Alan Groves

One of the few locals to make the Football League side in the post-war period, he actually lived in Haig Avenue and his father had been a supporter since the 1920s. Alan Groves was a powerful, aggressive winger who made an impression on Southport fans when playing for the Northern Floodlit League side. He was a cock-sure individual, which did not endear him to the manager and may account for him being largely overlooked by the club and released at the end of 1969–70. He did well at Bournemouth, who sold him to Oldham Athletic for £40,000. He won a Third Division Championship medal with the ‘Latics in 1973–74 and in all clocked up over 250 Football League appearances. He clashed with the Education Authority when he refused to allow his 16-year-old bride to attend school. Not long afterwards, it was she who woke to find him dead following a massive heart attack at the age of 29.

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9

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Alan Groves