MATCH REPORT | Farsley Celtic 0-3 Southport – FA Cup

Southport booked their place in the Emirates FA Cup third round qualifying with a clinical second-half showing.

Dean Winnard, Dion Charles and Devarn Green were on target after the break as the Sandgrounders secured victory at lower division opposition in Farsley Celtic.

After a tough start to the campaign, Southport have shown clear signs of improvement in recent weeks, and having been made to wait for their second victory, they will want to make sure that this result helps their season to turn.

The Sandgrounders have reflected in recent weeks that their reward from games should have been greater, and they left Throstle Nest knowing that the margin of victory could easily have been wider.

After a tight first half, the visitors wasted little time after the break in asserting their authority, Winnard scoring within a minute of the re-start, and the lead was quickly extended by Charles and Green.

Charles was again Southport’s brightest outlet, causing all manner of problems for the home defence, just as he had done in the previous game against Darlington.

The Sandgrounders fielded an unchanged team in shape and personnel from their last outing, Charles again the effective foil for Jack Sampson as the central forward pairing, and a settled line-up offers further evidence that Liam Watson’s team are settling into their stride.

The visitors had looked to start on the front foot, goalkeeper Kyle Trenerry saving from Sampson’s header and a Green shot, but as the first half went on, Farsley began to show more influence.

A free-kick from Will Hayhurst was played into the area from the left, Jack Higgins won it and the header from the former Southport defender scraped the crossbar.

Yet with Charles in the team, Southport are always a threat, and having been released by Brad Bauress only to be foiled by Adam Clayton’s last-ditch challenge, he showed great strength later in the half to hold off the challenge of Chris Atkinson before engineering the space for a shot but lifted the ball over.

Southport were in front soon after the re-start, Winnard touching in a corner from Jordan Richards at the near post, with the ball crossing the goal-line before Charles followed it in.

Although the victory was ultimately convincing, the Sandgrounders were grateful to the contribution of goalkeeper Dan Hanford, not least for a superb save to maintain their lead by parrying away a header from Nathan Cartman.

Hanford had also made saves in the first half from Higgins ad Jimmy Walker, but the goal from Winnard gave Southport the platform to take control.

If Charles had been denied the decisive touch for the first goal, there was no disputing his ownership of the second on 58 minutes, carving out space inside the area before sending an emphatic finish across goal and into the bottom corner.

Seven minutes later, Green extended the lead further, bursting into the area before lining up a shot and sliding home a crisp finish.

With further chances for Bauress on the counter-attack and Charles with his excellent footwork, the Sandgrounders could have had more, but this was the win that everyone had wanted.

Farsley Celtic (3-4-3): Trenerry, Clayton, Ellis, Higgins, Tuner, B Atkinson, C Atkinson, Hayhurst (Watson 72), Cartman (Baldwin 72), Spencer (Parkin 72), Walker.
Subs not used: Bower, Britton, Bett.

Southport (4-4-2): Hanford, Richards, Winnard, Astles, Ogle (Mueller 78), Green, Morgan (Hollins 90), Lynch, Bauress (Gilchrist 72), Charles, Sampson.
Subs not used: Kinsella, Parry, Phenix, Langley.
Goals: Winnard 46, Charles 58, Green 65.

Attendance: 306

Referee: Ben Speedie

Report by Alan Jones