Southport will be aiming to get their first Vanarama National League North victory of the season as they welcome Chorley to the Pure Stadium.

The Port drew their opening league game against Hereford, before their trip to Kettering was postponed last weekend due to a positive Covid-19 test in the Poppies camp.

After exiting the Emirates FA Cup on Tuesday night, Liam Watson’s side be looking to bounce back.

Opposition:

Saturday’s opponents, Chorley, are back in the sixth tier of English football, after being relegated following only one season in the Vanarama National League.

Their league campaign hasn’t started in the way that they would’ve hoped, with two defeats out of two.

After being beaten 3-1 away to York, they then lost 1-2 against Gloucester, leaving them without any points at this early stage of the season.

Their Emirates FA Cup run has been much more positive, overcoming both Gateshead and York to progress to the fourth qualifying round.

The man in charge:

Jamie Vermiglio has been at the helm at Victory Park since 2018.

During his playing career, he spent three spells with the club, appearing over 200 times.

Upon his retirement in 2014, he took up a back-room position with the club, before eventually replacing Matt Jansen in the top job.

His biggest achievement as manager was guiding The Magpies to promotion via the playoffs in 2019, the highest the club had been in 29 years.

Key Player:

Lewis Reilly leads the way in Chorley’s scoring charts this season, with three goals in four games, all from the penalty spot.

Meanwhile, The Port will also be wary of Alex Newby, who bagged a hat-trick in his last game against the club.

Previous Meetings:

Despite a hat-trick from Newby in the previous meeting between the pair, Chorley could not manage a victory back in February 2019.

Jack Sampson and Dion Charles both bagged braces, whilst Devarn Green was also on the scoresheet in a 5-2 win for Southport.

Prior to that, it was The Magpies who produced a big victory, beating The Port 4-0 at Victory Park.

Final Thoughts:

After their poor start in the league, Chorley will be eager to get up and running.

Despite having a tough time of things last season, they still possess players who can be dangerous at this level, even if they might not be challenging for promotion this season.

Meanwhile, Southport will be determined to get their first win and build on their solid start to the league campaign.

Written by Amos Wynn