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Haig Avenue
Southport, Lancashire
PR8 6JZ

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Trust in Yellow

The highlights of Southport Football Club formed in 1881 include a Football League Championship, an appearance at Wembley, an FA Cup sixth round appearance and a Northern Premier League title. Southport were founder members of the new Third Division North in 1921 just as they were of Nationwide North. Coincidentally both Barrow and Stalybridge Celtic hold the same double. Southport enjoyed their Football League status until 1978-fifty years in the Football League. From 1978 to 1993 the Sandgrounders were Northern Premier members and from the 1993-94 season became an established Vauxhall/ Nationwide Conference club for a decade.

Southport have played at Haig Avenue for 101 years. This is the clubs 125th anniversary season. Last season the club celebrated its centenary at Haig Avenue having previously been based at the Central Ground. Southport were founder members of the Central League in 1911 and in 1918 were taken over by the Vulcan Motor Company - playing as Southport Vulcan for one season, the first club to use a sponsorship label as part of their name.

In the FA Cup Southport became the first Third Division North club to reach the sixth round in 1931, losing a replay against the mighty Everton 9-1. A season later a Haig Avenue record gate of 20,010 saw the Sandgrounders draw in the 4th round with Newcastle. Southport reached the 5th round in 1965 after defeating Cardiff City before losing at Hull City. Southport's last third round appearance was under Paul Futcher when the hopes of a big club were dashed being defeated by Orient. The elusive big FA Cup draw has been missing since Southport lost 1-0 to Harry Catterick's Everton back in 1968.

Southport have played at Haig Avenue for 101 years. This is the clubs 125th anniversary season. Last season the club celebrated its centenary at Haig Avenue having previously been based at the Central Ground. Southport were founder members of the Central League in 1911 and in 1918 were taken over by the Vulcan Motor Company - playing as Southport Vulcan for one season, the first club to use a sponsorship label as part of their name.

As a Football League club Southport achieved two promotions out of the Fourth Division. In 1966-67 Billy Bingham's squad finished as runners up to Stockport County 45 years after joining the Football League. Bingham's illustrious career took him on to manage Plymouth, Northern Ireland and Everton. Bingham was a big name player who gained his management experience at Haig Avenue. A number of older supporters compare Bingham's appointment with the club's appointment of Liam Watson who took over in October 2003 at the age of 33, the youngest ever Southport manager.

With Bingham gone in 1968-69 under Don McEvoy's management the club achieved its highest ever position - 8th in the then Third Division.

Former Southport player Jimmy Meadows went one better than Billy Bingham, lifting the Fourth Division title in 1972-73 with an exciting and experienced side. Southport had found themselves back in the Fourth Division basement having been relegated in 1970. Meadows was a talented winger whose career was wrecked by suffering a broken leg in the 1955 FA Cup final. This was just a month after picking up his first England cap. Ironically it was Meadows Stockport that had pipped the Port to the Fourth Division championship back in 1967. Meadows played with two expansive wingers in David Hughes and Frank Lee. He partnered the highly experienced Jim Fryatt, a fine aerial exponent who holds the record as the scorer of the fastest ever league goal with the lively Andy Provan. Captain John McPhee marshalled the side, who after defeating Darlington 7-0 on January 6th never looked back. Sadly Meadows and his highly talented number two Brian Green did not have the capacity to strengthen for the Third Division and with McPhee retired the experienced players that remained could not handle the new flight. Fryatt and Provan after a summer spell in the USA, where they were aptly nicknamed "Batman and Robin", came back jaded. Summer signings failed or sustained injuries. Meadows was prematurely sacked on December 30th, Green having left to join Chester earlier. Most supporters trace the decline of the club into non league from that moment. It was a rapid decline in fortunes - league title winners in 1973 and voted out under re election procedures in June 1978. Alan Ball senior settled Southport back in the Fourth Division but Ball's preoccupation in also coaching Swedish club I.F. Saab led to his departure. Ex Liverpool star Jimmy Melia who later took Brighton to the FA Cup final, Allan Brown and Ray Henderson, all experienced managers, were unable to revive Southport's fortunes as re-election became an annual humiliating occurrence. A continual weakness in the goal scoring department put the Port in the doldrums.

With gates low and without financial clout at boardroom level the club failed to arrest its position despite the appointment of ex Scotland international and Southampton schemer Hughie Fisher as player manager. Fisher's side defeated Tranmere Rovers in the League Cup but finished second bottom to Rochdale at the end of the 1977-78 season. The old pals act didn't work this time with the older board members Jack Clough deceased and John Church no longer chairman. Disastrously chairman Walter Giller failed to canvas and on a second ballot at the Caf? Royal on June 2nd Southport lost their league status to Wigan Athletic. Southport's fifty years in the Football League was over. Their last home Football League match was against Huddersfield Town on April 22nd drawing one all while their last ever Football League match was away to Graham Taylor's Watford, losing 31 in front of 10,089 supporters. Watford went all the way to the now Premiership. Southport remained stuck in the Northern Premier until 1993.

The club stabilised on the pitch under former reserve team manager Harry McNally having assembled a talented squad by November 1978, including Graham Barrow. But the board's refusal in the spring of 1979 to take up an invitation of a place in the new Football Alliance (the forerunner of today's Conference) primarily on financial grounds i.e. travelling costs, impacted badly, losing players and gates. The early 1980's were dark days from which the club only just survived after various board re shuffles and financial crises.

Charlie Clapham took a place on the board in 1982 and became chairman in 1984. He had the financial acumen that had been missing - a long term vision and with careful negotiations plotted the club slowly out of its rising near crippling debts. Today he is one of the longest serving chairmen in the pyramid and the club is financially secure, something not apparent for most of the club's chequered history.

The 2005-06 season, resulted in a tumultuous return to the Nationwide Conference, after initially struggling to adapt to the Non-leagues' premiership, the togetherness and the character shone through and despite being bottom of the table for several months, the team hauled themselves clear with a game to spare. The end of season saw the club restructure. The board determined it was time for the Sandgrounders' to return to professional status after a 28 year absence, in order to compete in what is virtually a league comprised of full time teams. Changes were afoot with Paul Cook replacing Liam Watson to take the team into a full time era, Haydn Preece was appointed as the clubs' first ever Chief Executive and Trust in Yellow was formed, the clubs' first supporters trust.

The end of the?2006-07 season saw Southport relegated to Blue Square?North, but following a 3-0 win over Belper Town, they?now face Vics at Haig Avenue in the FA Cup.