Season Opener: Southport Football Club Prepares for Warrington Town Clash

It’s a return to Vanarama National League North action on Saturday with an eagerly anticipated opening day clash with near neighbours Warrington Town Kick Off is 3pm, Tickets are on sale online here with another reminder that this season there is a price increase for any ticket bought after midnight on Friday.

Warrington bring with them a number of Southport connections in the manager Mark Beesley who played for the club for a month in September 2003. Tony Thomson, Andy White, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and Connor Woods also feature in the Warrington squad.

Playing a newly promoted team first up is always going to be a tough task but it’s one that manager Liam Watson is relishing having also played for Warrington himself.

The only injury is to Jordan Archer who is still on the sidelines but apart from Jordan we have a full squad to choose from.

Southport go into the season with a 19 man squad whose total league starts number 966, if you count all games that figure rises to 1205 and bear in mind that 5 of the 19 players have zero starts, it is a squad with a lot more experience than we have had in recent seasons.

David Morgan (pictured above) has returned to the club as player coach, Marcus Carver is in on a season long loan from Scunthorpe and we have five new faces in goalkeeper Chris Renshaw, Freddie Sass, Matt Thomson, Sam Billington and Harry Flowers. Fin Heath has been added on a permanent basis having had a short spell on loan last season. Liam will have a selection headache luxury going in to the first game!

Ticket sales have been good both for home and away supporters and a good gate is in prospect.