Southport’s season, and their time as a Vanarama National League club, comes to an end on Saturday.
Fittingly, it is Lincoln City who visit, as they did for the first game of the 2011-12 season following the Sandgrounders’ reprieve from relegation the season before. That day they arrived newly relegated. This time they travel to the north west as champions.
Just under six years later, Southport have failed to capitalise on that sizeable piece of good fortune, and we are back to where we were in April 2011. The negative to this point is of course the inability to make the most of such an opportunity when it presented itself. But thinking optimistically, who knows what the situation will be in six years’ time?
Interim Chairman Nigel Allen effectively confirmed part-time football will be on offer at the Merseyrail Community Stadium next season in his interview after last week’s match at Tranmere Rovers. This will likely mean to more upheaval over the summer in terms of the playing staff, and there will of course be changes off the field due to the much publicised events of the last week.
Another new squad may be on its way, but this time it has to be carefully put together for the purpose of keeping it together. FC Halifax, last season’s National League drop outs, have used 27 players in the National League North this season. They find themselves in the play-offs. To at least equal this sort of squad stability, even if it means settling for mid-table mediocrity, must be the target for the Sandgrounders next season, replacing quantity with quality.
Permanent signings must be prioritised. Relying too heavily on loans this season has seen Southport abruptly lose Magnus Norman, Elliot King, Callum Howe and Lindon Meikle to name just four players who came in and made a positive impact.
If this happens, then maybe in another six years’ time we will look back on this season as a necessary evil that has helped the club move forward.
By Christy Byrne SFC Website
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We’d like to say a very big thanks to Christy for providing his excellent match previews for the club website throughout the season.
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