Yellows stay up despite seventh loss on the spin
BY the end, there was an element of relief that Southport’s place in the Vanarama National League North had been secured for another season, but it did not arrive in the way anyone would have wanted.
An unlikely sequence of results would have been needed for the Sandgrounders’ status to be properly threatened, but having finished their final home game of the campaign with a seventh successive defeat, they were grateful for scorelines elsewhere.
At one stage of the afternoon, with teams below them in the table winning, it looked as though the matter would not be resolved until the closing week of the season, but ultimately Southport have stumbled across the finish line.
There have been mitigating factors in recent weeks: injuries have left the squad stretched, a fixture backlog meant this was the fourth fixture for Kevin Davies’ team in eight taxing days and that run has included games against the division’s top three teams.
In the end, however, Southport’s season has been saved by the run of eight wins from ten games between January and March, without which the conclusion could have been much trickier.
As in their game against Salford City, the newly-crowned champions, on Tuesday night, there was not a great deal between the Sandgrounders and third-placed Brackley Town but the key moments went against them.
Southport were enjoying their most productive period of the game when Salford plundered the only goal on Tuesday and the same thing happened here.
Dion Charles had three chances midway through the second half and Jason Gilchrist, usually the epitome of composure in front of goal, fluffed his lines when one-on-one with goalkeeper Danny Lewis.
As a long ball forward was flicked on by Dan Cockerline, a slip from defender Gareth Dean left Gilchrist through on goal, only for the striker to send his shot straight at Lewis.
Two months ago, there is little doubt that Gilchrist, who is still in line to end the season as the league’s leading marksman, would have tucked the ball away without hesitation but the miss is typical of Southport’s current struggles.
The deciding goal arrived with 15 minutes remaining, Adam Williams scoring with a low diagonal finish from the right side of the penalty area as he drilled the ball past the goalkeeper Mark Halstead after a run and pass from Matt Lowe.
The most notable chance of a tepid first half saw the Southport goalkeeper produce a fine save to touch over an angled shot from Ellis Myles after Lee Ndlovu had taken the ball forward before releasing James Armson.
There was more urgency to the Sandgrounders’ play after the interval. The chance for Gilchrist came on 58 minutes and Charles later received a pass from Dan Cockerline before advancing down the right and into the penalty area, but he opted to shoot, firing the ball over the bar, when there were other choices in the centre of the box.
David Morgan was denied by goalkeeper Lewis and a freekick from Elliot Osborne was deflected over but losing has become a habit for Southport as the season approaches its conclusion.
They now have two games remaining to reverse the current trend.