Hinckley certainly never came for a draw, judging from the style of play in the first twenty minutes. They hustled Southport off the ball, with Earl Davis solid at the back, thwarting most of their attempts forwards.

Steve Daly did have the ball in the net on 22 minutes, but Chris Lever’s ball across the box towards Shaun Whalley was not held by Chris Mackenzie in the goal, with Daly sliding the ball in from close range, but the eagle-eyed assistant on the far side ruled that the Port striker had strayed off side.

Hinckley looked a constant danger to Southport, with Adam Webster’s volley and Andy Hall’s shot from the right wing early in the second half acting as a warning sign to the defence, fortunately both these early shots were directed straight to Tony McMillan.

Southport just did not seem to get going in the second half, but a lot of credit had to go to Hinckley who put Southport under a lot of pressure throughout. Southport created a flurry of chances towards the end, with a succession of corners, but so many bodies in the box blocked the chances and shots created.