SOUTHPORT FANS IN EXILE

I'm Len Shackleton, Sandgrounder Southeast, and I saw my first
game in September 1958...after university have lived in London
since 1969. My parents still live on the Wirral and I continued to
watch Port when I was up there while we were still in the
League..then rather lost interest and for many years watched Spurs
(I'm almost ashamed to say) - but got dillusioned with them -
overpriced, underachieving, and progressively more difficult to get
tickets. One day I was in Belgium with some students (I lectured in
economics, now Dean of a Business School) and Match of the Day
came on with Port playing Port Vale - got excited again and started
watching again. With us in the Nationwide Conference I could get to
a lot of games in the South, plus four or five home games each
season, though actually I think I saw more games last season in
Conf North than ever since I was living at home (25) - despite the
distance. I admire your record and would like to see even more than
I do but I have other obligations!
Nowadays usually travel to games with Sue Thomason (Andre) and
her brother Ian (Wombat) but also usually see people like Peter
Severn and Norman Parkinson (Redrobe Fan). With one or two
others we have sponsored players as "London Exiles" for the last
three seasons.
Why do we do it? It's much more fun than following Premiership
teams, you visit crazy places (Frickley, anybody?) that you would
never conceivably visit for any other reason, you get to talk to
the players - who appreciate your support - and you feel part of a
meaningful group. Would really miss it if it stopped tomorrow!

Sue Thomason (Andre)

So you want to know about us exiles, eh. Well, some of this is in the fans profile I did, but here goes.

Went to my first match – FA Cup against Cardiff in 1967, with my dad, brother Wombat (though obviously he wasn’t called that at the time) and the dad and kids who lived next door. I wasn’t really fussed about the football, all I remember was the atmosphere - packed on to the cinder terrace of the Blowick end wearing a scarf that came down to my knees! and the fact that I was getting to stay up late.

Over the next six or seven years I went to matches on an infrequent basis, normally with the kids next door – the two boys were in charge of me and their sister to make sure we didn’t get into trouble and it was a great way of escaping from home on a Saturday afternoon. As I became a teenager, obviously I developed other interests(!) and stopped going – was vaguely aware of how the team was doing, but not really interested in going to games.

In 1982, I moved down to north-west London to go to university and became even more of a semi-detached supporter.

Fast forward to 1997. Wombat was now living down south as well and was regularly attending SFC away games at Conference clubs in the south-east. On a few occasions he would suggest that me and my partner at the time join him, however I resisted the temptation (personally I thought he was mad). Then, one Saturday morning, he was at my flat and planning to go to the game at Slough – not an easy journey from Harrow by public transport – and my partner offered to drive him to the game. I had a choice, let the two of them go off enjoying themselves while I stayed at home doing the ironing, or go to Slough. So Slough it was!

That day I saw my first live football match for over 20 years. I’d forgotten just how much fun it could be and thoroughly enjoyed the day out. However, such is the nature of addiction, you think attending one match won’t hurt, you can handle it, until within a couple of years you’re hooked, with a 20 game a season habit! I suppose the moral of the story is to just say NO!

Over the last eight years of regularly attending games (mainly away due to location, but including some stupidly long trips to, among others, Blyth Spartans and Whitby) I’ve come to know many of the regulars – both exiles and those still Lancashire based – and part of the fun of football is seeing these people, the pre and post match drinks together and the sense of community that comes from supporting a smaller team.

So, why, as an exile, do I continue to support SFC?… F**k knows! Do I enjoy it?...for the most part, yes. Could I stop going?...Probably not.

Please feel free to edit this rambling nonsense -no need great stuff-Rob!

Tony Nicholson

Tony Nicholson

I’m Ian Bonnon (alias CFORD-SIX) and the first game I watched Southport was the afternoon before the old main stand burned down in the evening. That fateful day resulted in two things: my start as a long life supporter of the club and the “new” stand which allowed the club to look a little more professional to the outside world. As a very young lad at Ormskirk Secondary School I had to endure the ridicule of supporting a little team and dodging the Liverpool and Everton glory seekers. These days when I explain which team I follow, I now have a well-rehearsed explanation of where the town is and what level we play at. It is quite surprising that many Southerners do not have a clue where Southport is on the map.

I now live in a place called Chandlers Ford (get the link to my Portchat name?) which is halfway between Winchester and Southampton. Therefore, my visits to games are usually limited to away fixtures, but I usually get to Haig Avenue at least two times a year. I probably enjoy watching the Port more now than I have ever done. The reason being the excellent rapport and spirit amongst the true supporters and since Liam Watson has taken over a real determination on the pitch to win. However, this same spirit also existed under the Mark Wright regime.

I have witnessed some very dark days as a supporter of the club, the three worst era’s which stick in the mind are the last season in the Fourth Division when the club was a complete shambles, the season we were relegated from the old Third division back to the Fourth division (again a shambles) and our last gutless season in the Conference. The highlights are the Wembley visit and promotion from the Fourth Division to the Third Division. However, I now have joint winners of my favourite Port moments - the day out at Harrogate last year (this was the first game of live football my wife has ever watched) and Alex Russell’s last minute free kick which clinched the our last League title.

As for the future, well if the national statistics say the average male now can expect to live to the age of 90 that gives me another 43 years to continue watching my beloved team. Will we ever play in the league again? I personally think not, we are probably a Conference team at best at the moment. I am quite happy with this at the moment and will continue to enjoy following my team and will remain an ever present at such wonderful places such as Canvey Island, Kings Lynn or wherever the team play. The worst ground ever visited – Frickley by some margin. For the record, the most desperate drive home was after our 4-0 away defeat to Alfreton a few seasons ago in the Unibond and the best drive home after the Notts County F. A. Cup when I even got onto 606 on Radio 5 and had a chat with Alan Green.

Kati Alcock Born and brought up in Southport, my first attendance at Haig Avenue was apparently in March 1979 against South Liverpool at the age of 5. The first game I remember attending was in 1986 against Scarborough in the Trophy. From then on my Dad would regularly take me with him to games and I was hooked!

I moved away from Southport at the age of 18 to go to Uni in Birmingham. I had a season ticket for West Brom as I only lived down the road from The Hawthorns, but I still went to as many Southport games as I could during the holidays. I stayed in the Midlands after leaving Uni and as soon as I got a car I was a regular at many of the nearer Conference games as well as making a few trips up to Haig Ave when work permitted.

I moved to the South in 1997 and now live near Slough in Berkshire. My husband Steve shares a love of non-league football and has supported Conference South side Bishop’s Stortford since 1985 and has now adopted Southport as his other team! We split our time between watching the two teams, although occasionally have to go our separate ways! When Southport play anywhere south of Birmingham we usually go to that game, but when Southport are playing in the north, we will usually watch Stortford. We also try to go to as many others as possible too, usually including 3 or 4 trips to Haig Avenue per season. We have been known to do the occasional mad trip – one that springs to mind is away to Lancaster a couple of years ago on a wet Tuesday night after finishing work at lunchtime and with work the next day to watch an awful game which we lost 1-0!

My personal highlights in my time as a Southport fan are both Slough semi-finals, the unforgettable trip to Wembley, Mansfield away and Notts County at home in the Cup and obviously winning the title at Harrogate.

Favourite players over the years are Dave Gamble, Steve Haw, the formidable defensive partnership of Bolland & Guyett, Dicko and maybe a surprise choice to some, but also Lee Ashcroft having also watched him in the 90’s for West Brom!