Buxton suffered their first defeat in ten games as they were beaten by Southport at The Silverlands.
Following an exhausting FA Cup tie that went to extra time at the weekend, manager John McGrath made six changes to his starting eleven in an effort to freshen up his side.
It was the visitors who created the first real opening, when a corner found the head of Luke Griffiths, but Joe Young reacted well to keep his effort out.
Buxton’s first chance arrived through Johnny Johnston, who beat his marker with pace before forcing the Southport keeper into a save from a tight angle.
In the 20th minute, Southport broke the deadlock with a counter attack that ended with their leading goalscorer firing into the corner from the edge of the box to make it 1-0.
Looking for a response, Buxton pushed forward and came close when a cross into the area fell kindly for Johnston, only for a Southport defender to block his shot from close range.
Before the break, the visitors almost doubled their advantage as fullback Callum Edwards tried his luck from distance, his powerful strike tipped onto the crossbar by Young.
At halftime, McGrath introduced captain Connor Kirby and winger Luke Brennan in an attempt to change the momentum of the match.
The second half had barely begun when Southport extended their lead. Former Buxton man Sam Minihan broke down the left and delivered a cross to the back post, where Sonny Hilton was on hand to tap home from close range.
Brennan immediately made his presence felt, delivering two dangerous crosses within minutes, though neither found a teammate to convert.
As Buxton continued to press, Kirby came close to halving the deficit, his towering header forcing Chris Renshaw into a fingertip save that pushed the ball over the bar.
With time running out, Brennan finally gave the hosts a lifeline, curling a superb effort into the far bottom corner to make it 2-1 and spark late hope of a comeback.
Despite pressure in the final minutes, The Bucks couldn’t find the equaliser and ultimately fell to their first loss since the start of September.
