PREVIEW: Southport v Luton Town

Manager Liam Watson left the club at the end of the campaign after five years in charge, receiving a guard of honour during the Sandgrounders’ last game of the season against Luton.

He has since moved to AFC Telford, and in his place came former Aston Villa left back Alan Wright for his first managerial role.

Since taking over, Wright has declared he won’t be satisfied with survival at a club who finished one place and four points above the relegation zone last term and only avoided the drop two seasons ago, due to Rushden & Diamonds’ expulsion.

On taking the reins, Wright told local media: “The goal will not be just to stay in the league. I want to finish in the top half, pushing for the play-offs.

“In an ideal world, you want automatic promotion. Everybody does.

“In a realistic world, if we finish in the top half and hopefully in the play-offs, I would consider that to be quite a successful season.”

Wright has gone about making the Sandgrounders squad his own, bringing in full backs Matty Challoner and David Fitzpatrick from Blackpool and non-league New Mills this week.

He has made what look to be some shrewd additions too, with the acquisition of former Fleetwood captain Jamie Milligan, while also bringing in ex-England U19 midfielder Scott Brown following a short-term spell at Conference North winners Chester.

The new players haven’t stopped there either as ex-Fleetwood and Barrow defender Matty Flynn, 24, has joined, plus highly-rated Stafford Rangers youngster Luke George and Barrow duo Paul Rutherford (winger) and Danny Hurst (goalkeeper).

Another decent arrival is striker Danny Hattersley who Southport paid an undisclosed fee to Stockport County for.

The 21-year-old scored 11 goals in 37 league games last season but could not save County from relegation to the Conference North.

On their way out though have been a number of the old guard, as the majority have joined up with former boss Watson at Telford.

Alan Moogan, Russell Benjamin, Neill Byrne, Chris Lever and captain Simon Grand have all dropped down to a league to the New Bucks Head, as has winger Sean Clancy, who scored against Town in this fixture last season.

Southport have opened negotiations with trialist Yamen Osawe this week and Wright also hopes to have three more added to the squad before the end of the transfer window on September 2, confirming one of his remaining targets is a striker.

The club ended pre-season strongly too, drawing against League Two Fleetwood Town, beating Bamber Bridge 2-0 and then earning a 3-3 draw with Everton U21s.

Meanwhile, Southport will set a new club record of 53 Conference games without a 0-0 draw if the game isn’t a stalemate tomorrow.

The current record of 52 was set twice in the 94/95-95/96 seasons and recently in the 11/12-12/13 seasons.

Team news: Hatters will be without Alex Wall for the trip, while Alex Lawless is also a major doubt as despite being back in full training, he hasn’t featured in any of the pre-season friendlies.

For the hosts, defender Chris Lynch is definitely out with a long-term knee injury, although boss Wright has insisted midfielder Karl Ledsham has a vital part to play, despite handing in a transfer request this summer.

The midfielder, who bagged 14 goals last season, wants to move to a full-time club.

Man in the middle: Christopher Kavanagh - official took 24 Conference games last season, showing 62 yellow cards and eight reds too, including five in his last nine games.

This will be his first Hatters match, but he did take Southport five times last year, as they won one, drew two and lost two.

In charge: Alan Wright - former left back, who played over 750 league and cup games, including an eight-year spell at Aston Villa. He also represented Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United plus loan spells at Derby County, Leeds United, Cardiff City, Doncaster Rovers and Nottingham Forest

The defender is famous for being the shortest player in Premier League history standing at only five foot four and was signed by Kenny Dalglish while at Blackburn for £500,000.

It was at Villa he really made his name though, after joining in 1995 for £1,000,000, making over 250 appearances and is still currently third on the club’s European appearances list, having made 26 appearances between September 1996 and July 2002.

Eventually ended his career in 2010/11 after being released by Fleetwood Town and was named coach at Blackpool’s Centre of Excellence, before becoming assistant boss during Steve Thompson’s spell as caretaker manager in 2013.

Combined his work at Bloomfield Road by being assistant manager to Paul Simpson at non-league Northwich Victoria in February 2012, while he was appointed Southport boss on May 15, 2013.

View from the opposition: Boss Alan Wright: “Luton are favourites to win the league this season.

“They will be a physical side and will pump balls into our box, hoping to work off second balls.

“We can combat that by playing in complete contrast. If we can weather the storm then it can be a very good game.

Meanwhile, Jamie Milligan added: “Luton will be a tough game.

“They have one of the biggest budgets in the division so they will definitely be strong. But this is a good time to get them.

“When I was on loan at Hyde, we went down there and beat them in front of 6,000 fans.

“So it can be done and the pressure will all be on them.”

One to watch: Jamie Milligan. Vastly experienced midfielder who began his career at Everton in 1997, making four first team appearances, before spells at Blackpool, Macclesfield, Leigh Genesis, Fleetwood Town and Hyde last season.

Turned down offers to stay in the league to move to Southport and on his new signing, boss Wright said: “With the system that we play and his ability on the ball, he’s pivotal to how we play and how we perform.

“That’s not to say that the other lads around him aren’t important to the team, because they obviously are.

“But he sees things on the pitch, with his experience, that he can get through to the lads rather than me trying to shout on from the side.”

Friendly faces: Hatters snapped up Southport pair Shaun Whalley and Andrew Parry from the Sandgrounders after their contracts expired at Haig Avenue last season.

Whalley made over 100 appearances in his two and a bit years at Southport, while Parry played more then 50 times for the club.

We’ve got form: Hatters have a mixed record in Southport, winning three, drawing two and losing three of their eight visits to Haig Avenue, scoring 15 and conceding 17 goals in that time.

Their best win came in the old Third Division in 1969 when Malcolm MacDonald, Graham French and Chris Nicholl all scored in a 3-0 victory, while the biggest defeat was a 4-1 thumping in October 1966 as Bruce Rioch scored.

Last time out: Town finished last season with a comprehensive 3-1 victory at Southport, despite the hosts taking the lead in the opening five minutes through Sean Clancy’s header.

Hatters hit back though as Matt Robinson netted his first Town goal on the half hour mark, with Andre Gray putting Luton in front shortly afterwards.

Gray completed the scoring late on with his 20th goal of the season.

Hatters: Mark Tyler, Lathaniel Rowe-Turner (Simon Ainge 60), Jake Goodman, Scott Griffiths, Alex Lawless, Jon Shaw, David Martin (Jake Howells 60), Matt Robinson, Jonathan Smith, Solomon Taiwo (Alex Wall 77), Andre Gray.

Subs not used: Dean Brill, Scott Rendell.

Attendance: 1,406.

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