Players from the most successful era in Southport’s history gathered at the Atkinson Theatre on Friday with Trust in Yellow to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the club’s first promotion.

Half a century after the Sandgrounders won promotion from the old Fourth Division, manager Billy Bingham and his team were reunited to mark their achievements.

Players including crowd favourite Eric Redrobe, club record goalscorer Alan Spence, Alex Russell, Colin Alty and Ronnie Smith met with supporters to share their stories from a landmark season.

The evening also marked the opening of the Trust's six-week exhibition at the Atkinson with memorabilia from the club’s past, as well as a special edition real ale, Bingham's Brew, from Southport Brewery.

46 years after achieving Football League status, season 1966/67 marked the club’s first promotion to the old Third Division, finishing second behind champions Stockport County.

The campaign was part of a golden era for the club, which saw Bingham’s team reach the last 16 of the FA Cup a year earlier, before playing Everton in the third round a season later.

The full set of photographs by Julia Urwin are onine HERE.

The Trust has also produced a season summary from The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport FC, by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde, which is available HERE.