THERE’S always something comforting being in Liverpool when the 10a rolls past with those promotional pictures emblazoned across the back end; whether it is the classy black and white image of Kel Coslett holding the Challenge Cup from 1972, or the one with the unmistakeable beard of Kyle Amor, it always raises a smile.

Unmistakeable, of course, to those in rugby league heartlands - I would wager that few of the 466,000 citizens of Liverpool would be able to put a name to either of them.

(Although a few may see Kyle Amor as that big bearded bloke that the camera captures at Anfield every now and then.)

Rugby league heartlands tends to stop in and around Rainhill. It may be only a short ride to the Pier Head from god’s rugby league acre in Nutgrove and Thatto Heath, but the sporting culture in Liverpool is a million miles away.

So it will be interesting how the RFL go about using the Autumn Four Nations Final at Anfield.

Although St Helens, Warrington, Widnes and Wigan supporters will be targeted for a push, with it being the only Four Nations game in the north west, hopefully some effort is made in trying win over new converts.

There will be plenty who will want to make a day of it at Anfield - and that is a good thing.

But it would do another job if some of the non-RL fans in the city could be won over to our game.

It is not easy. Liverpool is a similar sporting city to Newcastle, home of this weekend’s Magic, but that has not stopped us trying in the north east.

The thing about expansion is that it is not just about the south, Wales or the Midlands - the big cities and towns of the north west also could do with some missionary work.

So apart Liverpool, we should be looking at Bolton, Blackburn, Preston and Blackpool.

But Liverpool is interesting.

There have been plenty of attempts to tap into that population before - under David Howes’ direction Saints played two Super League games at Anfield in 1996/97.

Before that the Charity Shield clash between Wigan and Widnes was played there in 1989 and Wigan held their World Club Challenge game against Penrith there in 1991.

More than 20,000 watched that.

But of course Liverpool had its own team long before these attempts to promote the game at Anfield.

Liverpool Stanley played at the Stanley dog track from 1934-51 before moving to Knotty Ash and changing their name to City.

They moved east to Huyton in 1969 and despite having handy players every now and then, and despite the tireless efforts of player/coach/groundsman/kitman Geoff Fletcher they never got much of a crowd and the ground was bedevilled by vandalism.

They upped and continued their nomadic existence - Runcorn, Sutton and Prescot before winding up.

So you could say it didn't work.

But if we can't win over a city like Liverpool - one whose citizens have access to the same rugby league television and radio coverage as St Helens, Widnes and Warrington - what is the point trying elsewhere?

Although the emphasis has changed it is great that Saints do a lot of community work in the city and it would be fantastic if they can get kids playing the game.

But to take it that step further rather than simply trying to get Liverpudlians to come to St Helens, as welcome as they are, should we not give them their own team?

Would it look out of place in a division containing the likes of Newcastle, Coventry, Gloucester and Oxford?