Anyone under 40 who is not a football anorak will know little about Southport Football Club. This team were relegated from the Football League in 1978, but are at last on the way back up. The Sandgrounders, as they are known, have opened up a 4 point lead at the top of the Conference North as they try to get a step nearer to a return to the Football League. Their recent 5-1 win over second placed Eastwood Town helped to open up the gap. The league also has old favourites, Workington Town, who are in mid-table. The northern section of the Conference covers a wide distance as Gloucester and Blyth Spartans face a 276 mile to play each other. As for Southport, the Club seems to be thriving and now includes a local cookery school amongst its sponsors. Let's hope they are not cooking the books to buy success! The FootballCynic office wish the Sandgrounders every success and a return to their rightful place.