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Saturday 24th April - Southport 3-1 Frickley Athletic

With Aaron Downes unavailable due to training at Rushden & Diamonds Paul Marquis came back into the defence with Wayne Benn dropping back to sweeper as Phil Sharpe started with a five-man defence. Dominique Krief returned in midfield in place of the suspended Steve Robinson and Lee Pugh returned to the side with Craig Nelthorpe injured.

On a hot and sunny afternoon Lee Pugh had the first chance of the afternoon when his looping header was easily saved my Stephen Dickinson in the home goal after just 4 minutes. Minutes later Carl Baker struck a 25 yard shot well wide from 25 yards for Southport. Almost immediately the Blues responded with Gary Hatto doing well down the left before picking out Nick Richardson who shot over the bar from 20 yards. The Blues had a let-off on 13 minutes when Benn gave the ball away to Steve Daly some 25 yards out but as the striker controlled the ball and shot Benn recovered to block the shot. The rebound fell to Chris Price but Marc Shackleton got down well to save his low 15 yard shot. Lee Morris then robbed Neil Fitzhenry some 30 yards from goal and back-heeled the ball into the path of the advancing Krief but he shot over from 18 yards when he ought to have hit the target. The Blues continued to threaten with Marquis being unlucky to see his header at the far post go just wide following a Hatto free-kick on the right whilst on the half hour Hatto threaded threaded the ball through to Morris who turned and shot over the bar from just inside the box. Minutes later Shackleton was called upon to make a great double save as Kevin Leadbetter weaved his way through the Blues' defence and into the box but Shackleton did well to block at his feet and then he blocked the follow-up shot from Daly from point blank range. Southport took the lead shortly afterwards on 37 minutes when Price sent over a good cross from the left which Hatto failed to clear but Neil Robinson came in behind him to head the ball past Shackleton and in off the far post. Three minutes later it was nearly 2-0 as Daly beat Benn to run at goal and square the ball across goal to Leadbetter whose low shot was tipped onto the far post by Shackleton but this time the ball rebounded to safety.

With Burscough beating Radcliffe Borough at half time the Blues knew they needed to turn the game around in the second half but distaster struck just three minutes after the break when the Blues' defence several times failed to clear a loose ball from the edge of the box and it eventually fell to Price who stabbed the ball in from close range. The home side started to take control with Daly shooting straight into Shacklton's arms when well placed on the edge of the box on 55 minutes whilst a minute later Leadbetter beat Benn on the edge of the box before firing an angled shot past Shackleton to seemingly put the result beyond doubt. Sharoe immediately replaced Marquis with Chris Fawcus, reverting to a flat back four and pushing Hatto and Benn further forward. This immediately brought a goal for the Blues with Dan Sheriffe doing well down the right of the box before crossing for HATTO to tap into an empty net from close range on 58 minutes. Leadbetter then threatened to score a wonder goal as he ran at the Blues goal from almost the halfway line but Shackleton blocked his angled shot from just inside the box. Just after the hour Pugh's cross caused havoc in the Southport box with Dickinson eventually punching the ball to Krief on the edge of the box but he shot well over. Two minutes later Hatto's left wing corner was headed back across goal by Richardson to Morris who somehow managed to head the ball over the bar from 3 yards! The Blues had an even better chance to reduce the deficit on 68 minutes when Fitzhenry pushed Morris to the ground in the box and the referee immediately awarded the penalty with Fitzhenry being lucky to receive only a yellow card. Unfortunately Dickinson saved Hatto's spot-kick. The Blues kept pushing forward but, inevitably, left gaps at the back. On 79 minutes Lee Mulvaney played the ball inside Fawcus for Leadbetter but he sidefooted his angled shot inches wide of the left hand post. A minute later Shacklton blocked another angled shot from Leadbetter and Mulvaney completely missed his kick with an open goal in front of him. With nine minutes left Morris shot straight at Dickinson from 18 yards but Southport almost grabbed a fourth goal on 85 minutes when Leadbetter curled the ball over Shackleton but Lindley headed off the line.

Frickley Athletic : Shackleton, Richards, Hatto (Wilkinson 77), Lindley, Benn, Marquis (Fawcus 57), Pugh, Krief (Blythen 77), Morris, Sheriffe, Richardson

Attendance : 649

Referee : Mr D. Roberts

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