Boro pegged back by late Southport effort
Boro returned home from Southport with a hardearned point from a 1-1 draw, after the hosts grabbed a stoppage time equaliser to cancel out Dom Tear’s early goal for the visitors.
Southportdominatedpossession throughout, but Boro defendedresolutely,andkeeper Joe Cracknell once again pulled off a string of top saves, including two in the opening three minutes, as he pushed a Keenan Quansah shot round thepost,thenpalmedaDeclan Evans strike over the bar.
After surviving the early onslaught, Boro took a 13thminute lead, when Ciaran McGuckin cut in from the left flank and fired in a low shot, which keeper Tony McMillan got down to save, but the ball rebounded off a defender to Dom Tear, who pounced to slot home from close-range.
Tyler Walton laid off to Jordan Archer, who sent a half-volley high over the Boro crossbar, then Ash Jackson fired wide at the other end, and an inviting cross from KieranWeledjiwashackedclear by Chris Doyle.
On 38 minutes Connor Woods raced through on goal, butwashaltedbyagreattackle from Kieran Glynn, who had a loan spell at Southport while he was a Salford City player back in 2019.
TheoutstandingCracknell saved a long-range shot from Josh Hmami early in the second half, and he also pulled off a superb save to keep out
a goal-bound effort from Jack Bainbridge, but the Boro back line was solid, with Kieran Burton, Will Thornton and Bailey Gooda winning most of the high balls into the area, and despite all their possession, Southport didn't create many clear chances.
Boro almost doubled their lead with ten minutes to go, when a Lewis Maloney freekick shaved the top of the bar with the keeper beaten.
But the hosts grabbed a last-gasp equaliser deep into stoppage time, when Connor Woods sent over a cross to the
back post, and former Marine midfielderJoshHmamiplanted his header into the net.
SOUTHPORT: McMillan, J.Doyle,D.Doyle,Anson(Heath 70), Evans, Woods, Archer, Walton, Quansah, Hmami, Bainbridge
BORO: Cracknell, Weledji,Jackson,Burton,Thornton, Gooda, Tear, Maloney, Coulson, Glynn, McGuckin
REFEREE: Richard Aspinall
GOALS: SOUTHPORT Josh Hmami 90; BORO Dom Tear 13.