1930–31 Southampton F.C. season

Southampton F.C.
1930–31 season
Chairman Sloane Stanley
Manager Arthur Chadwick
(until 16 April 1931)
Stadium The Dell
Second Division 9th
FA Cup Third round
Top goalscorer League: Willie Haines (15)
All: Willie Haines (15)
Highest home attendance 23,156 v Tottenham Hotspur
(26 December 1930)
Lowest home attendance 8,785 v Charlton Athletic
(28 March 1931)
Average home league attendance 12,371
Home colours

The 1930–31 season was the 36th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's ninth in the Second Division of the Football League. After securing their place as a top-half side in the Second Division over the past two seasons, the Saints began to loose their footing on the league and dropped to ninth in the division. The club failed to win any of their first four games of the campaign, briefly struggling to stay above the two relegation places, but had soon made their way to the top half of the division where they remained for the rest of the season. The Saints were unable to challenge for promotion to the First Division, however, briefly reaching the top five but remaining a long way off the top two sides. Southampton finished the season in ninth place in the table with 19 wins, six draws and 17 losses.

In the 1930–31 FA Cup, Southampton travelled to face First Division side Sunderland in the third round in January. The top-flight hosts beat the Saints convincingly 2–0, with the Second Division side dropping out of the tournament after just one game for the fourth season in a row (the second time in their history they had done so). Prior to the start of the campaign, Southampton completed a pre-season tour of Denmark from May to June which included games against Odense BK, AGF Aarhus, Aalborg BK (all of which they won) and Horsens fS (which they lost). They played just one more friendly match during the season, a 3–3 draw with Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in March 1931. The club ended the season with two games against Portsmouth, for the Rowland Hospital Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup.

Southampton used 36 different players during the 1930–31 season and had fifteen different goalscorers. Their top-scorer was centre-forward Willie Haines, who scored 15 goals in 21 appearances in the Second Division, all in the second half of the season. Johnny Arnold scored eight goals in the league, followed by Herbert Coates, Bill Fraser, Bert Jepson and Johnny McIlwaine, all on seven goals. Ten players were signed by the club during the campaign, with six released and sold to other clubs. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1930–31 season was 12,371. The highest attendance was 23,156 against Tottenham Hotspur on 26 December 1930. The lowest was 8,785 against Charlton Athletic on 28 March 1931. The season was the club's last to feature manager Arthur Chadwick, who left in April.

Background and transfers

After the conclusion of the 1929–30 season, outside-left Stan Cribb joined First Division side West Ham United, having lost his place in the team to Johnny Arnold.[1] Recently signed Scottish centre-half Alex Sharp also left the club, returning to his native country with Tranent Juniors.[2] George Harkus left later in the summer, briefly joining French side Olympique Lyonnais.[3] Southampton manager Arthur Chadwick brought in several players during the pre-season period. Most significant of the additions was Portsmouth captain Johnny McIlwaine, who signed in June for a club record fee of £2,650.[4] Around the same time, the club also signed outside-forward Peter Cowper from Third Division North side New Brighton and inside-forward Laurie Cumming from divisional rivals Oldham Athletic.[5][6] Billy Stage joined from Burnley in July.[7] Just before the season started, goalkeeper George Thompson and forward Bobby Weale also left the club – the former joined Dinnington Miners' Welfare,[8] while the latter signed for Cardiff City.[9]

Transfer activity continued throughout the 1930–31 season. In September, the club signed full-back Reg Thomas on amateur terms from Western League side Weymouth (he turned professional in December).[8] Horden Colliery Welfare centre-forward Arthur Haddleton signed the following month,[10] when Thomas Groves left after his contract was cancelled.[11] In November, amateur forward Sid Grover was signed from local Hampshire League side Romsey Town.[11] In the new year, several more players were signed by Southampton. Romsey Town inside-forward Fred Allan and Cowes Sports winger Chris Crossley signed on amateur terms in March,[12][6] and the following month goalkeeper Bill Soffe was brought in from Totton, another Hampshire League club.[13] Grover, Allan, Crossley and Soffe were all rushed into the first-team for the penultimate game of the season against Portsmouth in May, having only made appearances for the reserves thus far, after 15 Southampton players refused to sign new contracts.[14]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Peter Cowper  England FW England New Brighton June 1930 [5]
Laurie Cumming  Ireland FW England Oldham Athletic June 1930 [6]
Johnny McIlwaine  Scotland HB England Portsmouth June 1930 [4]
Billy Stage  England FW England Burnley July 1930 [7]
Reg Thomas  England FB England Weymouth September 1930 [8]
Arthur Haddleton  England FW England Horden Colliery Welfare October 1930 [10]
Sid Grover  England FW England Romsey Town November 1930 [11]
Fred Allan  England FW England Romsey Town March 1931 [12]
Chris Crossley  England FW England Cowes March 1931 [6]
Bill Soffe  England GK England Totton April 1931 [13]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Stan Cribb  England FW England West Ham United May 1930 [1]
Alex Sharp  Scotland HB Scotland Tranent Juniors May 1930 [2]
George Harkus  England HB France Olympique Lyonnais June 1930 [3]
George Thompson  England GK England Dinnington Miners' Welfare August 1930 [8]
Bobby Weale  Wales FW Wales Cardiff City August 1930 [9]
Thomas Groves  England FW none (retired) October 1930 [11]

Second Division

Southampton began the 1930–31 Second Division season on 30 August 1930 with a 5–0 loss at Preston North End,[15] which sent the club straight to the bottom of the league table.[16] Draws at home to Nottingham Forest and Burnley were followed by another away defeat against Oldham Athletic, leaving the Saints firmly in the battle against relegation.[15] The club's fortunes quickly turned around, however, as they embarked on an eight-match unbeaten run which included five wins to help them move up to the top seven of the table.[15][17] Much of the rest of the calendar year was spent alternating between winning and losing, during which time the team remained in the middle of the table. In November and December the club picked up wins over promotion hopefuls such as Tottenham Hotspur and Preston North End, while dropping points to strugglers like Cardiff City and Bristol City.[15] They remained in the top eight of the Second Division table by the end of December, still in with a chance of reaching promotion.[18]

The pattern of Southampton's season continued throughout the early months of 1931, as the team won against a host of lower-placed sides and lost against those in the higher level of the table.[15] After drawing 3–3 with Plymouth Argyle on 17 January, the Saints did not draw again for the rest of the season, contributing to a club record 27 games without sharing points which extended into the early stages of the following season.[19] After returning to the side in late December, centre-forward Willie Haines took over from Herbert Coates as the season's top scorer when he scored 15 goals in the last 20 games of the league, including three consecutive matches in which he scored twice in January.[15] With Southampton safe in the top half of the table, manager Arthur Chadwick departed from the club on 16 April 1931 and retired from management, following a 23-year career.[20] The club finished in seventh place with 19 wins, six draws and 17 losses, ten points behind West Bromwich Albion in the first promotion place.[15]

List of match results

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA Avg. Pts
7 Preston North End 4217111483641.29745
8 Burnley 4217111481771.05245
9 Southampton 421961774621.19444
10 Bradford City 4217101561630.96844
11 Stoke City 4217101564710.90144

Results by matchday

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHHAHAAHAHAHAAHHAHA
ResultLDDLWWDWDWDWLLWLWLWLWLWLDWLLWWLWWLWLLWWLWL
Position22151618169121098878101010101110118108101091011989877579771079

Source: 11v11.com[21]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

Southampton entered the 1930–31 FA Cup in the third round, travelling north to face First Division side Sunderland on 10 January 1931 in the first competitive meeting between the two clubs.[20] Club historians described the hosts as "by far the better side", with the Saints going a goal down within ten minutes of the start of the game before being eliminated with a second goal later on.[20] The team were weak in both defence and attack, with the performances of Bert Shelley and Johnny McIlwaine (playing at centre-forward in place of Willie Haines, who was absent due to illness) singled out by club historians as particularly poor.[20]

Other matches

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played seven additional first-team matches during the 1930–31 season. Shortly after the previous season's Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup games against Portsmouth, the club conducted a close season tour of Denmark in which they played four matches against local Danish league teams. The Saints won three of these games, beating Odense BK 3–0 on 25 May, AGF Aarhus 4–0 on 29 May and Aalborg BK 3–1 on 1 June, before losing 4–3 to Horsens fS on 5 June.[22] The only other friendly match the club played during the season was against local Third Division South side Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic on 25 March 1931 at Dean Court. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, with Willie Haines scoring a hat-trick for the visiting Saints.[22]

Prior to the club's penultimate game of the season, at home to Portsmouth in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup, 15 Southampton players had turned down new contracts from the club and refused to play again. As a result, the club had to field a team including a number of reserves and former players who had agreed to step in as guests, including wing-half Len Butt, centre-forward Bill Rawlings and inside-forward Arthur Dominy.[14] Organised by Hampshire FA secretary G. J. Eden, the makeshift side lost 4–0 to Portsmouth at The Dell, with goals scored by Jack Weddle, Jimmy Easson and Septimus Rutherford (two).[14] The Rowland Hospital Cup game two days later featured a team consisting mainly of reserve players, with Fred Allan and Arthur Haddleton scoring for the Saints in the 2–2 draw at Fratton Park.[23]

Player details

Southampton used 36 different players during the 1930–31 season, 15 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.[15] Arthur Bradford, Bert Jepson and Bill Adams made the most appearances for the club during the campaign, all playing in 40 games across all competitions. Left-back Michael Keeping played in 39 games, missing four league matches and the two end-of-season cup games.[15] Centre-forward Willie Haines finished as the season's top scorer with 15 goals in the Second Division, followed by Johnny Arnold on eight goals. Four players – Herbert Coates, Bill Fraser, Bert Jepson and Johnny McIlwaine – scored seven goals in the league.[15]

At the end of the season, 15 players offered new contracts by the club refused to sign the terms or play in the final games of the season against Portsmouth. For the Hampshire Benevolent Cup match, Hampshire FA secretary G. J. Eden arranged a "Hampshire County Team" to play against Pompey at The Dell, which included just three players with first-team appearances during the season.[14] Alongside Bill Adams, Arthur Haddleton and Coates were reserve team players Bill Soffe, Reg Thomas and Ernie Warren, as well as returning former players Len Butt, George Harkus, Bill Rawlings and Arthur Dominy, plus Cardiff City striker Frank Matson.[14] Soffe, Thomas and Warren also played in the Rowland Hospital Cup, alongside fellow reserves Fred Allan, Chris Crossley and Sid Grover.[23]

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 370 10 20 400
Fred Allan FW England 00 00 11 11
Johnny Arnold FW England 308 10 00 318
Arthur Bradford HB England 390 10 00 400
Herbert Coates FW England 167 10 20 197
Peter Cowper FW England 40 00 00 40
Chris Crossley FW England 00 00 10 10
Laurie Cumming FW Republic of Ireland 204 10 00 214
Peter Dougall FW Scotland 144 00 00 144
Bill Fraser FW England 227 00 00 227
Sid Grover FW England 00 00 10 10
Arthur Haddleton FW England 10 00 21 31
Willie Haines FW England 2115 00 00 2115
Ted Hough FB England 30 00 00 30
Bert Jepson FW England 397 10 00 407
Michael Keeping FB England 381 10 00 391
Bill Luckett HB England 210 00 00 210
Jerry Mackie FW Scotland 145 00 00 145
Johnny McIlwaine HB Scotland 267 10 00 277
Arthur Roberts FB England 40 00 00 40
Bert Scriven GK England 290 00 00 290
Bert Shelley HB England 230 10 10 250
Bill Soffe GK England 00 00 20 20
Billy Stage FW England 41 00 00 41
Bill Stoddart HB England 00 00 10 10
Reg Thomas FB England 00 00 20 20
Ernie Warren FW England 00 00 20 20
Reg Watson FW England 51 00 00 51
Willie White GK Scotland 130 10 00 140
Arthur Wilson HB England 135 00 00 135
Stan Woodhouse HB England 260 10 00 270
Players who appeared for the club as guests
Len Butt HB England 00 00 10 10
Arthur Dominy FW England 00 00 10 10
George Harkus HB England 00 00 10 10
Frank Matson FW Wales 00 00 10 10
Bill Rawlings FW England 00 00 10 10

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes the Rowland Hospital Cup and Hampshire Benevolent Cup matches.

Most appearances

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Arthur Bradford HB 3992.86 1100.00 00.00 4088.89
Bert Jepson FW 3992.86 1100.00 00.00 4088.89
Bill Adams HB 3788.10 1100.00 2100.00 4088.89
4 Michael Keeping FB 3890.48 1100.00 00.00 3986.67
5 Johnny Arnold FW 3071.43 1100.00 00.00 3168.89
6 Bert Scriven GK 2969.05 00.00 00.00 2964.44
7 Johnny McIlwaine HB 2661.90 1100.00 00.00 2760.00
Stan Woodhouse HB 2661.90 1100.00 00.00 2760.00
9 Bert Shelley HB 2354.76 1100.00 150.00 2555.56
10 Bill Fraser FW 2252.38 00.00 00.00 2248.89

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Willie Haines FW 150.71 00.00 00.00 150.71
2 Johnny Arnold FW 80.26 00.00 00.00 80.25
3 Herbert Coates FW 70.43 00.00 00.00 70.36
Bill Fraser FW 70.31 00.00 00.00 70.31
Johnny McIlwaine HB 70.26 00.00 00.00 70.25
Bert Jepson FW 70.17 00.00 00.00 70.17
7 Arthur Wilson HB 50.38 00.00 00.00 50.38
Jerry Mackie FW 50.35 00.00 00.00 50.35
9 Peter Dougall FW 40.28 00.00 00.00 40.28
Laurie Cumming FW 40.20 00.00 00.00 40.19

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. 48
  2. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 168
  3. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, pp. 84–85
  4. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 122
  5. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 47
  6. 1 2 3 4 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 49
  7. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 179
  8. 1 2 3 4 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 185
  9. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 199
  10. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 81
  11. 1 2 3 4 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 79
  12. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 3
  13. 1 2 Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 177
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Juson et al. 2004, p. 127
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 85
  16. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 30 August 1930". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 25 October 1930". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 27 December 1930". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "Southampton scoring and sequence records". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 84
  21. ↑ "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  22. 1 2 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 212
  23. 1 2 Juson et al. 2004, p. 128
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