Southport prepared for the start of their new campaign with their last pre-season game against Everton’s under-21 squad it what proved to be a tough test for them that they could not handle.
Reece Welch, Lewis Warrington and Stan Mills all started for the under 21’s after all coming off the bench for the senior side in their last pre-season game against Dynamo Kyiv.
It didn’t take long for the young blues to put their authority on the game as Mills was hacked down in the box after being found by Luke Butterfield.
Mills stepped up and converted the penalty into the bottom left corner.
Twelve minutes in Southport had their first chance of the game Jordan Archer met a cross with his head but the ball went the wrong side of the post.
A goal-kick later and Everton had doubled their lead though after some neat dribbling from Mills he cut the ball across the six-yard box to find Tom Cannon who the simple job of tapping the ball in.
Ten minutes after the second goal Southport nearly inadvertently pulled one goal back after a long kick from goal keeper Cameron Mason went all the way through to Zan-Luk Leban.
Leban dropped the making captain Kyle John have to clear the ball away to avoid any danger.
Just past the half-an-hour mark Mills was on target yet again to make it 3-0 to the away side.
After some slick build-up play in and around the box the ball got laid back to him on the edge allowing him to drill the ball first time into the same corner where e dispatched his penalty.
The first bit of action in the second-half came ten minutes in and it came through Mills yet again as he got his hat-trick.
Everton counter-attacked from a Southport long-throw leaving two men on the half-way line and it only took one pass for Mills to be through on goal before smashing it past Mason who couldn’t stop the powerful effort.
Leban was forced into a diving save just after the hour mark denying Jack Bainbridge a goal just like he did in the first-half when he tipped his shot over the bar.
He was forced into action again with a sharp double save to maintain his clean sheet with ten minutes to go stopping Connor Woods and then Niall Watson from getting on the scoresheet.
The game ended 4-0 with both sides starting their respective seasons next weekend with Southport away to Boston United whilst Everton’s under 21 side face Blackburn Rovers’ under 21’s.
