1925–26 Southampton F.C. season

Southampton F.C.
1925–26 season
Chairman Wyndham Portal
Manager George Goss
(until October 1925)
Arthur Chadwick
(from October 1925)
Stadium The Dell
Second Division 14th
FA Cup Third round
Top goalscorer League: Bill Rawlings (20)
All: Bill Rawlings (20)
Highest home attendance 18,391 v Liverpool
(9 January 1926)
Lowest home attendance 5,000 v Oldham Athletic
(27 March 1926)
Average home league attendance 9,806
Home colours

The 1925–26 season was the 31st season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's fourth in the Second Division of the Football League. After finishing in the top half of the league table in their first three seasons in the division, Southampton had their worst year to date in the second flight when they finished in 14th place, ending just six points above the first relegation position. The club suffered a string of losses at the beginning of the campaign, leaving them with points to make up in later months. Former player Arthur Chadwick was brought in as Southampton's new manager in October, and the club subsequently secured their position in the Second Division with a run of wins over the Christmas period, despite continuing to lose points. The club finished in 14th place with 15 wins, eight draws and 19 losses.

In the 1925–26 FA Cup (the first in which all First and Second Division clubs entered at the third round), Southampton faced top-flight side Liverpool at The Dell for the third year running in the tournament. The game finished goalless, and the Saints were eliminated in the replay by a single goal. As usual, the club ended the season with two games against local rivals Portsmouth, for the Rowland Hospital Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup, respectively. Pompey won both games, beating the Saints 4–2 at The Dell in the former and 5–1 at Fratton Park in the latter. The club also played five additional friendly games during the campaign, beating Portsmouth in September and Leicester City in March, drawing with Corinthian in January and Guildford United in April, and losing to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in April.

Southampton used 29 different players during the 1925–26 season and had 14 different goalscorers. The club's top scorer was centre-forward Bill Rawlings, who scored 20 goals in the Second Division and one in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. Six new players were signed by the club during the campaign, with eight released and sold to other clubs. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1925–26 season was 9,806. The highest attendance was 18,391 for the FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool on 9 January 1926; the lowest was around 5,000 against Oldham Athletic in the league on 27 March 1926. The season was the club's last to feature long-time forward Arthur Dominy, who left on a free transfer to join First Division side Everton in the summer of 1926, having made almost 400 appearances for the Saints.

Background and transfers

At the end of the 1924–25 season, several players left Southampton. Amongst the departures were a number of players who had spent only a season with the club: outside-left Fred Price joined Wolverhampton Wanderers,[1] Scottish centre-half John Callagher signed for Third Division North side Wigan Borough,[2] right-half Dennis Jones left for Midland League champions Mansfield Town,[3] and outside-right Tommy Broad was sold to Weymouth in the Southern League.[4] Albert Barrett, a wing-half who had only joined from West Ham United in February, left in June to join Fulham.[5] Scottish forward Willie McCall joined Queen of the South on a permanent basis in September, having spent the previous season on loan at the club.[6] The club also added several players in the summer, signing outside-right Cuthbert Coundon from North Eastern League club Jarrow,[7] inside-left Frank Matthews from Second Division rivals Barnsley,[8] and Welsh forward Ernest Turner from Third Division South side Merthyr Town.[9]

One of the later signings of the summer was goalkeeper Len Hill, who joined from Queens Park Rangers in June 1925.[10] Regular keeper Tommy Allen had turned down a new contract at the club, leading to the signing of Hill as his replacement. Allen later agreed to new terms in October and returned to his place as first-choice Southampton goalkeeper, with Hill making sporadic appearances later in the season.[10] Transfer activity continued throughout the season. In December 1925 the club signed inside-forward Jim Swinden from Salisbury City, following a trial in which he scored two goals on his debut for the reserve side against Folkestone.[11] In March 1926, right-half Bill Adams joined from Southern League side Guildford United.[12] Needing money to purchase the freehold of The Dell, Southampton sold mainstay full-backs Fred Titmuss and Tom Parker in early 1926 – the former in February to Plymouth Argyle for £1,750; the latter in March to Arsenal for £3,250 – which "caused uproar amongst supporters".[13]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Cuthbert Coundon  England FW England Jarrow April 1925 [7]
Frank Matthews  England FW England Barnsley May 1925 [8]
Ernest Turner  Wales FW Wales Merthyr Town May 1925 [9]
Len Hill  England GK England Queens Park Rangers June 1925 [10]
Jim Swinden  England FW England Salisbury City December 1925 [11]
Bill Adams  England HB England Guildford United March 1926 [12]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Fred Price  England FW England Wolverhampton Wanderers May 1925 [1]
Albert Barrett  England HB England Fulham June 1925 [5]
John Callagher  Scotland HB England Wigan Borough June 1925 [2]
Dennis Jones  England HB England Mansfield Town June 1925 [3]
Tommy Broad  England FW England Weymouth September 1925 [4]
Willie McCall  Scotland FW Scotland Queen of the South September 1925 [6]
Fred Titmuss  England FB England Plymouth Argyle February 1926 [14]
Tom Parker  England FB England Arsenal March 1926 [15]

Second Division

The 1925–26 season started off poorly for Southampton, who lost their first four matches of the campaign and scored only two goals to find themselves at the bottom of the Second Division league table.[16] The run included a 3–1 home defeat to local rivals Portsmouth described by club historians as a "particularly bitter blow",[13] and a 4–0 loss at fellow mid-table side Hull City.[17] After picking up their first points with a win over Nottingham Forest and a draw at Derby County, Southampton appointed former half-back Arthur Chadwick as the club's new manager, after secretary George Goss and the board of directors had been temporarily managing the club following Jimmy McIntyre's departure the previous December.[13] The team's position in the league slowly began to improve as they picked up a few more points, including 4–1 wins over Darlington and Swansea Town, before another run of four losses leading up to Christmas left them 19th in the table, one point above the relegation zone with more games played than teams below.[17][18]

After being eliminated from the FA Cup at the first hurdle, Southampton's fortunes in the league began to change. The club won four out of four games between 16 January and 10 February 1926, including a 2–1 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park and a 5–0 thrashing of fellow strugglers Bradford City at Valley Parade – their biggest win in the Second Division.[13][17] The Saints continued to pick up important wins throughout the final months of the season, allowing them to secure a mid-table finish with games remaining. Highlights included a 4–2 victory over promotion hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers and a 3–1 defeat of Oldham Athletic, who would finish seventh in the league.[17] The side remained in 14th place for the last five games of the season, where they finished with 15 wins, eight draws and 19 losses.[17] Club historians described Southampton's 1925–26 campaign as "a disappointing season", noting that it ended with "rumblings off the field" following the controversial transfers of Tom Parker and Fred Titmuss.[13]

List of match results

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA Avg. Pts
12 Preston North End 421871771840.84543
13 Hull City 421691763611.03341
14 Southampton 421581963631.00038
15 Darlington 4214101872770.93538
16 Bradford City 4213101947660.71236

Results by matchday

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAHHAHAHAHAAAHHHA
ResultLLLLWDLLDWDLWDWLWDLLLLWDWWWWLLWLWLWLDWLWLD
Position162021222018191919171718171716171616171819191919181413121415141513151415151414141414

Source: 11v11.com[19]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

The 1925–26 FA Cup was the first edition of the competition in which all First Division and Second Division clubs entered at the third round.[13] Southampton entered the tournament at home to Liverpool, who they were facing for the third consecutive year – they had lost in 1923–24,[20] and had won in 1924–25.[21] The hosts entered the game with regular starters Bert Shelley and Cliff Price unavailable due to injury, and during the match goalkeeper Tommy Allen suffered bruised ribs in a collision with defender Michael Keeping, forcing him to leave the field.[13] Half-back Arthur Bradford took over in goal, and the Saints held on for a goalless draw.[13] In the replay at Anfield four days later, Southampton succumbed to a 1–0 defeat by the top-flight side, with Dick Forshaw scoring the only goal of the game after 65 minutes.[13]

Other matches

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played seven additional first-team matches during the 1925–26 season. The first was a friendly against local rivals Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 23 September 1925, a testimonial for former Pompey (and briefly Saints) full-back Jack Warner.[22] The visitors won the game 3–0, with Jimmy Bullock at centre-forward scoring all three goals – the first a "glorious shot" in the 36th minute, and the other two in the Southampton-dominated second half.[22] On 28 January 1926 the club faced amateur side Corinthian at The Dell,[23] drawing 3–3 with goals from Bill Rawlings (two) and Bill Henderson.[24] On 15 March they hosted Leicester City in a benefit match for Tommy Allen and Bert Shelley, beating the recently promoted First Division club 2–0 thanks to a brace from Frank Matthews.[24] In April the club played two more friendly matches, drawing 1–1 with Guildford United at Joseph's Road and losing 1–0 to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic at Dean Court.[24]

As in previous years, Southampton ended the 1925–26 season with two more matches against Portsmouth, competing for the Rowland Hospital Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. The first meeting, on 3 May 1926 for the former trophy, was a high-scoring affair ending in a 4–2 win for the visiting Pompey side. A George Harkus own goal opened the scoring, after he passed back to goalkeeper James Thitchener, who controlled the ball but was already over the goal line.[25] Michael Keeping equalised with a penalty after a handball by John McColgan, but by half-time it was 3–1 against the Saints following another own goal and a McColgan penalty.[25] In the second half, Jerry Mackie added a fourth for Pompey before Jimmy Bullock scored a second consolation goal for the hosts.[25] Two days later, the sides met again at Fratton Park for the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. The hosts were victorious again, in a similarly high-scoring game, as they thrashed Southampton 5–1.[26] The club were 3–0 up at half-time through goals from Goodwin and a Willie Haines brace, before Haines completed his hat-trick in the second half and Haywood scored a fifth.[26] Bill Rawlings scored the consolation goal for the travelling Southampton side.[26]

Player details

Southampton used 29 different players during the 1925–26 season, 14 of whom scored during the campaign. The team played in a 2–3–5 formation throughout the campaign, using two full-backs, three half-backs, two outside forwards, two inside forwards and a centre-forward.[17] Left-half Stan Woodhouse made the most appearances during the season, playing in 37 of 42 league matches, both FA Cup matches and the Rowland Hospital Cup. Centre-forward Bill Rawlings missed seven league games, while outside-right Bill Henderson appeared in all but eight league games and the Rowland Hospital Cup.[17] Rawlings finished the season as the club's top scorer, with 20 goals in the league and one in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. Inside-left Cliff Price scored seven goals in his 16 league appearances. Woodhouse was the top-scoring half-back of the season with two league goals, and Michael Keeping was the top-scoring full-back with two goals in the Second Division and one in the Rowland Hospital Cup.[17]

Squad statistics

Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Other[lower-alpha 1] Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Bill Adams HB England 00 00 10 10
Tommy Allen GK England 240 10 10 260
Arthur Bradford HB England 221 20 00 241
Les Bruton FW England 20 00 00 20
Jimmy Bullock FW England 104 00 21 125
Alec Campbell HB England 191 20 00 211
Jimmy Carr FW Scotland 344 20 00 364
Cuthbert Coundon FW England 83 00 00 83
Stan Cribb FW England 90 00 20 110
Arthur Dominy FW England 276 20 00 296
George Harkus HB England 280 20 20 320
Harris[lower-alpha 2] FW England 00 00 20 20
Bill Henderson FW England 343 20 10 373
Len Hill GK England 100 10 00 110
Ted Hough FB England 130 00 20 150
Michael Keeping FB England 312 20 21 353
Ernie King HB England 10 00 00 10
Frank Matthews FW England 165 00 00 165
Sammy Meston FW England 10 00 00 10
Cliff Price FW England 167 00 00 167
Bill Rawlings FW England 3520 20 21 3921
Bert Shelley HB England 210 00 20 230
Smith[lower-alpha 2] FW England 00 00 10 10
James Thitchener GK England 00 00 10 10
Ernest Turner FW Wales 163 00 00 163
Stan Woodhouse HB England 372 20 10 402
Harry Yeomans GK England 80 00 00 80
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Tom Parker FB England 291 20 00 311
Fred Titmuss FB England 110 00 00 110

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes the Rowland Hospital Cup and Hampshire Benevolent Cup matches.
  2. 1 2 Players named "Harris" and "Smith" are listed in the lineup for the Rowland Hospital Cup match, however no first names are given.[25]

Most appearances

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Stan Woodhouse HB 3788.10 2100.00 150.00 4086.96
2 Bill Rawlings FW 3583.33 2100.00 2100.00 3984.78
3 Bill Henderson FW 3480.95 2100.00 150.00 3780.43
4 Jimmy Carr FW 3480.95 2100.00 00 3678.26
5 Michael Keeping FB 3173.81 2100.00 2100.00 3576.09
6 George Harkus HB 2866.67 2100.00 2100.00 3269.57
7 Tom Parker FB 2969.05 2100.00 00.00 3167.39
8 Arthur Dominy FW 2764.29 2100.00 00.00 2963.04
9 Tommy Allen GK 2457.14 150.00 150.00 2656.52
10 Arthur Bradford HB 2252.38 2100.00 00.00 2452.17

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Bill Rawlings FW 200.57 00.00 10.50 210.53
2 Cliff Price FW 70.43 00.00 00.00 70.43
3 Arthur Dominy FW 60.22 00.00 00.00 60.20
4 Jimmy Bullock FW 40.40 00.00 10.50 50.41
Frank Matthews FW 50.31 00.00 00.00 50.31
6 Jimmy Carr FW 40.11 00.00 00.00 40.11
7 Cuthbert Coundon FW 30.37 00.00 00.00 30.37
Ernest Turner FW 30.18 00.00 00.00 30.18
Michael Keeping FB 20.06 00.00 10.50 30.08
Bill Henderson FW 30.08 00.00 00.00 30.08

References

  • Cavallini, Rob (2007), Play Up Corinth: A History of the Corinthian Football Club, Stroud: Stadia, ISBN 978-0752444796
  • Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (10 August 1987), A Complete Record of Southampton Football Club: 1885–1987, Derby, England: Breedon Books, ISBN 978-0907969228
  • Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (28 November 2013), All the Saints: A Complete Who's Who of Southampton FC, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN 978-0992686406
  • Juson, Dave; Aldworth, Clay; Bendel, Barry; Bull, David; Chalk, Gary (10 November 2004), Saints v Pompey: A History of Unrelenting Rivalry, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN 978-0953447459

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 153
  2. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 34
  3. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 105
  4. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 24
  5. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 8
  6. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, pp. 118–119
  7. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 47
  8. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 129
  9. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 191
  10. 1 2 3 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 93
  11. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 182
  12. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 2
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 74
  14. ↑ Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 187
  15. ↑ Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 146
  16. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 07 September 1925". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 75
  18. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 25 December 1925". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  20. ↑ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 70
  21. ↑ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 72
  22. 1 2 Juson et al. 2004, p. 115
  23. ↑ Cavallini 2007, pp. 258–259
  24. 1 2 3 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 212
  25. 1 2 3 4 Juson et al. 2004, p. 117
  26. 1 2 3 Juson et al. 2004, p. 118
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