1948–49 Southampton F.C. season

August 2022 August 2022 Southampton F.C. 1948–49 Alf Jukes (died April 1949)Reg Jukes (from April 1949) Bill Dodgin The Dell Second Division 3rd FA Cup Third round Charlie Wayman (32) Charlie Wayman (32) 30,586 v West Bromwich Albion (23 April 1949) 20,937 v Cardiff City(1 January 1949) 25,465 6–0 v Leicester City(23 October 1948) 0–3 v Barnsley(2 October 1948) _red_stripes _redstripes2 _red_stripes _whitetop FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 003366 FF0000 1947–48 1949–50 The 1948–49 season was the 48th year of competitive football played by Southampton F.C., the club's 22nd season as members of the Football League, and their 20th competing in the Second Division.http://www.statto.com/football/teams/southampton/history Southampton Complete History Statto.com 14 August 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20161001204812/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/southampton/history 1 October 2016 live dmy-all The Saints finished the campaign in third place in the league table, having gained 55 from a possible 84 points with 23 wins, nine draws and ten losses.https://www.rsssf.org/engpaul/FLA/1948-49.html Season 1948-49 English League Tables, 1888-2008 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 14 August 2022 The club also competed in the FA Cup, but lost their only fixture in the third round against fellow Second Division side Sheffield Wednesday.https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engcup1949.html England FA Challenge Cup 1948-49 England FA Challenge Cup Finals Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 14 August 2022 After a strong second half of the 1947–48 season which saw the club finish third in the league table, Southampton continued with the same squad and brought in just one summer signing, Spanish winger José Gallego.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/jose-gallego/ José Gallego SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 The club also sold centre-forward George Lewis to Brighton & Hove Albion,https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/george-lewis/ George Lewis SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 winger Billy Wrigglesworth to Reading,https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/billy-wrigglesworth/ Billy Wrigglesworth SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 and goalkeeper George Ephgrave to Norwich City.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/george-ephgrave/ George Ephgrave SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 Partway through the season, George Beattie moved to Gloucester City,https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/george-beattie/ George Beattie SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 and the club signed Bill Heaton from Leeds United to cover the team's outside-left position.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/bill-heaton/ Bill Heaton SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 The 1948–49 season was the last to feature manager Bill Dodgin, who left to join Fulham before the next season.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/bill-dodgin/ Bill Dodgin SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 During the season, 21 players appeared for Southampton in all competitions. Centre-half Eric Webber featured in more games than any other player, being ever present in both the league and FA Cup with 43 appearances.Holley Chalk 2003 13 Centre-forward Charlie Wayman finished as Southampton's top scorer with 32 goals in the league – the highest of any division in the Football League that season.https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html#1947-1 Football League Div 1 & 2 Leading Goalscorers 1947-92 English League Leading Goalscorers Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 14 August 2022 The club attracted an average home league attendance at The Dell of 25,465 – almost 5,000 more than the previous year. The highest league attendance was 30,586 in the final home fixture of the season against fellow promotion contenders West Bromwich Albion, which remained the club's record attendance for more than 20 years.Holley Chalk 2003 12 The lowest attendance of the season was 20,937 on New Year's Day 1948 against Cardiff City – higher than the 1947–48 average. Second Division Season summary Southampton's third post-war season started strongly, as they picked up four wins from their opening five fixtures to go straight to the top of the league table – the first game of the campaign was a 3–0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, who had just been relegated from the First Division.Holley Chalk 2003 10 The team's form dropped off quickly though, as they won just once (at home to eventual champions Fulham) out of their next six games, in a run which ended in successive losses at Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley, resulting in a descent to sixth in the league table – the lowest they would be all season. During this period, manager Bill Dodgin claimed that some of the players had a "half-hearted attitude". Squad challenges meant that the Saints struggled to find stability in the outside-left position, deploying eight different players there during the first half of the season. Despite these difficulties, after dropping to sixth, Southampton went on an unbeaten run of seven games between early October and late November to firmly establish their place in the top three – highlights included a 5–2 win at home to Coventry City, a season-record 6–0 victory over Leicester City in which Charlie Wayman scored five times (the first time a Southampton player had done so in the Football League), and a 3–1 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur. Four wins from the last six fixtures of the calendar year saw the Saints moving up to second in the table by the end of December, as West Bromwich Albion and Spurs dropped points to close the gap to just two points between the three teams fighting for the two promotion spots.Holley Chalk 2003 11 On 1 January 1949, Southampton moved back up to the top spot for the first time since the beginning of September with a 2–0 win over Cardiff City. At a friendly against Plymouth Argyle a couple of weeks later, Alf Ramsey picked up a knee injury which kept him out of action for the rest of the season. Another unbeaten run of 12 matches between the end of December and the beginning of April saw the Saints secure an eight-point lead at the top of the league table, becoming "clear favourites" for promotion.Holley Chalk 2003 12 Charlie Wayman continued to lead the team's goal-scoring, while the club also signed Bill Heaton to take over the contentious outside-left position.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/bill-heaton/ Bill Heaton SaintsPlayers.co.uk 14 August 2022 Wins during the unbeaten run included 3–1 away against Queens Park Rangers, 1–0 over Sheffield Wednesday, and 1–0 away over Tottenham Hotspur. Despite their dominance, Southampton lost their lead at the top of the table with unexpected losses against Bradford Park Avenue, West Ham United and Bury, the latter of which saw a Ted Bates goal controversially disallowed for offside. The side picked up only one win and one draw from their final seven games, attracting a new club record attendance of 30,826 in the penultimate game against West Bromwich Albion; after this game, both West Brom and Fulham had decisive fixtures in hand, leaving Southampton powerless in their quest for promotion. Losing to Chesterfield in their final game, Southampton remained second in the table, however Fulham's draw with Tottenham saw them move ahead on goal average, and when West Brom won their final two games, the Saints dropped to third and lost out on promotion to the top flight. A feature in local newspaper the Southern Daily Echo described the conclusion of the season as "the end of a tragic slide which must be almost without parallel in football". Charlie Wayman finished as the top goalscorer for the Second Division and the Football League overall in 1948–49, with 32 goals in 37 league appearances. This was Southampton's final season with Bill Dodgin as manager, who suddenly left a few weeks into the 1949–50 pre-season to take over at league champions Fulham, and was replaced by his assistant Sid Cann.Holley Chalk 2003 14 Final league table Second Division y SOU RSSSF Results by matchday table b Round Ground H / A / A / H / H / A / A / H / H / A / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / A / A / H / H / H / A / H / H / H / A / H / A / H / A / A / H / A / A / H / H / A Result W / W / L / W / W / L / D / W / D / L / L / W / D / W / D / W / D / W / L / W / W / W / L / W / W / D / W / W / W / W / D / W / W / W / W / L / L / W / L / D / D / L Position 1 / 1 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 3 / 6 / 4 / 4 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 2 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 2 Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss 1st 2nd 3rd red1 statto.com Match reports 1 21 August 1948 Southampton 3–0 Blackburn Rovers Scott 33Wayman 70 84 The Dell Southampton 26,018 W 2 25 August 1948 Plymouth Argyle 1–2 Southampton Astall Wayman 42Day 48 Home Park Plymouth 29,443 W 3 28 August 1948 Cardiff City 2–1 Southampton Hullett 22 86 Wayman 27 Ninian Park Cardiff 40,000 L 4 1 September 1948 Southampton 2–0 Plymouth Argyle Wayman 14Curtis 66 The Dell Southampton 23,613 W 5 4 September 1948 Southampton 3–0 Queens Park Rangers Scott 33 49Ramsey 88 pen. The Dell Southampton 27,600 W 6 8 September 1948 Fulham 1–0 Southampton Stevens 32 Craven Cottage London 24,700 L 7 11 September 1948 Luton Town 1–1 Southampton Small 30 Wayman 17 Kenilworth Road Luton 20,257 D 8 15 September 1948 Southampton 3–0 Fulham Day 10Wayman The Dell Southampton 25,424 W 9 18 September 1948 Southampton 2–2 Bradford Park Avenue Wayman 3 12 Ainsley 48 52 The Dell Southampton 26,659 D 10 25 September 1948 Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 Southampton Woodhead 70 75 Hillsborough Stadium Sheffield 38,347 L 11 2 October 1948 Barnsley 3–0 Southampton Baxter 46Smith 70Robledo 84 Oakwell Barnsley 23,168 L 12 9 October 1948 Southampton 5–2 Coventry City Grant 43 67Bates 46Wayman 48Ramsey 68 pen. Warner 15Roberts 40 The Dell Southampton 23,362 W 13 16 October 1948 Leeds United 1–1 Southampton Cochrane 82 Grant 53 Elland Road Leeds 34,300 D 14 23 October 1948 Southampton 6–0 Leicester City Wayman 12 30 56 60 67Bates 35 The Dell Southampton 23,907 W 15 30 October 1948 Brentford 0–0 Southampton Griffin Park London 29,812 D 16 6 November 1948 Southampton 3–1 Tottenham Hotspur Wayman 8Day 34Bates 77 Jones 25 The Dell Southampton 29,000 W 17 13 November 1948 West Ham United 1–1 Southampton Woodgate 27 Wayman 29 Boleyn Ground London 35,000 D 18 20 November 1948 Southampton 2–0 Bury Bates 75Grant 89 The Dell Southampton 25,057 W 19 27 November 1948 West Bromwich Albion 2–0 Southampton Millard 20Elliott 77 The Hawthorns West Bromwich 45,000 L 20 4 December 1948 Southampton 1–0 Chesterfield Bates 54 The Dell Southampton 22,697 W 21 11 December 1948 Lincoln City 1–2 Southampton Dodds 61 Wayman 25 75 Sincil Bank Lincoln 14,207 W 22 18 December 1948 Blackburn Rovers 1–2 Southampton Westcott 34 Bates 44 65 Ewood Park Blackburn 24,700 W 23 25 December 1948 Nottingham Forest 2–1 Southampton Edwards 48Hullett 64 Curtis 52 City Ground Nottingham 25,151 L 24 27 December 1948 Southampton 2–1 Nottingham Forest Curtis 55Wayman 57 Edwards 56 The Dell Southampton 24,330 W 25 1 January 1949 Southampton 2–0 Cardiff City Scott 10Wayman 61 The Dell Southampton 20,937 W 26 22 January 1949 Southampton 1–1 Luton Town Wayman 62 Kiernan 75 The Dell Southampton 24,815 D 27 29 January 1949 Queens Park Rangers 1–3 Southampton Pointon 80 Wayman 15Ellerington pen.Curtis 81 Loftus Road London 20,000 W 28 12 February 1949 Southampton 4–0 Lincoln City Wayman 33 57 pen.Day Bates 74 The Dell Southampton 22,782 W 29 19 February 1949 Southampton 1–0 Sheffield Wednesday Bates 63 The Dell Southampton 29,445 W 30 26 February 1949 Southampton 3–0 Barnsley Wayman 17Day 37Curtis 42 The Dell Southampton 25,892 W 31 5 March 1949 Coventry City 2–2 Southampton Roberts 44Murphy Wayman 13Ellerington 53 pen. Highfield Road Coventry 21,920 D 32 12 March 1949 Southampton 2–1 Leeds United Day 33Wayman 59 Webber 78 o.g. The Dell Southampton 25,736 W 33 19 March 1949 Leicester City 1–3 Southampton Lee 33 Bates 35Wayman 41 87 Filbert Street Leicester 32,700 W 34 26 March 1949 Southampton 2–0 Brentford Mallett 85Bates 87 The Dell Southampton 25,217 W 35 2 April 1949 Tottenham Hotspur 0–1 Southampton Wayman 82 White Hart Lane London 69,625 W 36 4 April 1949 Bradford Park Avenue 2–0 Southampton White 59Ainsley 72 Horsfall Stadium Bradford 92,293 L 37 9 April 1949 Southampton 0–1 West Ham United Robinson 78 The Dell Southampton 25,644 L 38 15 April 1949 Grimsby Town 0–1 Southampton Ellerington 89 pen. Blundell Park Cleethorpes 25,931 W 39 16 April 1949 Bury 1–0 Southampton Bodle 57 Gigg Lane Bury 20,355 L 40 18 April 1949 Southampton 0–0 Grimsby Town The Dell Southampton 26,064 D 41 23 April 1949 Southampton 1–1 West Bromwich Albion Day 87 Smith 63 The Dell Southampton 30,586 D 42 30 April 1949 Chesterfield 1–0 Southampton McJarrow 57 Saltergate Chesterfield 12,801 L FA Cup Sheffield Wednesday (8 January 1949) Southampton entered the 1948–49 FA Cup in the third round, travelling to face fellow Second Division side Sheffield Wednesday four months after losing 0–2 to them in the league.Holley Chalk 2003 307 Despite enjoying the share of chances on goal, the Saints went behind after 25 minutes when Jimmy Dailey converted a "precision cross" from Dennis Woodhead. Only six minutes later, however, the visitors equalised through a 25-yard shot from Wilf Grant; it remained level going into half-time, after goalkeeper Ian Black made a "sensational" save from a Redfern Froggatt effort. The hosts slowly took control of the game in the second half, and in the 68th minute made it 2–1 through Eddie Quigley. Joe Mallett almost scored at the end, but Sheffield goalkeeper Dave McIntosh denied him and it ended with the visitors exiting the tournament. Round 3 8 January 1949 Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 Southampton Dailey 25Quigley 68 Grant 31 Hillsborough Stadium Sheffield 44,292 L Additional friendly Southampton played one friendly during the 1948–49 season, beating fellow Second Division side Plymouth Argyle 1–0 on 15 January 1949, the only goal scored by José Gallego.Holley Chalk 2003 308 Friendly 15 January 1949 Southampton 1–0 Plymouth Argyle Gallego Home Park Plymouth W Squad statistics NamePos. Playing positionNat. NationalityLeagueFA CupTotalApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsTed BallardFB Full backENG000000Ted BatesFW ForwardENG3411103511Ian BlackGK GoalkeeperSCO41010420Stan ClementsHB Half backENG000000George CurtisFW ForwardENG40510415Eric DayFW ForwardENG37700377Bill ElleringtonFB Full backENG20300203José GallegoFW ForwardESP100010Wilf GrantFW ForwardENG17411185Jack GregoryFB Full backENG000000Bill HeatonFW ForwardENG15000150George HorsfallHB Half backAUS000000Joe MallettHB Half backENG41110421John MitchellFW ForwardENG000000Alf RamseyFB Full backENG25210262Bill RochfordFB Full backENG38010390Albie RolesFB Full backENG100010Tommy RudkinFW ForwardENG400040Augie ScottFW ForwardENG22410234George SmithHB Half backENG13000130Len StansbridgeGK GoalkeeperENG100010Bobby VeckFW ForwardENG300030Charlie WaymanFW ForwardENG3732103832Eric WebberHB Half backENG42010430Ron WheatleyHB Half backENG100010Len WilkinsHB Half backENG29010300 Most appearances No. NumberNamePos. Playing positionNat. NationalityLeagueFA CupTotalApps. AppearancesMins. Minutes playedApps. AppearancesMins. Minutes playedApps. AppearancesMins. Minutes played% % of games1Eric WebberHB Half backENG423,780190433,870100%2Ian BlackGK GoalkeeperSCO413,690190423,78097.67%Joe MallettHB Half backENG413,690190423,78097.67%4George CurtisFW ForwardENG403,600190413,69095.35%5Bill RochfordFB Full backENG383,420190393,51090.70%6Charlie WaymanFW ForwardENG373,330190383,42088.37%7Eric DayFW ForwardENG373,33000373,33086.05%8Ted BatesFW ForwardENG343,060190353,15081.40%9Len WilkinsHB Half backENG292,610190302,70069.77%10Alf RamseyFB Full backENG252,250190262,34060.47% Top goalscorers No. NumberNamePos. Playing positionNat. NationalityLeagueFA CupTotalGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGPG Goals per game1Charlie WaymanFW ForwardENG32370132380.842Ted BatesFW ForwardENG11340111350.313Eric DayFW ForwardENG737007370.194Wilf GrantFW ForwardENG417115180.28George CurtisFW ForwardENG540015410.126Augie ScottFW ForwardENG422014230.177Bill ElleringtonFB Full backENG320003200.158Alf RamseyFB Full backENG225012260.089Joe MallettHB Half backENG141011420.02 Transfers Players transferred inDatePos.NameClubFeeRef.May 1948FW ForwardESP José GallegoENG BrentfordFreeJanuary 1949HB Half-backENG Ron WheatleyENG Nottingham ForestFreehttps://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/roland-wheatley/ Roland Wheatley SaintsPlayers.co.uk 13 August 2022 February 1949FW ForwardENG Bill HeatonENG Leeds United£7,000March 1949FW ForwardENG John MitchellENG Gosport AthleticFreehttps://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/john-mitchell/ John Mitchell SaintsPlayers.co.uk 17 August 2022 Players transferred outDatePos.NameClubFeeRef.June 1948FW ForwardWAL George LewisENG Brighton & Hove AlbionFreeJune 1948FW ForwardENG Billy WrigglesworthENG ReadingFreeJuly 1948GK GoalkeeperENG George EphgraveENG Norwich CityFreeDecember 1948FW ForwardSCO George BeattieENG Gloucester CityFree References Bibliography Chalk Gary Holley Duncan Bull David November 2013 All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC Hagiology Publishing Bristol, England 978-0-9926864-0-6 Holley Duncan Chalk Gary Bull David 2003 In That Number: A Post-War Chronicle of Southampton FC Hagiology Publishing Bristol, England 0-9534474-3-X Category:Southampton F.C. seasons Southampton