Southport FC may have spent most of their history in the lower tiers of the football pyramid, but many notable players have graced the grass of the Haig Avenue stadium over the years. We take a look at some of the best-known former Southport players, past and present. Also you can visit berita bola websites and stay updated with the latest football news.
David Raya
The 2020/21 season was a historic one for Brentford FC who returned to the English top-flight for the first time since 1947 as covered by theguardian.com. The Bees had failed in the previous nine attempts to conquer the play-offs making their achievements under Danish boss Thomas Frank even more emotional.
We will say it again … Brentford are in the @premierleague#BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/x9Inu0rmBq
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) May 30, 2021
Goalkeeper David Raya was an ever-present in the starting XI over the last two seasons, but Southport fans may recall the 16 appearances he made for the club back in 2014/15. At the time, the graduate of the UE Cornella youth team in Barcelona, Spain was on the books of Blackburn Rovers where he came through the academy to earn a professional contract. His four-month spell with Southport in the Conference Premier gave him his first senior experience.
Early prices suggest the London club will start the Premier League season as second favourites to be relegated at 11/10 behind Championship winners Norwich City who are priced at 5/6. If you think ex-Sandgrounder Raya can help to keep the club in the topflight, they can be backed at 4/6 to beat the drop with the bookies. These prices could change as the season approaches but you can keep an eye on the latest odds, recommended sites, and best value odds at sites like asiabet.org. At the other end of the Premier League betting table will be title hopefuls Liverpool who boast another ex-Southport player in their ranks.
Ben Davies
Ben Davies joined Jurgen Klopp’s Reds from Preston North End in February 2021 in the wake of their defensive crisis as covered in otsnews.co.uk. Unfortunately, injuries meant he did not make a single appearance during the rest of the campaign. The Anfield club are currently third favourites to win back the title they lost to Manchester City last season and Davies will hope to play a more prominent role. However, his chances could be limited by the return of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez into the first-team squad.
Feeling strong, feeling good! pic.twitter.com/ZyjKqeJyaV
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) May 12, 2021
Peter Withe
Not everyone in the football world is aware that Southport FC once had a European Cup winner amongst their ranks. Peter Withe was born in Liverpool and began his career at Haig Avenue in 1970 before embarking on a glittering career that took him to South Africa and the USA before settling in the English topflight. He won a First Division and League Cup double with Nottingham Forest in 1978 before adding another League title, a European Cup and a European Super Cup during a five-year spell at Aston Villa. Withe famously scored the only goal in Villa’s 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich to claim Europe’s most prestigious crown in 1981.
Luther Blissett
Jamaican-born Luther Blissett began his career as a youth player at Watford in 1974 and went on to make 246 appearances for the Hornets, scoring 95 goals. This earned him a move to Italian giants AC Milan where he spent a year before returning to Watford for another successful four-year spell. He also made 14 appearances for England, scoring a hat-trick on his debut in a European qualifier against Luxembourg in 1982. Amongst the striker’s later roles included a short loan spell at Southport in 1994.
Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen’s name still pops up regularly during FA Cup coverage as the only player ever to have scored a hat-trick during one of the Wembley FA Cup Finals. He achieved the feat in 1953 as part of a Blackpool team that beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3 and also featured the legendary Stanley Matthews. Adding to his legacy is the fact that he was the first player to score for England in a World Cup qualifier as well as scoring first in the tournament proper. He netted a total of 197 goals in 317 games for Blackpool and 23 times in 25 games for the Three Lions. In 1957, he joined Southport where he scored 10 goals in 36 starts.
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