SOUTHPORT centre-back Matt Hocking is hoping to avoid an unwanted double when he faces former club York City at Haig Avenue tomorrow.

The 29-year-old defender has only been relegated once during his career - in 1999 when an unlikely set of results saw the Minstermen drop out of what is now League One after a 4-0 defeat at Manchester City's old Maine Road stadium.

Now, eight years on, Hocking is bidding to steer third-bottom Southport to Conference safety with a victory against the KitKat Crescent club essential.

He said: "It's a massive game. The local papers are describing it as Southport's biggest match in the last nine years.

"People are fanatical about football in this area of the country. I went to the gym this week and the game is all that people talk about.

"The whole town is getting behind us and everybody is being encouraged to come out and support the side. We need a win to stand any chance of surviving and I can't say how important the match is.

"It's a big game for York as well and that makes it a bit more special for me because I had three good seasons there. I still regard them as a league club who should be back up there and I hope they can get into the play-offs but not at our expense."

Hocking's acquisition from Conference South side Fisher Athletic was one of a number of signings made by new manager Peter Davenport during the January transfer window and the 5ft 11in defender (pictured above) believes the club's current run of four successive victories can be attributed to the fact that those players have now bedded in.

He said: "All the new guys have settled in and got used to the club. There are some really talented players in our side and there's a bit more experience now as well.

"It takes time for new players to gel but, during the last six or seven games, that's seemed to happen. There haven't been many changes to the team in that time which also helps as everybody has got used to how each other plays."

Former Sheffield United trainee Hocking initially arrived at Bootham Crescent on loan from Hull but signed a permanent deal despite the club dropping a division.

He went on to make 110 appearances and scored two goals for the Minstermen before leaving for Boston United on a free transfer in 2002.

Two years apiece at Boston and Stevenage then followed before Hocking joined ambitious Fisher last summer but he is hoping his return to Conference standard football will not be short-lived.

He added: "Fisher were trying to build a squad to take them into the Conference. They had some great players and pumped a lot of money into the club but it all seemed to go wrong and things happened.

"I spoke to Peter Davenport and my old mate from Stevenage, Dino Maamria, whose here as well, and jumped at the chance to sign for the club. As a family, we had also found it hard to settle in south London. We wanted to get back up north and this seemed like the ideal opportunity."


Southport v City match points

Compiled by David Batters

City won the corresponding game last term 4-1 with Joe O'Neill hitting three goals thus becoming the first player to score a hat-trick on his debut for the club since Arthur Bottom achieved the feat in August 1954.

Mark Convery was the other marksman and the line-up on August 16, 2005, was: Porter, Price, McGurk, Hotte, Peat, Panther, Convery (Merris), Dunning, Donaldson, O'Neill (Stewart), Mansaram (Bishop).

In the Football League, City made 32 visits to Haig Avenue (from 1929 to 1978) winning nine times and drawing 11.

Players to have appeared for both clubs include goalkeeper Matt Middleton, defenders Bobby Sibbald and Matt Hocking, midfielder Laurie Calloway, wingers John Linaker and Andy Provan and forward Jimmy Prescott.

IT HAPPENED ON APRIL 21

1952: Billy Fenton scored twice in a 2-1 home win over Barrow so equalling Reg Baines' club record of 29 goals in a season set in the early 1930s. Fenton went on to net 31 times in 1951-52. A crowd of 6,670 saw this Third Division North encounter and City were mid-table.

1985: Keith Houchen and Martin Butler were on target in a 2-1 home win over Lincoln City watched by 3,309. City were in the top half of Division Three (League One).

1994: Graeme Murty made his League debut for City in a 2-1 defeat at Port Vale. The loss ended a run of nine games without defeat (seven wins/two draws) and City were fifth in Division Two (League One). Steve Cooper netted the City goal.

2001: A 3-3 home draw against Cardiff City with goals from Chris Brass (pen), Lee Nogan and Colin Alcide. City were 18th in Division Three (League Two).