When we visited Haig Avenue in October the teams played out a goal-less draw described on the day as “thin fare for the supporters”. Gavin Cowan cut a frustrated figure at full-time: “It is frustrating and a missed opportunity for us. We created some chances and should have put them away. We need to be more clinical in that final third. We perhaps played a little bit safe at times which is frustrating because we had spoken about that ahead of the game. The detail, the final pass, just wasn’t quite there today which is not the level we expect.”

Jim Bentley’s side are currently 17th with a single win in the last eight games and will be looking to record wins to get back up the table. They travelled to play Farsley Celtic on Tuesday. Prior to that game away form has been especially troubling with three wins on the road, the latest in a midweek game at Alfreton with Owen Moore and Tom Lunt on the score-sheet before a 4-1 defeat at Radcliffe two weeks ago.
Last season The Sandgrounders came out on top winning at home and drawing at St James Park. Over the years results between the teams have been fairly evenly shared with a win each and four draws in the most recent six encounters although Southport have yet to record a win at St James Park.

Gavin Cowan’s side came away from last Saturday’s win at Marine in third place. In a rare change of routine Saints did not have a midweek fixture leading into today’s game but there was a slate of seven National League North games on Tuesday the outcomes from which will have affected the league standings, so tight is the table at the top and bottom. The team come into this afternoon’s game looking to extend the fine home form that has a single defeat in nine games.