A look at how our players are getting on away from the club
Both Dom Smith and Shaun Rowley face replays in the FA Trophy on Tuesday night after both Southport and Tamworth enjoyed two-all draws on Saturday. Southport were hoping that the cup would provide a welcome boost after a run of form which has seen them not win a game since early September. They were taking on Stockport County, a side which had beaten them 6-0 earlier in the season, but this was a much more solid performance from the Sandgrounders who looked as if they might win it when Jason Gilchrist put them 2-1 up with 25 minutes to play. However, Darren Stephenson levelled with five minutes remaining to force a replay.
Tamworth were taking on lower league opposition in the face of Warrington Town and it looked like the Lambs would have the better of their opponents as an Aman Verma brace gave them a 2-1 half-time lead but with 15 minutes to go Tamworth failed to deal with a corner and Warrington managed to bundle the ball home from close range. It means that Rowley’s side must travel to Warrington in midweek.
It was a Friday night to forget for Ryan Sears' Newtown down on the coast as they fell to defeat against Mid Wales rivals Aberystwyth. A win would have moved Newtown into eighth place in the Welsh Premier League, but goals from John McKenna and a Craig Hobson brace gave Aber a 3-0 victory. Instead, the defeat allowed Aber to make up ground and Newtown are now level on points with Friday night’s opponents and fellow strugglers Prestatyn.
Callum Roberts saw his first action in a while for TNS in midweek as they made it through to the Nathaniel MG Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Connah’s Quay. However, he was back on the bench this weekend as TNS put five past Carmarthen Town on Saturday. TNS had dropped to second after Bangor City’s win on Friday night but this 5-2 victory, which included a late brace from Jamie Mullen, moved them back to the top of the table.
Finally, it was a disappointing afternoon for John McAtee as Halesowen were beaten 2-0 by Matlock Town. Halesowen were never really at the races and two first-half errors gave Matlock an easy victory. It was the last time that McAtee will line-up alongside his strike partner Daniel Udoh because the powerful forward will now return to his parent club Crewe Alexandra.