Though the team displayed a startling inconsistency in 1984-85 they were still
lying eighth in the table when a heated discussion between Chairman and Manager
immediately after the Lancashire Junior Cup defeat at Morecambe in December led
to his instantaneous dismissal. One can only say it was the classic conflict of
personalities.
In his place came the man many supporters had wanted to see as Southport manager
for a long time, the erstwhile full-back Bryan Griffiths whose knowledge of the
local — particularly Liverpool — non-League football scene was phenomenal.
A sizable clear-out resulted, including the popular front men Joe Strong and Gary
Cooper, but their places had long been under threat from local lad Kevin McCormack
whose wholehearted style straightway won him the 'Player of the Year' trophy.
Ironically the transitional period saw the team slip to twelfth position by the
end of the campaign as Griffiths experimented with a fair number of sub-standard
players.
Ultimately his tendency to look towards the Liverpool Sunday leagues for new faces
was to be his undoing, though to what extent it was dictated by lack of funds
as Clapham sought to rebuild the club finances cannot be defined. This latter
had been the new Chairman's chief priority, with particular emphasis on increased
growth for the club lottery and an ambitious programme of regular celebrity dinners
which, though of necessity priced beyond the pocket of the average fan on the
terraces, proved a major source of revenue. In any event, from this point it can
only be stressed with some relief that the limelight at long last turned to events
on rather than off the field.
The club had finished 1984-85 with a bang. In the final game Buxton were beaten
7—I with Mutch (3), Teale and McCormack amongst the scorers.
Sources: 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