Southport secured a memorable first league victory of the season on Saturday afternoon, recording their first-ever win over Liverpool St Helens with an impressive 38–19 triumph at Moss Lane.

Following the disappointment of the previous weekend’s opening-day defeat to Eccles, Southport produced an excellent response on the road, combining defensive resilience with some clinical attacking rugby to establish a commanding first-half advantage before seeing the job through after the interval.

On a bright afternoon at Moss Lane, Liverpool St Helens began the contest in red, white and blue, with Southport lining up in their traditional red, amber and gold.

The hosts enjoyed much of the early territory and immediately tested Southport’s defence. An early high tackle gave the visitors an opportunity to clear towards the LSH 22, although possession was turned over at the following phase.

Lewis Caldwell soon made his presence felt at the breakdown, winning an excellent jackal penalty after Liverpool St Helens were penalised for holding on. Southport kicked to within five metres and came close to converting the field position into the opening score, only for the hosts to intercept and clear.

The visitors responded well in transition, with Harrison Carney and Luke Fusco leading the chase and helping to force another turnover as Southport continued to grow into the contest.

The breakthrough arrived when Southport moved the ball towards Nathaniel Barkowski-Martins on the wing. As the visitors looked to exploit the space, a Liverpool St Helens defender deliberately knocked down the pass, resulting in a yellow card and a penalty try.

It handed Southport an early 7–0 advantage.

Liverpool St Helens responded strongly and, after Southport were twice penalised for offside, kicked into the corner and applied sustained pressure close to the visitors’ line. The hosts eventually crossed for their opening try, although the conversion was missed, reducing Southport’s advantage to 7–5.

Southport’s response was immediate.

With 17 minutes played, the visitors shifted possession from one side of the field to the other before Joe Topping identified a gap in the home defence and powered through to score. Jake Mann added the conversion to stretch the lead to 14–5.

Three minutes later came arguably the try of the afternoon.

Liverpool St Helens had been pressing close to the Southport line when a kick found its way behind the visitors’ defence. Ollie Benford collected the ball and broke clear before linking with Barkowski-Martins. The ball was then moved through Adam Wood and into the hands of Harrison Carney, who completed a superb length-of-the-field counter-attack.

Mann converted and suddenly Southport held a 21–5 advantage.

The hosts remained dangerous and continued to apply pressure through the middle of the field. Their persistence was rewarded when another period close to the Southport line resulted in a converted try, bringing Liverpool St Helens back to within nine points at 21–12.

Southport, however, continued to carry with purpose.

Caldwell and Isaac Trevarton both made important ground, while the visitors repeatedly challenged the home defence around the breakdown. As the half entered its closing stages, Southport built through a prolonged spell of possession close to the posts.

Zak Day-Johnson was heavily involved before the ball was worked into the wider channels. Wood created the opening and Benford finished expertly in the corner to register Southport’s fourth try of the afternoon.

The conversion was unsuccessful, but the visitors had moved 26–12 ahead.

Southport were not finished.

Day-Johnson again provided the initial momentum before James Cook carried strongly into the Liverpool St Helens defence. The ball eventually reached replacement Sam McGlincy, who made an immediate impact with his first touch, breaking through to score in the corner.

Although the conversion drifted wide, Southport headed into the interval with a commanding 31–12 advantage.

Liverpool St Helens began the second half with renewed purpose and looked determined to reduce the deficit.

A succession of penalties placed Southport under considerable pressure close to their own line, although the visitors initially survived when the hosts knocked the ball forward over the try line.

The pressure eventually told shortly afterwards. Southport were unable to clear their territory and conceded another penalty, which Liverpool St Helens took quickly before crossing for their third try. The conversion was added and the hosts had reduced the deficit to 31–19.

With momentum beginning to swing towards Liverpool St Helens, Southport were required to show another side to their game.

The hosts continued to attack through some powerful carries, but Southport’s defensive organisation remained strong. Two promising LSH attacks were halted by forward passes, while the visitors worked hard to compete at every breakdown and prevent the home side from building sustained momentum.

As the half progressed, Southport gradually regained control.

A scrum deep inside Liverpool St Helens territory provided another attacking platform before the ball was moved towards Jonathan Tebbs. A high tackle stopped the attack, but Southport reacted quickly to the resulting penalty and shifted possession across the field to Barkowski-Martins, who came agonisingly close to finishing before the ball was lost forward over the line.

Southport continued to press.

The visitors put the Liverpool St Helens scrum under significant pressure and repeatedly forced the hosts to clear from deep inside their own territory. Tebbs then found space down the right-hand side, although a promising opportunity was lost when the final pass inside went forward.

At the other end, Barkowski-Martins produced one of the defensive moments of the afternoon, making an excellent tackle inside Liverpool St Helens territory to force a turnover and hand Southport another attacking scrum.

With around five minutes remaining, the visitors finally put the contest beyond doubt.

From the resulting scrum, Caldwell picked from the base and powered his way over the line to score Southport’s sixth and final try.

Mann added the conversion to take the score to 38–19.

Southport continued to look for opportunities until the final whistle. A quickly taken penalty saw Mann release Tebbs, only for the referee to rule the pass forward, while Liverpool St Helens made one final attempt to find a way through at the other end.

Nikolai Pitera produced an important tackle to prevent the hosts escaping from deep inside their own territory before McGlincy tracked back superbly to make a crucial covering tackle as Liverpool St Helens threatened the Southport line.

The pressure eventually forced the ball forward and brought an end to proceedings.

The final whistle confirmed an excellent 38–19 victory for Southport and a significant result in the club’s history: a first-ever win against Liverpool St Helens.

It was an impressive response from a Southport side looking to bounce back from their opening-day defeat. The forwards provided a strong platform throughout the afternoon, while the visitors showed their attacking threat whenever opportunities appeared in broken play.

Six tries, including an outstanding counter-attacking score finished by Carney, reflected the quality of Southport’s attacking performance, while their defensive work during key spells of second-half pressure was equally important.

Most importantly, Southport returned from Moss Lane with their first league victory of the 2026/27 campaign and a landmark result to build upon as the season continues.

Full-time: Liverpool St Helens 19–38 Southport