Southport FC 0 - 2 Scarborough

STANDING ORDER FOR GOALDEN LOTTERY

MATCH REPORTS FROM ALAN JONES SGB AND RON ELLIS CHAMPION NEWSPAPERS

Southport FC 0 - 2 Scarborough

Report by Alan Jones southport.gb.com

The battle starts here. Who will join Southport in saying goodbye to the Nationwide Conference?

Pre-empting fate can often be backfire, but on the evidence exhibited throughout the winter, which today culminated in a lifeless showing, surely there is now only one inevitable outcome for the shameful Sandgrounders. If victory at Scarborough in September was dubbed a potential turning point, then this is the realisation that Southport’s season will be over long before April.

‘Port manager Liam Watson billed this fixture as the ‘biggest game’ during his two and a half year tenure in the expectation that his players would muster a gallant response. What he instead received was nothing short of despicable.

With their passion sapped, desire drained and in utter disarray; survival may remain mathematically practical, but by failing to act, Southport have already consigned themselves to the drop.

Off the field, the abrupt departure of acting assistant manager Chris Brass was announced less then twenty-four hours before kick-off and could hardly be classed as amounting to ideal preparation. The lack of leadership and solidarity within ‘Port’s ranks, meanwhile, meant they had surrendered within two minutes of taking to the pitch.

Having dismantled the backbone of last season’s promotion-winning team, boss Watson has failed in assembling the talent required to revitalise fortunes; ultimately squandering successive opportunities to make amends for a torturous period. After axing pivotal members of his Nationwide North side, it now seems that the Southport manager has a squad less adept than when the season commenced.

Despite stressing the urgency of recruiting fresh faces, Watson today showed faith in just one of his three January additions. Michael Stringfellow bewilderingly remained on the substitute’s bench until ten minutes before time, while striker Matthew Bailey spurned two opportunities during the first half, looked conspicuously off the pace and joined his team mates in showing a general reluctance to compete.

Southport may have enjoyed the majority of possession, but registered a performance which completely lacked urgency. Attacks repeatedly disintegrated because of an embarrassing incompatibility, while players struggled to cohere and fast became blatantly limited in their ideas.

By name, it may have been a Nationwide Conference fixture, but in reality, this match belonged at substantially lower level. Two sides clearly devoid of self-belief contested a dreary affair and once the Sandgrounders had gifted their visitors an adequate cushion, it soon petered out into contest by which even the travelling contingent failed to be enthused.

Scarborough took the lead within ninety seconds, when a long ball from goalkeeper Leigh Walker was flicked on by Tony Hackworth, allowing former Southport striker David McNiven to convert with a tidy finish across the face of Steve Dickinson.

0-1

0-1

Although ‘Port threatened as Leadbetter shot wide, the Seadogs doubled their tally on eighteen minutes. Chris Hughes was granted a free path inside Messrs Fitzhenry and McGinn, before Lee Fowler capitalised upon the time and space afforded to him by unleashing a thirty-yard blockbuster which arrowed into Dickinson’s top right-hand corner.

0-2

Goalkeeper Dickinson, who was again betrayed by those in front him on his record-breaking 264th Non-League appearance, prevented the arrears from increasing shortly after, by foiling McNiven with a smart stop at his near post after good play from Pounder.

Southport’s lack of belief was typified on thirty-five minutes when Kevin Leadbetter hesitantly dwelt on an inviting opportunity engineered by Baker, before Matthew McGinn was unlucky to hit the underside of the crossbar with a curling twenty-yard free-kick just before the interval.

On the resumption of play, McNiven squandered a further chance to add more credence to the visitors’ lead, as Dickinson’s intervention allowed Roberts to recover, while the Southport ‘keeper was also alert to deny Neil Bishop after smart work on the right.

Pounder, Hackworth and McNiven all lost their composure when deciding to shoot and although the Sandgrounders did venture forward, Scarborough’s clean sheet was never in jeopardy.

Neil Robinson had a header scraped off the line by Kevin Nicholson, Pickford shot wide and Baker forced Walker into action from range, but the hosts were unable to salvage any pride from a ruinous afternoon.

When Scarborough last visited Haig Avenue, in December 2002, Southport’s calamitous spiral towards regional football had just begun to gather momentum. The seemingly unavoidable result won’t be such a shock this time, but in the wake of yet another setback, the club, in its entirety, must examine the reasons behind these consequences and respond in an adequate fashion.

(Alan Jones)

Southport.gb.com Match Facts:

Southport: (4-4-2) 1. Steve Dickinson, 19. Chris Lane, 25. Mark Roberts, 4. Neil Fitzhenry, 20. Matthew McGinn (3. Jerome Fitzgerald ’80), 5. Carl Baker, 10. Dominic Morley, 2. Steve Pickford (28. Michael Stringfellow ’80), 7. Kevin Leadbetter, 30. Matthew Bailey (9. Nick Rogan ‘71), 8. Neil Robinson.
Unused Substitutes: 15. Jamie Speare, 16. Michael Powell.

Referee: R. Fletcher

Attendance: 1,035

Southport.gb.com Southport Man of the Match: 1. Steve Dickinson

Final Score: Southport 0, Scarborough 2
Possession: Southport 56%, Scarborough 44%
Shots on Target: Southport 3, Scarborough 7
Shots off Target: Southport 7, Scarborough 7
Corners: Southport 5, Scarborough 3
Fouls Committed: Southport 18, Scarborough 15
Bookings: Southport 2, Scarborough 3
Sent-Off: Southport 0, Scarborough 0

Steve Dickinson is honoured on his 264th appearance in Non-League football for Southport – a new club record

New Southport assistant manager Lee Turnbull

Striker Matthew Bailey

SOUTHPORT 0 SCARBOROUGH 2 BY RON ELLIS

The trapdoor to Conference North is opening ominously below Southport as they succumbed to two early goals from fellow strugglers Scarborough and thus stay marooned at the foot of the Conference table.

It is a testimony to the fans’ loyal allegiance to the club that as many as 1035 of them turned up at Haig Avenue on Saturday despite nine previous league games without a win.

Of the three newcomers that Liam Watson was able to sign this week, one was taken off after an hour, plainly unfit and out of his depth; the second never left the bench and the third never appeared at all.

It was a dream start for The Seadogs when Tony Hackworth latched on to keeper Leigh Walker’s goal kick and fed the ball through to new signing, David McNiven.. Only ninety seconds had passed when the ex-Sandgrounder slotted it neatly past Steve Dickinson for the opening goal.

Within a quarter of an hour, they were two up. Chris Hughes started the move on the right and his cross was met by Lee Fowler whose shot screamed past Dickinson, unsighted by the low sun, into the top corner.

Kevin Leadbetter looked the most hungry of the home players and Ashley Lyth was quick to clear the danger from one of his runs down the left.

Hackworth tried a long shot in the 35^th minute but his 20-yard effort was well saved by the splendid Dickinson who was making a record 264^th appearance for his club as a Non-League side.

A minute later, Mark Roberts headed narrowly wide from Chris Lane’s long throw whilst, at the other end, Dickinson punched clear a point blank shot by Hughes and McNiven shot over the bar from the edge of the area.

On half-time, Matty McGinn hit a free kick that hit the underside of the bar. Roberts headed in the rebound but Walker was on hand to save. A goal then could have changed the game. As it was, McNiven should have sealed the points for Scarborough within a minute of the restart when he ran clear of the defence on the right and placed his shot past the advancing keeper only for Dickinson to get his hand to it and reduce its speed enough for Roberts to run across and clear before it reached the line.

The Port were putting everything into attack and Carl Baker had a couple of attempts at goal but the Yorkshire side were quick to pull men back and defend en masse.

Dickinson made yet another fine save in the 73^rd minute when he punched an accurate angled shot from Hawkworth out for a corner, and a goal-bound effort from Neil Bishop was headed out by Roberts who had more attempts on goal, and also stopped more goals at the other end, than any of his team-mates.

Nick Rogan livened things up when he made a long-overdue appearance in the 71^st minute, replacing Southport’s ineffective loan signing, 19 year old Matthew Bailey. It was later revealed that Bailey, like Earl Davis the week before, had taken the field despite being ill before the start of the game.

After gaining just one point out of the last thirty and scoring only two Conference goals in that time, the visit to Stevenage on Saturday has a certain air of deja-vu about it, this being the ground, of course, where Southport last lost their Conference status. At least in 2003 though, they hung on to the bitter end of the season.

Next Tuesday, the 24^th, The Yellows travel to York City, who outclassed them earlier in the season at Haig Avenue. Any points from these two games will be an unexpected bonus.

Team Dickinson Lane McGinn (Stringfellow 80min) Roberts Fitzhenry Baker Morley Pickford (Fitzgerald 80 min) Leadbetter Bailey (Rogan 71 min) Robinson

Att. 1035

Referee Russell Fletcher

Man of Match Mark Roberts

COMMENT

With relegation looking ever more likely, now is the time for the board to face up to some hard facts.

Why don’t they use some of the cash mountain that is building up in the club’s bank account and make a genuine attempt to save the drop by signing experienced players of proven quality before it really is too late?

It is no good whatsoever having a quarter of a million pounds in the bank only to end up playing at Wakefield & Emley in the Unibond in front of 99 people*. Better to have nothing in the bank but field a successful team in a higher league that will repay the investment by bringing money back into the club. Speculate to accumulate.

However, and just as importantly, the club must make a serious and urgent attempt to cash in on the tremendous commercial potential at Haig Avenue and bring in new investment and sponsorship from business people in the town and beyond.

Hopefully, the formation of the proposed Supporters’ Trust, so successful at other clubs, will set the ball rolling for fans to take an active part in the affairs of the club and help restore Southport FC to its former glory.

{*The attendance at Wakefield yesterday.}

LIAM WATSON TALKS TO RON ELLIS

Liam Watson watched the game alongside the ex-Barrow boss, Lee Turnbull, whom he has brought into the club as his assistant.

‘I’m very disappointed about the result. Once again we gave away two schoolboy goals. To lose a goal so early knocked our confidence and, forget about the sun in the keeper’s eyes, Gordon Banks couldn’t have stopped the second goal, but the lad should never have been in a position to strike the ball in the first place. We lacked conviction and quality today and didn’t take our chances. With the players we have, I reckon our best option is Pickford at right back, Fitzgerald at left back with Davis and Roberts in the middle.

I have made an offer to Burscough for Liam Blakeman and I’ve also given the Chairman a list of players I would like to bring to the club. Hopefully, we’ll get some of them by next weekend.’