Mick Hartland

Although technically Scottish-born, he was brought up in Liverpool until he was 7 and thereafter in the Midlands, playing for Brierley Hill, Tipton, and Sedgley Schoolboys. After two years on City’s ground staff and a further two at Nuneaton Borough, he was given his chance in League football by Oxford United. It was not until he joined Barrow and had a long-overdue cartilage operation (he was out of football for 6 months) that he became a regular. A breach of club discipline resulted in his release by the Holker Street club. Signed by Jimmy Meadows on a two-month trial, he appeared in the opening game of the season and impressed with his silky skills despite further knee problems. He was originally freed at the end of the season but the club had second thoughts and re-signed him while Meadows was on holiday. However, in September, he was fined £70 for a breach of club discipline and, following an incident before a match at Reading, the Directors cancelled his contract, a sad end to a career which promised much. He last appeared as substitute on 3 Nov. 1972. He settled in the town and now operates a successful waste paper and recycling business.

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9