With the excitement ahead of the new season growing, the future of Southport Football Club on and off the pitch is looking rosy.

The club are pleased that Lewis Doyle (pictured above, centre), Liam Davies (pictured above, left) and Andrew Hollins (pictured above, right) have signed contracts.

All three are young professionals with immense potential and being from the local area shows that the strategy of the club is to try to recruit and retain players from nearby with the view to giving them exposure to first team football.

Lewis Doyle, who is only 17, is from the town and has played in the youth teams at the club as well as for Preston North End for seven years. He has also represented Sefton at county level.



On getting a deal, the midfielder said; “This club is on the up and is a really good chance for me to make a difference to a team that is close to my heart. I have already had a taste of what it feels like here and I want to kick-on now and show everyone what I can do more often.”

At 22, Liam Davies joins after previously spending time at Tranmere Rovers and Chester. From Liverpool and also a midfielder, he has already impressed in pre-season scoring at Widnes with an eye-catching effort.



“The opportunity to be a part of this team and rebuild the club to where it belongs is such a good opportunity. The club want to promote young players and I’m looking forward to be given the chance to put the shirt on and play in front of the fans,” said Liam.

Andy Hollins, also from Liverpool, has spent time at Liverpool and Everton as well as Stoke City and Rochdale.



The 19-year-old towering defender commented on signing for the club; “This is such a good experience to join a team that is not only local to me but want to improve in everything they do. The people already in place means it was a no-brainer to join and continue honing my skills.”

To further their football development and ensure all three continue to play regular football at a good standard for the start of the season, Lewis will go on loan to Droylsden with Liam and Andy both joining Marine.

The plan is all three will come back from their experiences stronger and will represent the club in the near future. This means ultimately the club can rely less on transfers and build from within to further improve Southport’s connections with the local community.