Liam wants Port to be up for the cup
SOUTHPORT FC’s Operations Director Liam Watson is calling for more positivity in the club as the Yellows prepare for their biggest game of the season – an FA Cup first round tie with League One side Fleetwood Town.
The two sides meet in a derby clash on Monday night which is being broadcast live on BT Sport. Watson returned to the club earlier this season after previously enjoying two hugely successful spells as manager.
His new role sees him overseeing all footballing and operational matters within the club and acting as a link between the manager and chairman.
While he acknowledges that big improvements are essential both on and off the pitch for long-term success, Watson says that there is lots to be positive about.
He said: “This is a great football club. It’s financially well run, you see some clubs come and go but the players are always paid on time here and there’s never any financial trouble which is testament to the chairman.
“Southport has had a lot of success over 100 plus years of history, not just thinking about the last 20 odd years which have had championships and the FA Trophy final at Wembley.
Watson also believes that while Monday’s match will be a great opportunity for the club to be showcased in a bigger way than normal, Southport shouldn’t generally treat reaching the FA Cup first round as an achievement, but instead as an expectation.
He added: “For a club like Southport, reaching the first round of the FA Cup should be a given, reaching the third round should be a big deal.”
The match will also see the revival of a brief rivalry between the two sides when both were competing for the National League North title in 2010. Southport won the league after benefitting from a decision to expunge Fars- ley Celtic’s results after the Yorkshire side dropped out of the league.
Fleetwood chairman Andy Pilley appealed the decision and relations between officials and supporters of each side became strained.
All that is done now though, says Watson and Southport should instead see teams who have progressed through the leagues as reasons for optimism.
He said: “My name and Fleetwood will always be linked from that time but you’ve got to look at Fleetwood and everything they’ve achieved and take your hat off to the chair- man, who has put in a lot of his own money. Not just for progressing through the leagues, but also for developing the club and the training facilities, which are more like a top level Championship side.
“When you look at teams like Fleetwood, even with the money they’ve spent, or teams like Burton Albion, it does give you that bit of hope of light at the end of the tunnel.”
Although attention for this season is focused primarily on avoiding relegation,” Watson says that work is already ongoing to help the club make progress on and off the field.
Decisions will be made in the summer about potential changes to the full or part time status or the club and training structures, as well as moving to ensure that there are more recognisable faces at the club, with a greatly reduced player turnover.
“I want players to come here for five years,” Watson said. “Because they’re doing well but also because they want to be here because they see the club is doing the right things and moving in the right direction.”