Southport on verge of ending six-year Premier League exile ahead of playoff with Mudgeeraba

SOUTHPORT are using six years of Premier League pain to fuel their promotion push, with coach Steve Clark desperate to return the club to “where we should be”.

SOUTHPORT are using six years of Premier League pain to fuel their promotion push, with coach Steve Clark desperate to return the club to “where we should be”.

Out of the top flight since 2013, the Warriors took a giant stride towards redemption with a come-from-behind 2-1 triumph over Premier League outfit Tweed United on Tuesday night.

Andrew Minear opened the scoring for the Marlins, before Justin Barwick and Shuhei Sasabuchi found the net before halftime to give the Coast League One underdogs a lead they would not surrender.

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While Tweed will now prepare for a Coast League One return in 2019, Southport will host top-flight wooden spooners Mudgeeraba, who downed Musgrave 2-1, at 6pm on Saturday for the remaining Premier League spot in 2019.

Goalscorer Justin Barwick, who joined Southport from Gold Coast Knights this season. Picture: John Gass

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For returning coach and club legend Steve Clark, the chance has been a long time coming.

“My goal with the team this year is to get back in the Premier League, where we should be, because we’ve been out in the wilderness. We’re just 90 minutes away from achieving that,” Clark, who has served as captain, coach and on the board after joining the club in 1987, said.

“It is (exciting) because the last two years we’ve finished sixth and seventh … and a club like Southport needs to be in the Premier League. That was the reason I came back, because I’ve been watching since 2012 and I just wanted to see if we could get back in there.

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“Over the last few weeks I’ve been watching (Mudgeeraba’s) games, I’ve probably watched them three or four times. It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a challenge like (Tuesday) night was but we’re quietly confident if we play to our strengths.”

Runners up in Coast League One, Musgrave forced Mudgeeraba to extra time on Tuesday after scores were locked at 1-1, before Huntar Valentine bagged the winner for the Wallabies.