Derby honours go to Southport as Burscough lose at Haig Avenue

Mar 19 2009 by Terry Owen, Ormskirk Advertiser

Derby honours go to Southport as Burscough lose at Haig Avenue

Southport 3

Burscough 0

THE gulf between the top of the Blue Square North and the lower reaches of the league, was clear for all to see at Haig Avenue on Tuesday night.

But Burscough worked like Trojans for the whole 90 minutes, they simply didn’t have the physical strength and individual quality to match a Sandgrounders side who had a real championship look about them.

In the opening 30 minutes, Ryan Wade led Burscough on foray after foray into the Southport half, but to no avail. In the 24th minute Wade won a corner, that he then played to Michael Yates, only to see Yates shot clear the crossbar, then in the 29th minute, Ross Lloyd sent a powerful drive curling just beyond the Southport post after Wade’s corner was not cleared properly.

Southport manager Liam Watson made a crucial change after Lloyd’s shot and it turned the game. Moving Shaun Whalley to the right, Robbie Booth into the middle with Ciaran Kilheeney and pushing Matt McGinn into an attacking role on the left. It gave Burscough’s defence too much to cope with.