Southport 1-1 Kingstonian
JUST ANOTHER (THROWING POINTS) AWAY GAME

K's travelled to the lesser known parts of Merseyside to try and pick up points in the one league game sandwiched amidst a run of (at least) four cup competitions. David Leworthy was forced out due to injury and Rattray was only fit enough for the subs' bench, meaning that Holligan, and newcomer Willglass were both given a place in the starting line up.

The home team started slightly the better of the sides with Gamble narrowly failing to put Ross through, and on a separate occasion Farralley did well to intercept a Ross opportunity However, it only neede eight minutes for Kingstonian to take the lead.

With Southport on the attack, K's seized possession, with Pitcher receiving the ball. His perfectly placed pass meant Holligan did not even have to change his stride on his clever diagonal run to control the ball. Wide on the right, there was support in hooped shirts square to him, but instead the boy-wonder showed his genius to slot the ball home just inside the left hand post.

Though Ross had another attempt, it was K's who began to play the senior role in this performance. Patterson sprayed the ball to Holligan whose first touch was perfectly sent into Pitcher's path but the number 8 was ruled to have been off-side. Tarkan Mustafa was exceptional on the left, and provided a dangerous cross following neat interplay between Holligan and Patterson, and Holligan was unlucky not to make the 'keeper work when he connected with a half-volley. K's could have gone two up after Eddie had pressurised 'keeper Stewart enough for him to concede a throw-in. As the ball was hooked in from the flank, Gavin Holligan and Tarkan Mustafa both swung at, and missed, the ball within ten yards from goal. Although Pitcher did well to retrieve the ball, the chance was wasted. The first half ended with K's on attack, but despite having most of the play in the first half, most K's fans were worried that they had not obtained any tangible evidence of this.

It didn't take long for one to notice that if ever there were to be a game of two halves, then this would be it. Southport were clearly the more fire up team after the interval. Mark Harris did well to head away from a Southport free-kick, and despite a neat link-up between Eddie and Patterson after a K's corner, most of the play was in favour of the host team. There were many challenges being put in which referees other than Mr. C. D. Edwards would have seen fit to punish. Willglass was pushed in the face by his opponent in retaliation to a foul by the newcomer. The weekly K's brawl thereby ensued with the referee unable to control matters. Whilst he took away Willglass to have a word, the battle commenced, though in the end only the K's no. 9 received a booking.

This seemed to inspire the Merseysiders furthermore. Thompson's cross into the danger area was temporarily cleared but K's found it hard to keep possession and the pressure just kept mounting. Fortunately, the yellows couldn't convert this pressure and, to be fair to the K's defence, failed to put in any shots of real note. K's did have their chances. Simon Stewart just failed to convert a headed opportunity and Geoff Pitcher twice got into the penalty area, on one occasion he took a dive, and on another his shot was put off for a corner. But the second half belong to Southport. Quinn went on a mazy run which Harris did well to halt, and Guyett's header caused worry for the K's supporters behind the goal. This was not helped by a frenetic scramble in the penalty area which saw substitute Rattray show his worth for the K's when he did well to temporarily clear the danger.

Again though, K's wasted a chance to secure a two goal cushion. Eddie Akuamoah won possession on the right and superbly beat a player to arrive in the danger area. He unselfishly played in Willglass who was given the perfect chance to make a name for himself with the Kingston faithful, but he was unable to do this as his shot went the wrong side of the right post.

The aftermath of the earlier fracas saw Guyett clearly hit Simon Stewart in the face in an off the ball incident. But Matt Crossley looked after his team mate by decking the offender after he twice kicked at the captain's heels. Again, this was off the ball, and therefore went unpunished.

At this time, all K's fans were hoping the referee would blow his whistle and hand K's the three points. However, the next time the referee did blow the whistle it was in response to his assistant's raised flag. No K's fan, nor player, knows what the free-kick just outside of the K's penalty area was given for, but this was the crucial decision which changed the outcome of the match. Gamble took the free-kick and curled a perfectly flighted ball to substitute O'Reilly at the back-post who hit his header downward from all of a yard out.

K's tried to regain their advantage, most notably through Tarkan Mustafa's amazing runs on the right, and indeed came close when a corner hit the outside of the post, but time was running out too fast and Kingstonian continued their recent trend of drawing 1-1. As the ref blew for full time he and his influential linesman were surrounded by all but one K's player furious as to why that decision had been given. But the damage had been done, and the officials were safely led off the pitch by the stewards.