VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE

SOUTHPORT 1 (Caton 85) BARROW AFC 4 (Harrison 6, 28, Bennett 53, Hughes 59)

BARROW AFC lorded it over Southport at Haig Avenue as a poetic Byron Harrison double, plus goals from Richie Bennett and Liam Hughes sealed an emphatic 4-1 win,

Southport were poor, bordering on woeful, but they had drawn at big-spending high-fliers Eastleigh on Saturday and, unlike then, AFC made them look every bit a side second from bottom.

There were four goals, but there could have been five or six such was the dominance of the visitors, whose only disappointment will have been to concede late on to their hosts.

With an unchanged side from the 1-1 home draw against Boreham Wood on Saturday and with a storm raging in the distance, AFC started well.

Danny Livesey did have to be alert to block a Liam Nolan effort after he was played through by Bobby Moseley, but it was the visitors more often on the attack.

Jordan Williams was brought down outside the Port area as keeper Tyrell Belford raced from his line to meet him in a dangerous position. It earned the Sandgrounders keeper a yellow card, but there was no further punishement as the Williams free-kick from the left was headed over at the near post by an unmarked Richie Bennett.

The wait for a goal did not last long though, as in the sixth minute Harrison took the ball on the edge of the area. He was surrounded by Southport defenders but managed to create the chance to shoot. It was a weak effort, but a deflection immediately in front of the AFC striker wrong-footed Belford and sent the ball slowly creeping into the bottom corner.

The Bluebirds then had shouts for a penalty turned away by referee Tom Bramall as Bennett went to ground in a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge with Mark O’Brien, with the hosts relieved to receive a free-kick instead.

You could hear the thunder rumbling as Southport started to apply their own pressure, with Nick Anderton bringing down former AFC man Louis Almond to the right of the area. Almond played the free-kick to James Caton, who shot low and wide of the near post from 18 yards.

Back came Barrow and Harrison received the ball from a Bennett header on the corner of the area, with a first-time shot to the near post turned behind by a flying Belford.

Bennett was then put in by a mistake from the Port defence, giving him the chance to run into the area, with support inside, He chose to shoot, and Callum Howe was there to block the effort.

The margin was soon doubled though as Liam Hughes played Harrison free into the area and Howe pulled him back, conceding the penalty. Harrison stepped up himself and went right as the keeper dived the other way, with Barrow looking well in control.

Southport tried to attack, but Moussa Diarra, Livesey, Anderton and Dom Smith were impermeable as they held strong as a defensive unit, well aided by the likes of Alex-Ray Harvey and Ryan Yates – though Harvey was a little too enthusiastic as he earned a booking for a late challenge in the middle of the park. Yates was close to adding a third to the AFC tally as Hughes played him into space with a neat reverse pass. But the youngster miscontrolled and when he regained the ball and shot towards the far post, his curling effort was saved low down by Belford.

There was a frantic end to the half as a Diarra header on the edge of his own area looped into the air and Joel Dixon – previously a spectator – had to be quick off his line to take the ball before John Cofie arrived.

At the other end, Yates was given time on the edge of the area to pick his spot and the on-loan midfielder went low right, where Belford got down to turn the effort behind for a corner, the last action of the half.

Yates was quick to have another chance after the interval as Harrison broke and played him in on the right of the area. Another slip cost him a first-time effort, but his shot when it came tested Belford, who did well to save. Williams’ rebound effort was blocked, but AFC took a corner and it came to the near post, where Belford flapped and the ball rather came off Bennett rather than him directing it. The result was the same, into the back of the net and 3-0 to Barrow.

Southport tried to rally and Almond received the ball wide left in space, his effort deflecting into the side netting at the near post, As close as Port had come.

Harrison could not control as Andrai Jones slipped and presented him with the chance of a hat-trick from a Bennett ball in the home area and Diarra had to get down to block a Mark O’Brien effort at the other end. It was frantic and it was 4-0 as Harrison made another contribution, this time setting up Hughes with a neat touch back to the midfielder, who picked his spot and slotted home into the bottom corner from 18 yards.

Harvey made a strong run through the Southport defence and shot wide in search of a fifth, with his former team-mate Ashley Grimes then suffering the ignominy of being substituted after 64 minutes, only 39 after he had come on for the injured Gary Jones.

Substitute Ross Hannah hit the post in the quest for further goals as the game lost its tempo – though he was offside when Bennett played him through and it would not have counted anyway.

Hannah had a turn and shot from 18 yards which went over, but the match took on a flat feeling, with the result long since a formality.

Some life came back as an unlikely goal went to the home side, with James Caton firing home as the AFC defence failed to deal with a corner, with Almond then testing Dixon as he shot across goal, with the Barrow man down to stop and gather his parry.

The late goal though was the only blip on a fine night for the Bluebirds.

Southport: Tyrell Belford, Ross White, Mark O’Brien (Andrai Jones h/t), Callum Howe, Liam Nolan, Louis Almond, John Cofie, James Caton, Gary Jones (Ashley Grimes 25, James Gray 64), Craig Stanley, Bobby Moseley.

Substitutes Not Used: Jamie Allen, Connor McCarthy.

Yellow Cards: Belford (2), Cofie (20), Howe (27).

Barrow AFC: Joel Dixon 7, Dom Smith 8, Nick Anderton 8, Danny Livesey 8, Moussa Diarra 8, Alex-Ray Harvey 8 (Paul Turnbull 71), Liam Hughes 8, Ryan Yates 8, Richie Bennett 8 (Lindon Meikle 82), Byron Harrison 9 (Ross Hannah 67), Jordan Williams 8.

Substitutes Not Used: Andy Haworth, Euan Murray.

Yellow Cards: Harvey (37).

Referee: Tom Bramall.

Attendance: 848 (158 Barrow supporters).