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Signed from Prescot Cables, Carl went on to make 118 appearances for The Sandgrounders with 18 as sub and he scored 31 times. It was Liam Watson who h  more...


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Profile : Billy Ayre
William “Billy” Ayre was born in Crookhill, a suburb of Gateshead in May 1952. A qualified teacher, he began his playing career at Scarborough in the early 1970s. After seven successful years on the north-east coast, having won the player of the year accolade in 1977, he completed a transfer to Hartlepool United where he played in over 100 league games. Four years later, he moved to Halifax Town for his first spell at “The Shay”, which was equally as successful. A two year stint at Mansfield Town followed, before returning to Halifax where he was to end his playing career.
His first managerial role also came at “The Shay”, taking the reigns in December of 1986. Having failed to secure a much sought after promotion from the Fourth Division, he was relieved of duty after just over three years in charge, in 1990.
Billy didn’t spend long out of the game, and having originally taken over as Assistant Manager at Blackpool, he was catapulted into the First Team Managers role following the sacking of Graham Carr. Within six months Ayre had transformed the Bloomfield Road club, and they narrowly missed out on promotion, losing in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to Torquay United in the Play Off Final at Wembley. Despite the set-back, Ayre guided Blackpool back to Wembley the following season where this time they managed to book their passage into the newly renamed “Division Two”. In his three and a half year tenure, he was widely regarded as one of the most successful managers, and certainly one of the most popular, in the history of the club.
Ayre left Blackpool in June 1994, with his side having failed to impress at the higher level, and arrived at back at his original starting place, Scarborough. By this time however, the decline had begun at his old stomping ground, and he was relieved of duty within four months, having been unsuccessful in his bid to climb the Division Three table.
Billy succeeded the ever popular Brian Kettle in the Haig Avenue hot seat in ...[Read more]

Place of birth
Crookhill

Date of birth
01.05.1952

Playing career
Unknown

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Please Note: Manager Statistics do not include Friendly games


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Season W D L W% D% L%
1995/1996 22 14 17 41.51 % 26.42 % 32.08 %
Total 22 14 17 41.51 % 26.42 % 32.08 %
2013/2014 TOP scorers


2013/2014 TOP appearances



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A number of Profiles on this site are referenced and reproduced with Permission from

  • The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9
  • The Complete Non-League History of Southport Football Club 1978 - 2008, by Trust in Yellow (Legends Publishing, 2008). ISBN 978-1-906796-01-3

Particular thanks to Geoff Wilde, Michael Braham and Rob Urwin.
If you can provide any further information or spot anything incorrect please contact me



In all statistics the club are referred to as Southport or Southport Football Club, however were known as Southport Central between June 1888 & July 1918 and Southport Vulcan between July 1918 & July 1919.

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