By James Houghton

SOUTHPORT 1 SOUTH SHIELDS 0 A CONTENTIOUS penalty resulted in the only difference between the two sides. The only goal came just after half-time by Southport after Brad Holmes won the hosts a spotkick, resulting in Declan Evans calmly slotting home his effort in front of the travelling support. The early stages were a close contest, albeit with neither side managing any clear chances. South Shields’ Paul Blackett was found in-behind the hosts’ back line on multiple occasions, albeit only seeing his efforts fail to trouble Chris Renshaw. The second ...