1895–96 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. 1895–96 Charles Robson Secretary Dr Henry William Russell Bencraft President Antelope Ground Southern League 3rd FA Cup Round 1 Jack Farrell (10) Jack Farrell (14) 12,000 vs The Wednesday (1 February 1896) (FA Cup) _upperwhite _redhalf FFFFFF FF0000 000080 000080 1894–95 1896–97 The 1895–96 season was the eleventh since the foundation of Southampton St. Mary's F.C. and their second in league football, as members of the Southern League. They finished the league season in third place behind the previous season's champions, Millwall Athletic, and Luton Town. In the FA Cup they reached the first round proper for the second consecutive season, where they were defeated by The Wednesday, of the Football League. Pre-season In the spring of 1895, Charles Robson had been appointed secretary to Southampton St Mary's Football Club, then playing in the Southern League.Chalk Holley 1987 18 As secretary, he was responsible for signing new players and agreeing player contracts as well as being involved in team selection – the day to day coaching and training of the players was in the hands of the trainer. One of Robson's first acts as secretary was to accompany Alfred McMinn, one of the club committee, on a trip to the Potteries to recruit players. McMinn was a native of Staffordshire and was "most persuasive on his home turf".Juson Bull 2001 36 On this trip, Robson and McMinn signed six players: Jack Farrell, Samuel Meston and Willie Naughton from Stoke, Watty Keay from Derby County, Joe Turner from Dresden United and Alf Wood from Burslem Port Vale, as well as recruiting Stoke's long-serving trainer, Bill Dawson. The Saints committee were anxious to secure their services and signed then before the Football League season was over. Port Vale and Stoke lodged a complaint with the Football Association about "poaching", and an emergency FA meeting was held at Sheffield, resulting in the Saints being severely censured for negligence. St Mary's were ordered to pay their own costs, plus £4 6s 3d to Stoke and £1 13s to Port Vale. McMinn was suspended for a year and Dawson for a month. Wood's registration with St Mary's was cancelled (shortly afterwards he moved to Stoke).Chalk Holley 1987 18Juson Bull 2001 36–37 A proposal was put forward that the name of the club should be amended from Southampton St. Mary's to plain Southampton F.C. – this was rejected on the grounds that the club could no longer be called "The Saints" if the official name was changed.Chalk Holley 1987 18 One change that was approved was that the team jerseys should be red and white halves rather than red and white quarters.Chalk Holley 1987 18 League season thumb|250px|The entrance to the Antelope Ground The 1895–96 season was the Saints' second in the Southern League, having finished third in the inaugural season. The team started the season badly, losing four of the first five matches, all of which were away from home. The poor start to the season was blamed on the inability of the new players to settle in the area.Chalk Holley 1987 18 Eventually, under trainer Dawson's guidance, the team's form improved and there were only two further league defeats; after mid-December, the team suffered only one defeat and kept eight "clean sheets", despite first-choice goalkeeper Tom Cain missing several matches through injury. At the end of the season, they finished third behind Millwall Athletic and Luton Town, with the top three positions identical to the previous year. Top scorer in the league was Jack Farrell with ten goals from his 17 appearances. The highlight of the league season was the visit of Millwall on 21 March 1896 when a crowd of 8,000 saw the Saints defeat the reigning champions 2–0, with goals from Charles Baker and Joe Turner.Chalk Holley 1987 18 In addition to the Southern League and FA Cup matches, the club played nearly 30 friendly matches, including a 9–0 victory over the Dublin Fusiliers and a 13–0 victory over the City Ramblers, in both of which Jack Farrell scored five goals. There were also victories over Dundee and Tottenham Hotspur.Chalk Holley 1987 211 At the end of the season, the Saints had to vacate the Antelope Ground, which had been sold for re-development, and moved to the County Ground, partly through the connections of the club's president, Robson's former Hampshire strike partner, Dr. H. W. R. Bencraft, who was also Hon. Secretary to the cricket club.Chalk Holley 1987 216 League results Date OpponentsH / AResultF – AScorers 14 September 1895 Millwall AthleticA0 – 1 21 September 1895ChathamA1 – 3Naughton28 September 1895ReadingA2 – 3Naughton, Turner5 October 1895Royal OrdnanceA2 – 1Farrell (2)19 October 1895 ClaptonA3 – 7Angus, Baker, Farrell26 October 1895 Luton TownH2 – 1Naughton, Turner16 November 1895IlfordA1 – 0Rogers30 November 1895 New BromptonA0 – 1 7 December 1895 Swindon TownH4 – 2Littlehales, Naughton, Taylor, Turner21 December 1895 ReadingH5 – 0Keay (3), Farrell, Littlehales18 January 1896 Chatham TownH4 – 0Farrell (2), Naughton (2)25 January 1896 Royal OrdnanceH5 – 0Baker, Keay, Littlehales, Naughton, Turner15 February 1896 Swindon TownA2 – 0 Baker, Littlehales7 March 1896 Luton TownA0 – 3 21 March 1896 Millwall AthleticH2 – 0Baker, Turner28 March 1896New BromptonH5 – 0Hodgkinson (2), Baker, Farrell, Naughton 3 April 1896 ClaptonH2 – 0Farrell, Keay 4 April 1896 IlfordH4 – 0Farrell (2), Keay, Turner Legend WinDrawLoss Top of league table Division One SOU FA Cup In the FA Cup, an away victory over local rivals Freemantle in the first qualifying round was followed by comfortable home victories over Marlow (5–0), Reading (3–0) and Uxbridge (3–0).Chalk Holley 1987 18 In the First Round proper, the Saints received a home draw against opposition from the Football League First Division for the second consecutive year, this time against The Wednesday. Saints' trainer, Bill Dawson, spent the week leading up to Wednesday's visit with extra training for the players, taking them through their paces on Shawford Down.Bull Brunskell 2000 16–17 For the match, played at the Antelope Ground on 1 February 1896, the crowd was estimated at 12,000, by far the largest yet recorded for a football match in Southampton.Bull Brunskell 2000 16–17 The Saints had to play their third-choice goalkeeper, Walter Cox as Tom Cain was injured, and the Royal Artillery refused to allow on-loan 'keeper "Gunner" Reilly to play.Bull Brunskell 2000 16–17 The Saints took an early lead, through Watty Keay, before two goals from Alec BradyCollett 2003 545 gave Wednesday the half-time lead. Wednesday increased their lead shortly after the break, and although Joe Turner got one back, the Saints were unable to score an equalizer.Bull Brunskell 2000 16–17 Wednesday ran out 3–2 winners and went on to win the Cup the following April.Collett 2003 545 DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF – AScorersAttendance12 October 1895 1st Qualifying Round FreemantleA5 – 1Farrell (2), Littlehales, Naughton, Turner5,3542 November 18952nd Qualifying Round MarlowH5 – 0Turner (2), Farrell (2), Meston4,00023 November 18953rd Qualifying Round ReadingH3 – 0 Taylor, Naughton, Keay5,00014 December 18954th Qualifying Round UxbridgeH3 – 0Naughton, Keay, Turner4,0001 February 1896Round 1 ProperThe WednesdayH2 – 3Keay, Turner12,000 Player statistics PositionNationalityNameLeagueappsLeaguegoalsFA CupappsFA CupgoalsTotalappsTotalgoals FWScotland Jack Angus Jack Angus (footballer, born 1868)3110 41 FBEngland Charles Baker Charles Baker (footballer)185502312 GKEngland Jack Barrett Jack Barrett (footballer, born 1874)300030 GKEngland Tom Cain Tom Cain (footballer)10000100 GKEngland Walter Cox Walter Cox (footballer, born 1872)305080 HBEngland Jimmy Dale Jimmy Dale (footballer)302050 FWEngland Jack Farrell Jack Farrell (footballer, born 1873)1710542214 FBWales David Hamer David Hamer (footballer)401050 HBEngland John Hodgkinson John Hodgkinson (footballer, born 1871)721082 HBScotland Sergt. Inglis A a100010 FWScotland Watty Keay15653209 FWEngland Bob Kiddle100010 HBEngland Alf Littlehales17451225 HBScotland William McMillan William McMillan (footballer, born 1872)400040 FBEngland George Marshall George Marshall (footballer, born 1869)8030110 FBScotland Samuel Meston18051231 FWScotland Willie Naughton178432111 FBEngland Gunner Phillips B b100010 GKIreland 1783Matt Reilly Matt Reilly (footballer)200020 FB England Joe Rogers Joe Rogers (footballer born 1874)811091 HBEngland Victor Smith Victor Smith (English footballer)100010 HBEngland Ernie Taylor Ernie Taylor (footballer, born 1871)8121102 HBEngland Lachie Thomson12050170 FWEngland Joe Turner Joe Turner (footballer, born 1872)176552211 Key GK — Goalkeeper FB — Full back HB — Half back FW — Forward Notes A a Sergt. Inglis was loaned to the Saints by the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders for the final match of the season B b Gunner Phillips was a member of the Royal Artillery team and played the penultimate match of the season on loan to the "Saints" Transfers In DatePositionNameFrom October 1895GK Tom Cain EvertonOctober 1895HB Jimmy Dale StokeApril 1895FW Jack Farrell StokeDecember 1895HB John Hodgkinson Tunstall April 1895FW Watty Keay Derby CountyMarch 1896HBWilliam McMillan Heart of MidlothianApril 1895FB Samuel Meston StokeApril 1895FW Willie Naughton StokeApril 1895FW Joe Turner Dresden United Departures DatePositionNameToNovember 1895FW Jack Angus RetiredOctober 1895GK Jack Barrett RetiredSummer 1895FW Jack Dorkin RetiredSummer 1895HB Bill Furby FreemantleJuly 1895FW Fred Hollands Millwall AthleticSummer 1895FB William Jeffrey RetiredDecember 1895FW Bob Kiddle RetiredSummer 1895FW Arthur Nineham FreemantleSummer 1895FW Harry Offer RetiredSummer 1895FW Herbert Ward RetiredSummer 1895GK Herbert Williamson Royal Ordnance Factories References Bibliography Match of the Millennium Bull David Brunskell, Bob Hagiology Publishing 2000 0-9534474-1-3 Bull Brunskell 2000 Saints – A complete record Chalk Gary Holley, Duncan Breedon Books 1987 0-907969-22-4 Chalk Holley 1987 The Complete Record of the FA Cup Collett Mike 2003 Sports Books 1-899807-19-5 Full-Time at The Dell Juson Dave Bull, David Hagiology Publishing 2001 0-9534474-2-1 Juson Bull 2001 registration https://archive.org/details/fulltimeatdellfr0000juso External links Southampton's kit designs Category:Southampton F.C. seasons Southampton