The New Low: Southport’s Worst-Ever League Finish

When the final whistle blows on the 2024/25 season on Saturday, Southport FC will have, technically, survived. But there will be little cause for celebration. Should they finish in their current position of 19th in the National League North, it would mark the club’s lowest-ever standing in the football pyramid, a national ranking of 135th— a stark and uncomfortable new milestone in its 137-year history. At best, they can only match the current record set by an equally appalling season two years ago. To not break this record would take a win over table topping Kidderminster on the final day of the season. Not impossible, but having failed to score at all in 21 league games already this season, and having conceded in 30, it is an unlikely scenario – even if caretaker manager David Morgan has expressed his firm desire to not see Kidderminster lift the title at Haig Avenue.

Many supporters and historians point to the 1980/81 season as the club’s true lowest point, when Southport finished 20th in the Northern Premier League (ranking 132nd), just a few years after being voted out of the Football League. They may be right, there is a difference between what could be considered the “worst ever season” and “lowest ever position” and that campaign became shorthand for post-league decline. This season, however, may have redefined the bottom.

What makes this all the more frustrating is how much hope surrounded the club only 12 months ago. The arrival of Jim Bentley barely a month into the 2023/24 season appeared to be a turning point. He quickly reversed the downward spiral and led the club to solid safety, albeit still only 17th. To have done so with a squad largely assembled by his predecessor made fans cautiously optimistic that a rebuild and rebirth was in progress.

But Bentley’s first full campaign never got going. A reasonably bright start was followed by long spells of poor performances, a blunt attack, and an increasing sense of stagnation. The early optimism drained away, and by March, with the club slipping closer to the relegation trapdoor, Bentley was dismissed. He has left behind an ageing squad with few, if any, saleable assets, many regretfully tied to contracts that few would argue they deserved to sign.

David Morgan, stepping in as caretaker, faced an unenviable task over the last month of the season. A long-time club servant, he steadied the ship just enough to cross the line, but the football rarely improved, and results remained inconsistent. The sense that this squad was underperforming — or simply not good enough — never left.

A few draws here, a rare scrappy win there. It wasn’t enough to change the narrative. Southport stayed up, but only because other teams were even worse.  A Lancashire Challenge Trophy win can not be considered a success worthy of celebrating.

Off the pitch, uncertainty has swirled all season. Chairman Peter Mitchell’s health concerns are widely known, and with his business interests reportedly undergoing restructuring, the club’s strategic direction has become increasingly opaque.  Persistent rumours of boardroom changes, or even a new ownership model have never been confirmed but have never quite gone away either. There are rumours from local journalists that they may still come to fruition before the pre season campaign begins.

It’s led to a growing unease around the club — not crisis necessarily, but certainly drift. And in football, drift is dangerous.

With the season now almost over and Southport safe by the slimmest of margins, attention turns to what comes next. A new manager needs to be appointed, ideally one capable of galvanising both the squad and the fanbase. But it must be the right appointment — not just someone to stop the rot, but to lay the foundations for genuine progress. And if there is new ownership, it must be an appointment made by them, someone that shares their vision. To appoint a manager in the middle of a takeover would surely be a recipe for disaster.

For whomever takes the reigns recruitment will be key. A summer rebuild is essential, but how much resource is available — financially and structurally — remains unclear. So too does the long-term direction from the boardroom, where stability has felt elusive for the best part of the past decade.

So, has this been Southport’s worst-ever season? Statistically, yes, in terms of the league position. The lowest finish in the club’s history speaks for itself. But beyond the league table, this campaign has also felt like the culmination of years of slow decline — a warning sign that, without real change, this proud old club risks becoming trapped in its own past. It may not have sunk to the levels of the early 80s just yet, but they need to be careful that they don’t sleepwalk into it.

One small but significant bright spot has been in the stands. Despite the club’s on-field struggles, attendances have actually increased, with a home average of over 1,200, up from 1,070 last season and 1,007 the year before. That average will likely be further boosted by a sizeable final day gate when Kidderminster arrive in the hope of seeing their side lift the league Title. Even without that, while boosted by strong away followings from local rivals Marine and Chester, the figures still reflect a loyal core of supporters who continue to back the club through difficult times — a reminder that the potential is there, if only the team can start matching that commitment on the pitch.

There is still time to turn things around. But the decisions made this summer will go a long way to deciding whether 2024/25 was rock bottom — or merely a stop on the way there.