Match Report – Southport Guardian – 14/10/1885

“After the unbroken series of reverses this afternoon the Southport team has experienced this season, speculation was rife on Saturday afternoon at the Sussex-road ground, as to whether they would be able to take down the Bridgeites. On the stand side the spectators were not so confident as to the result , as rumours where astir that the visitors said they were going to win by ten goals to none. However, that did not disturb our local men much, for they were determined on – if not beating them well – at least giving them as good a game as possible. Rumours were afloat early on that Buttery had arrived, but anyone who had met the man mentioned by “An Old Footballer” would at once have seen the two were not identical. The visitors were a very even lot, rather light, but speedy, and throughout the game played a fair gentlemanly game. There was almost an entire absence of that roughness sometimes seen at these encounters., charging being little indulged in, although one portion of the spectators shouted loudly to their particular favourites to “take the man”. The old fault, noticed before on the local players’ part, was again present – want of organisation. Is it not possible to keep your own positions Southport? The visitors I think gave you a lesson in this. Seldom did you see them in a cluster, racing the ball from right to left, but they kept more to their own positions in the field. Unless our local men get over this habit, they will never play a winning game. The Southport players, individually, are a finer and speedier lot of men, but the fatal indulgence I have mentioned frustrates all the endeavours of individual players to score.”

(Southport Guardian, 14^th October 1885)