it was cancelled today which won't help people's mood
I'm not sure which service you're referring to, there.
The cancellation of the 1556 left no service from Oxford Road to Wigan NW between 1521 and 1754! Ouch
I'm sure you would be able to manage the short walk from Wallgate to North Western off the 1720 Southport, if North Western is where you really need to be, and, as stated above, there are other options available. Cancellation of any train at peak time isn't all that clever, though.
The Barrow should have been 1551, actually.