It’s always nice to come across old programmes and memorabilia featuring Southport and this article shows some examples of what can be found.
The picture below (on the left) shows the cover of an Aston Villa Reserves programme for the Central League game against Southport played on April 10th 1920. Comprising 17 pages It’s more of a magazine than a matchday programme and is mainly filled with news about the Aston Villa first team but it does include a small write up of the reverse fixture between the two sides played at Haig Avenue a week earlier which Aston Villa won 1-0. The team line-ups are included in the programme (as shown on the right below) and spare a thought for Southport FC Hall-of-Famer Billy Semple who is listed in the programme as Simple!
Aston Villa reserves won this game 3-0 and finished the season as runners-up to Blackpool Reserves whilst Southport finished 16th out of 22 teams, sandwiched between Manchester City Reserves and Oldham Athletic Reserves.
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One of the rarest programmes I’ve seen is the Wigan Borough v Southport programme where the cover is shown below:
Dated Saturday the 29th of October 1927, this was a programme for a Division 3 (North) game at Springfield Park, Wigan, which Southport won 3-1 thanks to goals from Billy Hamilton and Harry Marshall (2). Almost four years to the day after this game Wigan Borough’s spell in the Football League came to an end as they were forced to resign mid-season due to financial difficulties. Incidentally the final game played by the Wigan Borough club was a Reserve fixture at Southport on the 31st of October 1931 which Wigan Borough Reserves won 2-1.
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Below is a postcard from the 1904/05 season showing a team photograph of Southport Central (we didn’t become Southport FC until season 1919/20). 1904/05 was the season that Southport won the Lancashire Senior Cup for the first time in the club’s history and was also the last season the club played at the Scarisbrick New Road Ground before moving to the current ground.
Flanked by (left) Mr Fred Leach (Manager) and (right) Mr William Robinson (Chairman) the squad is (back row, left to right) Brian Tickle, Fred Spink, Jim Garvey, Bill Dobson and Sam Rigby (trainer); Middle row, Tom Bradshaw, Tom Edmond, Syd W. Smith, Jack Sinclair and Herbie Danson; Front, Jack Turner and Billy Dawson. The players are shown in the club colours of white top and blue shorts.
The postcard above was used and looks like it was sent by J. Halewood of 3 Hampton Road. It was posted to “The Leigh Arms, Mere Brow, Tarleton” with the slightly cryptic message of “3 Thursday in July”.
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Finally, shown below is a postcard from the 1908/09 season when the club competed in the Lancashire Combination This postcard includes the players names but just in case they aren’t clear they are:
(Back Row left to right), Arthur Harry Gaskell, James Harold (Dossy) Wright, Tom Edmond (listed incorrectly on the postcard as “Edmonds”, Fred Spink, Jack Turner, Richard Orrell, (listed here incorrectly as “Orkell”), (Front Row) Hugh Pierce Roberts, John James Graham, Matt Brunton, Robert Lawson, and William Henry Gate
The kit the players are wearing is red and white hoops with white shorts.
Great to see that picture from 1908/09.
It’s only the second picture I have seen of my grandfather in 70 odd years.
Thank you
Should have said my Grandfather was Arthur Harry Gaskell