Scarborough were outplayed for long periods in their 1-0 defeat at Southport last night with Andy Woods making a string of brilliant saves to keep his side in the game.

He was finally beaten in the 66th minute when Chris Lane headed in a corner.

Southport had attacked from the first whistle and some of the saves made by Woods were truly world class, especially when he kept out close range efforts from Simon Parke and Gary Williams.

Scarborough could have taken a point when substitute Arron Wilford headed wide from only four yards in the dying seconds.

Boro's only other chance in the one-sided Nationwide Confer-ence game came on the stroke of half time when Mark Swales set up Steve Brodie, but his shot hit the inside of the post and rebounded to safety.

Stuart Elliott did his best to get things going for Boro, but too often their defence was at full stretch and they were unable to build from the back with any regularity.

The team, with six teenagers in it, will have learned from this defeat - but they also have to thank Woods for not being on the end of a very heavy defeat.

Southport: Dickinson, Robertson, Clark, Jones (Teale 31), MacAuley (Whittaker 88), Bauress, McGorry, Lane, Elam, Parke, Obong (Williams 58)

Scarborough: Woods, Swales, Rennison, Atkinson, Keegan, Fitzsimmons, Blunt, Elliott, Pounder (Jewell 82), Brodie, Windross (Wilford 71)

Referee: C Harwood (Salford)

Attendance: 701

Updated: 12:18 Wednesday, October 10, 2001