RELIEVED Darlington came away with a point from Southport thanks to a superb display by keeper Jonny Maddison.

The former Sunderland youth team player acrobatically saved a second half penalty and made several other good stops to preserve a point for Quakers, who also had another great performance by Liam Hughes to thank in the centre of defence.

Quakers will play better than this and lose this season, as they weren’t really near the standards of the home win over AFC Telford United last week, but at least they go into this Saturday’s FA Cup second qualifying round tie against Bradford Park Avenue boosted by two clean sheets and four points out of the last two matches.

Manager Tommy Wright’s planning for the game wasn’t helped by David Syers suffering an injury in the warm up, and he was already without energetic midfielder Joe Wheatley.

It meant 17-year-old Mitch Glover came into the team at a few minutes’ notice despite suffering from tonsilitis.

“There were a couple of positives from the game,” said Wright. “We got a point and kept a clean sheet, but I don’t think there was much beyond that. We were a bit flat from start to finish and we weren’t very fluent and that showed because we were missing Joe Wheatley and Dave Syers.

“The lads defended really well, they threw their bodies in front of stuff, and we gave Southport a little more than I wanted to, but somehow we got a point. If I was their manager, I would have expected to put one of those chances away.

“There’s a contrast between the two clean sheets we’ve kept. We deserved to keep one against Telford, but at Southport maybe we rode our luck a little bit more. But at least we have a platform to work on for the FA Cup tie this week.”

Maddison was man of the match, and Wright added: "We clapped Jonny after the game in the changing room. We’re quick enough to jump down his throat for mistakes, but he probably made four or five good saves as well as the penalty save. Jonny got us a point.

“Liam Hughes had a very good game at centre half. He wants that shirt now, and I think he will keep it because he has a lot of presence there. He was dominant especially in the first half , and going forward he probably made two of the best passes I’ve seen from us this season. He’s happy there.

“I thought we should have had a penalty for a foul on Nico at the start of the second half. You get some, and sometimes you don’t. That’s frustrating for us, but at least we got something from the game.”

Quakers showed plenty of enterprise in the first half, with Stephen Thompson always looking dangerous on the right, but it was Southport who nearly took the lead on 11 minutes when Bradley Bauress hit the post.

After defender Jonny Burn blocked on the line from Dion Charles, Quakers had their best spell.

The recalled Alex Henshall made a good run down the left, and his low cross was cleared as far as Glover, who fired just over the bar from the 18 yard line, then Reece Styche, restored to the side after his exploits with Gibraltar, forced a full length save out of Southport Daniel Hanford with a good header from a Thompson cross.

Quakers thought they had justified appeals for a penalty five minutes after the restart when Jordan Nicholson was tripped by a defender, but referee Scott Simpson waved play on.

After Glover made Quakers' second goalline clearance, the referee was more decisive about another penalty shout when Burn tangled with Jake Sampson.

Bauress aimed for the top right corner, but Maddison flung himself to his left and saved the attempt one-handed.

The goalkeeper also pulled off another save when finger-tipping Green’s angled drive around the post, and then he blocked Jason Gilchrist’s close range effort.

And when Maddison couldn’t get his hand on the ball, the woodwork came to his rescue, which it did when former Darlington and Hartlepool full back Jordan Richards curled a 25-yard free kick beyond the keeper’s fingertips.

Maddison was delighted to stop his second league penalty of the season, the other being against Curzon Ashton on the opening day. He also stopped one in the friendly in Eindhoven.

“I would much rather have preferred to have won, but it’s another clean sheet,” he said. “We’ve got to draw that positive from the game.

“I think it was a very, very soft penalty award. I think there’s an arrogance about saving penalties, you’ve got to believe in yourself and trust yourself. It’s mind games with the striker, you’ve got to get into his head as well and make him believe that he’s going to miss. You need a bit of luck as well.

“We’ve been crying out for clean sheets, but collectively we’re disappointed not to have won that game.”

Booking: Hughes

Referee: Scott Simpson

Attendance:1,019

Southport (4-4-2) Hanford, Richards, Ogle, Winnard, Astles, Morgan, Green (Osborne 88), Lynch, Charles, Sampson, Bauress (Gilchrist 74). Subs: Mueller, Hollins, Phenix

Darlington (4-2-3-1): Maddison, Trotman, Jonny Burn, Hughes, O’Hanlon, Elliott, Glover, Henshall (Saunders 65), Nicholson, Thompson, Styche. Subs (not used): Stansfield, Aaron Burn, Galbraith, Morrison