So, it's the last game of the South Lancashire Cheshire 1 programme and we welcome Southport. What an adventure it has been for Jim O’Loughlin and his young side!
Anxious to get over the embarrassment that was the Oswestry defeat, Anselmians can take some encouragement from the fact that Southport have lost their last five league matches, most recently at home to Douglas. Indeed, their last win was at home to lowly Wigan, when they prevailed 58-0 back on 4th March.
If they had not had such an impressive first half of the season, Southport could well have been amongst the relegation strugglers!
Our visit to Waterloo Road for the first game of the season last September saw Southport emerge winners 26-16. They would go on to win six out of their next nine games and secure their mid-table position early on. In contrast, Anselmians would play another fourteen games before the Christmas break and, winning only two of them, would be in a relegation dogfight until a fortnight ago.
Regardless of today's result, Anselmians will finish 11th out of 14, largely due to the double defeat of Manchester Medics, who will return to South Lancashire /Cheshire 2, having won that division last season. We will also say goodbye to Wigan and Oswestry.
Replacing them will be our old friends from Tyldesley and Hoylake and, probably, Liverpool Collegiate, meaning that both relegated sides will return at the first time of asking. (Newcastle United must wish the same thing!)
Southport can rise to 8th, but will probably finish 9th.
So, whilst both of today’s teams have had transitional and, ultimately, disappointing seasons, they will both be playing in South Lancashire /Cheshire 1 next season. Let us hope that, with the pressure off, the players will provide an open and exciting game which both coaches know their charges are capable of.