JORDAN’S ON THE MARK
SOUTHPORT 1 Lussey 57 BROMLEY 2 Cunnington 11, Higgs 24
Neil Smith said he was delighted with the character shown by his Bromley players as they beat Southport to post their third away win of the season.
First-half goals from Adam Cunnington and Jordan Higgs ensured the team from Kent made the long journey home from the north-west with maximum points from an important match at the foot of the Vanarama National League. The result lifts Smith’s team four points above the relegation zone and leaves Southport three adrift as the visitors held strong to clam victory.
“It was a hard game,” said Smith. “Southport have got an experienced manager and have had a couple of good results lately so we knew it would be tough.
“We had chances to have scored more and it was a very open game, but we saw it out and the boys showed great character.”
Bromley went ahead in the 11th minute, Cunnington turning home Joe Anderson’s low left-wing cross in the centre of the goal somewhat against the run of play.
A far-post header from Andrai Jones was touched over by the fingertips of goalkeeper Alan Julian after a fine cross from James Caton, the home team’s liveliest attacker.
Jones also failed to capitalise on Caton’s sumptuous crossfield pass with only Julian to beat before Liam Nolan sent a firm first-time drive against a post after Bromley had failed to clear Ryan Higgins’s long throw-in.
Yet having taken the lead, Bromley proceeded to tighten their grip on the contest. Blair Turgott breezed past Neil Ashton, the Southport left-back, before hanging up a cross which Toby Sho-Silva sent onto the crossbar.
And the visitors extended their lead midway through the half, Higgs emerging from a crowded penalty area to head home a corner from David Martin.
Having leaked goals at will during the opening part of the season, Southport have shown an improvement at the back in recent weeks but defending balls into their box remains problematic. Jordan Lussey gave the Sandgrounders a route back into the match with a superb 57th-minute effort. Receiving the ball 25 yards from goal, Lussey executed a sweetlystruck shot which flew beyond the dive of goalkeeper Julian.
With fresh impetus to their play, the home team enjoyed the majority of the possession as the second half progressed, but they struggled to make an impression on the Bromley defence.
“We started off so well, but we conceded two poor goals from our point of view and you could see the confidence go out of the players,” said Southport manager Steve Burr.
“We gave ourselves an uphill task but I was pleased with our second-half performance. We had a go but it was too little, too late.”