Southport 3-1 County

Hatters Sunk In Latest ‘Battle Of the Ports’

The Hatters fell to their first defeat in 10 matches, as well as to their first in four contests during the current season with former Football League rivals Southport.

In an archetypal ‘game of two halves’ at Haig Avenue, County had a one-goal advantage, and looked good value for the lead, at the break – only for the hosts to get back on terms with a deflected effort shortly after the re-start and then score twice within as many minutes to win.

County took to the field showing three changes from the starting line-up for the FA Trophy replay at Edgeley Park against Kidderminster four days earlier. Ben Hinchliffe returned between the sticks in place of Ian Ormson. And Dan Cowan, who had recovered from injury, as well as Jamie Stott, making his debut on loan from Oldham, slotted into defence as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation – with Scott Duxbury and Bohan Dixon the players to make way.

Stott was in action early on – doing well to block and clear a delivery from the right by Southport debutant Elliot Osborne, who had himself enjoyed a successful loan spell in SK3 a year ago.

But with just eight minutes on the clock, the Hatters struck a more decisive blow – courtesy of another current loanee, Rhys Turner, who netted for the second successive game. His stooping header into an empty net at close range came after Stephen O’Halloran’s cross on the left had been nodded back across goal to Turner by Jason Oswell from beyond the far post.

The ‘Sandgrounders’ responded by testing Hinchliffe, and County’s Number One had to be at his best in parrying a shot by Jason Gilchrist, before deflecting behind Adam Dawson’s angled follow-up from the right.

Having given County the lead, Turner unfortunately saw his role in the afternoon’s proceedings end midway through the first half when he went over awkwardly on his ankle, and off the ball, to be replaced by Gary Stopforth.

Southport went on to create several opportunities – albeit, in the main, from distance. And Hinchliffe comfortably gathered efforts from David Morgan and Dawson, while Morgan and captain David Lynch drilled shots wide and Billy Priestley blasted another well above goal.

HALF-TIME: Southport 0, County 1 (Turner, 8).

The hosts’ first effort after the interval should have met a similarly undramatic end. But Jack Sampson’s innocuous low shot, two minutes following the resumption, took a deflection off Stott and wrong-footed Hinchliffe to bring the scores level.

The Hatters responded well to the setback initially. From their first corner of the new half, Harry Winter fired narrowly over from the edge of the box. And Oswell connected with an Adam Thomas free-kick from the right to glance a header past the far upright.

But Southport pressed back. And, just ahead of the hour, Gilchrist, who had already scored against County once for his current club and twice for FC United within the past four months, forced another good save from Hinchliffe – courtesy of a piledriver-shot that the returning goalkeeper tipped behind.

Gilchrist made no mistake a little over 10 minutes later with a curling shot from 12 yards out, that followed a neat one-touch exchange between Morgan and Lynch and put the hosts in front. And within another two minutes, they earned a third when Sampson, in the six-yard box, headed home a cross from the left.

Osborne came close to rubbing further salt into County’s wounds in added time, after his new club had broken, with a two-player advantage, following a County corner. But the former Hatter eventually chipped over.

FULL-TIME: Southport 3 (Sampson, 47 and 73; Gilchrist, 71), County 1 (Turner, 8).

Team: Hinchliffe, Cowan, O’Halloran, Ball, Clarke (Dixon, 80), Stott, Thomas (Duxbury, 61), Winter (Capt.), Oswell, Turner (Stopforth, 24), Stephenson.

Unused Subs: Ormson, McKenna.

Booked: Oswell.

Attendance: 1,652 (709 representing The Twelfth Man).

Reporter: Gareth Evans.

Photographer: Mike Petch.

Jim Gannon post match interview

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