NEWS ARCHIVE JAN 06 to APRIL 06

30 April Southport FC v AFC Southport at Haig Avenue Kick Off 11am ends 8-2 with Dicko and Matty McGinn both getting hat-tricks.

30 April I have read on the Aldershot forum were their supporters coach got pelted with a variety of items resulting in windows being cracked yesterday by the little boys hanging around outside the ground. They are becoming an embarrassment to the club and need getting rid of quickly. It is not the first time this season that it has happened and if we are not careful there is going to be a serious incident. I walked past them as the Aldershot coach was getting ready to leave and frankly they are a disgrace to Southport FC.

29 April Home v Aldershot Kick Off 3pm-let's hope the town respond and turn out in numbers to celebrate the achievement of staying up. It should be a great day.

It wasn't bad spoiled by the result a bit but frankly, who cares! A great turn out of 1709 sees us go down 1-0 to a penalty from Darren Barnard in the 69th minute. It was Liam's favourite referee and I don't think he enamoured himself any further in Liam's books judging by his reaction at the end.

The attendance moves into 15th place in our NL list. The season's aggregate of 62,437 has only been bettered once, in 00/01, when the total was 64,222. The average home gate of 1244 was our fourth highest. In our top 20 home attendances we have only won 3 times.

We have now played 3967 games with 1178 in the league. My personal total of Southport games seen is 848.This season's mileage 6882, it is more next season already without knowing who will fill the final two places although we are playing 2 more away games.

Finally for now, Millster was "outed" today (photos are available to the highest bidder) and responded in great style, keep the blog going Milly, the banter is great. Thank you for your support to the Trust and your kind words, if we can get you on board then I may even up my target figure!

27 AprTrust in Yellow – Public Launch Trust in Yellow the supporters’ trust for Southport Football Club are having their official launch on the 27^th April 2006 at the Grandstand Bar, Haig Avenue at 7.30pm.The trust, are celebrating their achievements in setting up the trust and would like as many supporters of Southport Football Club and the surrounding community to attend the evening. The trust hopes its prospective members will embrace Trust in Yellows’ development by acquiring annual membership and share issue of the trust at £10.00.Amongst the activities for supporters to partake in are an auction for the unique opportunity to be the manager of Southport FC for a game against the supporters’ team on 30^th April 2006, voting for the JPG News trust player of the year and a guest of honour to officially declare the trust open. A free buffet has also been kindly sponsored. Officials of Southport Football Club, influential figures around the town and legends of the club past and present have been invited. The trust committee hopes many people will attend the evening and make the evening both an enjoyable and memorable occasion. Trust in Yellow believes this is the beginning of a prosperous relationship between Southport Football Club, its’ supporters and the community of Southport.

What a superb night, well attended with the highlight for me the chance to speak with THE man, Eric Redrobe.

26 April Still buzzing after last night, the train journey back from London was quite pleasant after the win!

from Grays manger Mark Stimson:"Credit to Southport they are scrapping for their lives and they've come here and got the point they needed to stay up. I think they and their supporters celebrated that more than we did when we won the Trophy and I've said that to the players"

25 April Away at Grays Athletic-Kick Off 7.45pm, a day in London trying to get to as many grounds as possible via bus, train and tube before ending up at Grays is planned for today. What a superb couple of days, I will be doing a full Away Days report covering the Hereford and the Grays trips in the next couple of days but for now let's just relax knowing we are staying up. I hope all the moaners, all the deserters and all those that wanted and still want Liam out just sit back and take notice of this. If he had been dismissed do you think Mike Walsh could have turned it round like last time. Food for thought! My own view is that the guy should win manager of the season. No other manager in the league has worked under the constraints that Liam has and to have us finish outside the bottom two is a feat of great magnitude. The 70 Southport fans in attendance were probably split 50/50 between travellers and exiles. I have said it before but it never ceases to amaze me that virtually every away game I go to I see a new face wearing the yellow of Southport, where do they all come from? We, myself and my daughter, travelled back into London with CFORD 6 who had to get a train back to Southampton, Yellosoul who had a meeting in London and five other exiled Sandgrounders.

24 April Fulham v Wigan and I will be among the Fulham fans!

The Altrincham saga looks like dragging on for a while longer yet with talk of it being three weeks before the appeal is heard. It has certainly proved a major talking point. I still maintain that I feel desperately sorry for the Altrincham fans and that the punishment is harsh but all the clamour for the Conference Board to be replaced and John Moules being made the scapegoat is over the top. They have rules in place for a reason and if someone flouts them they have to abide by them, what choice do they have. My concern remains that Alty were a third party in this and some element of discretion needs to be shown. It will run for a while yet I think.

A superb report from Alan Jones of sgb and photo's from Hereford are here

23 April From the Herreford fans:-

"I would like to say well done on getting a point we were terrible and didn't deserve our goal.
I thought your fans were fantastic the way you got behind your team and sang only wish our fans would do the same.
any neutral at the game would think it was southport in the playoffs not hereford.
Good luck for next season.
hope that we wont be playing you but think that we probably will"

"Best performance of the day - your fans"

"Attendance was 2547, seemed to be a fair few supporters from Southport, and boy were they noisy! Walking through the cattle market going towards Tesco's after the match had finished, I could still hear them chanting away"

"Thats the type of support we were giving about a month ago"

"sorry but that was support today from southport and imagine what their support would be like in our position"

22 April Away at Hereford United. What a result a fully deserved point which gets us ever nearer to the target and what a goal it was, it may have me changing my nomination for Goal of The season. FULL UPDATE SUNDAY but just a quick word on the support today, absolutely brilliant, well done to the Hereford 100 and the 82 who made the journey by other means. It was another battling performance but this time we seemed to have a bit more guile and had a few chances to score. The late goal was sweet, we have conceded so many this season that to actually score one ourselves was a nice change. It was only the second goal we have scored in the last 10 minutes this season, the other was by Dales in the 2-1 defeat at Cambridge. The gate of 2547 was the 81st attendance of over 2000 that we have played in front of in NL football and our 9th this season. It was our 1600th Non League match in all competitions. The ref today Mr Shoebridge has officiated in 3 of our games this season all of which have ended in draws, Kidderminster and Tamworth were the others. It was a good day all round, the coaches went down well with no problems encountered and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. Let's hope we can move forward with coaches for each match next season. If we stay up matches at Weymouth, Torquay possibly, Crawley et al will certainly put some mileage on the clocks.

One thought I did have during the match yesterday is that it is quite sad that that sort of atmosphere couldn't be recreated at Haig Ave because of our ban on drums, come on Board think again!

21 April What an amazing reaction to the Alty situation from around the country. Over 4200 have signed the petition as I type. It's always interesting seeing other peoples views which do seem to vary according to were you are placed in the league! I still think the decision will get overturned by the FA who have already said Alty have no case to answer. I just hope they make their minds up quickly.

Great letter from Peter Rigby in the Vis today. I always wonder why people who write negative things about the club to the paper remain anonymous. It says a lot doesn't it!

20 April Altrincham are docked 18 points subject to appeal. I genuinely feel sorry for them and I am sure that after the appeal common sense will be shown. This is harsh beyond belief and yes, rules are rules but there must surely be some degree of listening to what has actually lead to the error being made. If this was us I would not be happy. I don't want to profit from others misfortune. It could be for the second season running Forest Green survive due to other's wrong doings, what does this say to the outsider about Non League football. The much overused confguide word of Tinpot springs to mind!

Probably THE biggest decision ever taken and the Conference Official website at 23.03 is still not carrying the story. 5 Live, Sky have all run it but The Conference, no way!

19 April Scarborough v Grays 0-3 at half time and as I type Radio York are playing The Only Way Is Up!!!! Finishes 2-7 with Grays sounding very impressive.

18 April Away at Burton Albion Kick Off 7.45pm-new ground for me and I guess most Southport fans. The final score of 0-0 says it all, it wasn't pretty but it's a point closer to survival. As soon as I saw the team I wished I had access to the Internet to get a bet on a 0-0 draw. The end justifies the means they say and it did tonight we got what we went for. A lovely ground, my ideal football ground at this level, 3 sides of covered terracing and a stand that runs down the full length of the pitch and segregation so you can get all the away fans together under cover always adds to the atmosphere. The pitch was shocking, I couldn't believe it when I arrived to see them watering it and when I went in there was standing water everywhere, I was in early and it had mostly drained away by kick off but it was poor. £12 entry with £2 for the programme. An excellent away following for a midweek game of around 130 included a few of our southern exiles which was great to see. All in all another one of those games you watch if you want a cure for insomnia and any neutral in attendance would I am sure have left before the final whistle but when it's your team battling for their Conference future you take the point. Home for 11.45. Just a final word on the referee, he was excellent, I hardly noticed him and a couple of times I had my book out he just issued a stern warning and got on with it. No cards and reffed with a smile, a pleasure to watch!

From "Tamworth Fan" on Confguide forum "Burton gave all they could,it seemed, Southport went with the intention of not conceding- a 0-0 was always on the cards. Southport are staying up on that performance, albeit only just and not especially pretty.

If I was a Southport fan tonight, I'd be proud of the spirit with which they have dug themselves out of the relegation hole, and even though they crossed the line between being a physical team and a pub-side full of cloggers tonight at times, they have tonnes more spirit than many of my team have shown this year.

In all the years of watching TFC,this has ranked as the most dismal in many ways. Seeing the Port grinding out results like this just makes our season feel even more dismal.If we stay up on a technicality this year, its undeserved, to be very honest. We couldnt fight our way out of a paper bag on our own at the moment-feels harsh to say that, but its how I feel tonight.

Anyway, well done Southport. You aint pretty, but you're doing your fans justice"

Sums it up for me.

Looking at the potential make up of the leagues next season, if we stay in the Conference we face a total travel mileage count of around 8400 miles. If we go down it would be around the 3800 mark.

17 April Accrington v Scarborough, Hereford v Tamworth, Forest Green v Exeter, Morecambe v Altrincham. On paper they look very tough fixtures for all our rivals! Do you think Andy Todd may have scored that one to get a contract with us next season!

Table after today's games:

Table before today's games:

16 April Reading the Burton forum, little "jonny" seems to think we are taking two, possibly three coaches to Burton. Can someone advise him that the coaches are going to Hereford not Burton please.

Now I know my intense dislike of Liverpool is well known but if anyone can tell me that watching that dross on TV is entertainment then I would be surprised, aren't they BORING and yet third in the Skyship, yawn!

15 April Home v Gravesend & Northfleet 1-0 with a decent gate of 1310.

If there are many more games like that I will end up in the coronary care unit. Why do we have to do things the hard way, Phew! Three very valuable points particularly in view of the other scores today. You really can see this going right down to the last few minutes of the home match against Aldershot can't you. I hope there will be plenty of First Aiders in attendance.

I have added Altrincham back into the relegation mix I thought they had enough points but the way things are going at the moment who knows. I really felt 40 would be enough but not so sure now.

THE HEREFORD 100 is achieved.

Canvey really do look as though they are bowing out of the Conference if their forum is to be believed. The BBC are also running the story now and what at one point seemed nothing more than a rumour or idle threat by Jeff King looks as though it may be true after all. At least this is their choice so you have to admire them for taking this step. If Scarborough, Crawley and Altrincham's troubles continue who knows what will happen. I love football at this level but when this sort of thing is going on you do lose credibility with those who prefer their football in the Skyship.

Congratulations to Accrington on winning the league a well deserved triumph.

14 April Troubled Canvey beat Kiddy 2-1 in front of just 621 fans, 200 below their average, I'm sure Mr King will not have been impressed with that turnout after all the problems this week.

13 April Trust In Yellow meeting at The Railwaymens Club 7.30 start-Excellent meeting.

12 April From the Millster blog: can see this going down to the wire the way we are playing. Tonight we were workman like and deserved the points against a poor Woking side who looked like they had been on the pi** all weekend in Blackpool.
Not much doom tonight, only to say that seeing Rob Urwin chewing his bottom lip when things were dicey in the second half, reminded me just how miserable one can actually look!
Keep the Trust in Yellow going Rob, you never know I may even become a member!
My man of the Match - Mark Roberts, unflappable and dependable.
P.s. Get Brabin on the books for next season whatever league we play in Watson, the guy's a born leader and been the difference so far in the run in.

Great stuff, but I wasn't chewing my bottom lip, I had a cold sore and it was painful!!!!! I'll put your name down on the prospective TIY members list, I'll take your details on Saturday if you reveal yourself to me although I think the net has narrowed it down to one of two. Just thought, I bet the other is Billy Austin!

I am currently second in Matthew's prediction competition on sfc.com. The problem with this is that all season I have been predicting scores that I don't either want or think will happen so I have gone for another defeat on Saturday just as an extra insurance.

11 April Scarborough v Tamworth ends 0-0 but Alty have an excellent 4-2 win at Dagenham.

10 April Home v Woking 7.45pm We really are entering the last chance saloon now. When was the last Monday night match at Haig Ave? I can't remember too many. I know there was one back in 1972/73 v Bradford City which I missed as my Dad foolishly thought revising for an exam the next day was more important than watching Southport and we won 3-1. The revision didn't do me too much good! It's very sad when you can remember things like that from some 33 years ago isn't it! Ask me about a work related topic from last week and the memory goes blank.

SOUTHPORT 1 WOKING 0-Phew, what a long last 10 minutes they were but we hung on in there to claim 3 very valuable points-The Table certainly looks a touch healthier now. If anybody out there thinks we don't really want to stay up then the joy when we scored and the reaction from the bench at the final whistle should dispel that myth. Some heroes out there tonight and none more so than the recalled Dom Morley, what a game.

9 April The Woking fans are not happy chappies at the moment, reading their forum almost makes ours look positive! Injury ravaged and playing badly the 3 points are there for the taking. It seems the way to beat them is play it on the floor for players to run through on to. So no hoof ball tomorrow and pace up front.

I have discovered Millsters blog today http://themillstersview.blogspot.com/. Even though I disagree with 90% of what the guy says it does make for a good read and it's good to have alternative views but if I ever get that negative about the team/club I will give up...and what is wrong with Frickley might I ask? I do think it needs some positives in it, nothing about the win against Accrington I note. Maybe he's another of the "supporters" who thrive on us doing badly, I'll take him some of my happy pills tomorrow as his life must be so miserable right now!! Keep it going Milly!

8 April Away at Halifax 3pm. HALIFAX 2 SOUTHPORT 1. What an absolute sickener that was, I don't think I have felt so gutted at the end of a football match for a long time. To have a point snatched away 2 minutes and 4 seconds into 2 minutes of added time was very hard to take but that's life when you are at the bottom. It was quite an enjoyable game all round. End to end in the first half when we had a goal disallowed and two cleared off the line but The Shaymen also had plenty of chances and it too a goal 2 mins into added time in the first half to separate the sides. Syd's contender for goal of the season looked to have given us a share of the spoils but that killer goal saw us remain rooted to the bottom of the table. To those Halifax fans who were sympathetic on the way out, thank you, to those who were goading us you are very clever and just remember what goes around comes around, a late winner for Hereford in the play off final and how would you feel!

It was Syd's first league goal since his brace at Kettering last season, he has 11 goals in 138 league appearances. The Halifax winner was the 15th goal we have conceded in the last 10 minutes of a match this season.

I'm sure the four lads with the banner proclaiming we should "Sack The Board-Unambitious" felt better when the Halifax goal went in. How does a board sack a board, I've often wondered that when people use the term? Perhaps they know of someone ready, willing and able to come in and take over a club in our position. Perhaps another Majeed is waiting round the corner. I am the first to say that a lot of our off field activity leaves an awful lot to be desired, I have never known a club manage to alienate so may people in my life, which is why I have got heavily involved in Trust activity, I want to make a difference and see the fans acknowledged as important to the club and I see the Trust as the best way forward. I will happily hold my hands up and say if it doesn't work but I am determined to give it a go. Others can do the same by supporting the Trust which is wholly independent of the club and run by the fans. I don't see any point in  "sacking the board" what would it achieve. Take a long hard look at our attendance history as a NL club. We have only ever had one attendance over 2000 at home that was made up of wholly Southport fans, the match against Frickley when we were presented with the NPL Trophy in 1992/93, the other eight 2000+ gates were boosted by substantial away followings. Would you want to pump money into a club so lacking in support. OK so if I ever get my Lottery win I would but highly unlikely! Remember our FL days, we were promoted from the then 4th Division to the 3rd in72/73 with the lowest ever average gate and if I'm not mistaken only Wimbledon since have "bettered" our figure. A shake up is needed but "sacking the board" may not be the way forward.

I also question the "Liam Out" brigade, should we go down do we want to start from scratch all over again. The guy has made mistakes, some massive ones, but so have I in my job, I learn from them as does Liam. I think we should stick with him and allow him to build for the future whether it is in National or North. I honestly don't know why some people bother supporting the team, there are some who seem to thrive on things going wrong, what a sad existence they must lead with nothing positive to say. The win against Accy was a classic, the moaners were silenced but lose against Crawley and they come out in force. I was hurting today at the end of that match and then you get back and read from people who didn't go how Liam got in wrong blah blah blah, for goodness sake SUPPORT the team for the rest of the season, put your vitriol away and let's all get behind them. IF we can win on Monday and Saturday, who knows, we may still be in with a chance.

7 April Forest Green get a good home point against Accrington.

4 Apr Southport v Lancaster Lancashire Junior Cup Final at Leyland-GAME ON, I hope we go out and give it a go, it would be nice to get something even a minor cup win out of the season. Having done the hard bit and beaten Accrington let's hope we can go all the way tonight.

SOUTHPORT 1 LANCASTER CITY 0 LANCASHIRE JUNIOR CUP WINNERS-and what a boring match it was for the 532 fans to endure, I can't think of too many chances that we created and Liam Blakeman's goal in the 24th minute was all we had to cheer all night. A Cup Final is a Cup Final though so some nice silverware to add to the trophy cabinet. I think there needs to be a bit of a rethink on this competition. The night was flat in a ground with no atmosphere. If you are going to have a final why not play it at a decent Football League ground? I hope there will be a DVD of this game as I have had a bit of trouble sleeping recently and watching this might cure it.

It was our fifth Lancs Junior Cup win the last one was also against Lancaster at Chorley in the 2000/01 season when we won 1-0 thanks to an own goal. It at least gives me a chance to update the Honours Board

3 Apr Altrincham have now been charged by the Conference over fielding an ineligible player. I personally hope we don't gain from this fiasco, it appears on the face of it to be a genuine mistake and whilst some fans would like us to stay up at all costs this is not the way to do it. I agree that it is the Club's responsibility to complete the appropriate checks but in this case the player in question seems to have been less than open about his previous employment.

2 Apr The NLP are reporting that Alty and Accy could face a possible points deduction due to fielding an ineligible player. I hope the matter is sorted out quickly so that everybody knows were they stand before we get into the last few games.

1 Apr Home v Crawley  3pm-after Scarborough's surprise win at Aldershot last week this really is an important match now. Crawley come into the game as one of the in form teams and on the back of a superb 3-0 win in midweek at D&R. The match referee has passed the pitch fit, and the game will go ahead as planned at 3.00pm. A lot of hard work must have gone in to getting the game on after the deluges we had early this morning and around 11am. We all owe the ground staff a big thank you.

What a dreadful performance that was, losing 2-0 at home to Crawley was not in the script and the manner of the defeat was most disappointing. Tactics were wrong, team selection was wrong and too many just did not seem to be bothered. Blakeman's sending off was just so unnecessary, dissent and cheating, what can you say. I even started to believe the sceptics today who think that our leader doesn't want us to stay up for fear of having to fulfil his promise of full time football. Why have we played five at the back for the last two must win games, where has the adventure gone? Yes, against Accy it worked and I can understand it in that game but at Tamworth and today? Looking at the games we have left we now have big problems. It comes to something when the biggest cheer of the day was for Jamie Speare's plumbing expertise!

Why put Kyle Armstrong on Conference forms if he is going to be nowhere near the team, where was Chris Price, Why didn't Bake's start? I need a lie down!

Photo from sgb

Is that Mike Walsh, you couldn't come and save us again could you Mike!!

30 Mar Trust In Yellow meeting at Railway Club 7.30 start.

28 Mar Lancs Junior Cup Final Southport v Lancaster City at Lancashire FA HQ in Leyland. This will be a repeat of the 2000/01 Final when we beat Lancaster 1-0 at Chorley. Let's encourage everyone to make an effort to go to this one. I know it's a minor cup but it is a final and in a pretty hard season the lads deserve a bit of support. THIS IS AN ALL TICKET GAME but tickets can be bought on the night from the LFA ticket office at the ground. MATCH OFF DUE TO WATERLOGGED PITCH

Crawley win 3-0 at D&R and Tamworth hold Exeter to a 1-1 draw.

26 Mar Leady is out for the season after breaking his wrist at work. I'm sure we all wish him a speedy recovery.

25 Mar Away at Tamworth.Tamworth have issued 500 tickets to schoolkids for this game and all have been taken up. I hope it is segregated. Sounds like a few are travelling to this one so it promises to be a decent atmosphere. Let's all get behind the lads from the start, you saw how they were lifted on Tuesday, more of the same I think.

What a bore draw that one was, I think the DVD of this will well and truly cure my insomnia. 0-0 in a most uninspiring game. The crowd of 1442 included 182 Sandgrounders stood behind the goal (counted by SSE not me!) There were also 21 sat in the stand that I could see. Dales had a good first half chance when the keeper made a superb save but apart from a couple of second half half chances there is not much else to write about. It was our 40th 0-0 away draw, 93rd in total. Mark Jackson became player number 531 and the 33rd used this season. Our 1170 Non League league games have now been watched by over 900,000 people at an average of 770. Chris Lane moves into 62nd place in the all time list and 18th in Non League ahead of Billy Stewart and Alan Wilson.

23 Mar Kyle Armstrong, he who impressed us all in the recent reserve game has signed Conference forms and we have also signed Mark Jackson on loan from PNE until the end of the season. It would appear also that you have to accumulate 10 bookings once you reach March before a suspension kicks in so Dales will be free to play after all which on his current form is great news.

22 Mar Glad I had a day off today. The Voicebox needed to recover from last night. Took the opportunity to visit the library to fill in the gaps on my line ups page for the 1988/89 season. I now have a complete record of every line up from 1987/88 to date. I'd like to get every NL line up if possible but it takes ages going through old Visiters in the library so if anyone has any match reports that show the line ups from 78/79 to 86/87 please let me know.

21 Mar Home v Accrington Stanley 7.45pm, interesting reading the Accy forum, predictions range from 0-1 to 0-18 and how silly they look now!

It is so much nicer updating this site when we win and what a win that was 2-0 yes 2-0 against the runaway leaders. A brace from man of the moment Steve Daly gave us what in all honesty was a fairly comfortable win. Accy were not a patch on the team we played at The Interlink in November whether its a wobble I don't know but tonight they were distinctly second best and this was the first time they have failed to score in a league game this season. We even had time to miss a pen (it was Robbo who missed it not Dales as reported on DuneFM and the BBC) and still win. Accy had a player sent off and they also had a pen saved by Dicko. What a great night this was and with Scarborough losing to a 95th minute goal to take us out of the bottom two things could not get much better. The only downside was Dales getting his fifth booking of the season for celebrating with the fans who must take some responsibility for holding him down so long!! Wasn't that cheer brilliant when Colin announced the score from The McCain Stadium, reminiscent of the one at the Hucknall game last year when we heard Droylsden were 3-1 down.

It really is a funny old game isn't it. At 4.50 on Saturday when Alty equalised  we all realistically felt that was it, now just 4 days later we are out of the bottom three and there is hope again. Saturday is one massive game now. I think if we pull ourselves out of this Liam deserves every accolade going, it will be an achievement greater than anything he has done thus far. To the onlooker he appears to be hamstrung for funds but he has got us to a point were we are in with a shout of staying up. Let's not forget we have been outclassed in 14 games this season so far which is a fair percentage but we are hanging on in there.

20 Mar Chris Price rejoins on loan from Stalybridge until the end of the season. Chris holds the distinction of being the 500th player to appear for us in NL football.

19 Mar Thoroughly enjoyed the quiz last night particularly the round on Southport FC when my team was the only team to score maximum points, as for the other rounds, the least said the better!! Very poor attendance, if TIY hadn't sold any tickets there would only have been Haydn's team there. We did manage to raise £109 for TIY thanks to those that were there digging deep and buying lots of raffle tickets.

18 Mar Home v Altrincham. What a heartbreaker that was, 3 minutes 28 seconds into added time Alty equalise and deny us the three points. The trouble is you can't really say they didn't deserve a point today. Our second half showing was poor but we still had chances to extend the lead. I'm gutted tonight even six hours after the end of the match and having attended the quiz!

This was our 72nd home 1-1 draw, the goal we conceded was the 13th time we have let one in in the last 10 minutes and the 2nd time we have let go of the 3 points in added time, remember Tamworth. We have only scored once in the last 10 minutes, at Cambridge. No bookings was a rare event for us as well. Despite what has been written elsewhere I thought today's ref as he was earlier in the season against Exeter is the best in this league. Steve Daly has now scored 24 league goals for us.

Our home average attendance is now 1209.

The Southport Ground Centenary Committee have organised a Fundraising Quiz Night at the Grandstand Club on Saturday 18th March after the home game with Altrincham. Liam Watson confirmed that players would be present on the evening. The quiz commences at 7.30 pm and admission is £3 per person. The quiz will include General Knowledge, Sport and questions on Southport Football Club and the emphasis is very much on fun as well as Fund Raising. Six players per team.

15 Mar Ticket details for The Lancashire Junior Cup game which is ALL TICKET, I hope they give season ticket holders priority! Tickets are available from the club office between 10 and 5 each day. They will also be on sale in the Club Shop between 1.45 and 2.45 on Saturday. Prices are £8 Ground with Concessions at £4. Seating is £10/£6 and there are some restricted view seats at £8/£4.

14 Mar Home v Hereford United-Kick Off 7.45pm-SOUTHPORT 1 HEREFORD UNITED 2-now that was unlucky. A stirring performance from the lads sees us lose a game we deserved at least a point out of. I think this is the first time this season we have lost and we can say we deserved something out of the game and the ovation at the end told its own story. I thoroughly enjoyed this game and whilst the result went against us the performance was excellent, even the moaning brigade were silenced at one point. My MOTM would be Chris Lane, his best performance of the season by far against his former club. The one worry from tonight would be the serious looking injury to Bakes and both Robbo and Liam Blakeman appeared to be struggling at the end of the match. It was a match with everything, how the keeper escaped a sending off I do not know and we failed to get an equaliser will remain a mystery. We now have to take this performance forward to Saturday when Syd will be suspended but Mark Roberts will return. With the aforementioned injuries it could be an interesting line up.

11 Mar Away at Forest Green. For anyone who hasn't ventured to Nailsworth before be warned, if you park in the village it is one almighty climb up a steep hill to get to the ground. It took me until half time to recover last time I went. I'm sure a number of us will venture 200 yards passed the ground to have a look at FGR's new stadium which is being built, there are excellent photos on the FGR official site. There is usually a very friendly atmosphere at The Lawn in what is a big game for us. I've only been to FGR once before when we lost 2-0 in the 00/01 season a result which saw FGR complete their bid for survival in the Conference.

FOREST GREEN 1 SOUTHPORT 2 conceding after 2 minutes 44 seconds always makes it hard so to win was a great boost to us all. The FGR goal was reminiscent of so many we have conceded this season, a high ball into the box that isn't defended. I feared the worst and for 10 minutes we never got going. However once we got going we looked a decent side at times. Daly's goal which takes him onto 8 and our leading scorer was well finished and came at a time when we were dominating the game. The FGR fans and manager felt he was offside. I was unsure as I was behind the goal but who cares. Both defences looked shaky and you always thought more goals would come. It was end to end stuff in the second half with Bakes showing some superb skills, one particular moment when he left two defenders for dead was sublime and would have had Ronaldo drooling. Liam Blakeman's first goal for the Yellows was exquisite, I thought he had done too much and lost it but what a finish to send the 85 vociferous Southport fans into ecstasy. I enjoyed the moment but not as much as one fan who encroached onto the field of play and was promptly ejected from the ground. A bit ott in my view but "rules are rules". It was a long final 17 minutes and when the board went up showing 4 mins added time we groaned. Mark Roberts got himself sent off for two yellows, the second a needless one for kicking the ball away, so yet another player banned and with Syd picking up his 10th booking he will be out for 2 games as well. The lads got a well deserved ovation at the end and my voice had gone. It's a funny game, after last week I have to admit I had given up and really did think we had had it, they now go and give us all hope again. One thing for sure and I've said it before, this time we ain't going down without a fight. There were a few contenders for MOTM, The Brabinator making his full league debut was outstanding, Dom was a rock, Dales and Liam Blakeman had good games but the best player on the pitch was Carl Baker. I hope there were no scouts at the game. We had a great day and made excellent time to be home for 8pm. It was just £9 entry, the cheapest in the Conference, and the programme was ok apart from the Dream Team. We got to see the new ground before the game and I got some good photos which will be on here in due course. For those that didn't go today and like to knock the team and Liam all the time this was on the FGR forum:

"Compare our team with Southport's Pen Pic today, as far as I can see only 3 of their team have had any connection with a league club, and they are also part time!! What they did have was guts and determination and an ability to play with the ball on the ground with some amount of skill even if they have come from "the lower leagues"!!

I think Mark was sent off for kicking the ball away rather than the push myself

Syd made his 134th appearance, equalling Paul Moore, Chris Lane made his 116th, the same as Gary Cooper. It was the 37th time we have won 2-1 away from home.

9 Mar The glum faces in the office today made it one of those special days.

Mark Roberts rejoins until the end of the season (until we are told it was really only a month)

8 Mar Every Conference game that was played last night ended up with the home team having their lowest gate of the season. As I type I've just heard Mr Liverpool, Alan Parry say, Liverpool's European dreams are dying by the second, that is music to my ears, to hear him say that must hurt him so much as I have never heard such a Liverpool biased commentator in my life. Come on Benfica! I have never heard a commentator sound so down when the second goal went in. YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! He still has time of course to sing the praises of those lovely fans as they desert the stadium.

The Official site states that Jimmy Aggrey's loan won't be extended at the end of his month with us. I thought he was with us until the end of the season. Just what is going on, we are letting players go and nobody seems to be coming in.

7 Mar Hoping to visit Clyde's ground as I am in Scotland with my work and staying close by. No game but I may get a photo! Far too wet and foggy so a missed opportunity.

4 Mar Away at Exeter, unfortunately my attempt at going to every game has fallen today as Mark who is the regular driver decided he didn't fancy the drive down in the weather conditions-it will be an afternoon watching the scores come in on Sky for me. At half time it is agony, even though we are 4-0 down I would much rather be there and I still feel the same at the end despite the 5-0 reversal. It was our 100th away defeat in Conference football, my reporter says we were "not very good" he actually said something worse than that but children read this. It was only the 4th time we have lost 5-0 in NL football. The attendance of 3485 was the best since our 6-0 drubbing at Yeovil in October 2002, maybe we don't like the BIG crowds. It was as expected the 6th away gate in a row over 2000, a first in NL football, I doubt we will make it seven. It was the first league game I have missed since Gainsborough last season, at least I can still say I have seen every league goal we have scored since the 2-0 win at Spennymoor in the 2003/04 season. A thoroughly miserable day, not going, a 5-0 defeat and my 4 draws accumulator which would have paid close on £280 going down when Cheltenham scored in added time, I sometimes wish I drank!

The last time I ventured to "The Real St James's Park" was 30 October 1976 when I saw us lose 3-1 in front of a gate of 2835. Our one was scored by Alan Wilson. I also saw us lose 2-0 at the start of the 75/76 season when we set off at midnight, arrived at 6am and had 9 hours to pass the time away in Exeter. The we involved a minibus of 12. I wonder how many others on that bus are a) still alive and b) still go today, with me unable to go I think it was a nil.

1 Mar Here we go again, yet another dig at unofficial websites in The Vister from within. Why do I bother?

28 Feb Away at Accrington in Lancs Junior Cup Semi-Final-I hope they play a weakened team, having watched them on TV against Morecambe I fear the worst. They did and we took full advantage with a brilliant 4-2 win. Steve Daly notching a hat-trick with Robbo getting the other goal. We had to pay a ridiculous £12 to get in which made the victory even sweeter. It was a bitterly cold night but a very open and entertaining game in which we played rather well. There are some excellent pictures on KIPAX.com. I look like I was enjoying the goals!!

27 Feb I subscribe to the very impressive Barrow FC newsletter (because I'm sad) and the following is an extract:-

"A good attendance at the Cross Bar heard Phil Wilson begin the evening talking about his history, with regard to his time as a player and also his career in management with regard to the reasons for his moves. In particular how he moved from Northwich because of interference from the chairman at the time and the fact he left Southport because their budget was uncompetitive.
He also stressed that he left the clubs in good League positions, eg Southport were ninth in the Conference. When he first went to Lancaster, he did have a workable budget but felt that with so many budget cuts they were ending up paying what was effectively North West Counties League wages and it was impossible to carry on, so he came to Barrow"

Interesting take on things from our Phil, I'm sure he was sacked or am I mistaken?

26 Feb Great to see Wigan get turned over on their big day particularly as I had a wager on 4-0. I admit to laughing at all the comments about little Wigan and how far they have come. Without Mr Whelan's millions I'm not sure if they would have been at Cardiff today.

For anyone who hasn't seen Tony Sullivan's attempt at goalkeeping in the game against Workington that got abandoned at half time due to floodlight failure when Lancaster were 4-0 down-Click here http://www.conf-north.com/workygoal.wmv It really is very funny. Stolen from Port Chat.

25 Feb The match against Woking scheduled for today is off as Woking are still in the FA Trophy and has been rearranged for MONDAY 10th April. Do these people not realise that I have Tuesday's blocked off in my calendar at work for football matches!

Tamworth, Crawley & Forest Green all lose and Scarborough draw, a very good set of results.

Still no clearer about what we will be doing on 25 March as Grays and Dagenham draw 1-1, replay is on Tuesday. Come on Daggers! If Grays do go through, Tamworth are without a game as they are scheduled to play Exeter, maybe the midweek game could be brought forward to the Saturday?

24 Feb-From The Official Site-Regarding articles posted on the Portchat website, Director Barry Hedley says there is absolutely no truth in the reports that Liam Watson is leaving Southport Football Club to be replaced by Shaun Teale or anybody else. Liam is very upset with these rumours as the Chairman and Board of Directors are still backing Liam to rescue the club from our predicament. It is also unfair to Shaun Teale and Chorley Football Club with whom we have a very good relationship with their club officials. I'm sure it's a relief to us all to know that the Club have confirmed it all to be a rumour. Even if it was true they are going to look very silly appointing Mr Teale as the next boss having denied it. May Shaun go on and prosper at Chorley for a long time to come! I'm not sure why Port Chat are getting the blame for this though, the story first appeared on sgb as far as I know and it was only once this story broke that it appeared on PC. Once again the communication from within is awry, and they wonder why people are fed up!

23 Feb Trust In Yellow meeting at The Railwaymen's Club

The Final of this season's Lancashire FA United Co-op Cup will be held at the LFA's County Ground in Leyland on Tuesday 28th March, kick off 7.45pm-that is the same day we are due to play at Tamworth.

22 Feb Just read on BBC Sport that Paul Merson has agreed to sign for..........Tamworth.

Crawley & Tamworth both lose. Nick Rogan scores for Barrow on his debut, likes scoring on his debut does Nick.

20 Feb Having a day off work I tidied up my current seasons player details to make them easier to read. It was only whilst doing this that I realised just how threadbare our squad now is. There are 20 players listed. Jimmy Aggrey is on loan which means I guess he can be recalled if required (19) Robbie Booth is out on loan(18) Gary Brabin would not get through a 90 minute match(17) Dave Brooks is a reserve player(16) Tony Evans is out on loan(15) Earl Davis has a two game ban(14) Chris Lane has a one match ban(13) Jamie Speare is a keeper (12).  Steve Daly is one card away from a one match ban and Syd and Leady are one card away from a two game ban. We have problems! I am out of condition Liam so don't come calling! I also compared our current squad to the team that played in that ill feted game at Bradford PA last season and only Lane, Aggrey and Blakeman that played on Saturday are additions to that team.

Accrington go 16 points clear after beating Morecambe 2-0 in front of the TV cameras and their best gate of the season, 3041.

19 Feb Apologies for the delay in updating the site but an overnight stay in Cambridge for £10 was too good an offer to miss. An Away Days Report is here.

I'm not sure who is responsible for posting the "report" on the official site but despite its brevity there are four factual inaccuracies.

18 Feb Away at Cambridge United. I have seen us play at The Abbey Stadium twice before, drawing 2-2 in 1975/76 and losing 5-1 1n 76/77 with the 1 being the best own goal I have seen scored against us by the one and only Brendon Batson. It's odd, I can't remember what I did at work a week ago but that own goal still lingers in the memory bank. CAMBRIDGE UNITED 2 SOUTHPORT 1-A heartbreaker. After seemingly clawing it back to get a draw in a poor game we threw it away just 60 seconds later. I was gutted at the end of the match, we hadn't played particularly well but to equalise with just 5 minutes to go and pick up what would have been a bonus point would have done me. Alas not! Earl Davis picked up his 10th booking of the season and Chris Lane his 5th. My MOTM was Sid again. It was between Sid and Earl but Earl's needless booking to give him a two match ban decided it for me. Our goal in the 84th minute was the first time we have scored in the final 10 minutes this season. 93(Official) Sandgrounders in the away end which is not bad considering our position and the distance.

17 Feb Dave Brooks 18th Birthday.

Interesting letter from Barry Hedley in the Visiter today. We were promised more fans letters last week but there is just one in the main body of the paper and Barry's fightback on the inside back page. I guess the Vis must have got cold feet about printing anymore as I understand the club's reaction wasn't that favourable!Barry makes some fair points in my view about the lack of support in the town etc but like all the people connected with the club fails to ask why people don't attend and why there is such an us and them feeling between club and fans. Take a step back and look at what Trust In Yellow has achieved already, mass media interest, expressions of interest in becoming a member when the Trust is launched already beyond the 10% of our average home gate which is Supporters Direct's initial target and, people going around dropping posters off in shops schools and offices. The support and interest is there, just acknowledge that the fans are not parasites, are not trying to stir up trouble and can actually offer something towards the future of the club if they were listened to and you may see a change in attitude towards Mr Clapham and Mr Shrouder Barry!

15 Feb Carl Baker is in the NL England squad for the match against Italy at Cambridge. I'm sure all Southport fans hope he features in the game and makes a good impression. Good luck to Carl, a well deserved honour. Carl plays the first 45 minutes before picking up an ankle knock and being subbed at half time. Great report and pictures on sgb.

14 Feb Could be tempted into Marine v Farsley tonight. Lots of ex Port players on show including Dominic Krief for Farsley. Well you have to take her somewhere on Valentines Day don't you! And Marine it was. It really is very different watching a game as a neutral, you see things in a totally different light. The goal by Danny Byrne was excellent and gave Marine a 1-0 win but the game was poor. However if you are a Mariner and it was your team I can see why they were so pleased with the win, second in the league with games in hand it was a big result. Dom Krief played for Farsley and was fairly quiet, he showed a few neat touches but not a lot else. Lee Mulvaney, James Connolly and Darren Brookfield all played for Marine. Mulvaney didn't impress, Connolly was solid enough and Darren showed some great skills but in all honesty none would be good enough to get in our current team. If Marine do go on and get promoted, and I hope they do, it will be interesting to see how they fare, they seem to be regarded as the best team in the league but are below the  Nationwide North standard we witnessed last season. A disappointing gate of 216 included around 20 Farsley fans and me and the missus.

In the Lancs Junior Cup we will be away at Accrington after they beat Burscough 5-3. Date to be advised, I'm hoping it's not going to be 7 March as that will be another game missed but at least it won't be a first class one.

11 Feb Home v Canvey Island SOUTHPORT 2 CANVEY ISLAND 0. A brace from Steve Daly in front of the seasons lowest gate, just 901. I'm not getting too carried away as Canvey weren't that good but a win is a win and after the season we have had it was most welcome. I nearly had heart failure when the lights went down with just 90 seconds of normal time left, you really felt as though nothing else could go wrong but thankfully they stayed bright enough to see the match through to completion. A very fussy ref booked 5 Port players one of whom was Carl Baker who picks up his 5th yellow of the season which I hope doesn't affect his England place. Our second goal today was our 600th Conference goal. Jimmy Aggrey and Gary Brabin make their debuts and become players number 529 & 530. I also think Gary must come somewhere close to being the weightiest player ever to wear a Port shirt? My MOTM was Steve Pickford closely followed by Jerome Fitzgerald.

TRUST IN YELLOW COMES OUT ON TOP!

The soon to be formed trust for supporters of Southport Football Club, are
proud to announce their new name - Trust In Yellow. The trust steering group
asked supporters at the Canvey Island game to cast their votes from five
suggestions, also asking those supporters who couldn't make the game to vote
via e-mail.

A total of 403 votes were cast and counted and a tense finale saw the
successor named at 7pm on Saturday 11th February 2006. The results in
reverse order are as follows, Southport Independent Supporters Always (SISA)
62 Votes, Fans Assisting Southport Together (FAST) 73 votes, Southport
Independent Fans Trust (SIFT) 76 votes, A Southport Independent Supporters
Trust (ASIST) 94 votes and the winner Trust In Yellow with 98 votes.

The provisional steering group for the trust would like to say a big thank
you to Southport Football Club for their co-operation and assistance in
hosting the vote and all those who took their time to vote.

10 Feb Matt Bailey rejoins on loan from Crewe. There are some interesting letters in the Visiter today offering different views on our plight.

More coverage for The Trust vote on Dune FM including an interview with Jon. People tend to knock Dune but no-one can complain at the level of coverage they have given us so far.

9 Feb Jimmy Aggrey signs on loan from Woking until the end of the season. I note from the Woking web site that he has 4 yellow cards to his name in the 5 games he has played for Woking this season. Will obviously fit in well at Southport! Sounds like a good signing judging by the Woking fans comments.

7 Feb Ron Ellis's excellent Champion report:

THE BIG CLIMB BEGINS BY RON ELLIS
With only 16 games to play to the end of the season, 8 at home and 8 away, Southport cannot leave it much later to begin the Big Climb to safety.
Realistically, two out of the current bottom five will be relegated. Taking Scarborough’s 29 games played as a benchmark, and assuming all the teams with games in hand win those games, The Sandgrounders would finish next to bottom, just 2 points above Scarborough, 3 behind Forest Green, 5 behind Crawley and 6 behind Tamworth. And with a goal deficit double the nearest ‘rival’.
So the conclusion must be – ‘difficult but not impossible’.
‘We need six wins and four draws,’ Liam Watson declared. ‘That would give us 42 points which should make us safe.’
Where the points will come from is another matter. It is obvious that the current squad will not achieve that target without urgent reinforcements. Nine of them played for the Reserves on Friday nights, missing a hatful of chances before finally losing 1-0 to a Morecambe side featuring only one first-teamer.
Star of a dismal evening for Southport was young Kyle Armstrong who was strangely discarded by Chorley, managed by ex-Tarleton manager, Shaun Teale, who might regret passing on a promising youngster.
Saturday sees the first ever visit to Haig Avenue of Canvey Island who have managed only 4 points from their last six games and lie in 17th place in the Conference table, eight points above The Yellows who have a game in hand.
Gary Brabin should be in the squad to provide extra strength in midfield.
Now is the time for the true fans to show their loyalty to their club and give Liam Watson’s men every encouragement for this vital game.
Despite the closing of the transfer window, players can still be brought in on loan and surely it would be worthwhile to pay whatever wages are necessary to give the battle for survival a fighting chance. The costs of a return to Conf. North football in terms of loss of revenue would be far greater.
‘I am trying to bring in Jimmy Aggrey on loan from Woking,’ Liam Watson told me. ‘He is a defender who has played in the UEFA Cup with TNS and was in Yeovil’s Conference-winning side. I am also in talks with a Coca Cola League club about one of their strikers.’
Let us hope he is allowed to sign them. McNeil, Bolland, Elding, McNiven and Murray are just five names who might have figured on Southport’s team sheet next Saturday, which begs the question as to why other teams were in a better position than Southport to buy them, bearing in mind that there is still the great majority of the Fearns’ transfer money in the kitty as well as the ubiquitous healthy bank balance.
Imagine, for a moment though, a different scenario. Watson brings in four or five quality players who manage to stave off relegation without bankrupting the club. Next season marks 125 years since the formation of Southport FC. who commence the new campaign as proud members of the Nationwide Conference.
A big Anniversary operation is launched to promote the club. Various exciting events are arranged and incentives offered to welcome new supporters, especially youngsters, to come along to Haig Avenue. The thriving new Supporters Trust helps raise the club’s profile and, at the same time, attracts more revenue. A revitalised marketing campaign brings in new sponsorship and advertising money comes rolling in as the football club becomes a talking point again. There is a buzz about the place and, suddenly, Charlie Clapham and Sam Shrouder have the hottest ticket in town.
The refurbished Grandstand Club is booming with a full diary of functions and packed with regulars every night. Attendances at the matches increase week by week as the improved squad does well in the Conference. The extra income means long-awaited ground improvements can be made. A new in-house catering operation provides quality meals and snacks with seating accommodation. Southport FC is on a roll.
All achievements in life begin with a dream but dreams do not have to be pipe dreams. Let The Big Climb begin on Saturday with a view to turning this dream into reality. It’s not rocket science. Some would simply call it good business practice.

6 Feb FA Trophy Draw, looks like the Grays v Southport game on 25 March could be in jeopardy!

5 Feb Something I thought I'd never write, there is an excellent post on Port Chat by Millster entitled "Festering thoughts on a Saturday without football" It says it all really.

I will still be renewing my season ticket next season, it's easy to support your team when they are winning, it's when they are struggling that they need us most and despite the apparent lack of ambition and off field clangers I will keep going, sadly, there are not that many like minded people around but I'd still rather pay my money to my local club than anyone else.

4 Feb Match scheduled for today away at Tamworth is off as Tamworth are still in the FA Trophy now rearranged for 28th March.

Woking win in FA Trophy so no game on the 25th unless another can be re-arranged. Accy draw so their scheduled match against Burscough in the LJC will not be on Tuesday which I guess means we won't be playing them on the 14th. Grays also win which means our game on the 25th March could still be off if they get through the next round. Midweek to Grays could be a tester!

Robbie Booth scores twice for Burscough and the legend that is Fearns scores again for Droylsden.

3 Feb Southport Reserves v Morecambe Reserves Kick Off 7.45-as we have no match tomorrow will there be a few first team players on show? Southport lose 1-0 despite dominating most of the game and missing an injury time penalty. It was mainly first team players but the one that stood out was midfielder, Kyle Armstrong who was the best player on the pitch by far and some might say he put in the best performance in a Southport shirt this season but that would be cruel. I don't know anything about him but will be keeping a very close watch on his future now. There were reps from a number of clubs in attendance including John Coleman of Accrington so don't be surprised to see him in an Accy shirt in the future. One for the first team next week?

2 Feb Southport are drawn away to Accrington or Burscough in the Semi-Final of the Lancs Junior Cup with the game scheduled to be played w/c 13 Feb. However Accrington and Burscough don't play until 7 Feb and that is subject to all sorts of FA Trophy issues so don't pen it in to the calendar just yet.

1 Feb Steve Dickinson is 33 today.

Deadline day passes without any transfer activity which is a bit disappointing.

31 Jan It's been interesting sitting back and reading all that is flying around on Port Chat and sgb about our current predicament. A quiet week last week when we had a couple of good results but as soon as things go wrong they are all out again. It appears to be split 50/50 on Liam at the moment and 10/90 on Mr Clapham!

29 Jan I've been spending a few hours updating my club records section. Any offers on who might be our youngest and oldest ever NL player? I'd go for Tony Evans as the youngest? Not yet sure on contenders for the oldest, all ideas welcome, contact here. Paul Futcher at 42 years and about 5 months looks the favourite so far.

28 Jan Home v Kidderminster Harriers. A disaster day sees us go down 4-1 after a defensive display reminiscent of schoolboys. After an hour today I really started to wonder why I do it, why go all the way to Stevenage and York, get the hopes up, tell all the people I know how well we played and that we still stand a chance of surviving and then witness that. It was just one big let down. After the first 15 minutes, even after we conceded the first goal I said that I thought Kidderminster were there for the taking, how wrong I was. The 4-1 defeats against Grays & York I could take as they were very good teams but today was hard to bear. Kidderminster were nothing special but made us look third rate. The whole defensive back line was at sea. Only Carl Baker and Liam Blakeman came out of the game with any credit. After the highs of last Saturday the cruel game of football kicks you in the teeth again.

There is an excellent piece in the matchday programme from Haydn about SISA which is now on the SISA page.

STAT ATTACK:It was our 6th 4-1 home defeat in NL football, 3 this season. Robbo has now scored 28 League goals in 54 full appearances, Chris Lane made his 113th appearance to equal Tim Ryan's figure.

Gary Brabin signs to the end of the season. Gary is 35 and has retired once but has made a comeback with TNS, Halifax and Witton Albion.

27 Jan I've just been reading The Burscough Fans Forum and found this on a thread started by Jolly Linnet, his spelling and grammar not mine.

"Although I don`t know for definate, on speaking with Liam recently his wish list does not include Southport. So no worry`s on that score mate. Anyway if Liam does move I think he has his sights set higher than Conference North.
Besides he knocked them back once before this season and that was before they were in free fall"!

Don't you just love it when someone posts like that and a couple of days later it hits them in the face!

26 Jan SISA Meeting at The Grandstand Club 7.30pm-Minutes are on the SISA page, which also gives details of why the name will have to change, any ideas, see Port Chat and post them on there.

24 Jan Away York City. Phoned York at 11.25 and advised no problems with the pitch at present and the match is on.

YORK CITY 0 SOUTHPORT 0 It says a lot when you come away feeling a touch disappointed that we didn't win this game. We were once again the better team and deserved the 3 points but if you had given me 4 points at 3pm on Saturday I would have snapped them up so we have to be delighted with that return. The 0-0 was our 92nd 0-0 draw in NL football and the point gained was our 599th point in Conference football. £13 to stand up and I understand the food and drinks were also very expensive. The programme was an excellent read for £2.50 except for, you guessed it, "The Dream Team" again. The gate of 2176 means the last 3 away games have all attracted crowds of over 2000 and we haven't lost or conceded a goal, maybe we are finally breaking the 2000+ gate hoodoo. I understand the Radio York commentator wasn't impressed with our showing. It just goes to show how different people view football matches. I was delighted with the way we played. I think he was more than likely more frustrated with the poor York display and decided to turn that around and blame us for the poor game, never mind Barry, your big club looks destined to still be in the Conference next year and us, well, who knows we may well still be there ourselves!

Interesting that out of the 11 that started only Chris Lane and Liam Blakeman were new from 04/05.

Thank you to the PA announcer at York for mentioning SISA and the encouraging words, you got a good feeling at York that the whole club was very fan friendly and focussed.

21 Jan Away Stevenage Boro-the memories will come flooding back for this one.

Stevenage 0 Southport 1 just in case you don't believe it I'll type it again, Stevenage 0 Southport 1!! What a day this turned out to be and have we unearthed a new star in Liam Blakeman? A superb, out of this world performance from the lads that despite the 4 hour drive home I still find hard to believe. How a team can be transformed so much I just do not know. Don't think this was a fluke, it wasn't, we deserved it and to do the double over a Stevenage team who started the day third in the table was beyond my expectations. A great day. Away Days report is here

It was the first time we have won in front of a league crowd of more than 2000 since 20 January 2001 when we beat Yeovil 1-0 in front of 4705 fans and Chris Lane got the goal.

20 Jan Good news, bad news day. The good news is that Liam Blakeman has signed from Burscough. The bad news is that Mark Roberts has gone back to Crewe.

19 Jan What a superb night last night at the Railwaymens Club. There is now a report with photos on southport gb here. Great turn out, very positive and with a couple of exceptions (who we just knew would behave in the way they did) everyone embraced the venture with great enthusiasm. I ended up agreeing to contribute to the programme again as I felt Haydn's, on behalf of the club, desire to work with the Trust was genuine and as he had made that gesture I felt able to reciprocate, we shook hands on it and will see how it goes. Great coverage throughout the day on Dune FM although they had several things factually incorrect like we all packed in to Haig Avenue. Radio Lancashire also featured Jon tonight and again showed some positive support. I wonder if the BBC station that is supposed to cover Southport will bother to do anything?

18 Jan SISA Public Meeting at The Railwaymen's Club, Sussex Road Bridge, Sussex Road, Southport 7.30pm

Message From Jon O'Byrne:

We're really struggling right now.
There are so many negative vibes. Please come down to our meeting on Wednesday January 18th,  we need you the supporter to begin making a difference to the club.
There are so many great arguments bounded around on here (Port Chat) and so many great posts, now comes the time to put them into action.
We can sit here arguing the toss for donkeys years or we can try and make a positive impact however huge or small.
Please come down, all are welcome, right now your club needs you.

17 Jan Away at Barrow in Lancs Jun Cup QF-this was my second miss of the season. After listening for 90 minutes to the Radio Cumbria commentary I am glad I didn't go as it sounded dire but a wins a win and we are through to a semi-final along with Lancaster, Kendal and Accrington or Burscough. Mike Powell nets after 84 minutes.

15 Jan Worst season on record? Not yet but it could get close. The 75/76 season saw us with just 6 points, 8 in present 3 points for a win mode, on the 17 January 1976. We went on to get 35 (26 converted to 3 points) following a late season rally so 19 still to go. That was the season we ended up winning at Huddersfield to effectively stop them getting promotion. Even worse was the following season when we ended up with just 28 points (25 converted) I didn't miss a match in either of these seasons and am hoping to do the same this season (first class ones) so we can now say with certainty it is all my fault. The 1946/47 season saw us gain just 32 points (25 converted) but that wasn't my fault as it was 12 years before my birth!

In Non League days our worst ever return came in the 1979/80 season with just 37 points (29 converted) winning just 8 games drawing 13 and losing 21. We scored 30 and conceded 75. I did miss a number of away games in this season so only partial responsibility held by me!

In summary it is 76/77 that will rank as our worst ever and the target is therefore 29 points to beat the 28 we managed that season and we didn't even finish bottom of the league, that honour fell to Workington who  failed in their bid for re-election.

14 Jan Home v Scarborough brought forward from 21 Feb-what a massive game this is.

SOUTHPORT 0 SCARBOROUGH 2-Well what can you say after that. You just can't defend the indefensible, today was horrible to watch and I can't see any way out of the mess we are in now. I feel really sad tonight with the highs of April 30th a distant memory. I never thought it would be this bad though.

My frustration stemmed mainly from the rumours circulating around the ground about just how hamstrung Liam is in relation to bringing players in, if they are true then we will have to resign ourselves to a stay in Conference North for years to come.

Where has the money we got from the sale of Terry Fearns (hat trick scorer today) gone? I suggested it must be in one of those high interest Building Society Accounts that doesn't allow you access to your money for 6 months as it sure isn't being used on the playing side of things. If our wage structure allows us to only bring in players like Rigoglioso and Bailey then we are doomed. I know Matt hasn't played for a while and it appears he was ill before the game but why bring him here, or at least if he is unwell why play him whilst Rogan sits on the bench, we need a quick fix not a slow death.

Yes, Liam makes mistakes but if he walks away then I will never forgive Mr Clapham for allowing it to happen, I would walk away tonight, let's hope Liam is tougher than me! He has a new assistant manager in Lee Turnbull (recently dismissed Barrow manager) to hopefully take some of the strain off his shoulders.

I love this club and never let the personalities involved get in the way of the support I show the team but at half time today I felt let down, short changed and very sad at the way it is all turning out. I'll still be at Stevenage and York but how many others are going to come back after that mess today?

Now where exactly is North Ferriby?

Superb post from Mellow on Port Chat

There' absolutely no point changing the manager, the problems at the club are deeper than that.
Liam qualified us for conf north and then won the division at first attempt, all on a very modest budget. Even Terry Fearns wasn't on as much as many people think.
We have money in the bank, we've made a profit last season, we're on course for a larger profit this season, we've made about 25k from the sale of Fearns and Krief and we are going to go down to conf north with the richest war chest that seems never destined to be spent.
A lot of people assume that the signings made n the summer were the ones that liam only wanted. His list of players extended beyond that, but a lot of the better players went elsewhere where they would be paid greater money. We were left with those who would accept less and it shows.
We've had a few players leave the club and the wage bill is less than it was before, so where are the replacements? If you're a manager that has had a track record in attracting decent players to the club and the chairman vetoes your signings because they might cost a few pennies, what does that say? If the only players you are allowed to bring in are the cheap ones, the loan players what do you expect? if the chairman and director of football think they are in a position to pick and choose who are suitable for the club then you're in trouble.
We should be allowing the purchase of new players, a bit of cash spent now could have assured our future in this division.
We're going down and the chairman that said he would do all in his power to prevent us ever being relegated again has failed, and should consider his position.

STAT ATTACK WARNING!  Matt Bailey & Michael Stringfellow became player number 527 & 528 respectively and we have now used 28 players this season which is the same number as we used in our first season bak in the Conference last time in the 93/94 season. Today was the 3700th "first class" game we have ever played. Won 1303 Drawn 966 Lost 1431 Goals For 5123 Against 5525. Today's ref was the same one who sent off Bakes against Halifax.

It was a special day for Steve Dickinson who broke the Non League club record appearance record, previously held by David Gamble, by playing in his 264th game  I was delighted to have my photo taken with Steve as he presented me with my prize for winning the competition in the programme. I also presented him with a certificate from SFCSTATS, the pictures will be in the Photo Gallery later. Steve is now 6th in the all time list just 5 behind Wally Taylor.

13 Jan No mention in the Visiter about Dicko's big occasion tomorrow but sgb have done a great piece on him here.

12 Jan Signings this week are Lee Grant, Michael Stringfellow and today, Matthew Bailey whose height seems to vary from 6'2" to 6'7" according to which website you read. I'll take my tape measure on Saturday. It's hard keeping track on what is going on at present and I've had a very busy week work wise and with SISA activity so I'm losing touch!

Some interesting suggestions for songs to run out to on Saturday on Port Chat, Down Down Down, The Only Way Is Up, Kiss's Parasite (naughty TD!) Moving On Up-that's a bit more positive, Sugar We're Going Down, We Are The Champions-well we are, Living On A Prayer, At The Bottom Of Everything-cruel, from Morecambe fan, Send In The Clowns-crueller. Some of these may be more appropriate at the end of the game but let's hope it's more like Happy Days Are Here Again or the one playing as I type, Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life from RadioBlog!

11 Jan Informal SISA meeting 7.30 at The Mount Pleasant. Final prep for the big one next week. An excellent meeting, the effort going into this is phenomenal and it deserves to be a success.

10 Jan Away at Burscough Liverpool Senior Cup 1st Round, a late finish in Nottingham means I miss my first match of the season. If it had been a proper game I would have found a way but I have to save my requests for favours for when they are really needed! BURSCOUGH 3 SOUTHPORT 1 with Chris Lane getting our goal. We can now concentrate on the league. From reading the reports it sounds pretty dire and the knives really are being sharpened now.

9 Jan The issue over gaps without goals is sorted. The club league record of 644 minutes stands. The all time all games record is now 916 minutes according to Geoff Wilde.

8 Jan Everybody seems to be saying Carl's goal was scored in the 49th minute despite on my watch it showing as 4 mins 15 seconds. I have therefore amended the records accordingly. In my view the 915 minutes should be the club record which was previously 644 but there appears to be a doubt. I will be checking it out with Geoff Wilde.

Congratulations to Burton, Nuneaton and Tamworth on getting FA Cup replays, Burton and Nuneaton against Premiership opposition as well, great to watch.

7 Jan Home v Dagenham & Redbridge 3pm. If Dicko plays he equals the NL appearance record of 263 currently held by David Gamble.

SOUTHPORT 1 (yes, 1) DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 2 At last we see a goal but it's still not enough to avoid defeat. A shocker of a first half is followed by a stormer of a second when we should have had a draw at least. Carl Baker's goal on 50 minutes was our first Conference goal for 619 minutes, our first, first class goal for 915 minutes and our first of any description for 414 minutes. Both teams had a player sent off with a straight red card, Steve Daly for us, which we can ill afford and how stupid can you get. D& R already down to 10 men and you get sent off in circumstances like he did is not acceptable. I still think their guy should have gone as well but no excuse. I'm struggling with picking a MOTM today, there were no outstanding performances so for the drought breaking goal and some good general play in the 2nd half it goes to Carl Baker.

At half time today I had given up and had us relegated and was planning transport to Redditch, Worcester et al, by the end, despite losing, I still had a bit of hope left but it really will require The Great Escape to take place now. Next Saturday's game against Scarborough is the proverbial 6 pointer if ever there was one.

I was very pleased to see I had won the "Visiter Views" competition in the Matchday programme, should be interesting meeting Haydn next week on the pitch for the presentation! I am going to donate the prize, 2 VP's tickets for a future home game, to the SISA raffle that is taking place at the public meeting on 18 January. If anyone wants to buy tickets for the raffle which will also see a signed SFC shirt, autographed programmes, bottles of wine etc and can't get to the meeting contact me and I will sort it out. It's £1 for a strip of 5 tickets. I am hoping to be presented with the prize by Steve Dickinson who I will present with a certificate from SFC STATS to mark his breaking the NL club appearance record. I will also get him to sign a match programme that will also be used in the raffle.

Confirmation on the official site that Michael Stringfellow has signed on a month's loan.

6 Jan-Reports on Port Chat say Michael Stringfellow has signed and Micky Mellon is on the verge, no official confirmation as yet.

4 Jan Informal SISA meeting 7.30 at The Mount Pleasant Pub, Manchester Road mainly to discuss the agenda and format of the public meeting on 18 January.

Accrington's official website shows the home game has been rearranged for Tuesday March 21st which is also confirmed on our Official site. Also shows the Hereford games as 14 March, switched from 14 February.

Tony Evans is 20 today.

3 Jan Good to see that Mark Roberts has agreed to continue his loan until the end of January and even better to see that Rigoglioso has returned to Doncaster, his performance at Accrington must rank in my top 10 ever inept performances in a Southport shirt.

2 Jan  Away at Morecambe 3pm. Morecambe are 2/5 to win this one with Southport 13/2. I think I may resort to desperation tactics and lump on Morecambe, my betting record is shocking at the moment so it may work! And work it did. I now have a wife and children unable to buy food but Southport get a point in a hard fought 0-0 draw and that is much more important! I was laughing at 606 on the radio tonight whilst stuck in the traffic jams on the way back when Alan Green was wittering on about he goes to football to be entertained. So do I Alan but sometimes when you are on a run of 7 defeats in a row you'll take a 0-0 and today was one of those days. If it's your team it's results that matter, I don't care what anyone says and I feel much happier tonight at getting a point. Mark Roberts was once again outstanding and Dicko in his 262nd game, just one behind Gambo's all time NL record was once again simply superb. Excellent travelling support, maybe not as large as it has been in the past but it was nice to see and hear the lads being encouraged throughout and where I was stood we heard very little from the moaning brigade. We are getting closer to breaking the goal drought, Syd should have scored, if the foul on Robbo wasn't a penalty I'm not sure what is and the foul by Earl that lead to Leady's goal being disallowed was harsh. I've also seen keepers sent off for deliberate handball before today, I must admit I felt the yellow card was right as the ball was going well wide but on another day with another ref he could have got a red. All in all a much better day. It was £11 to get in and the programme which had a lot of reading material was £2.20 and was a very good production but had that dreaded Dream Team in yet again.

STAT ATTACK WARNING-The gate of 2788 was Morecambe's best of the season. We have now gone 866 minutes without a "first class" goal, 570 Conference minutes, 9 games in total plus the extra time at Woking. The 6 Conference games without scoring is a new club NL record. It was our first 0-0 draw in a league game for 29 matches and our 38th 0-0 away draw in all NL football. It was the first time we have played a league game in front of a gate of more than 2000 and not lost since the 0-0 draw at Doncaster in the 2002/03 season.

1 Jan Happy New Year-we were top of the league after that never to be forgotten game at Stalybridge on the 1st of January 2005 and the feelgood factor was high. Let's hope we can battle our way out of our current situation and that by 29 April we can be celebrating again, this time survival.