On This Day: April 9th On This Day by Daniel Hayes - 9th April 201925th March 2019 On this day in 1898, Southport Central welcomed Rochdale. In 1897-98 Central were able to field a relatively settled side. Tom Abram in goal proved to be a most consistent performer and gave five years service. Tom Smith and Fred Spink were generally acknowledged to be the best pair of full-backs