Cook goes at Southport

Last updated : 03 January 2007 By Tony Scholes

It's officially a decision made by mutual agreement but Cooky has been dismissed following a desperate Christmas schedule that left the Sandgrounders bottom of the Nationwide Conference.

Home defeats against Morecambe on Boxing day and then to Mark Yates' Kidderminster were followed by a 3-1 reverse at Northwich Victoria on New Year's Day and that's left them rooted to the bottom of the league and six points from safety.

Cook joined the Haig Avenue club in the summer of last year after ending a three year association with Accrington Stanley as player/coach. He signed for Stanley after being released by the Clarets at the end of the 2002/03 season, but in his last season with them he made just the one start, and that came right at the end of the season once promotion had been clinched.

At the age of 39 he retired from the playing side and had a retirement game at Accrington against a former Burnley side before stepping in to replace Liam Watson who resigned as Southport manager at the end of last season.

It's been a struggle right from the beginning of the season and they have won only four of their twenty-five league games, and that has led to today's decision by the Southport board to look elsewhere for a new manager.