Southport will be looking to move into the National League North play-off places when they welcome league leaders Scunthorpe United to The Big Help Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
And the hosts will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat in midweek.
The Sandgrounders fell to their first defeat in four games on Tuesday as they were beaten 3-0 away to Leamington. They face tough opposition on Saturday with the visitors only losing once so far this season.
Southport have had a mixed start to the season with them winning five, losing five and drawing three. But they find themselves in 11th place, only one point away from the play-off places.
Scunthorpe continued their impressive start to the campaign as they beat Rushall Olympics 3-0 at home, extending their lead at the top of the table to two points. The Irons have not lost a league game since September.
Scunthorpe are spending their second consecutive season in the division after they suffered defeat in the play-off semi-final last season.
Scunthorpe’s 72-year stay in the Football League ended in 2022 after they faced financial difficulty. Since then they have seen themselves fall to the seventh tier of English football.
Southport will be able to select new signing Festus Arthur for the matchday squad for this game after he signed on loan for the club from National League side Halifax Town earlier in the week. Finlay Heath is also available for selection after returning from his loan spell at Prescot Cables.
For the visitors there is no new injury concerns with a full squad expected to be available for selection.
When the two sides met in the league last season, Scunthorpe won 1-0 in both games. Scunthorpe manager, Andy Butler is expecting another tough test on Saturday.
He said: “They were real tough games against an organized side. So really expecting a tough battle, they’re a big side.”
