Visitors Scarborough Athletic pegged back by late Southport header

Dom Tear, right, scored the early goal to give Scarborough Athletic the lead at Southport.

Southport dominated possession throughout, but Boro defended resolutely, and keeper 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 the post, then palmed a Declan Evans strike over the bar, writes Steve Adamson.

After surviving the early onslaught, Boro took a 13th-minute 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 Kieran Weledji was hacked clear by Chris Doyle.

On 38 minutes Connor Woods raced through on goal, but was halted by a great tackle from Kieran Glynn, who had a loan spell at Southport while he was a Salford City player back in 2019.

The outstanding Cracknell 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 free-kick 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 midfielder Josh Hmami planted his header into the net.

Lewis Maloney went close to adding a late second goal for the Seadogs at Southport.

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.

YELLOW CARDS: SOUTHPORT Charlie Oliver, Josh Hmami, Jack DoyleBORO: Dom Tear, Ciaran McGuckinBORO MAN OF MATCH: Joe CracknellATTENDANCE: 985 (129 away)