1929–30 Southampton F.C. season

Southampton F.C.
1929–30 season
Chairman Sloane Stanley
Manager Arthur Chadwick
Stadium The Dell
Second Division 7th
FA Cup Third round
Top goalscorer League: Dick Rowley (25)
All: Dick Rowley (26)
Highest home attendance 25,934 v Tottenham Hotspur
(26 December 1929)
Lowest home attendance 4,881 v Millwall
(3 March 1930)
Average home league attendance 12,786
Home colours

The 1929–30 season was the 35th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's eighth in the Second Division of the Football League. After finishing fourth in the Second Division the previous season – their highest position in the league to date – Southampton continued their efforts towards achieving promotion to the First Division, but finished three places lower in seventh. The club struggled at the beginning of the league campaign, remaining in the bottom half of the table due to a run of poor results. A period of form including six wins in eight games followed between September and November, enabling the Saints to move up as high as third place. The team remained in the top half of the Second Division table for most of the rest of the season, finishing in seventh place with 17 wins, 11 draws and 14 losses.

In the 1929–30 FA Cup, Southampton entered in the third round away to divisional rivals Bradford City, losing 4–1 to face elimination at the first hurdle for the third consecutive season (their worst run in the season since being knocked out of the first round in 1912, 1913 and 1914). The club ended their season as usual with two fixtures against local rivals Portsmouth, for the Hampshire Benevolent Cup and the Rowland Hospital Cup. The former (played at Fratton Park) ended in a goalless draw, while the latter (played at The Dell) ended in a 2–0 win for the travelling Pompey side. The Saints also played five friendly matches during the 1929–30 season, drawing with Aldershot Town in September, beating Corinthian in February, and drawing with a Salisbury District XI, beating Andover and losing to a Royal Air Force side in April.

Southampton used 28 different players during the 1929–30 season and had thirteen different goalscorers. Their top scorer was centre-forward Dick Rowley, who scored 25 goals in 25 appearances in the Second Division, and the club's only goal in the FA Cup. Willie Haines, the club's top scorer the previous season, ranked second with 15 goals in the league, followed by Johnny Arnold on seven league goals. Nine 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 1929–30 season was 12,786. The highest attendance was 25,934 against Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day 1929, which surpassed the last season's new league record of 24,247. The lowest attendance of the season was 4,881 against Millwall on 3 March 1930.

Background and transfers

Several players left Southampton at the end of the 1928–29 season. In May, inside-forward Tommy Taylor joined Welsh side Rhyl Athletic,[1] while centre-forward Douglas Vernon – signed as an emergency replacement for Willie Haines in February – was recalled by the Royal Air Force.[2] In June, the club sold outside-left Billy Murphy to fellow Second Division club Oldham Athletic,[3] with fellow winger Reg Watson moving the other way as part of the deal.[4] Also in June, the Saints signed inside-forward Bill Fraser from Aldershot Town in an "unusually complicated deal" including an initial payment of £60, another £200 from a friendly match between the two sides, £50 if he made 20 appearances for the first team during the season (which he did not), and a 5% share of any future transfer fee.[5] The following month, inside-left Charlie Petrie and Scottish centre-forward Archie Waterston both moved to the Third Division North – the former joined York City,[6] while the latter joined Tranmere Rovers.[4] In August, Southampton brought in two more players – inside-right Oswald Littler joined from Rochdale (after a Football Association suspension for the player was lifted upon appeal by the club),[7] and full-back Arthur Roberts signed from Ardsley Athletic.[8]

Transfer activity continued during the course of the season. In September 1929, the Saints Supporters Club raised £400 to sign Scottish inside-left Peter Dougall (as well as teammate Hood) from Clyde, with an additional £50 to be paid should either player make six appearances for the club.[9] In October, recent amateur signing Ernie Warren left the club to sign another amateur deal with Southwick, although by March 1930 he had returned to sign for the Saints as a professional.[4] The most significant transfer of the season came in February, when the campaign's top scorer Dick Rowley was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £3,750,[10] the club's second highest transfer fee to date after the £3,860 received for Bill Rawlings two years earlier.[11] In March the club signed forward Thomas Groves from Blakenall and Scottish half-back Alex Sharp from Ayr United,[12][13] with Warren also returning on professional terms.[4] Just before the end of the season, Oswald Littler left Southampton to join Southern League side Guildford City.[7]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Bill Fraser  England FW England Aldershot Town June 1929 [5]
Reg Watson  England FW England Oldham Athletic June 1929 [4]
Oswald Littler  England FW England Rochdale August 1929 [7]
Arthur Roberts  England FB England Ardsley Athletic August 1929 [8]
Peter Dougall  Scotland FW Scotland Clyde September 1929 [9]
Hood (first name unknown) unknown Scotland Clyde September 1929 [9]
Thomas Groves  England FW England Blakenall March 1930 [12]
Alex Sharp  Scotland HB Scotland Ayr United March 1930 [13]
Ernie Warren  England FW England Southwick March 1930 [4]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Tommy Taylor  England FW Wales Rhyl Athletic May 1929 [1]
Douglas Vernon  England FW England Royal Air Force May 1929 [2]
Billy Murphy  England FW England Oldham Athletic June 1929 [3]
Charlie Petrie  England FW England York City July 1929 [6]
Archie Waterston  Scotland FW England Tranmere Rovers July 1929 [4]
Ernie Warren  England FW England Southwick October 1929 [4]
Dick Rowley  Ireland FW England Tottenham Hotspur February 1930 [10]
Oswald Littler  England FW England Guildford City April 1930 [7]

Second Division

Southampton began the 1929–30 Second Division campaign against Barnsley, who had finished the previous season just four points above relegation.[14] During the game, Jerry Mackie became the first Southampton player to be sent off since James Moore in December 1920, as the Saints lost 3–1 and started off in the bottom half of the Second Division league table.[15][16] A 2–2 draw with Hull City was followed by home wins over Blackpool and West Bromwich Albion,[17] which helped the Saints move up to seventh in the league.[18] Dick Rowley quickly established himself as the season's top scorer with consecutive hat-tricks against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest in late September, the latter of which was a 5–0 away win,[17] and later became the first Southampton player to score four goals in an away match when they beat Bradford City 5–2 on 2 November.[10] A week later the club reached third in the Second Division table, their highest position of the season, after having picked up six wins in eight fixtures.[17][19]

The 5–2 win over Bradford City was Southampton's last away win of the season until April, with their poor form on the road holding back their hopes of promotion to the top flight.[15] Three losses and two draws saw the club drop to tenth in the table by mid-December, although by the end of the year they had returned to the top four following three more wins.[20] The home win over Tottenham Hotspur on 26 December was a new league record attendance at The Dell of 25,934.[15] After Rowley was sold to Spurs in February, the club struggled to continue scoring and ultimately dropped too many points to remain in the fight for promotion.[15] In March the club won just one game, a 2–1 home win over Bradford City, although managed to remain in the top seven of the league.[17][21] Three wins out of six in April helped them move up to sixth, although a pair of thrashings at the hands of Charlton Athletic and West Bromwich Albion saw them drop back to seventh, where they finished with 17 wins, 11 draws and 14 losses.[17]

List of match results

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA Avg. Pts
5 Bury 422251578671.16449
6 West Bromwich Albion 4221516105731.43847
7 Southampton 4217111477761.01345
8 Cardiff City 421881661591.03444
9 Wolverhampton Wanderers 421691777790.97541

Results by matchday

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundAHHHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAAA
ResultLDWWLLWWWDLWWWLLLDDWLWWLDLWLWLDWDDDWWWDDLL
Position16151071214109661184379991088749886778888776566677

Source: 11v11.com[22]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

Southampton entered the 1929–30 FA Cup in the third round against Second Division rivals Bradford City, who they had recently beaten 5–2 in the league. The Saints were described by club historians as being in poor form defensively, with "an awful defensive mix-up" leading to an opening goal for the hosts.[15] Dick Rowley equalised later, but Bradford were able to score three more goals and advance.[15] Southampton's elimination marked the third consecutive season in which they had failed to win a game in the FA Cup – their worst run since the three seasons between 1911–12 and 1913–14.[23]

Other matches

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played seven additional first-team matches during the 1929–30 season. The first was a friendly match against Southern League side Aldershot Town on 25 September, which ended in a 3–3 draw. Goals for the Saints were scored by Dick Rowley (two) and Johnny Arnold.[24] The club hosted amateur side Corinthian in February, winning 2–0 thanks to a brace from Willie Haines.[24] Three more friendlies followed in April. The first, against a Salisbury District XI, ended in a 2–2 draw with Bill Fraser and Jerry Mackie scoring for Southampton; the second was a 6–1 thrashing of Hampshire League side Andover, with goals scored by Haines (three), Fraser (two) and Arnold; and the third was a 1–0 loss at a Royal Air Force team.[24]

The club ended the season with two games against local rivals Portsmouth, in the annual Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup fixtures. The former game took place at Fratton Park on 5 May and ended goalless, with both sides dominating a half each according to the Southern Daily Echo.[25] Two days later, Southampton hosted Pompey in the Rowland Hospital Cup. The First Division visitors won the match 2–0 thanks to a pair of goals from centre-forward Methuen, although the Evening News admitted that Portsmouth were "somewhat lucky to win".[25]

Player details

Southampton used 28 different players during the 1929–30 season, 13 of whom scored during the campaign. The team played in a 2–3–5 formation throughout, using two full-backs, three half-backs, two outside forwards, two inside forwards and a centre-forward.[17] Goalkeeper Willie White made the most appearances for the club during the campaign, missing only two league games and the FA Cup fixture. Left-back Michael Keeping played in all but three league games and both end-of-season games.[17] Centre-forward Dick Rowley finished as the season's top scorer with 25 goals in the Second Division and one in the cup, despite leaving the club four three months before the end of the season. Willie Haines, who took Rowley's place in the side after his departure, scored 15 goals in the league, while Johnny Arnold scored seven.[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
Johnny Arnold FW England 187 00 10 197
Arthur Bradford HB England 330 10 20 360
Herbert Coates FW England 254 10 20 284
Stan Cribb FW England 115 10 00 125
Peter Dougall FW Scotland 121 00 00 121
Bill Fraser FW England 100 00 20 120
Thomas Groves FW England 00 00 10 10
Willie Haines FW England 1915 00 00 1915
George Harkus HB England 301 00 00 301
Ted Hough FB England 210 00 20 230
Bert Jepson FW England 144 00 00 144
Michael Keeping FB England 391 10 00 401
Bill Luckett HB England 120 10 00 130
Jerry Mackie FW Scotland 203 10 10 223
A. Newman[lower-alpha 2] FW England 00 00 20 20
Alex Sharp HB Scotland 10 00 00 10
Bert Shelley HB England 110 00 10 120
Bill Stoddart HB England 80 10 20 110
George Thompson GK England 20 10 00 30
Ernie Warren FW England 10 00 00 10
Reg Watson FW England 144 00 10 154
Bobby Weale FW Wales 274 10 00 284
Willie White GK Scotland 400 00 20 420
Arthur Wilson HB England 240 10 00 250
Stan Woodhouse HB England 330 00 20 350
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Oswald Littler FW England 123 00 00 123
Dick Rowley FW Republic of Ireland 2525 11 00 2626

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes the Rowland Hospital Cup and Hampshire Benevolent Cup matches.
  2. ↑ A player named "A. Newman" is listed in the lineups for the Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup matches, however no first name is given.[25]

Most appearances

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Willie White GK 4095.24 00.00 2100.00 4293.33
2 Michael Keeping FB 3992.86 1100.00 00.00 4088.89
3 Arthur Bradford HB 3378.57 1100.00 2100.00 3680.00
4 Stan Woodhouse HB 3378.57 00.00 2100.00 3577.78
5 George Harkus HB 3071.43 00.00 00.00 3066.67
6 Bobby Weale FW 2764.29 1100.00 00.00 2862.22
Herbert Coates FW 2559.52 1100.00 2100.00 2862.22
8 Dick Rowley FW 2559.52 1100.00 00.00 2657.78
9 Arthur Wilson FW 2457.14 1100.00 00.00 2555.56
10 Ted Hough FB 210.50 00.00 2100.00 2351.11

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Dick Rowley FW 251.00 11.00 00.00 261.00
2 Willie Haines FW 150.78 00.00 00.00 150.78
3 Johnny Arnold FW 70.38 00.00 00.00 70.36
4 Stan Cribb FW 50.45 00.00 00.00 50.41
5 Bert Jepson FW 40.28 00.00 00.00 40.28
Reg Watson FW 40.28 00.00 00.00 40.26
Herbert Coates FW 40.16 00.00 00.00 40.14
Bobby Weale FW 40.14 00.00 00.00 40.14
9 Oswald Littler FW 30.25 00.00 00.00 30.25
Jerry Mackie FW 30.15 00.00 00.00 30.13

References

  • 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. 184
  2. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 194
  3. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 140
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 198
  5. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 71
  6. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 150
  7. 1 2 3 4 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 116
  8. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 159
  9. 1 2 3 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 60
  10. 1 2 3 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, pp. 163–164
  11. ↑ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 304
  12. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 79
  13. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 168
  14. ↑ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 81
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 82
  16. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 31 August 1929". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 83
  18. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 09 September 1929". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 09 November 1929". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 28 December 1929". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 29 March 1930". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  22. ↑ "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  23. ↑ "Southampton". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  24. 1 2 3 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 212
  25. 1 2 3 Juson et al. 2004, p. 126
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