Southport manager Liam Watson felt their draw with King’s Lynn Town was fair despite taking the lead through Michael Carberry.
It was fifth against second going into Tuesday’s night clash with the Walks and the first 45 saw both sides cancel each other out.
The second-half saw the encounter spark into life and it took the Yellows just 10 minutes to open the scoring. Carberry combined with Hmami and netted his first for the club.
“I think a draw was a fair result,” Watson told Off The Park. “Our goal didn’t really come from much, there’s was well worked late on, they actually put us under pressure and I think the full-time showed in the last 15 minutes, they got on the ball more and in the first-half, I think we looked the better team.
“I thought the shape of the team caused them problems, they probably didn’t expect that we were technically as good as we are, we managed to keep the ball.
“Performance-wise was good, certainly after a good win Saturday, a good draw at Brackley and a good win against Chorley so, good.
“Apart from the goal, Tony [McMillan] didn’t have a shot to save, from that point of view, I thought we done okay,” he continued.
“Could we have been a little bit more proactive? I always thought the game would go into the last 20 level-pegging but we were in the lead.
“The idea was always to change and get the pace, get the throw on and we did but it never fell for us the winner, I thought Niall was going to get a tap in when Jordan’s gone onto the ‘keeper but overall, can’t praise the lads enough in terms keeping their cool because there was lots of diving but it is what it is. You have to deal with it and go onto the next game.”
Similar to seven days earlier, Southport took the lead against one of the sides considered as promotion contenders to the National League. However, King’s Lynn – a full-time outfit – found their rhythm and eventually hit back with 13 minutes remaining.
After their draw with Brackley last Tuesday, the Yellows manager was disappointed that they didn’t manage to secure the three points. However, he was more content with a share of the spoils.
He said: “I think we should’ve beat Brackley but today was a fair result, a good goal, we never worked their ‘keeper, they never worked ours tonight so probably cancelled one another out.”
Carberry, 24, scored his first goal in a Southport shirt after arriving from Northern Premier League West outfit Bootle, last season.
MATCH REPORT: Southport 1-1 King’s Lynn Town: Port push on as the Walks denied top spot
REACTION: ‘Had a bit of a nose bleed’ – Michael Carberry delighted to open Southport account in ‘unfortunate’ King’s Lynn Town draw
Gradually, the full-back has become a versatile asset down the left hand side for the Yellows and Watson praised his development, tipping him to progress higher than the current standard – despite not completing a full year of action in the National League North.
“Brilliant, he’s been a brilliant signing, a great lad and you’d like to think he’ll go on and move up the levels,” he admitted. “There’s bits of his game he has to improve, I’m sure he will, he’s a firm favourite here with the crowd.
“I think he’ll be the first to tell you he needed to get fitter, he needed to learn and understand the pressing, anticipation. Listen, any league is a big step up and he’s jumped up a couple, if someone left our league and went into League Two, it’s a big step.
“A hundred per cent he will go on and play higher than this. Knuckle down, him and Doyley, I have played them both at times and I’ll probably do that going forward quite regularly.”
Despite the opposition clawing back a one-goal deficit, Watson wasn’t interested in the notion and praised both the manner King’s Lynn equalised plus Southport’s defensive work.
“It was a good goal you have to put your hands up, can we stop it? You can stop every goal but they had possession of the ball, played it wide and it’s just a great ball. They haven’t worked Tony at all so I think that’s a positive,” he concluded.
[Featured image: Julia Urwin – Southport FC]
