Scarborough Athletic’s unbeaten run halted by visitors Southport
Despite being on top for much of the first half, Boro’s eight-game unbeaten run ended with a 2-1 home loss to Southport, who had also won on their last two visits to Scarborough.
Following hugely impressive wins against Scunthorpe and Chester in the two previous home games, this was a disappointing display from Boro, although they did create some good chances, before the visitors broke from defence to open the scoring, writes Steve Adamson.
Boro dominated early possession, Keenah Quansah hacked clear when Alex Wiles burst into the area, then Kieran Weledji glanced his header wide from a Lewis Maloney corner, and Wiles fired narrowly over. Alex Brown raced 40 yards down the left, and squared to Richie Bennett in the area, but the big striker, who played for Southport on loan last season, shot wide.
For the visitors, Sonny Hilton chipped a shot just over, and a run from Danny Lloyd was ended by Bailey Gooda’s strong tackle.
Boro applied more pressure, Weledji had a goal-bound header cleared off the line by Jack Stafford, and Will Thornton, on his 150th competitive Boro appearance, went up for a corner, and had a low shot superbly pushed wide by diving keeper Chris Renshaw, but Hilton then burst forward for Southport, and his through-ball deflected into the path of Luke Burgess, who drilled his shot into the bottom right corner.
Boro fought back, Bennett teed up Wiles, whose shot was palmed wide by Renshaw, and Brown had a stinging shot blocked by Matt Thomson just before the interval.
The expected second-half Boro onslaught never materialised, with the Southport defence largely untroubled until late on.
Harry Green sent a 20-yard shot into the chest of Renshaw, then the away side went close when a Hilton strike was deflected wide by Brown, before they doubled their lead when Lloyd’s left-wing corner was powerfully headed home at the back post by Knight-Percival.
Marcus Carver blazed over, Lloyd fired straight at Ryan Whitley and Gooda blocked a shot from Carver, but Boro then reduced the arrears when the superb Alex Purver passed to Green on the right, and his cross was headed past Renshaw by Weledji.
Boro piled forward late on, with defenders Thornton and Weledji joining Bennett, Green and Frank Mulhern in a five-man attack, but Southport defended valiantly.
Mulhern sent a 30-yard free-kick over the bar, a long-throw from Brown was headed goalwards by Thornton, but Quansah kicked clear at the back post, a Purver cross was headed inches wide by Thornton, and in one of several goalmouth scrambles, a Weledji shot was blocked by Jack Doyle.
In stoppage time a Weledji header from a Cam Wilson cross, was deflected wide by Sam Minihan, and even keeper Whitley went up for a last-gasp corner, but the ball was scrambled clear.
BORO - Whitley, Weledji, Brown,Maltby (Mulhern 64), Thornton (c), Gooda, Purver, Maloney (Glynn 37), Bennett, Tear (Wilson 64), Wiles (Green 46)
SOUTHPORT - Renshaw, Thomson, Doyle, Knight-Percival, Lloyd (Morgan 80), Carver (Gomes 85), Quansah, Hilton (Spooner 73), Burgess (Angus 80), Stafford (Minihan 67), Philliskirk
REFEREE - Kavan Hurn
GOALS - BORO - Kieran Weledji 77; SOUTHPORT - Luke Burgess 29, Nat Knight-Percival 58
GOAL ATTEMPTS - BORO 11 (6 on target) SOUTHPORT 7 (3 on target)
CORNERS - BORO 7 SOUTHPORT 4
OFFSIDES - BORO 1 SOUTHPORT 0
YELLOW CARDS - BORO- Bailey Gooda; SOUTHPORT- Nat Knight-Percival, Sonny Hilton
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Alex Purver
ATTENDANCE - 1,502 (55 away)