Harrogate Town manager Neil Aspin told his team to watch Southport's promotion celebrations on Saturday to get an idea of what it feels like after missing out on their chance to go up.

Southport needed a point to be sure of the Nationwide North championship - depending on what happened at Droylsden - but they didn't hold back as they took advantage of an ill-disciplined Town to win 5-2 and become the first team to get their names inscribed on the Nationwide North trophy.

Aspin said afterwards: "I've just said to them to take a good look at Southport's celebrations because that's what it feels like to win the league."

All of the early pressure was on Steve Dickinson in the Southport goal as Danny Holland forced a great save with his feet after going through one-on-one early-on.

But then a ten-minute spell had Town camped inside their own half and Steve Daley snuck through a busy penalty area from a corner to head in the first.

Town were undeterred and kept the pressure on. Holland carved out an almost identical one-on-one and Dickinson needed the help of defenders to keep it out, and from the corner Marc Smith sent him flying to tip his header just over.

Harrogate were on top. They were passing better - Southport left their deadly front two to run the ball at the Town defence - and they looked well in it even if play-off rivals Altrincham and Kettering were both winning.

But then Pettinger gave the ball straight to a Port midfielder, who pinged it forward and Terry Fearns collected and scored his 33rd of the league season. But with both Fearns and Daley trotting back form offside positions when the ball was sent up, chaos and controversy ruled and Town never recovered from the upset.

A Southport penalty claim on 45 minutes dissipated into cheers as Sam McNutt played on and scored from a tight angle.

Daley capitalised on a Pettinger and Simon Sturdy collision to score the fourth and then completed his hat-trick after a well-timed run left him with acres of space.

Town clawed some respectability with a Dominic Krief penalty after a trip on Holland and young sub Andy Brown bravely stooped to convert an 80th minute Lee Philpott corner five minutes after coming on.

Altrincham and Kettering both lost, meaning that a Town win would have seen them in this week's play-offs.

Updated: 09:02 Monday, May 02, 2005