Words: Ryan Jacobs, Images: David Airey
AFTER our 1-1 draw vs Scunthorpe United at the Attis Arena, we're back on home soil to take on Southport FC at the Grant Store Victory Park Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.
Southport come into this game on the back of a 1-4 defeat against Hereford at the Big Help Stadium and have six points from their opening four games (two wins, two defeats).
The Magpies will be looking to bag their first win at home of the domestic campaign in this one and come into it with confidence from the performance away at the Iron.
Kole Hall scores against Scunthorpe United (David Airey)
The Opponents
Southport opened their campaign with two wins (Alfreton Town and Needham Market) but have since lost against Spennymoor Town and Hereford.
Midfielder Danny Philliskirk is currently the club's top goalscorer for the season, with an opening day brace vs Ofton.
The Sandgrounders have a rich history, reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1930, where they would lose 9-1 to Everton. However, just a year later, the club recorded its record attendance when 20,000 people watched them play Newcastle United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
In 1998, Southport made their one and only (to date) trip to Wembley when they lost 1-0 to Cheltenham Town in the FA Trophy final.
More recently, though, they have reached the Lancashire Challenge Trophy final and won it back-to-back in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.
The Manager
Jim Bentley has only recently taken charge of Southport after having stints in charge of clubs such as Rochdale, AFC Fylde and Morecambe.
Bentley started his managerial career at Morecambe, where he was in charge from 2011 to 2019.
Furthermore, the former centre-back only played for two clubs in his career.
He started at Teflord United, where he stayed for five years before moving to Morecambe, where he made over 292 appearances for the club and scored 29 goals.
A word from Preecy
"It'll be really tough on Monday. It's a quick turnaround after Saturday and the games against Southport are always ones we, and our supporters always look forward to when the fixtures come out. They've recruited well and we'll have to be at our best from minute one. We need our supporters here, they're the twelfth man and their backing does make the difference."
Ticket information
Ticket prices increase are in operation.
Ticket prices increase at 11am on match day in this instance.
Advance prices are as follows:
Adults: £15
Concessions (65+ + students with proof of valid ID): £11
Under 18: £5
Under 12: FREE
Match day prices are as follows:
Adults: £18
Concessions (65+ + students with proof of valid ID): £13
Under 18: £7
Under 12: FREE
All attendees under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Segregation / away supporters
Segregation will be in place for this match between the home and away supporters.
We require as many supporters, (especially away), to purchase tickets in advance of the game to avoid re-direction upon arrival given the segregation measures in operation. This will help to ensure that all supports, both home and away will get into the Grant Store Victory Park Stadium as smoothly as possible.
In addition, please ensure that you purchase the correct ticket (home / away) through our website. It is imperative that you buy the correct ticket type.
Match Details
Our ticket booth will be open from 11am.
Kick-off is at 1pm.
Our postcode is: PR7 3DU.
We hope you'll join us for third home game of the season, tomorrow as we take on Southport FC in the Vanarama National League North. If you can't make it, we'll have updates across our social media channels, as usual.
Up the Magpies!
