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Match Report | Hednesford Town vs Southport

18 August 2026

Summary:

Pitmen grabbed their first point of their National League North campaign with a 2-2 draw against Southport at Keys Park.

Goals from Dylan Mottley-Henry and Lenni Cirino were cancelled out by late strikes from Daniel Ogwuru and Sol Soloman.

Team News:

Boss Kelvin made one change to the side which started in the Pitmen’s opening league match.

Sam Hornby kept his place in between the sticks.

One change in the back three saw Aaron Harper-Bailey take Niall Maher’s place, with Aaron Hayden and George Langston alongside him.

Lenni Cirino and Dylan Mottley-Henry kept their place as wingbacks.

Captain Dale Gorman and Liam Kinsella started their third consecutive league game in the midfield pivot.

A slight change in shape saw the Pitmen shift to a 3-4-3, leaving Omari Sterling-James and Jamie Cooke starting on the left and right wing respectively.

Up top, Aaron Jarvis kept his place as the lone striker after a great performance against Scarborough.

Jay Fitzmartin and Maher both missed out through injury but the squad did see Jamie Morgan and Akheem Rose return on the bench.

Report:

After a cagey opening 15 minutes, Malakai Mckenzie curled wide following a short corner.

Five minutes later, Omari Sterling-James volleyed over the crossbar with the Pitmen starting to have the lionshare of possession.

Around the half hour mark, the Pitmen may well have felt hard done by.

A long ball from Aaron Hayden was chased down by Jamie Cooke before being seemingly taken out by Solomon Honor but the referee waved play on.

The Pitmen continued to turn the screw.

Sterling-James forced Honor into a smart stop down to his left hand side from a dangerous free kick.

44 minutes in, the Pitmen pipped themselves ahead.

Jamie Cooke shrugged off his marker before finding Dylan Mottley-Henry for his first competitive goal for Hednesford.

One minute later, Cooke rattled the crossbar just before the half time whistle.
History repeated itself not long after the break – this time Aaron Jarvis struck the post after beating Honor to a lapse backpass.

With the Pitmen continuing on the front foot, Lenni Cirino smashed the hosts into a 2-0 lead.

In the first minute of stoppage time, Ogwuru lashed Southport back into the game.

Moments later, Sol Solomon snatched the equaliser.

Lineups:

Hednesford Town: Hornby, Langston, Hayden, Harper-Bailey, Mottley-Henry, Cirino (Morgan 79), Gorman, Kinsella, Cooke, Sterling-James (Abimbola 87), Jarvis (Rose 66)

Subs not used: Parke, Curran-Nicholls, Sharples, Merry

Southport: Honor, Dwyer, Jameson, Davies, Lloyd (Edwards 77), Griffiths, Slew (Ogwuru 70), Solomon, Mckenzie (Burgess 70), Griffiths (Lavelle 85), Minihan (Pike 70)

Subs not used: Mcmillan, Perritt

Attendance: 2,359

Match Commentary

At 9:40:15:

Hednesford Town 2-2 Southport

At 9:38:28:

95' Southport squeeze home an equaliser through Solomon 2-2

At 9:35:52:

92' Soutjport corner, foul , freekick to the Pitmen

At 9:34:40:

91' Ogwuru pulls one back for Southport 2-1

At 9:33:07:

5 minutes added time

At 9:32:05:

89' Rose shoots wide

At 9:29:07:

86' Abimbola replaces Sterling-James

At 9:26:29:

Attendance 2359

At 9:24:24:

80' Gorman booked , Southport freekick taken by Griffiths claimed by Hornby

At 9:21:33:

79' Morgan replaces Cirino

At 9:12:09:

68' Cirino with a wonderful strike makes it 2-0

At 9:09:39:

66' Rose replaces Jarvis

At 9:08:15:

64' Southport freekick delivered into the area, headed away by Mottley-Henry

At 9:04:54:

61' Hornby cuts out a dangerous low cross.

At 9:01:22:

57' Pitmen freekick foul on Jarvis, keeper claims the ball from Gorman's delivery.

At 8:57:03:

53' Sterling-James puts in a cross , keeper narrowly beats Jarvis to the ball.

At 8:54:41:

51' Pitmen freekick, into the area, headed away.

At 8:51:56:

48' Langston with a long throw into the box, flicked on and cleared as far as Cooke whose shot is saved by the keeper

At 8:49:54:

46' Jarvis nips in around the keeper and hits the post from a tight angle.

At 8:47:56:

Second half is underway

At 8:32:53:

Half time 1-0

At 8:30:40:

44' Cross from Cooke, Mottley-Henry apples the finish 1-0

At 8:25:43:

38' Pitmen freekick by the corner flag, Gorman takes the ball goes too deep and Southport have a throw in.

At 8:20:30:

32' Pitmen freekick just outside the area after a foul on Jarvis, Sterling-James takes keeper makes a good low save. Corner taken by Gorman, ball is cleared.

At 8:16:41:

30' Honor appears to bring Cooke down in the area, no penalty given.

At 8:15:22:

28' Pitmen freekick, Gorman delivers into the area, keeper claims the ball.

At 8:06:57:

20' Cirino 's cross is put out for a corner, Gorman delivers, ball comes out to Sterling-James on edge of area and he shoots over the bar.

At 8:03:32:

17' Foul on Kinsella just over the half way line. Gorman sned the ball towards the area, flicked on and out for a goal kick.

At 8:01:22:

14' Southport corner, headed out , McKenzie shoots wide for the visitors.

At 7:53:53:

7' Southport corner headed away at the far post.

At 7:52:31:

6' Pitmen corner, taken by Gorman, headed clear

At 7:47:17:

Kick off and we are underway at Keys Park

At 7:36:23:

Hednesford Town; Hornby, Langston, Hayden, Cooke, Gorman, Jarvis, Sterling-James, Mottley-Henry, Harper-Bailey, Kinsella, Cirino. Subs Parke, Morgan, Rose, Abimbola, Curran-Nicholls, Sharples, Merry

At 7:06:42:

Players are warming up.

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