Haig Avenue

Southport 0-1 Scunthorpe United

1st April 2024

This match up would, of course, once have been a Football League fixture, within living memory of myself at least for I can recall Southport being part of that seemingly never-changing list of English football clubs, whose results were read out by Len Martin on Grandstand each Saturday.

The most recent Football League fixture between today's sides took place at Scunthorpe's now long gone Old Showground on 14th of January 1978, Southport winning 2-0.  This was Southport's sole league win on their travels that season.

Southport were voted out of the Football League at the end of the 1977/78 season, following a third consecutive second from bottom finish in the old Division Four.  To be replaced by Wigan Athletic if memory serves.

As to this afternoon's match, the visitors consolidated their promotion play-off position with a 1-0 win, a cross somehow finding its way into the Southport net off the impressive barrel-chest of Max KOUOGUN.

I felt a bit sorry for the home lads conceding so late, but in truth Scunthorpe had looked the more likely to score throughout.  The two sides' respective midfields sorta cancelled each other out in the rain-sodden conditions, but the most glaring difference between the teams was the effectiveness of The Iron's defence.  Three giants lurked therein: the aforementioned Kouogun, Andrew Boyce and Reagan Ogle, and they rarely put a foot wrong between them.

Southport's Will Russ slipped and slithered his way through the match, doing his best up front, but looked a forlorn figure throughout.  Midfielder Josh Hmami looked the pick of the home lot early on, but he appeared to tire in the mud.

View of the main stand from Haig Avenue

Ticket Office

I was slightly taken aback by the sight of alcohol being sold in the ground.
Are laws more relaxed in English non-league grounds? 

Southport v Scunthorpe (April 2024)

Beyond the main stand, the ground itself does not really appear to retain much in the way of evidence from its Football League heyday - the record attendance at the ground stands, rather oddly, at 20,100 on two separate occasions for two FA Cup ties played 36 years apart.

The current stand was erected as (relatively) recently as 1968, the previous wooden structure having burned down.  I did wonder if the metal skeleton holding the roof up may have be retained following the fire.  But decided probably not.

There is a small enclosure behind one of the goals, housing the mad, mental 'Port drummer and his noisy mates.  But the rest of the ground consists of uncovered terrace.  Clubs really should not be allowed to provide shelter for home fans only, I feel.