Three red cards, two goals and a point apiece for Peterborough Sports and Southport

Certainly the city side should have moved closer to the play-off places in National League North as their visitors from Southport were saw their goalkeeper dismissed after just four minutes for a handling offence outside his penalty area.

But Sports struggled to penetrate a well-drilled defence and when they did take the lead early in the second-half at PIMS Park through in-form striker Michael Gyasi, they lost their lead and their man advantage within 20 minutes as centre-back Elliott Putman received two yellow cards in quick succession before Southport equalised with a deflected strike. Owen Lunt let fly from long-range with the ball hitting former Posh striker Danny Lloyd and diverting past Sports’ keeper Peter Crook. Sports’ staff member Daniel Ruscillo was shown a red card soon after the equaliser following a touchline altercation.

Sports still finished the game on top with Gyasi firing just wide and Bayley McCann threatening from a free kick, but Southport held out for a 1-1 draw. Before the break Putman volleyed over and a couple of quality crosses just evaded home forwards.

Sports remain 10th, but the gap to the play-off places is up slightly to six points. The city side are at 12th-placed Spennymoor Town next Saturday.

Sports gave a debut as a second-half substitute to Friday signing Matthew Bondswell, a left-back who played 40 times for League Two side Newport County last season before joining Hartlepool United. Bardswell was developed in Academies at Nottingham Forest and German side Leipzig. He has also played for Newcastle United Under 23s.

Another Friday signing, Doncaster Rovers midfielder Sam Straughan-Brown, was an unused substitute.

Sports: Crook, Putman, Gash, Osagie (sub Bondswell, 57 mins), Jarvis, McCann, Alban-Jones, Van Lier, Felix (sub Challinor 88 mins), Atherton (sub Jones, 57 mins), Gyasi (sub Muneda, 89 mins). Unused subs: Straughan-Brown