A first half hat-trick from Connor Woods helped Southport on their way to a 8-1 victory over Ashton Athletic at Brocstedes Park.
The attacker’s three goals came in a scintillating opening 45 minutes performance for Liam Watson’s side who bagged six before the break.
With five scorers in total throughout the game there was plenty to be positive about with the performance.
The afternoon got off to an excellent start, as the Port claimed the lead after only 12 seconds, with Woods chasing down the Ashton defence to win the ball and open the scoring.
That set the tone for the afternoon and the score was nearly doubled not long after as Marcus Carver slotted just wide of the left post after battling hard to win the ball.
It wasn’t long until the former Accrington Stanley striker had his goal as he fired the ball in from close range after Mo Ali headed the ball into his path.
First half goals continued to flow in against their lower league opponents with David Morgan and Ali finding the back of the net before Woods made a great run through to bag his second just before the half hour mark.
The Port attacker completed his hat-trick five minutes later as his quick footwork in the box opened up space for himself to find the bottom corner to make it 0-6.
After the break Watson’s side continued where they left off as Morgan bagged his second to open the second half scoring.
After a brief goal drought the Port scoring soon resumed as Matt Challoner got the eighth goal of the afternoon from a corner.
There was one moment of consolation for Athletic towards the end of the game as Sam Houghton found himself in space in the box and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
With another pre-season victory under their belts, the season is now only two weeks away.