Bucks fall to another narrow defeat at Southport

The visitors can be encouraged by a display that was a distinct improvement on the previous Saturday's disappointing showing at Peterborough.

This was a meeting between sides which had made successful starts to the campaign but had both then gone pointless over the holiday weekend, with Southport particularly smarting after back-to-back 4-1 reverses.

Yet there had been an interesting contrast of approach by the two clubs over the summer. Southport manager Jim Bentley had deliberately sought greater experience in his squad and recruited six players aged 30 or more, while John McGrath's team at Haig Avenue again averaged 22.

For the match, Buxton's three changes included Monday's scoring substitute, Djavan Pedro, making his full debut in place of Jack Stobbs, Dermi Lusaia restored at right-back as Ethan Fitzhugh was injured and Ethan Mann recovered to play, but Josh Granite was back in action within 30 minutes, replacing the injured Josh Williams.

On their Community Day, the hosts took the lead in the 14th minute in disappointingly comfortable fashion as they strung together a four-man passing move with the visitors unable to make a challenge as Hilton gave True Grant no chance with a low shot.

However, within five minutes the Bucks were level, courtesy of an outstanding individual strike by wide man Josh Popoola, who seems to specialise in spectacular goals. Following an accurate passing move, he cut in from the left to positively stroke the ball from 18 yards into the far top corner.

For the remainder of the half exchanges continued to be even, with the visitors ending with a brace of corner-kicks and from the second Mann's header found ex-Witton and Curzon 'keeper Renshaw.

The Bucks resumed where they had left off with three promising but ultimately fruitless attacks, yet nine minutes in it was the Sandgrounders who scored the vital next goal.

Unlike Buxton these many years, Southport have a long-throw specialist in left-back Doyle and, against the run of play, an unnecessarily conceded throw-in allowed him to launch a missile that was headed down by Proctor for the equally experienced Lloyd to ram home at close-range.

There was ample scope for hope of a second equaliser, particularly as three forward substitutes in Jack Stobbs, Sam Tomlinson and loanee Josh Ayres were successively introduced over a 26-minute period.

Despite a number of promising attacks, however, it proved elusive and in the first minute of added time it was Southport's Morgan who netted as he profited from fellow substitute Carver's cut-back.

Nonetheless the Bucks persevered and two minutes later Kieran Burton, who had been excellent as the emergency left-back, nodded in unchallenged at a corner-kick for his first Buxton goal.

However, for once, a referee played exactly the stated amount of five added minutes so the Bucks must on Tuesday (kick-off 7.45pm) travel to South Shields, who won at Scarborough on Saturday, in search of their first reward on the road, the match played after this week’s Advertiser went to press.