Record Keeping Principles

Welcome to Southport Central. This is an historical record of sports matches played by clubs from Southport in the North West of England.

Heritage Qualifying games and matches

A Heritage Qualifying game is a match that has been determined as being of a “first class” nature, that should be counted towards appearance, goal statistics and result results. These will only include matches & tournaments recognised by the Football Association (FA), involving teams from member and affiliate clubs. 

Matches & tournaments are recognised when the FA (national) or the organisers of the principal league competition entered into, played a part in the organisation of them, or selection of the teams to participate.  The status of the match at the conclusion of the season determines its inclusion, therefore games which were abandoned, or later expunged are not included.

Practical examples

For the avoidance of doubt, after the close of the 1914-15 season and for the remainder of World War One, all games were arranged on a friendly basis, and are not included as first-class games.

Southport Central did not enter a league competition during their initial season 1888-89, therefore any games arranged on an exhibition or friendly basis during this season are not included as first-class games.

The recent events in relation to the 2020-21 season also allow for a practical illustration of the above principles, and are worth re-confirming to ensure clarity: all games originally designated as League fixtures were later expunged when the National League competition was declared null and void in the 2020-21 season, and are therefore not included as first-class games. The FA Trophy and FA Cup competitions were however played to their conclusion and therefore these are included as first-class games.

Why are there differences between statistics promoted by different entities?

Southport Football Club took the decision that some, but not all, games that were declared void, would be included within statistics they publish. Specifically this relates to games within the 2020/21 season that were initially played as League games, which they have chosen to include. They do not include the opening three games of the 1939/40 Football League season, nor any games against opponents who later withdrew from the league that they were in, for example Farsley Celtic in 2010.

What about County Cup games?

Whether or not a county cup game should be considered a first class game and therefore qualify a player to have made a first team appearance, is a matter of opinion. It varies from club to club, and often from person to person within a club.

Liverpool Football Club, for example, have never considered Liverpool Senior Cup games as qualifying first team games, regardless of whether a recognised first team player takes part, often choosing to either withdraw from the competition entirely or enter a junior side. The same principal also applies at Carlisle United however they do usually field a strong team in the Cumberland Cup.

The perception of a competition might naturally change if there is a significant change in the pyramid level for the clubs that participate. For example a small non-league club may consider a County Cup to be a prestigious competition, but were they to rapidly rise through the pyramid to the Premier League they would be unlikely to afford it the same gravitas. However if you applied the same argument to a League competition you would quickly get into hot water. Whilst the Northern Premier League is not as high a standard as the Football League Third Division, it is still nevertheless the principal league competition for that club.

Southport are no longer a Football League team so are entered into the Lancashire “Challenge Trophy” (also confusingly known as the Junior Cup) rather than their “Senior” competition. In truth, both are competitions for senior sides, just those that play at different levels of the football pyramid. The rules state that they have to play their “best available” team and, by en-large, they have always fielded strong sides in all County Cup competitions throughout their history.

Conversely former club statistician Geoff Wilde did not ever consider them anything other than second class games. Such was his view of the competitions that when statistics were compiled for the book he co-authored with Michael Braham, results were not included from those competitions. Nor either were player profiles of any players who didn’t also take part in League, FA Cup and FL Cup games.

Geoff’s argument appears also to be backed up by the FA themselves. In their “important information for players” guidance that they issue each season they confirm that “The Senior County Cup Fixture will not be treated as a first team fixture and can not be used to serve suspensions for first team matches. Any misconduct for the Senior County Cup will be dealt with by the County FA as Non First Team misconduct”. That seems pretty clear and therefore on the balance of evidence and opinion County Cup games are NOT considered first class games and do NOT count towards Heritage statistics on this website.

For the avoidance of doubt they are currently included in the statistics shown on the club’s website.

Further information on the approach taken to statistics on this website can be found here: Statistics and Records

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Heritage Numbers​

In the last decade or so a number of clubs (and national teams) have awarded ‘Heritage Numbers’ to players on the basis of when they made their debut for the team in question.  A number of subtle variations in the methodology have been adopted, but the vast majority have awarded them only for first-class games, however they choose to define them. 

Heritage Numbers on this website have been allocated on the following basis. Any playing appearance for a player in any recognised first-class game (since the formation of the club in 1888) qualifies as a player for a ‘Heritage Number’ and numbers will be awarded sequentially based on debut date.

Where more than one player debuts in the same match, the earlier number will be awarded on the basis of:

1. Time of entry to the field (i.e. substitutes after starters, and for substitutes the order they enter the field of play, where known);
2. Goalkeepers before outfield players;
3. Alphabetical order of surname;
4. Alphabetical order of first & subsequent names;
5. Random allocation

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