1990–91 Southampton F.C. season

October 2024 Southampton F.C. 1990–91 Guy Askham Chris Nicholl The Dell First Division 14th FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Fifth round Full Members' Cup Third round Matt Le Tissier (19) Matt Le Tissier (23) 21,405 v TottenhamHotspur (29 December 1990) 5,071 v Queens ParkRangers (20 November 1990) 15,413 5–0 v Rochdale(25 September 1990) 0–4 v Arsenal(17 November 1990)2–6 v Derby County(4 May 1991) _southampton8990h _southampton8990h _southampton8990h _southampton8990h _southampton9091h FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 000000 FFFFFF _southampton8990a _southampton8990a _southampton8990a _southampton8990a _southampton8990a FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 000000 _southampton8990t _southampton8990t _southampton8990t _southampton8990h _southampton8990h FFC526 FFC526 FFC526 000000 000000 1989–90 1991–92 The 1990–91 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 90th season of competitive football and their 21st in the First Division of the Football League. The season was a disappointing one for the Saints, who finished 14th in the league, marking Chris Nicholl's joint worst result as manager. Outside the First Division, the Saints reached the fifth round of both the FA Cup and the League Cup (the same as the season before), and the third round of the Full Members' Cup. 1990–91 was Southampton's final season to feature Nicholl as manager – he was sacked upon the season's end in June 1991. Like the previous season, Southampton did not make any signings in the transfer window ahead of the 1990–91 campaign, although Graham Baker, Mark Blake and Gerry Forrest all left the club. Partway through the season, however, Nicholl did bolster the squad with the additions of Sergey Gotsmanov, Alan McLoughlin, Richard Hall, and the returning Jon Gittens. Southampton's league form was poor throughout most of the campaign, with the side generally remaining in the mid-table area and rarely threatening the higher positions. Their worst spell came between November and December, when they failed to pick up a win in six games, including suffering five defeats. A few key wins towards season end kept the Saints safe from the risk of relegation. In the FA Cup, Southampton edged past Second Division side Ipswich Town in the third round and overcame top-flight rivals Coventry City in the fourth round after a replay. They were knocked out in the fifth round by Nottingham Forest, another First Division club, who went on to reach the final of the tournament (before losing in extra time). In the League Cup, they thrashed Rochdale of the Fourth Division in the second round, followed by wins over Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace, but faced elimination in the fifth round at the hands of Manchester United, who – like Forest in the FA Cup – went on to reach the final of the tournament. In their return to the Full Members' Cup, the Saints beat Queens Park Rangers before losing to Norwich City in the third round. Southampton used 27 players during the 1990–91 season and had 12 different goalscorers. Like the previous season, their top two scorers were Matt Le Tissier and Rod Wallace, who scored 23 and 19 goals, respectively, in all competitions. Midfielder Barry Horne was the only Saints player to feature in all 51 games across the four competitions. Striker Alan Shearer, who finished third in the goal rankings with 14, won the 1990–91 Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award. The average league attendance at The Dell during 1990–91 was 15,413. The highest attendance was 21,405 against Tottenham Hotspur on 29 December 1990 and the lowest was 5,071 against Queens Park Rangers in the Full Members' Cup on 20 November 1990. Background and transfers thumb|upright|Having made just three substitute appearances since his arrival in January, Sammy Lee left on a free transfer to Bolton Wanderers at the beginning of the 1990–91 season. Having led Southampton to their highest league finish since his arrival as manager, Chris Nicholl opted not to make any new signings during the summer 1990 transfer window.Holley Chalk 2003 214 However, there were several players who left the club ahead of the 1990–91 campaign, all moving to Third Division sides in August 1990: centre-back Mark Blake, who had been with the club since 1984 but struggled to establish his place in the first team, was sold to Shrewsbury Town for a fee of £100,000;https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/mark-blake/ Mark Blake SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 midfielder Graham Baker, who had made just shy of 200 appearances for the Saints over two tenures totalling nine years, left on a free transfer for Fulham;https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/graham-baker/ Graham Baker SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 and right-back Gerry Forrest, who had lost his place in the team following a serious injury in 1989, moved back to his former club Rotherham United on a free transfer.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/gerry-forrest/ Gerry Forrest SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Sammy Lee was released to Bolton Wanderers in October.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/sammy-lee/ Sammy Lee SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Shortly after the start of the season, Nicholl made his first signing of the season, bringing in Soviet attacking midfielder Sergey Gotsmanov from Brighton & Hove Albion for £150,000.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/sergey-gotsmanov/ Sergey Gotsmanov SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 He was followed in December by another attacking midfielder, Republic of Ireland international Alan McLoughlin, who joined from Swindon Town in the Second Division for a Saints record fee of £1 million.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/alan-mcloughlin/ Alan McLoughlin SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 The additions continued into the second half of the season – in February, promising young centre-back Richard Hall was signed from Fourth Division side Scunthorpe United for £200,000;https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/richard-hall/ Richard Hall SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 in March, Jon Gittens returned from Swindon Town – to whom the Saints had sold the defender just under four years earlier – for a fee of £400,000;https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/jon-gittens/ Jon Gittens SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 and the same month, Welsh midfielder David Hughes arrived from non-league side Weymouth as a trainee (he would turn professional at the beginning of the next season).https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/david-hughes/ David Hughes SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Steve Davis and Paul Rideout spent the final few months of the season out on loan, at Notts County and Swindon Town, respectively (both would leave in the summer).https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/steve-davis/ Steve Davis SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/paul-rideout/ Paul Rideout SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Players transferred in NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Neal BartlettEnglandMF Midfieldernone (free agent)June 1990FreeNeal Bartlett initially signed as an associate schoolboy in June 1990, before becoming a trainee in June 1991 and turning professional in July 1993.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/neal-bartlett/ Neal Bartlett SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Sergey GotsmanovSoviet UnionMF MidfielderENG Brighton & Hove AlbionSeptember 1990£150,000Alan McLoughlinRepublic of IrelandMF MidfielderENG Swindon TownDecember 1990£1,000,000Richard HallEnglandDF DefenderENG Scunthorpe UnitedFebruary 1991£200,000Jon GittensEnglandDF DefenderENG Swindon TownMarch 1991£400,000David HughesWalesMF MidfielderENG WeymouthMarch 1991FreeDavid Hughes initially signed as a trainee in March 1991, before turning professional that August. Players transferred out NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Graham BakerEnglandMF MidfielderENG FulhamAugust 1990FreeMark BlakeEnglandDF DefenderENG Shrewsbury TownAugust 1990£100,000Gerry ForrestEnglandDF DefenderENG Rotherham UnitedAugust 1990FreeSammy LeeEnglandMF MidfielderENG Bolton WanderersOctober 1990Free Players loaned in NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDate fromDate toRef.Keith GrangerEnglandGK GoalkeeperENG Basingstoke TownNovember 1990December 1990https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/keith-granger/ Keith Granger SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Players loaned out NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDate fromDate toRef.Steve DavisEnglandDF DefenderENG Notts CountyMarch 1991End of seasonPaul RideoutEnglandFW ForwardENG Swindon TownMarch 1991End of season Notes Pre-season friendlies Ahead of the 1990–91 league campaign, Southampton played seven pre-season friendlies. The first of these was a 6–0 win over Weymouth of the Southern League in which Alan Shearer scored a hat-trick, which was played on the same day as an alternate squad won 8–1 over Slough Town of the Conference (Paul Rideout scored five times in this game).Holley Chalk 2003 430 A few days later, the club completed a short tour of Norway which included a goalless draw against Tromsø and a 2–3 defeat at Rosenborg (who went on to win the Eliteserien that year). Back in England, Southampton's final three pre-season friendlies saw them beat Conference side Wycombe Wanderers 1–0, draw 0–0 with Southern League side Bashley, and lose 0–2 to Second Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers. Friendly 4 August 1990 Weymouth 0–6 Southampton Shearer Maddison Ray Wallace Wessex Stadium Weymouth W Friendly 4 August 1990 Slough Town 1–8 Southampton Rideout Le Tissier Moore Rowland Wexham Park Stadium Slough W Friendly 7 August 1990 Tromsø 0–0 Southampton Alfheim Stadion Tromsø, Norway D Friendly 9 August 1990 Rosenborg 3–2 Southampton Case Le Tissier Lerkendal Stadion Trondheim, Norway L Friendly 11 August 1990 Wycombe Wanderers 0–1 Southampton Rod Wallace Adams Park High Wycombe W Friendly 11 August 1990 Bashley 0–0 Southampton Bashley Road Bashley D Friendly 17 August 1990 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Southampton Molineux Stadium Wolverhampton L First Division thumb|upright|left|Alan Shearer played 36 of Southampton's 38 league games in 1990–91, picking up the Player of the Season award at the end of the year. Southampton started the 1990–91 league campaign slowly, picking up one draw (at last season's runners-up Aston Villa), one win (a narrow 1–0 victory over Norwich City) and two losses (against Luton Town and Nottingham Forest) in their first four fixtures. A 2–0 win over recently promoted Sheffield United was followed by two more losses on the road – at Manchester United and Everton – after which the Saints sat 15th in the First Division table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/29-september-1990/ League Division One table after close of play on 29 September 1990 11v11.com 2 October 2024 October brought similarly mixed fortunes – the month began with a "hectic, full-blooded" match at home to Chelsea, which ended in a 3–3 draw. This was followed by a 2–1 win over Coventry City and a 0–1 defeat at home to Derby County, who had only avoided relegation the season before by three points, after which Nicholl claimed that no one besides goalkeeper Tim Flowers "justified their place [in the team] or their wage packet".Holley Chalk 2003 215 After a 1–1 draw at Wimbledon and a "comfortable" 3–1 win over Queens Park Rangers, the Saints lost four games in a row and dropped as low as 17th in the league table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/8-december-1990/ League Division One table after close of play on 8 December 1990 11v11.com 2 October 2024 The first game in the spell saw the club suffer its heaviest defeat of the season, losing 0–4 to eventual title winners Arsenal. This was followed by a 2–3 home defeat to in-form Crystal Palace, a 1–2 loss at Leeds United in which the hosts scored two in first ten minutes of the game, and finally a 1–3 loss away to Norwich City.Holley Chalk 2003 216 A home draw with Aston Villa in which record signing Alan McLoughlin debuted was followed by another away defeat, this time a 2–3 loss at defending champions Liverpool. 1990 ended with Southampton's first two wins in a row of the season, as they beat Manchester City 2–1 at home thanks to a late winner from Matt Le Tissier, and a few days later beat top-three side Tottenham Hotspur at The Dell in which Le Tissier scored a brace. Having picked up key points following their spell of four consecutive losses, the Saints ended the year 13th in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/29-december-1990/ League Division One table after close of play on 29 December 1990 11v11.com 2 October 2024 1991 started with a defeat at Sunderland, which was followed by a hard-fought 4–3 win away at Luton Town, in which top scorers Le Tissier and Rod Wallace shared the goals equally. More poor form followed, as the team won just one of their next seven games (at home to Leeds United), and as a result dropped into the relegation zone for the first time.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/16-march-1991/ League Division One table after close of play on 16 March 1991 11v11.com 2 October 2024 The Saints fought back in late March, picking up a 2–0 away win at Chelsea and responding three times to pick up a point at Manchester City.Holley Chalk 2003 218 On 1 April, they unexpectedly beat back-to-back title hopefuls Liverpool 1–0 at home, with Le Tissier scoring the only goal of the game in just the fourth minute, which club historians report "knocked a massive dent in Liverpool's championship hopes". After a 0–2 loss at Tottenham Hotspur, the Saints held champions-elect Arsenal to a 1–1 draw at The Dell. The last four First Division fixtures for Southampton included two home wins, over strugglers Sunderland and Coventry City, as the club pulled themselves free from any risk of relegation. In the penultimate game of the season, however, the Saints suffered a humiliating 2–6 defeat at Derby County, who had not won a game in over five months and sat bottom of the First Division table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/4-may-1991/ League Division One table after close of play on 4 May 1991 11v11.com 2 October 2024 The visitors were 0–2 down within 18 minutes and trailed 1–5 with just five minutes left to play, with Paul Williams having scored a first-half hat-trick; this marked the joint heaviest defeat of Southampton's season. The final game of the campaign saw the Hampshire side draw 1–1 with Wimbledon, with Jimmy Case scoring the only goal – his only league goal of the season. Shortly after the season ended, manager Chris Nicholl was sacked by Southampton's board after six seasons, with first-team coach Dennis Rofe leaving with him. List of match results 1 25 August 1990 Aston Villa 1–1 Southampton Cascarino 11 Le Tissier 7 Villa Park Birmingham 29,542 D 2 28 August 1990 Southampton 1–0 Norwich City Polston 63 o.g. The Dell Southampton 17,206 W 3 1 September 1990 Southampton 1–2 Luton Town Rideout 32 Elstrup 18 27 The Dell Southampton 13,538 L 4 8 September 1990 Nottingham Forest 3–1 Southampton Wilson 38Jemson 52 54 Rod Wallace 24 City Ground Nottingham 18,559 L 5 15 September 1990 Southampton 2–0 Sheffield United Le Tissier 5Rod Wallace 28 The Dell Southampton 14,340 W 6 22 September 1990 Manchester United 3–2 Southampton McClair 20Blackmore 61Hughes 63 Rideout 31Rod Wallace 66 Old Trafford Manchester 41,228 L 7 29 September 1990 Everton 3–0 Southampton Cottee 24 71Ebbrell 31 Goodison Park Liverpool 23,093 L 8 6 October 1990 Southampton 3–3 Chelsea Shearer 13Ruddock 51Rod Wallace 62 Clarke 23Wilson 44Wise 73 pen. The Dell Southampton 16,911 D 9 20 October 1990 Coventry City 1–2 Southampton Borrows 40 pen. Billing 5 o.g.Le Tissier 49 Highfield Road Coventry 10,040 W 10 27 October 1990 Southampton 0–1 Derby County Harford 7 The Dell Southampton 16,328 L 11 3 November 1990 Wimbledon 1–1 Southampton Flowers 61 Le Tissier 80 pen. Plough Lane London 5,485 D 12 10 November 1990 Southampton 3–1 Queens Park Rangers Rideout 8Le Tissier 74Rod Wallace 88 Falco 41 The Dell Southampton 14,970 W 13 17 November 1990 Arsenal 4–0 Southampton Merson 20Limpar 32Smith 37 59 Arsenal Stadium London 36,229 L 14 24 November 1990 Southampton 2–3 Crystal Palace Shaw 1 o.g.Rideout 36 Wright 30 33Bright 53 The Dell Southampton 15,851 L 15 1 December 1990 Leeds United 2–1 Southampton Fairclough 5Shutt 10 Rideout 49 Elland Road Leeds 29,341 L 16 8 December 1990 Norwich City 3–1 Southampton Phillips 36Ruddock 53 o.g.Bowen 55 Le Tissier 5 Carrow Road Norwich 11,705 L 17 15 December 1990 Southampton 1–1 Aston Villa Le Tissier 42 Platt 78 pen. The Dell Southampton 16,604 D 18 22 December 1990 Liverpool 3–2 Southampton Rosenthal 33 43Houghton 83 Rod Wallace 18 49 Anfield Liverpool 31,894 L 19 26 December 1990 Southampton 2–1 Manchester City Horne 39Le Tissier 81 Quinn 35 The Dell Southampton 16,029 W 20 29 December 1990 Southampton 3–0 Tottenham Hotspur Le Tissier 17 73Rod Wallace 67 The Dell Southampton 21,405 W 21 1 January 1991 Sunderland 1–0 Southampton Ball 47 pen. Roker Park Sunderland 19,757 L 22 12 January 1991 Luton Town 3–4 Southampton Elstrup 24James 26Dreyer 78 pen. Rod Wallace 10 63Le Tissier 28 46 Kenilworth Road Luton 9,021 W 23 19 January 1991 Southampton 1–1 Nottingham Forest Crossley 31 o.g. Clough 41 The Dell Southampton 16,044 D 24 2 February 1991 Sheffield United 4–1 Southampton Booker 19 20Hodges 29Deane 30 Moore 54 Bramall Lane Sheffield 16,887 L 25 23 February 1991 Queens Park Rangers 2–1 Southampton Ferdinand 7 26 Le Tissier 65 pen. Loftus Road London 11,009 L 26 2 March 1991 Southampton 2–0 Leeds United Rideout 10Cockerill 85 The Dell Southampton 16,585 W 27 9 March 1991 Crystal Palace 2–1 Southampton Thomas 66 68 Cockerill 84 Selhurst Park London 14,529 L 28 13 March 1991 Southampton 1–1 Manchester United Ruddock 13 Ince 57 The Dell Southampton 15,701 D 29 16 March 1991 Southampton 3–4 Everton Ruddock 37Newell 65 o.g.Shearer 82 Watson 31Milligan 38Newell 74Cottee 78 The Dell Southampton 15,410 L 30 23 March 1991 Chelsea 0–2 Southampton Shearer 24Le Tissier 57 pen. Stamford Bridge London 13,391 W 31 30 March 1991 Manchester City 3–3 Southampton Allen 65Brennan 73White 85 Le Tissier 47Osman 81McLoughlin 90 Maine Road Manchester 23,163 D 32 1 April 1991 Southampton 1–0 Liverpool Le Tissier 4 The Dell Southampton 20,255 W 33 6 April 1991 Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 Southampton Lineker 37 40 White Hart Lane London 24,291 L 34 9 April 1991 Southampton 1–1 Arsenal Le Tissier 79 Adams 74 o.g. The Dell Southampton 21,200 D 35 13 April 1991 Southampton 3–1 Sunderland Rod Wallace 44Le Tissier 81 pen.Shearer 83 Hauser 24 The Dell Southampton 16,812 W 36 20 April 1991 Southampton 2–1 Coventry City Rod Wallace 27 31 Gynn 73 The Dell Southampton 15,461 W 37 4 May 1991 Derby County 6–2 Southampton P. Williams 5 18 42 pen.Saunders 60 88Phillips 85 Rod Wallace 33Le Tissier 87 pen. Baseball Ground Derby 11,680 L 38 11 May 1991 Southampton 1–1 Wimbledon Case 43 Fashanu 48 The Dell Southampton 17,052 D Final league table y SOU RSSSF Results by matchday table b Round Ground A / H / H / A / H / A / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / A / H / A / H / H / A / A / H / A / A / H / A / H / H / A / A / H / A / H / H / H / A / H Result D / W / L / L / W / L / L / D / W / L / D / W / L / L / L / L / D / L / W / W / L / W / D / L / L / W / L / D / L / W / D / W / L / D / W / W / L / D Position 7 / 6 / 10 / 14 / 10 / 11 / 15 / 15 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 8 / 11 / 12 / 15 / 17 / 14 / 14 / 14 / 13 / 15 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 14 / 13 / 15 / 16 / 18 / 16 / 17 / 15 / 16 / 15 / 15 / 12 / 15 / 14 Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss 1st 2nd 3rd red1 11v11.com FA Cup 1990–91 FA Cup Southampton entered the 1990–91 FA Cup in the third round against Second Division side Ipswich Town, with the game drawn at The Dell. The second-flight visitors opened the scoring early on through Jason Dozzell, before Alan Shearer headed in a corner from Matt Le Tissier to equalise.Holley Chalk 2003 391 Just before half time, the roles were reversed as Shearer turned provider for Le Tissier, with the Saints going ahead on the stroke of the break. Within 15 minutes of the restart, the hosts were 3–1 up as Le Tissier scored his second of the game, converting a cross from Micky Adams. Shearer almost followed in doubling his personal tally, but it was Ipswich's Dozzell who struck again ten minutes from full-time, although Southampton held on for the win. In the fourth round, the Saints faced First Division opponents Coventry City. After a 1–1 draw at Highfield Road, the Saints progressed with a 2–0 replay win at home, with goals from Jimmy Case and Rod Wallace either side of half time giving them the victory.Holley Chalk 2003 392 The fifth round saw Southampton host Nottingham Forest, who they had failed to beat in the league in both fixtures of the campaign. The Saints went one up after just two minutes, when Neil Ruddock headed in a corner from Le Tissier, and continued to dominate the half when Glenn Cockerill came close twice and a Paul Rideout goal was disallowed due to offside.Holley Chalk 2003 393 The home side continued to enjoy chances in the second half, with Cockerill coming close again, before Forest equalised in the 80th minute through Steve Hodge, forcing a replay. In the rematch at City Ground, Southampton came close to opening the scoring in the first few minutes, as Wallace hit the post and Ruddock saw his header cleared off the line by the Forest defence. Wallace did open the scoring in the 14th minute, but at half-time the teams were level after Nigel Jemson converted a penalty awarded for a "dubious" handball decision against Francis Benali. Jemson scored twice more after the break to complete his hat-trick and Southampton's elimination from the cup. Round 3 5 January 1991 Southampton 3–2 Ipswich Town Shearer Le Tissier 43 59 Dozzell 12 80 The Dell Southampton 15,101 W Round 4 26 January 1991 Coventry City 1–1 Southampton Kilcline Shearer pen. Highfield Road Coventry 14,013 D Round 4 Replay 29 January 1991 Southampton 2–0 Coventry City Case 37Rod Wallace 78 The Dell Southampton 17,001 W Round 5 25 February 1991 Southampton 1–1 Nottingham Forest Ruddock 2 Hodge 80 The Dell Southampton 18,512 D Round 5 Replay 4 March 1991 Nottingham Forest 3–1 Southampton Jemson pen. Rod Wallace 14 City Ground Nottingham 26,633 L League Cup 1990–91 Football League Cup Southampton entered the 1990–91 League Cup in the second round against Fourth Division side Rochdale. The visiting Saints thrashed the hosts 5–0 in the first leg, with Alan Shearer scoring twice before Barry Horne, Rod Wallace and Neil Ruddock all added to the tally in the last ten minutes of the match.Holley Chalk 2003 292–293 In the second leg at The Dell, the hosts added three more to their winning aggregate score, with Nicky Banger scoring a hat-trick on his debut for the club. Southampton beat Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace 2–0 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, with leading scorers Matt Le Tissier, Rod Wallace and Shearer sharing the goals. In the fifth round, the Saints were held to a 1–1 draw at home by Manchester United, who then won the replay at Old Trafford 3–2 thanks to a second-half Mark Hughes hat-trick. Round 2 Leg 1 25 September 1990 Rochdale 0–5 Southampton Shearer 46 75Horne 82Rod Wallace 83Ruddock 87 Spotland Stadium Manchester 3,855 W Round 2 Leg 2 9 October 1990 Southampton 3–0 8–0 Rochdale Banger 30 32 55 The Dell Southampton 6,754 W Round 3 30 October 1990 Ipswich Town 0–2 Southampton Le Tissier 20Rod Wallace 77 Portman Road Ipswich 15,573 W Round 4 27 November 1990 Southampton 2–0 Crystal Palace Le Tissier 42Shearer 59 The Dell Southampton 13,765 W Round 5 16 January 1991 Southampton 1–1 Manchester United Shearer 71 Hughes 77 The Dell Southampton 21,011 D Round 5 Replay 23 January 1991 Manchester United 3–2 Southampton Hughes 51 61 77 Shearer 52 87 pen. Old Trafford Manchester 41,903 L Full Members' Cup 1990–91 Full Members' Cup Southampton entered the 1990–91 Full Members' Cup in the second round, where they thrashed Queens Park Rangers 4–0 at home, with goals coming from Alan Shearer (two), Barry Horne and a Brian Law own goal.Holley Chalk 2003 301 The Saints lost 1–2 at Norwich City in the third round, with a second-minute Rod Wallace goal cancelled out by two goals in quick succession just before half time. Round 2 20 November 1990 Southampton 4–0 Queens Park Rangers Shearer 14 44Horne 17Law 80 o.g. The Dell Southampton 5,071 W Round 3 20 February 1991 Norwich City 2–1 Southampton Fleck 28Goss 40 Rod Wallace 2 Carrow Road Norwich 5,920 L Other matches Southampton played three additional matches during the final weeks of the 1990–91 season. In April, they beat Wessex League side Christchurch 5–0, with a hat-trick for Alan Shearer alongside goals for Matt Le Tissier and Rod Wallace. Two days after the end of the league, the Saints were hosted by Southern League club Poole Town for the testimonial of Tony Funnell, which the visitors won 5–3 thanks to goals from Shearer (two), Jimmy Case, Glenn Cockerill and Ray Wallace. Finally, three days later, they also beat Ryde Sports of the Wessex League 8–1, with goals including a Le Tissier hat-trick. Friendly 24 April 1991 Christchurch 0–5 Southampton Shearer Le Tissier Rod Wallace Hurn Bridge Ground Christchurch W Tony Funnell Testimonial 13 May 1991 Poole Town 3–5 Southampton Shearer Case Cockerill Ray Wallace Poole Stadium Poole W Friendly 16 May 1991 Ryde Sports 1–8 Southampton Le Tissier Cockerill Maddison Shearer Rod Wallace Ray Wallace Smallbrook Stadium Ryde W Player details Southampton used 27 players during the 1990–91 season, 12 of whom scored during the campaign.Holley Chalk 2003 219, 292–293, 301, 391–393 Five players made their debut appearances for the club, including three of their six new signings (Sergey Gotsmanov, Richard Hall, and Alan McLoughlin) and one player making the step up from youth to the first team (Lee Powell).https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/lee-powell/ Lee Powell SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Six players made their final appearances for the Saints during the campaign: Gotsmanov, Jimmy Case,https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/jimmy-case/ Jimmy Case SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Andy Cook,https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/andy-cook/ Andy Cook SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Steve Davis, Ray Wallace,https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/ray-wallace/ Ray Wallace SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 and Rod Wallace.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/rod-wallace/ Rod Wallace SaintsPlayers.co.uk 2 October 2024 Midfielder Barry Horne made the most appearances for Southampton during 1990–91, playing in all 51 games across all four competitions; he was followed by goalkeeper Tim Flowers, who missed just one game each in the league and the Full Members' Cup. Matt Le Tissier finished as the season's top goalscorer for the second consecutive season with 23 goals in all competitions, followed by Rod Wallace on 19 goals. Alan Shearer won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award for the 1990–91 season. Squad statistics NamePos. Playing positionNat. NationalityLeagueFA CupLeague CupFM CupTotalApps. AppearancesGoalsApps. AppearancesGoalsApps. AppearancesGoalsApps. AppearancesGoalsApps. AppearancesGoalsMicky AdamsDF DefenderENG29(1)020501037(1)0Ian AndrewsGK GoalkeeperENG1000001020Nicky BangerFW ForwardENG0(6)00013001(6)3Francis BenaliDF DefenderENG9(3)0201(2)00(1)012(6)0Jimmy CaseMF MidfielderENG24(1)131400031(1)2Oleksiy CherednykDF DefenderURS12(3)010300016(3)0Glenn CockerillMF MidfielderENG28(4)2304(1)02037(5)2Andy CookDF DefenderENG5(2)01020109(2)0Jason DoddDF DefenderENG16(3)040302025(3)0Tim FlowersGK GoalkeeperENG370506010490Jon GittensDF DefenderENG7(1)00000007(1)0Sergey GotsmanovMF MidfielderURS2(6)02020208(6)0Richard HallDF DefenderENG0(1)00000000(1)0Barry HorneMF MidfielderWAL381506121513Jeff KennaDF DefenderIRL1(1)00000001(1)0Matt Le TissierMF MidfielderENG34(1)1932421042(1)23Neil MaddisonMF MidfielderENG1(3)00(1)000001(4)0Alan McLoughlinMF MidfielderIRL221400010271Kevin MooreDF DefenderENG191403010271Russell OsmanDF DefenderENG17(3)130501026(3)1Lee PowellFW ForwardWAL00000(1)00(1)00(2)0Andy RowlandFW ForwardENG0000000000Neil RuddockDF DefenderENG32(3)331412041(3)5Alan ShearerFW ForwardENG34(2)43(1)2662245(3)14Ray WallaceDF DefenderENG0000100010Rod WallaceFW ForwardENG35(2)14524(1)21145(3)19Tommy WiddringtonMF MidfielderENG0000000000Players with appearances who ended the season out on loanSteve DavisDF DefenderENG1(1)00000001(1)0Paul RideoutFW ForwardENG14(2)620201019(2)6 Most appearances RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupLeague CupFM CupTotalStartsSubsStartsSubsStartsSubsStartsSubsStartsSubsTotal1Barry HorneMF Midfielder380506020510512Tim FlowersGK Goalkeeper370506010490493Alan ShearerFW Forward34231602045348Rod WallaceFW Forward352504110453485Neil RuddockDF Defender323304020413446Matt Le TissierMF Midfielder341304010421437Glenn CockerillMF Midfielder284304120375428Micky AdamsDF Defender291205010371389Jimmy CaseMF Midfielder2413040003113210Russell OsmanDF Defender17330501026329 Top goalscorers RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupLeague CupFM CupTotalGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGPG Goals per game1Matt Le TissierMF Midfielder193523240123430.532Rod WallaceFW Forward143725251119480.403Alan ShearerFW Forward43624662214480.294Paul RideoutFW Forward6160202016210.295Neil RuddockDF Defender3351314025440.116Nicky BangerFW Forward06003100370.43Barry HorneMF Midfielder1380516123510.068Jimmy CaseMF Midfielder1251344002320.06Glenn CockerillMF Midfielder2320305022430.0510Alan McLoughlinMF Midfielder1220400011270.04Kevin MooreDF Defender1190403011270.04Russell OsmanDF Defender1200305011290.03 References Bibliography 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 External links Southampton F.C. official website Category:Southampton F.C. seasons Southampton