Southport came back from behind to defeat Spennymoor 3-2 in the Emirates FA Cup at Haig Avenue, setting up a mouth-watering tie against familiar foe Altrincham.
Having drawn 0-0 in the initial game at Spennymoor, Southport went ahead moments after Marcus Carver missed an opening penalty, only for the visitors the score two goals in three minutes, ending up ahead by halftime.
Spennymoor found themselves down to ten men on the stroke of halftime following a red card for Stephen Thompson, with goals from Jordan Archer and Marcus Carver in the second half securing a deserved win for the Yellows.
The club will now pick up £5,625 in FA Cup prize money for the victory.
Speaking after the game Liam Watson said: “We saw two good teams have an honest go. Spennymoor are a good side. I like Spennymoor, they’ve got good players, they’re consistent. It’s always a tough ask when you play against them.
“The work rate was there but it’s been there for weeks and weeks. Ten games in, we’ve had nine and a half good performances. We’re young, there’s appetite, there’s athleticism.
“The fans were brilliant, they stayed behind us all the way.
“Great to get into the next round, but we’ve got a really tough game against Altrincham.”
Southport will now face Altrincham at the Pure Stadium on Saturday 16 October. Southport have played Alty 38 times throughout the club’s history, firstly in 1921 in the FA Cup.
The Sandgrounders will also be looking to avenge their FA Cup exit at the hands of Altrincham two years ago, when a crowd of over 1,500 saw Southport defeated 3-1.