1934β35 season | ||
---|---|---|
Chairman | Sloane Stanley | |
Manager | George Kay | |
Stadium | The Dell | |
Second Division | 19th | |
FA Cup | Fourth round | |
Top goalscorer | League:
Laurie Fishlock (7) All: Laurie Fishlock (9) | |
Highest home attendance | 18,351 v
Swansea Town (26 December 1934) | |
Lowest home attendance | 4,800 v
Notts County (22 September 1934) | |
Average home league attendance | 9,118 | |
Biggest win | 3β0 v
Hull City (15 September 1934) 4β1 v Bradford Park Avenue (10 November 1934) | |
Biggest defeat | 1β6 v
Sheffield United (16 February 1935) | |
| ||
The 1934β35 season was the 40th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's 13th in the Second Division of the Football League. The season was the Saints' worst league campaign since they were promoted to the second flight in 1923, as they finished in 19th place just two places and eight points above the relegation spots. With a lack of high-scoring forwards and injuries to players across the squad, the side struggled to pick up wins throughout the season; in the first half of the campaign, they continued their run without an away win that had encompassed the whole of the previous season, finally ending it after 33 winless fixtures with victory over Swansea Town on Christmas Day 1934. Southampton finished the season with 11 wins, 12 draws and 19 losses β their lowest win rate since the 1911β12 season.
In the 1934β35 FA Cup, Southampton entered the third round with an away fixture against Third Division North side Walsall, who they beat 2β1 thanks to a brace from Laurie Fishlock. In their first fourth round fixture since 1926β27, the Saints lost 0β3 to First Division strugglers Birmingham, in front of a new club record attendance of 28,291. As in previous seasons, the club ended the season with two local tournaments: the Hampshire Combination Cup and the combined Benevolent and Rowland Hospital Cups. In the former, the Saints lost 2β4 at Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in the semi-final. In the latter, they also lost to top-flight rivals Portsmouth, who scored the only goal of the game. Southampton's only friendly match during the 1934β35 campaign saw them drawing 2β2 with French side Le Havre AC in March.
Southampton used 23 different players during the 1934β35 season and had 13 different goalscorers. Their top scorer was left winger Laurie Fishlock, who scored seven goals in the Second Division and two in the FA Cup. Centre-forward Norman Cole scored eight times in the league, followed by centre-half Johnny McIlwaine on seven league goals during the campaign. Nine players were signed by the club during the season, with six released and sold to other clubs. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1934β35 season was 9,118. The highest attendance of the season was 28,291 in the FA Cup against Birmingham; the highest attendance in the league was significantly lower β 18,351 against Swansea Town on Boxing Day. The lowest attendance of the season was 4,800 against Notts County on 22 September.
With mounting financial problems, transfer activity was limited for Southampton ahead of the 1934β35 season. At the end of the previous campaign, two amateur players β inside-left Herbert Coates and inside-right Vivian Gibbins β left to join Athenian League side Leyton. [1] [2] Outside-left Ben Burley, who had made his first-team debut in the last two games of the previous season, also left in June for Grimsby Town, who had recently been promoted to the First Division. [3] Another inside-left out of contention, Tom Ruddy, left for Spennymoor United in the North Eastern League the next month. [4] Both left-sided forward positions were targeted as part of the club's only two signings prior to the start of the season β Alf Wheeler joined from Northampton Town in July and Doug Rowe moved to The Dell from Lincoln City in August. [5] [6]
Southampton's headline signing came just after the start of the league campaign, however, as Laurie Fishlock was brought in from Millwall (who had been relegated from the Second Division last season) as first choice outside-left in September. [7] James Horton also joined from Millwall around the same time, although only made one appearance during the season at centre-forward in the FA Cup fourth round against Birmingham the following January. [8] Also in September, Joe Cummins β who had joined less than a year earlier but made just one appearance during the campaign before succumbing to injury β left to join French club CA Paris-Charenton. [9] In October, after just two months at the club, Rowe also left for France when he joined US Tourquennoise, having lost in place in the starting lineup upon Fishlock's arrival. [6] With the club struggling to score goals in the league, in December they signed Walter Pollard from Fulham, for whom he had failed to make an appearance; he played regularly in both inside-forward roles in the second half of the season, but only scored one goal. [10] Bob Reid also joined on amateur terms from Southwick in Sussex, turning professional the next month and making one appearance in the FA Cup fourth round fixture. [11]
Players transferred in
Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alf Wheeler | England | FW | Northampton Town | July 1934 | Unknown | [5] |
Donovan Browning | England | FB | Crystal Palace | August 1934 | Free [a] | [12] |
Doug Rowe | England | FW | Lincoln City | August 1934 | Unknown | [6] |
Lionel Bowen | England | FB | Crystal Palace | September 1934 | Free [b] | [13] |
Laurie Fishlock | England | FW | Millwall | September 1934 | Unknown | [7] |
Doug Henderson | England | FB | Park Avenue | September 1934 | Free [c] | [14] |
James Horton | England | FW | Millwall | September 1934 | Unknown | [8] |
Walter Pollard | England | FW | Fulham | December 1934 | Unknown | [10] |
Bob Reid | England | FW | Southwick | December 1934 | Free [d] | [11] |
Players transferred out
Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Herbert Coates | England | FW | Leyton | Summer 1934 | Free | [1] |
Vivian Gibbins | England | FW | Leyton | Summer 1934 | Free | [2] |
Ben Burley | England | FW | Grimsby Town | June 1934 | Unknown | [3] |
Tom Ruddy | England | FW | Spennymoor United | July 1934 | Unknown | [4] |
Joe Cummins | England | FW | CA Paris-Charenton | September 1934 | Unknown | [9] |
Doug Rowe | England | FW | US Tourquennoise | October 1934 | Unknown | [6] |
Southampton begun the 1934β35 league campaign as poorly as they had ended the previous, picking up just two points from their first five games in home draws with fellow mid-table sides Port Vale and Oldham Athletic, to find themselves at the bottom end of the table. [15] In the return leg against Port Vale at the Old Recreation Ground, debutant winger Laurie Fishlock scored the only Saints goal in a 1β4 loss, which was followed a few days later by a 0β4 thrashing at the hands of Bolton Wanderers. [16] The club's sole win in their first ten games came against Hull City, who they beat 3β0 thanks to goals from Bill Adams, Tom Brewis and Fishlock. [16] A surprise 1β0 win over eventual league champions Brentford in October and a convincing 4β1 victory over Bradford Park Avenue a couple of weeks later (in which recent arrival Alf Wheeler scored a hat-trick) saw the team move away from the relegation spots, but by mid-December they were back just one point above the drop zone after picking up a solitary point from their next five fixtures. [17]
In the Christmas week, Southampton beat Bury 2β1 at home, then ended their 33-game streak without an away win on Christmas Day, when they scored the only goal of the game against Swansea Town (a feat which they repeated at home the next day). [16] After moving up to 12th in the league after a 2β0 win at Oldham Athletic on 5 January, Southampton began to plummet back down the league table with a winless run extending into late-March, including a 1β3 loss at bottom-ranked Notts County, a season-record 1β6 defeat at the hands of mid-table Sheffield United, and home losses against Barnsley and Nottingham Forest. [16] By the time they won their next game, 1β0 against Plymouth Argyle at The Dell on 30 March 1935, Southampton were struggling in 20th place in the league table, just six points above the first relegation spot. [18] The club won their last three home fixtures of the season, against Newcastle United, Manchester United and Blackpool, to ensure their safety in the Second Division with a 19th-place finish. [16]
27 August 1934 2 | Southampton | 0β0 | Port Vale | Southampton |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 7,000 |
1 September 1934 3 | Southampton | 2β2 | Oldham Athletic | Southampton |
Rowe Cole |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 7,042 |
3 September 1934 4 | Port Vale | 4β1 | Southampton | Stoke-on-Trent |
Fishlock | Stadium:
Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 7,746 |
8 September 1934 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 4β0 | Southampton | Bolton |
Stadium:
Burnden Park Attendance: 17,000 |
15 September 1934 6 | Southampton | 3β0 | Hull City | Southampton |
Adams Brewis Fishlock |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 6,500 |
22 September 1934 7 | Southampton | 1β1 | Notts County | Southampton |
Brewis | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 4,800 |
29 September 1934 8 | Bradford City | 1β1 | Southampton | Bradford |
Wheeler | Stadium:
Valley Parade Attendance: 9,000 |
6 October 1934 9 | Southampton | 1β1 | Sheffield United | Southampton |
Tully | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 9,913 |
20 October 1934 11 | Nottingham Forest | 3β1 | Southampton | Nottingham |
Cole | Stadium:
City Ground Attendance: 10,000 |
27 October 1934 12 | Southampton | 1β0 | Brentford | Southampton |
Tully | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 10,415 |
3 November 1934 13 | Fulham | 3β3 | Southampton | London |
McIlwaine Luckett Horton |
Stadium:
Craven Cottage Attendance: 20,000 |
10 November 1934 14 | Southampton | 4β1 | Bradford Park Avenue | Southampton |
Wheeler Fishlock |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 10,000 |
17 November 1934 15 | Plymouth Argyle | 4β0 | Southampton | Plymouth |
Stadium:
Home Park Attendance: 17,501 |
24 November 1934 16 | Southampton | 1β4 | Norwich City | Southampton |
Wheeler | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 11,400 |
1 December 1934 17 | Newcastle United | 1β0 | Southampton | Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
Stadium:
St James' Park Attendance: 13,000 |
8 December 1934 18 | Southampton | 2β2 | West Ham United | Southampton |
Cole Fishlock |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 8,500 |
15 December 1934 19 | Blackpool | 4β1 | Southampton | Blackpool |
Fishlock | Stadium:
Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,000 |
22 December 1934 20 | Southampton | 2β1 | Bury | Southampton |
Cole | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 7,300 |
25 December 1934 21 | Swansea Town | 0β1 | Southampton | Swansea |
Fishlock | Stadium:
Vetch Field Attendance: 2,000 |
26 December 1934 22 | Southampton | 1β0 | Swansea Town | Southampton |
Wheeler | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 18,351 |
29 December 1934 23 | Southampton | 0β0 | Burnley | Southampton |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 11,257 |
1 January 1935 24 | Manchester United | 3β0 | Southampton | Manchester |
Stadium:
Old Trafford Attendance: 15,174 |
5 January 1935 25 | Oldham Athletic | 0β2 | Southampton | Oldham |
Cole | Stadium:
Boundary Park Attendance: 7,000 |
19 January 1935 26 | Southampton | 1β2 | Bolton Wanderers | Southampton |
Neal | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 16,575 |
31 January 1935 27 | Hull City | 0β0 | Southampton | Kingston upon Hull |
Stadium:
Boothferry Park Attendance: 5,130 |
2 February 1935 28 | Notts County | 3β1 | Southampton | Nottingham |
Tully | Stadium:
Meadow Lane Attendance: 11,000 |
9 February 1935 29 | Southampton | 1β1 | Bradford City | Southampton |
Holt | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 6,472 |
16 February 1935 30 | Sheffield United | 6β1 | Southampton | Sheffield |
Pollard | Stadium:
Bramall Lane Attendance: 5,000 |
23 February 1935 31 | Southampton | 0β1 | Barnsley | Southampton |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 5,625 |
2 March 1935 32 | Southampton | 1β2 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
McIlwaine | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 5,790 |
9 March 1935 33 | Brentford | 3β2 | Southampton | London |
Neal Brewis |
Stadium:
Griffin Park Attendance: 13,111 |
16 March 1935 34 | Southampton | 1β1 | Fulham | Southampton |
McIlwaine | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 8,946 |
23 March 1935 35 | Bradford Park Avenue | 3β1 | Southampton | Bradford |
Neal | Stadium:
Horsfall Stadium Attendance: 5,000 |
30 March 1935 36 | Southampton | 1β0 | Plymouth Argyle | Southampton |
McIlwaine | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 7,271 |
6 April 1935 37 | Norwich City | 4β0 | Southampton | Norwich |
Stadium:
The Nest (football ground) Attendance: 8,000 |
13 April 1935 38 | Southampton | 2β0 | Newcastle United | Southampton |
Tully McIlwaine |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 9,125 |
20 April 1935 39 | West Ham United | 2β1 | Southampton | London |
Fishlock | Stadium:
Boleyn Ground Attendance: 31,000 |
22 April 1935 40 | Southampton | 1β0 | Manchester United | Southampton |
McIlwaine | Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 12,458 |
27 April 1935 41 | Southampton | 2β0 | Blackpool | Southampton |
Woodhouse McIlwaine |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 6,758 |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 | Swansea Town | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 56 | 67 | 0.836 | 36 | |
18 | Port Vale | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 55 | 74 | 0.743 | 34 | |
19 | Southampton | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 46 | 75 | 0.613 | 34 | |
20 | Bradford City | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 50 | 68 | 0.735 | 32 | |
21 | Oldham Athletic (R) | 42 | 10 | 6 | 26 | 56 | 95 | 0.589 | 26 | Relegation to the Third Division North |
Southampton were drawn in the third round of the 1934β35 FA Cup against Third Division North side Walsall. The hosts went ahead through Gilbert Alsop, but the Saints responded through a Laurie Fishlock brace to win for the first time in the tournament since 1927. [20] In the fourth round, the Saints hosted First Division side Birmingham, attracting a new club record attendance of 28,291. With their top goalscorer Fishlock injured, however, the side lacked firepower as he was replaced by young amateur Bob Reid, who was described by club historians as "overawed by the experience". [20] Birmingham won the game 3β0, scoring two goals in the first half and the third in the second, as Southampton were knocked out of the fourth round, to which they didn't return until after the Second World War. [20]
12 January 1935 Round 3 | Walsall | 1β2 | Southampton | Walsall |
Alsop | Fishlock | Stadium:
Fellows Park Attendance: 14,475 |
26 January 1935 Round 4 | Southampton | 0β3 | Birmingham | Southampton |
Stadium:
The Dell Attendance: 28,291 |
Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played three additional first-team matches during the 1934β35 season. The first was a friendly against French club Le Havre AC on 5 March 1935, which ended in a 2β2 draw including goals from Arthur Holt and Fred Tully. [21] The next month, the team played the semi-final of the third annual Hampshire Combination Cup against Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic at Dean Court. Despite struggling towards the bottom of the division below the Saints, the Third Division South hosts won the game 4β2 to advance to the final of the competition, with Johnny McIlwaine scoring both consolations for the visitors. [22] In the final game of the season, four days after the league had concluded, the Saints lost 0β1 at Portsmouth for the 1935 combined Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup. Septimus Rutherford scored the only goal of the game in front of a lacklustre crowd of 2,215, extending Southampton's winless run in the competition to six years. [23]
5 March 1935 Friendly | Le Havre AC | 2β2 | Southampton | Le Havre, France |
Holt Tully |
Stadium: Stade Jules Deschaseaux |
3 April 1935 Hampshire CC Semi-Final | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 4β2 | Southampton | Bournemouth |
McIlwaine | Stadium: Dean Court |
8 May 1935 Hampshire BC/Rowland HC | Portsmouth | 1β0 | Southampton | Portsmouth |
Stadium:
Fratton Park Attendance: 2,215 |
Southampton used 23 different players during the 1934β35 season, thirteen of whom scored during the campaign. The team played in a 2β3β5 formation throughout, using two full-backs, three half-backs, two outside forwards, two inside forwards and a centre-forward. [16] Outside-right Fred Tully appeared in all but two of the club's league games during the campaign, followed by right-back Charlie Sillett who played in 39 league and both FA Cup games. [16] Outside-left Laurie Fishlock finished as the season's top scorer with seven goals in the Second Division and two in the FA Cup, followed by centre-forward Norman Cole on eight goals, then centre-half Johnny McIlwaine on seven. [16]
Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | |||||
Bill Adams | HB | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |||
Arthur Bradford | HB | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |||
Tom Brewis | FW | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |||
Frank Campbell | HB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
Norman Cole | FW | 24 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 8 | |||
Laurie Fishlock | FW | 28 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 9 | |||
James Horton | FW | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
Arthur Holt | FW | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | |||
Cyril King | HB | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |||
Billy Light | GK | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
Bill Luckett | HB | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 1 | |||
Johnny McIlwaine | HB | 24 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 7 | |||
Dick Neal | FW | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 3 | |||
Walter Pollard | FW | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |||
Bob Reid | FW | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
Arthur Roberts | FB | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |||
Bert Scriven | GK | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |||
Charlie Sillett | FB | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |||
Fred Tully | FW | 40 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 4 | |||
Frank Ward | FB | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||
Alf Wheeler | FW | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | |||
Stan Woodhouse | HB | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |||
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season | ||||||||||
Doug Rowe | FW | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps. | % | Apps. | % | Apps. | % | |||
1 | Fred Tully | FW | 40 | 95.24 | 2 | 100.00 | 42 | 97.67 |
2 | Charlie Sillett | FB | 39 | 92.86 | 2 | 100.00 | 41 | 95.35 |
3 | Bill Luckett | HB | 38 | 90.48 | 2 | 100.00 | 40 | 93.02 |
4 | Bert Scriven | GK | 33 | 78.57 | 2 | 100.00 | 35 | 81.40 |
5 | Laurie Fishlock | FW | 28 | 66.67 | 1 | 50.00 | 29 | 67.44 |
Arthur Holt | FW | 27 | 64.29 | 2 | 100.00 | 29 | 67.44 | |
7 | Tom Brewis | FW | 27 | 64.29 | 0 | 0.00 | 27 | 62.79 |
Bill Adams | HB | 25 | 59.52 | 2 | 100.00 | 27 | 62.79 | |
9 | Johnny McIlwaine | HB | 24 | 57.14 | 2 | 100.00 | 26 | 60.47 |
10 | Norman Cole | FW | 24 | 57.14 | 1 | 50.00 | 25 | 58.14 |
Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gls. | GPG | Gls. | GPG | Gls. | GPG | |||
1 | Laurie Fishlock | FW | 7 | 0.25 | 2 | 2.00 | 9 | 0.31 |
2 | Norman Cole | FW | 8 | 0.33 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.32 |
3 | Johnny McIlwaine | HB | 7 | 0.29 | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.27 |
4 | Alf Wheeler | FW | 6 | 0.55 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.55 |
5 | Fred Tully | FW | 4 | 0.10 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.10 |
6 | Dick Neal | FW | 3 | 0.14 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.13 |
Tom Brewis | FW | 3 | 0.11 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.11 | |
8 | Arthur Holt | FW | 2 | 0.07 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.07 |
9 | Doug Rowe | FW | 1 | 0.50 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.50 |
Walter Pollard | FW | 1 | 0.10 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.10 | |
Stan Woodhouse | HB | 1 | 0.05 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.05 | |
Bill Adams | HB | 1 | 0.04 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.04 | |
Bill Luckett | HB | 1 | 0.03 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.03 |