FA Cup Replay Southport 3 Spennymoor 2

After a game on Saturday were the sides cancelled each other out and chances were at a premium this was at the other end of the scale and Southport progressed into the next round of the FA Cup were they will face Altrincham.

The game started brightly with both sides creating openings and it was the home side who took the lead on 14 minutes when Doug Tharme finished superbly from a Dylan Vassallo corner, his first goal for the club.

The visitors however turned the game round with two goals in three minutes. Our old foe Glen Taylor with a header and Brad Abbott saw them go into the break 2-1 up.

The main flashpoint came on the stroke of half time when Stephen Thompson was shown a straight red card which saw Spennymoor down to 10 men. It appeared a harsh decision and incensed the small but vocal group of travelling fans.

The windy conditions were playing havoc with the play but it was to both sides credit that there was some decent football on show.

Southport haven’t always fared well against 10 men but they turned the game around in the second half.

Firstly Jordan Archer tapped home after a scramble in the 58th minute to restore parity then in the 72nd minute Marcus Carver nudged the ball over the lined after another scramble in the Spennymoor six yard box.

With the visitors down to 10 men and pushing forward, Niall Watson, Connor Woods and Carver all had chances to make the game safe but they were squandered making for a nervy final few minutes but Southport held firm for a great victory.

Our visitors were a team full of experienced players but our younger team matched them for desire, with Josh Hmami once again outstanding in midfield.

It got a bit feisty at times as you would expect from a full blooded FA Cup tie and the game ended with a few “handbags” but over the 180 minutes Southport fully deserved to take their place in 4Q,

Over the two games the Southport lads showed they are a match for any team and every one involved can take great confidence from these two games and we move on to York City in great spirits on Saturday.