Haig Avenue encountered an incredible thirty minute deluge of rain before kick off, which soddened the pitch, and forced the teams off the pitch just before kick off. However, it incredibly stopped right on kick off time, and the game was not delayed. However, the pitch covered up some puddles over on the popular side which made the ball unpredictable, gifting Southport their first goal after only 90 seconds. The Vauxhall full-back, Lee Owens, tried to play the ball back to his keeper, whilst under pressure from Ciaran Kilheeney, but the ball stopped dead in a puddle, allowing the Port striker to seize upon the ball, taking it into the box and deftly playing the ball low beyond James Coates to give Southport an early advantage.
Vauxhall needed to respond quickly, and caused problems to the Southport defence with a couple of dangerous corners cumulating in James Holden’s delivery going through to Alan Griffiths whose powerful header skimmed over.

But Southport doubled their lead in the fifteenth minute as Mark Duffy distributed the ball forward for Neil Robinson to run on to, with the defender chasing back, the Southport striker kicked the ball low beyond Coates into the bottom corner of the goal. Southport’s two goal advantage only lasted 90 seconds as the visitors kept prodding the Southport defence, with a ball eventually going through to James Holden, who stuck out a leg, which sent McMillan the wrong way, as the ball sailed past him.

Southport restored their two-goal advantage ten minutes later when Chris Lever sent up a tantalising forward ball for Neil Robinson whose first touch fooled his marker, allowing the Southport striker to place the ball past the stranded keeper, adding to his tally for the evening.

Southport settled into their stride, and had a good chance to add further on the half hour mark as Mark Duffy’s corner kick went through to Michael Powell, whose header was stopped on the line by a good save from James Coates.

Vauxhall were by no means dead and buried, regularly putting the Southport back line under pressure. With five minutes of the first half remaining, Chris Noone put a lovely pass through to Karl Noon, who was denied by the quick thinking Tony McMillan who had charged down the former-Port striker, clearing the ball, only for the ball to go out to Mattie Burke, who tried a shot from 30 yards, but the Southport keeper was also equal to the shot.

The gusty wind and rain returned moments before the players came out for the second half, with the wind behind Southport. Debutant Michael Barnes showed why Liam Watson had brought him in with a dart down the left wing early in the half, playing the ball inside to Neil Robinson’s feet, but at the crucial moment Ged Brannan snatched the ball away from his feet, clearing the danger as it looked as though the Southport defender would complete his hat-trick.

Steve Daly was added into the action, nearly scoring within minutes of his introduction when the ball was laid off to him by Robinson, only for James Coates to spread his body well as Daly tried to sneak the ball low beyond him. Southport extended their lead further with only minutes to go in the game as a long clearance went as far as Tony Gray, who controlled the ball well, before knocking the ball low past Coates to make it four for Port. However Southport were pegged back a goal moments later as Nick Rogan controlled the ball neatly on the edge of the box before firing the ball home. Tony Gray tried his luck down at the other end as the full time whistle loomed, as his strike from wide on the right just went across goal and wide.
Southport had the final say as a late Mark Duffy corner was cleared only as far as Kevin Lee, who struck the ball through a crowd of players into the net.