Sembie-Ferris on fire as Peterborough Sports stun Southport

Dion Sembie-Ferris scored twice for Peterborough Sports at Southport. Photo: James Richardson.

There are many, and not all of them from outside of the city, who expect Sports to be tier two whipping boys in their first season at the level. Think Posh every time they go into the Championship.

There will presumably be some massive thought reboots this morning after a win that propelled Sports into the giddy heights of fourth. Okay it’s only two games into the season, but such was the emphatic nature of this success it’s hard to dismiss this result as a freak.

Southport, a Football League club until 1978, had opened their season with a terrific five-goal away win at Boston United, but they fell behind to Sports in the first minute and never really threatened to come out the game with anything.

Jordan Nicholson scored the third goal for Sports at Southport. Photo: James Richardson.

Maybe the first overnight stay in the club’s history helped the city side’s level of alertness as it took just 46 seconds for a long through ball to evade the last defender and for Dion Sembie-Ferris to nip in and go round the goalkeeper to open the scoring.

Sports gave a debut to well-travelled Nigerian non league player Olumide Durojame who signed for and then left Hereford this summer. He helped the side control early possession and dominance was rewarded when Sembie-Ferris drilled home with Nicholson again the provider, this time with a low cross.

It took Southport 43 minutes to create a chance and then Sports’ keeper Peter Crook was well placed to make the save.

The home were better after the break, but Sports still created the better chances with Sembie-Ferris spurning the chance of a hat-trick from the penalty spot after a foul on substitute Josh McCammon 20 minutes from time. Nicholson had seen a fierced drive tipped over by the home ‘keeper five minutes earlier who did even better to keep out the spotkick.

Sembie-Ferris didn’t dwell on his disappointment for long as he sent over the 74th minute cross which enabled Nicholson to claim the third goal of a superb, and historic, victory.

Sports next travel to Gloucester City for a National League North fixture on Tuesday (August 16).

Sports: Peter Crook, Richard Jones, Nathan Fox, Ryan Fryatt, Connor Kennedy, Lewis Hilliard (sub Josh McCammon, 65 mins), Dan Jarvis, Olumide Durojaiye (sub Lamine Kaba Sherif, 68 mins), Michael Gash, Jordan Nicholson, Dion Sembie-Ferris (sub Ky Marsh-Brown, 85 mins).

Unused subs: Luke Warner-Eley, Mark Jones.