Farsley Celtic 0 Southport 5

FARSLEY Celtic’s hopes of a cup run were shredded as was their defence on several occasions in the second half against a Southport side that was lethal in and around the Celts’ area.

Liam Watson’s Sandgrounders certainly enjoy their trips to Farsley as they have won on all three of their visits over the last two seasons. They knocked the Celts out of the Emirates FA Cup, for a second season in succession, and they won at the Citadel earlier this term in the Vanarama National North.

Southport are eight places below Farsley in the table but it didn’t show as the clubs went toe-to-toe in the cup. The home side struggled to create any chances in the first half and that led to a substitution and a change of formation at the interval.

Farsley boss Adam Lakeland said: “We were well beaten – we can have no complaints.

“Southport are a very good side and we expected a tough game but we didn’t turn up for it. They dominated the first half to the extent that we didn’t have a single shot on target and that’s why I changed it around.

“We put Dave Syers on and sent Danny Ellis up front because we needed to start asking questions of their defence and I thought those players would give us a better chance of doing that.

“Our performance at the start of the second half justified those changes and we started to create but we couldn’t turn that into an equaliser and then they made the most of the mistakes we made.

“They just cut through us and that isn’t us. We’re better than that so we’ve let ourselves down today and I’ll take much of the responsibility because of the decisions I made before the game and at half time.

“It’s disappointing for the players because I really wanted to have a cup run this year for them.”

The visitors were gifted an opening goal after home keeper Kyle Tenerry was beaten by one of his own men. A cross from the right was whipped in by Brad Bauress and as Ben Akinson leapt in an attempt to cut it out the ball glanced off his head and flew into the net.

There were too many if only moments for the home side and some of those came at the start of the second half when they created three very good chances before Port doubled their lead.

Jack Sampson guided in a shot from just inside the area and minutes later it was 3-0 as a quick passing movement was ended by a shot from Russ Benjamin. Two more goals for the west coast outfit made it a landslide victory.

Devarn Green tucked one away following another lightening breakaway and Port skipper Dave Morgan wrapped up the scoring seven minutes from time.