Southport manager Liam Watson is looking for answers after a tepid defeat to Blyth Spartans.
After their impressive performance against Curzon Ashton which failed to bring more than just a point, he was left bitterly disappointing as the North East-side ran out winners.
George Newell got his first goal since returning from his loan with Marine whilst loanee Lewis Mansell got much-needed minutes under his belt.
But for Watson, he is hoping to welcome key figures back into the squad ahead of their trip to Hereford.
“If I’m being brutally honest on Tuesday night we just had too many players missing and we have been doing it consistently, grinding out results, it sticks out what you’d think your strongest XI, wasn’t available. I just think it caught up with us,” the Southport boss admitted to Off The Park.
“They were miles better than us. They were better when we played them up there, we just managed to score two goals from set plays and we did it again on Tuesday.
“In general play, we didn’t hurt them in either game, no complaints, we’ve been quite fortunate to take three points over the course of the season because we probably didn’t deserve three.
“There is going to be bumps in the road, hopefully we’ll have at least three hopefully four out of the missing six back for the weekend which is a huge, huge bonus for us.
“Hopefully that will give us the shot in the arms that we need at the minute.
“When you get the opportunity to step up and perform because there will be people looking over their shoulders now when you think Chris Doyle is fit, Tyler Walton, Josh Hmani, Niall [Watson] will come back in, Doug [Tharme] and Jordan Archer aren’t a million miles away, you think they’re big, big players to come back into the team.
“We will strengthen but it’s a challenge for the players who are currently in the positions to make it hard for me to take them out. Going off Tuesday night, I can’t wait for the lads to get back.
“We needed a focal point with Jordan Archer missing [with the addition of Mansell]. You can see Lewis has been missing games which is abundantly clear, that’s not his fault that’s the way it is.
“He’ll get better, he’s not a kid he’s 24, he’s played games in League One, he just needs to quickly get up to speed.
“This time of the year what they will get off me is the experience and knowhow of what you have to do.
“You can’t pick a game, Blyth on paper is a gimme, Hereford’s a lot tougher, until you get there on the day, you don’t know what it’s going to be like.
“I’ll keep on saying it, we’ve got 15 games left, if we win six of them and the odd point here and there, it should be enough to get us into the play-offs.”
[Featured image: Julia Urwin – Southport FC]
