VEGAN Forest Green chairman Dale Vince banned red meat at the New Lawn this week - and his side were certainly put out to grass at Southport.

Rovers served up a dish of bilge in a lack-lustre performance as the Sandgrounders had the game cooked up inside 25 minutes, Karl Ledsham’s brace coming either side of a Rob Marsh-Evans goal to leave the visitors floundering.

Kevin Lee added a fourth early in the second half, and a foul day for relegation-threatened Rovers was compounded in the 86th minute when substitute Scott Bartlett was sent off for the second time this season.

Southport nosed ahead when Alan Moogan picked out Ledsham, and he fired past an unsighted James Bittner. Ledhsam conjured the home side’s second on 18 minutes, picking out Marsh-Evans with an inswinging free-kick.

Rovers were all at see. Keeper Tony McMillan’s torpedo kick saw Ledsham sprint clear and finish for 3-0.

The tea cups must have been flying at the break as Dave Hockaday made instant changes for the second period, replacing full-backs Jared Hodgkiss and Craig Armstrong and tweaking his formation to 4-4-2.

Ross Dyer fluffed a gilt-edged opportunity when he shot tamely at McMillan from eight yards.

However, the goal flow continued on 53 minutes. Poor marking allowed Lee to meet John-Paul Kissock’s corner and smash a header past Bittner to make it 4-0.

Rovers’ day of woe was complete when the unfortunate Bartlett saw red for his challenge on Daly near halfway.

Southport: McMillan, Lee, Davis (Barratt 65), Marsh-Evans, Lever, Turner, Moogan, Kissock (Lloyd-McGoldrick 81), Ledsham, Tony Gray, McNeil (Daly 74).

Subs Not Used: Dickinson, Morley.

Goals: Ledsham 7, Marsh-Evans 18, Ledsham 23, Lee 53.

Forest Green: Bittner, Hodgkiss (Bartlett 46), Armstrong (Caines 46), Hall, Luke Jones, Turk, Somner, Forbes (Gray 64), Enver-Marum, Dyer, Guinan.

Subs Not Used: Styche, Klukowski.

Sent Off: Bartlett (86).

Booked: Caines, Dyer.

Att: 1,006.

Ref: Paul Davison (Cleveland).

See Wednesday’s SNJ for Dave Hockaday’s Green Room.