MATCH REPORT FROM sgb Southport

Amid seven goals conceded in two successive defeats, devoid of a point in eight Conference outings and with the big-spending promotion favourites next in line, Southport surely had no chance.
But the well worn phrase of a side being at their most dangerous when in the face of adversity certainly applied to the Sandgrounders this afternoon.
The four hundred stay-away ‘supporters’, who couldn’t leave quickly enough after Tuesday’s setback against York, will be rueing their lack of patience, as this was Southport’s turn to taste victory in another Haig Avenue five-goal feast.
Despite keeping faith with the majority of his team, the bold decision of manager Liam Watson to axe thirty-three goal Terry Fearns certainly paid dividends. Many have often wondered how the Sandgrounders would fare without last season’s leading marksman but striker Neil Robinson answered in devastating fashion – inspiring Southport to their first victory of the campaign, by bagging a brace after engineering the opener.
A ‘Port side which was hungry, dynamic, ruthless and most significantly competent, flourished throughout with several inspired individual performances, showing that beneath the midweek trouncing lay a bunch of young hopefuls more than able to compete.
After traffic congestion meant kick-off was delayed by half-an-hour, the hosts took little time in exerting their intentions.
Kevin Leadbetter and Steve Pickford both shot wide, before Steve Daly’s close range effort was foiled by goalkeeper Alan Julian.
The Sandgrounders took the lead on 20 minutes, when striker Robinson was upended by Justin Gregory after a superbly-weighted pass from Jerome Fitzgerald. With Fearns sidelined, re-called winger Carl Baker assumed penalty duties and clinically dispatched with a powerful spot-kick, rifling past ‘keeper Julian.
And after Daly had flashed over following intricate approach work down the right, Southport completed a ferocious first-half display, with a second strike on thirty-seven minutes.
Pickford’s 20-yard effort rebounded off the angle of the woodwork, allowing Leadbetter to find Robinson, who poked home from close-range.
It was the former Macclesfield striker’s first goal since March and with appearances limited during that spell, his jubilation was underlined in the celebrations that followed, for which he was cautioned.
Stevenage tried to salvage something positive from the opening-period, but late shots from Darryn Stamp and George Boyd were their only noteworthy openings, before Southport extended their lead shortly after the re-start.
Carl Baker’s free-kick ricocheted off the Boro wall into the path of Robinson who fired past Julian from inside the area.
Historically, as well as usually producing a Southport win, this fixture also has a tendency to provide bags of goals for both sides and it would have been rude of the visitors not to have obliged by setting up a tense concluding half-hour.
Stevenage instantly replied with two goals in as many minutes to leave the Sandgrounders’ advantage hanging precariously in the balance.
Firstly, Anthony Elding, who bagged twenty-two times last season, converted his first this term by slotting home at the back post following Jon Nurse’s piercing left-wing delivery.
And Boro were gifted a lifeline when referee Taylor harshly adjudged defender Kilbane to have handled in the area, allowing Stamp to convert. In his past-match comments, home manager Watson was keen to stress that the same official had awarded a similarly dubious spot-kick in last-season’s defeat against Harrogate and in his opinion any possible incident had occurred outside the box.
Doubtless the Manchester referee would have felt the full wrath of a fuming Watson had Stevenage recovered anything from a match that seemed well beyond them. But the Sandgrounders, who were forceful in midfield and resilient at the back failed to wither, thus claiming an excellent first scalp.
Match notes courtesy of Dave Brown.
(Alan Jones)
Southport.gb.com Match Facts:

Southport: (4-4-2) 1. Steve Dickinson, 19. Chris Lane, 6. Earl Davis, 12. Farrell Kilbane, 3. Jerome Fitzgerald, 5. Carl Baker (14. Kevin Lynch ’90), 18. Dominic Krief, 2. Steve Pickford, 11. Kevin Leadbetter (20. Matthew McGinn ’81), 8. Neil Robinson, 11. Steve Daly (21. Robbie Booth ’90).
Unused Substitutes: 15. Jamie Speare, 9. Terry Fearns.
Referee: A. Taylor
Attendance: 1,007
Southport.gb.com Southport Man of the Match: 8. Neil Robinson
Final Score: Southport 3, Stevenage Borough 2
Possession: Southport 50%, Stevenage Borough 50%
Shots on Target: Southport 6, Stevenage Borough 3
Shots off Target: Southport 5, Stevenage Borough 2
Corners: Southport 1, Stevenage Borough 8
Fouls Committed: Southport 14, Stevenage Borough 19
Bookings: Southport 5, Stevenage Borough 4
Sent-Off: Southport 0, Stevenage Borough 0
What they said ...
Southport manager, Liam Watson:
‘I think the lads have done tremendously well. There was one or two knockers after the two defeats and one or two people looking for us to fail. But there’s a real big heart in the club, there’s honest endeavour and they worked their socks off today, totally deserving all three points. I think 3-2 ended up flattering Stevenage.
‘I was disappointed that the first goal was sloppy – the cross shouldn’t have been allowed to come in, but the second was blatant pathetic from the referee. Last season against Harrogate, he gave exactly the same decision against us, when the ball has ricocheted against someone from two-yards away and he’s deceived it’s a penalty. To be fair, it was an absolute joke!’

SOUTHPORT 3 STEVENAGE BOROUGH 2

BY RON ELLIS

Liam Watson made only one change for the Saturday match against Stevenage, bringng in Neil Robinson instead of Terry Fearns to partner Daly and Leadbetter upfront, and it was a move that paid off handsomely with Robinson scoring two goals in a stirring 3-2 victory against the title favourites.

More disappointing was the crowd; over 600 less than at the previous game, partly due, no doubt, to the Flower Show but most due to fickleness of fair-weather fans who seem to only want to attend if the team actually win and feel slighted in some way when they don’t. As if watching an entertaining game of football, with the team trying their best, was in itself was not enough. So much for full-time football at Haig Avenue.

After a slow start, Leadbetter had a couple of shots but the first goal only arrived after 23 minutes. Neil Robinson was brought down by Justin Gregory in the box as he surged towards goal and the resultant penalty was coolly despatched by Baker.

Julian came to Borough’s rescue when he saved again from Leadbetter but he was unable to stop the second goal in the 35^th minute. Sid Pickford crashed a tremendous shot that bounced off the angle, Leadbetter’s attempt was blocked by the keeper and the ball bobbled around the box until Robinson crashed it home. The scorer was immediately booked for excessive celebrating by the referee, Anthony Taylor, who had little control of the game, booked nine players and made some bewildering decisions.

At the other end, Steve Dickinson saved from Ollie Berquez and Darryn Stamp cpnnected well with a Dannie Bulman corner in the final seconds of the half only to see Dominic Krief kick the ball off the line.

The Sandgrounders came out after the interval where they left off and after Baker’s free kick had bounced back off one of his own defenders, Robinson thundered in the rebound from 15 yards to put his side 3-0 up.

It looked game set and match for The Port but two gift goals in two minutes put Borough back in the game. Earl Davis failed to cut out Jon Nurse’s low cross giving Elding easy tap in after he had spent most of his time until then in a private niggly battle with Davis.

Almost immediately after the kick-off, Mr. Taylor awarded a highly disputed penalty after the ball bounced onto Farrell Kilbane’s arm, arguably just outside the area, and Stamp made no mistake from the spot.

But if the Stevenage camp expected the home side to capitulate they were disappointed as Southport showed great resilience and fighting spirit and carried on going forward with Robinson shooting wide on the hour after a great run by Baker.

Davis made up for his earlier error with a couple of vital clearances, particularly from a dangerous corner from Bulman but it was McGinn who nearly put his side further ahead with a free kick which snaked past the post.

Surprisingly, as I thought York City were far better than Stevenage, Liam Watson rated Stevenage as the best team we have played so far.

‘We beat ourselves against York with defensive errors,’ he said. ‘Today’s game says a lot about the lads’ character, coming back so strongly after those two early defeats. There is no lack of confidence in our squad. These are the lads who won Conference North last season and they know they can do it. They may be young but they are talented and fit. We had a plan today, we stuck to it and it worked. Steveange never had a single chance after their second goal. We gave away the first goal, a simple mistake, but the decision for their second was a joke. The ball rebounded off Farrell’s leg onto his hand and he was outside the area anyway. This is the same referee who gave a penalty against Jimmy Williams when we played Harrogate at home last season.’

The Yellows now face the comparatively short trip, by Conference standards, to newly relegated Kiddderminster next Saturday with the picture looking a lot brighter after Saturday’s result that suggests the club can, after all, hold their own at this level.