on loan at Shrewsbury Town during the 2004-05 season. Ashton then joined the Shrews permanently where he established himself as a dependable full-back over the next four seasons.
After a brief loan spell at Macclesfield Town, Ashton drifted into the Conference Premier initially with Chester, then Wrexham where he made over 200 appearances and picked up the FA Trophy at Wembley. Ashton represented Barrow AFC for one season before joining the Port in the summer of 2016 and has been a mainstay in the side all season.
Finally, whilst not a player, it is no coincidence that Southport’s recent good form has come immediately after appointing Steve Burr as manager. The Sandgrounders had just four points from eight games when the ex-Macclesfield Town striker was handed the reins at Haig Avenue. Since then Southport look a different side and have risen out of the relegation zone to 18th position in the National League. Now six unbeaten and upwardly mobile Burr, who has also been in the home dugout at Stalybridge Celtic, Kidderminster Harriers and Chester over the last decade, is one of the main factors as to why Southport could look cause an upset on Tuesday night.
Ticket Information
The ticket prices for Tuesday’s game are as follows:
ALL STANDING Adults £12 Seniors/U18’s £6 Juniors U16’s £1 ALL SEATING Adults £14 Seniors/U18’s £7 Juniors U16’s £2
Home supporters can buy on the night or in advance.
Away Supporters
Visiting supporters will be allocated seating in the Parkside Stand (Blocks F&G) and also standing in the Percy Ronson Terrace.
Entry for away fans is by ticket only and tickets can only be purchased on the day of the game.
Tickets for both the Parkside Stand and Percy Ronson Terrace will be available from the Main ticket office on Park Avenue (open from 9.00am until after kick off) or at the Away ticket office on Highbury Avenue (open from 6.00pm until after kick off)
Proof of age ID will be requested for all concessionary tickets.