Although The Silkmen will make their first-ever trip to Haig Avenue under the guise of Macclesfield FC tomorrow evening, the fixture boasts a rich history which spans all the way back to an FA Cup First Round tie on Bonfire Night 1960.
Macc had progressed through the qualifying rounds thanks to victories against Northwich Victoria, Linotype, Congleton Town and Nelson respectively, and travelled to Merseyside full of optimism ahead of facing their illustrious opponents.
Player Manager Frank Bowyer took his Cheshire League side to Haig Avenue, looking to cause an upset against the then Football League Division Four outfit.
Despite the fact that Bowyer himself would get on the scoresheet, and Southport’s Alan Bentham would inadvertently put through his own net, Southport proved to be too strong – progressing as a result of a 7 – 2 victory.
The second time that The Silkmen made the trip over to Haig Avenue was back on 11th November 1978, as the two sides contested a Northern Premier League fixture for the very first time.
Phil Staley had been appointed Macclesfield Town Manager a few weeks before the game, and he would see his side edged out of a five-goal thriller.
Andy Carr and Collin Skillen both were on the scoresheet that day, yet it proved to be in vain as the hosts ran out 3 – 2 winners.
Phil Staley – took The Silkmen to Haig Avenue to contest a league game for the first time back in 1978.
Staley then took charge of our third trip to Haig Avenue on 11th September 1979, as The Silkmen earned a share of the spoils as a result of a goalless draw.
Our first victory in Southport came at the fourth time of asking, as Brian Booth’s Silkmen side secured a 1 – 0 Northern Premier League victory on 11th April 1981.
In what proved to be an eventful encounter, Ken Higham’s strike proved to be decisive in front of 238 fans.
Later that same year, The Silkmen under Brian Booth would return to Haig Avenue, as we made our fifth trip over to Merseyside.
Goals from Graham Tobin and Neil Fairclough helped Macc secure a point that day, although the balance of play firmly suggested that maybe we were a little hard done by!
Booth extended his admirable record at Haig Avenue even further on 29th January 1983, as The Silkmen made their sixth trip to face The Sandgrounders.
Goals from Colin Kersley and Brian Griffin proved to be enough that day, as the visitors ran out 2 – 0 victors.
Our four-game unbeaten streak at Haig Avenue was to end on 28th April 1984 however, as The Sandgrounders reversed their previous defeat with a 2 – 0 win.
On 1st September 1984, Stevie Burr made his first trip to Haig Avenue in the hallowed blue of Macclesfield Town.
Scoring a brace, Stevie certainly played his part in a 2 – 2 draw in front of 348 spectators.
After the much-loved Brian Booth had resigned from his managerial position due to health reasons the previous summer, Neil Griffiths was installed as Player Manager ahead of our ninth trip to Haig Avenue on 14th September 1985.
It proved to be another memorable occasion for the travelling contingent, as goals from Steve Waddington and Nigel Shaw saw The Silkmen claim an inspiring 2 – 0 victory.
By the time that we made our tenth trip to Haig Avenue on 3rd January 1987, not only had Peter Wragg been installed as Manager, but he was well on his way to masterminding an unprecedented Northern Premier League treble.
Skipper Elfyn Edwards’ ferocious effort saw Macc claim another precious point in their bid to claim the league title that day, as the run-in ebbed towards the most dramatic and evocative of conclusions.
Sammy McIlroy took charge of The Silkmen back in the summer of 1993.
The Silkmen’s ultimate elevation to the GM Vauxhall Conference in 1987 meant that we would not make the trip to Haig Avenue to contest our eleventh competitive fixture until 22nd March 1994.
By this point, the iconic Peter Wragg had departed, and The Silkmen were under the stewardship of former Manchester United and Northern Ireland midfielder Sammy McIlroy.
McIlroy’s side would finish a very credible seventh at the end of his debut season, but would suffer a 1 – 0 reversal at Southport in a game which promised so much more.
The following season, McIlroy inspired his Macclesfield Town side to claim the GM Vauxhall Conference title for the very first time.
Only archaic ground regulations prevented The Silkmen from claiming their rightful place in the Football League that year, yet it proved to be a memorable campaign for all those who were lucky enough to witness it.
As part of this, McIlroy’s men claimed a 3 – 2 victory at Haig Avenue on 7th January 1995, with skipper Neil Howarth, Neil Sorvel and Ian Monk all finding the back of the net after the interval.
On 19th March 1996, The Silkmen made their thirteenth trip to Haig Avenue in order to contest the first leg of the Conference League Cup semi-final.
In what proved to be a dramatic evening, McIlroy’s side would take a 4 – 4 draw back to the Moss Rose – thanks in part to strikes from Neil Sorvel, Tony Hemmings and Phil Power – together with an own goal from Southport’s Stuart Cochran.
Macc would ultimately progress thanks to a 2 – 1 second leg victory, although they did succumb to Bromsgrove Rovers over the course of a two-legged final.
Darren Lyons’ 18th minute penalty proved to be in vain when we next visited Haig Avenue on 22nd April 1996, as the home side ran out 2 – 1 winners.
The match was played just 48 hours after McIlroy’s side had reached the Twin Towers of Wembley Stadium to contest the FA Trophy Final against Cheshire neighbours Northwich Victoria.
Our fifteenth trip to Haig Avenue arguably remains the most iconic.
The game was played on 9th November 1996 and saw McIlroy’s side register a 5 – 1 win courtesy of goals from Steve Wood, Neil Mitchell, Neil Sorvel, Mark Bradshaw and Phil Power.
Yet the game is remembered most for a horrific injury sustained by goalkeeper Ryan Price.
An innocuous cross was whipped in from the right and both Price and defender Darren Tinson attempted to deal with the danger it posed.
The collision between the two is something which nobody who attended will ever forget.
Price was rushed to hospital, and for a time, things looked grave to say the least.
A series of operations and over £20,000 of titanium plates and screws inserted into his face later, Pricey began his rehabilitation.
It was a miracle that Price only needed two months on the sidelines, and this remains a vibrant testament to the warrior he undoubtedly is.
Ryan Price: The Ultimate Warrior.
Macclesfield Town’s historic promotion to the Football League in May 1997 meant that competitive trips to Haig Avenue were suspended until our sixteenth meeting which came on Boxing Day 2012.
Liam Willis opened the scoring that day, as he rose highest to nod Shaun Whalley’s tantalising cross past Lance Cronin.
Chris Almond then doubled Southport’s lead, yet this only served to catalyse Steve King’s side into a defiant response.
Jack Mackreth reduced the arrears shortly after, and Matthew Barnes-Homer went on to restore parity with a close-range strike that sent the travelling contingent wild.
With Macc committing themselves to completing the comeback, the hosts struck on the counterattack as Whalley claimed a match-winning goal with seconds remaining.
Sir John Askey’s first trip to Haig Avenue as Silkmen Manager came on 15th March 2014, yet it proved to be one to forget for everyone concerned as our relegation-threatened hosts secured an inspirational 4 – 1 win.
Toto Nsiala opened the scoring, and despite Danny Andrew’s leveller, further strikes from Jason Walker, Osayamen Osawe and Danny Hattersley saw The Sandgrounders romp to victory.
Macc made our eighteenth trip to Haig Avenue on Valentine’s Day 2015 and did so on the back of a six-game winning streak in all competitions.
Magic Man Danny Whitaker opened the scoring in the 67th minute, as he venomously dispatched Matthew Barnes-Homer’s teasing cross and for a time, that looked to be decisive.
Richard Brodie had other ideas though, as he fired a rasping drive across the face of goal and into the far corner of the net to ensure that the spoils were shared.
Our penultimate trip to Haig Avenue took place on 5th December 2015, as Sir John’s side faced The Sandgrounders in the Vanarama National League.
Once again, Macc came into the game in imperious form – yet the game started in rather unconventional circumstances with Andy Bishop and Neill Byrne both seeing red within the opening exchanges.
With both sides reduced to ten men, the game seemed to be slightly more open than it would otherwise have been, and Louis Almond took full advantage of this when he ended his surging run by emphatically firing the hosts into the lead.
Danny Whitaker brought the two sides level on the stroke of half-time with a clinically dispatched penalty, yet a second from Almond and a Josh Thompson strike saw Southport claim victory against The Silkmen for the eighth time.
Neill Byrne experienced differing fortunes during The Silkmen’s trips to Haig Avenue.
Our last trip to Southport came on 4th April 2017, as Sir John’s Wembley-bound Silkmen contested our twentieth competitive fixture at Haig Avenue.
The visitors started the game in defiant mood, and this is exemplified by the fact that within the first 15 minutes, both Neill Byrne and Anthony Dudley had breached the Southport defence without reply.
The Sandgrounders fought back however, with Ryan Higgins’ audacious 30-yard drive finding the top corner of the net just before the interval.
Despite Southport laying siege to Scott Flinders’ goal throughout the second period, the visitors remained resolute and consummately professional in seeing out the game to record our sixth Haig Avenue victory.
All this means that our complete record at Haig Avenue is as follows –
Played 20. Won 6. Drawn 6. Lost 8.
How will our 21st trip end?
Find out tomorrow either by making the trip to support John Rooney’s side or watching all the drama unfold live on DAZN in Bar Twenty Seven!
