As he approached the twilight of his career, Liddell slowed as a player and his appearances from the 1958–59 season became infrequent. He sought to mitigate his declining pace by adopting a deeper approach, with a "more thoughtful passing game". His omission from the lineup for the match against Fulham, in which Bimpson replaced him, provoked criticism from supporters, with some opposition being expressed via letters to local newspapers. Bimpson scored and Liddell's confinement to the reserves attracted the interest of Mersey neighbours New Brighton. The non-leaguers approached Liddell with an offer to become player-manager, which he and the club rejected. After one start in November, Liddell returned to the senior squad in March 1959 for his 466th league appearance, which the footballing community believed would surpass Ted Sagar's Merseyside record of 465. Liddell scored two goals in a 3–2 win over Barnsley at Anfield, but later learnt that Sagar's accepted total had been erroneous (463 being the correct figure). During his absence, Liverpool unexpectedly succumbed to part-time Worcester City in the third round of the FA Cup. Liddell had played in 40 consecutive cup fixtures, but his involvement in the 2–1 defeat had been limited to the studding of his colleagues' boots.