Southport manager Liam Watson has detailed how some of his players have been subject to interest in the early days of the January transfer window.
The Sandgrounders will endure another weekend off after their trip to Telford was postponed due to a COVID outbreak at the relegation-threatened side.
In recent season’s, the Yellows have allowed the likes of Devarn Green, Dion Charles and David Morgan to leave Haig Avenue.
Green departed for Scunthorpe United as Morgan and Charles left for Accrington Stanley. The latter has recently sealed a move to fellow League One side Bolton Wanderers with Port including a sell-on clause in the sale of the six-time Northern Ireland international.
Watson’s side have turned their early season misfortunes around as they currently sit in the National League North play-off positions as the season edges to the halfway mark.
Whilst incomings are allowed throughout the season, departures in the January window become a possibility as the window opens for the Football League.
And the 51-year-old has confirmed that “numerous” players
“The window doesn’t affect us in terms of bringing people in but it does affect us in terms of losing people,” he told Off The Park.
“We just have to see where we are at the end of the window and see if anyone’s come in. We have had several enquiries over numerous, not just one or two, numerous players, we’ll just have to see where it leaves us by the time the window closes.
“To be honest, at this level you don’t have a choice. You don’t have a choice in most levels, if the offer is an acceptable offer and the player wants to leave sometimes the players can create noise to let them leave, I don’t think that will be the case with our players.
“I’m not daft enough to understand if there’s a player in non-league and has the opportunity to play in the Football League, trust me he’ll want to take it.”
One player who will not be leaving this month at least is captain Adam Anson, the defender signed an extension at the club at the end of December.
The Telford postponement follows the last-minute cancellation of their home clash with Curzon Ashton after it was deemed unplayable after a torrential downpour.
Despite the healthy unbeaten run, Watson isn’t being drawn into the play-off talk just yet.
He added: “The way I look at it, we’re not even halfway through the league campaign we’ve only played 18 games, if you look after eight league games we were bottom of the league.
“It’s took us the next 10 league games to get us in the play-off mix, it’s really good to have gone 10 unbeaten or however many it is in the league but we know all that hard works count for nothing when we stop getting the results. We’ve got to keep plodding on, nothing changes.
“Even at the start when we weren’t winning we were playing well I said regularly I’m sure it’ll come.
“They just need to keep enjoying it, they’re as tight a group I’ve ever had. They all get on, getting game time, they’re not always playing regular we do have four or five who are playing week-in, week-out but the whole squads getting game time.
“They’re all happy and they know when they get the chance they’ve got to step up to the plate and deliver otherwise it might be a little longer before they get another go.”
It’s a difficult outcome for Southport as they face Solihull Moors in the FA Trophy on January 15, it could be likely that he opts to give those who’d feature this weekend in Tuesday’s Lancashire Cup clash with Charnock Richard on Tuesday – should it go ahead.
[Featured image: Julia Urwin – Southport FC]
