1935–36 Southampton F.C. season

September 2022 Southampton F.C. 1935–36 Sloane Stanley George Kay The Dell Second Division 17th FA Cup Third round Vic Watson (14) Vic Watson (14) 21,333 v Tottenham Hotspur (23 November 1935) 1,875 v Port Vale(30 March 1936) 10,600 7–2 v Nottingham Forest(15 February 1936) 0–8 v Tottenham Hotspur(28 March 1936) _red_stripes _redstripes2 _red_stripes _3whitehoops FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 003366 FF0000 1934–35 1936–37 The 1935–36 season was the 41st season of competitive football by Southampton, the club's 14th in the Second Division of the Football League, and the 50th season overall since the club's formation. Despite a strong start, the season was another lacklustre performance by the side, as they finished 17th in the league table just five points above the first relegation spot. After signing West Ham United centre-forward Vic Watson in the summer of 1935, the team won four of their first six games and briefly occupied the top spot in the league; however, a poor run of form running from October to December saw them drop back to the bottom half of the table, where they stayed for the rest of the campaign. Southampton finished the season with 14 wins, nine draws and 19 losses, equal on points with the clubs in 15th, 16th and 18th places. In the 1935–36 FA Cup, Southampton entered the third round with an away fixture against First Division side Middlesbrough, against whom they lost 0–1 to exit the tournament at the first hurdle as they had done in so many recent seasons. Aside from the league and the FA Cup, the club played in two local tournaments, the Hampshire Combination Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. In the former, the Saints were knocked out of the semi-finals by Third Division South side Aldershot, who beat the second-flight side 4–0. In the latter, the club hosted top-flight local rivals Portsmouth but lost 1–2, extending their winless run in the tournament to seven years. Southampton's only friendly game of the campaign saw them hosting First Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, with the higher division side beating the Saints 3–2. Southampton used 20 different players during the 1935–36 season and had ten different goalscorers. Their top scorer was new centre-forward Vic Watson, who scored 14 goals in the Second Division campaign. Inside-forward Arthur Holt followed Watson with 13 goals in the league, ahead of 1934–35 top scorer Laurie Fishlock on seven goals. The club signed only two new players in time for the start of the season, while six players left the club during the year. The average attendance at The Dell during 1935–36 was 10,600. The highest attendance of the season was 21,333 in the club's official jubilee match against Tottenham Hotspur on 23 November 1935. The lowest attendance of the season was a record-low 1,875 against Port Vale on 30 March 1936, two days after the club's new heaviest league defeat, 0–8 against Tottenham. Background and transfers Ahead of the 1935–36 season starting, Southampton signed only two new players. In June 1935, they signed Vic Watson from West Ham United, who had missed out on promotion the previous season on goal average only, as their new first-choice centre-forward.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/vic-watson/ Vic Watson SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 He took the place of last season's primary centre-forward Norman Cole, who had moved to Norwich City.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/norman-cole/ Norman Cole SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 The club's second signing, in July, was half-back/forward Jack Gurry from recently relegated Leicester City.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/john-gurry/ John Gurry SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 Also leaving Southampton in the summer were wing-half Frank Campbell, who had suffered a knee injury that developed into chronic arthritis which prevented him from continuing to play professionally (he subsequently joined Isle of Wight club Newport);https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/frank-campbell/ Frank Campbell SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 wing-half Frank Ward, who left on a free transfer to Southern League side Folkestone;https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/frank-ward/ Frank Ward SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 and out-of-favour inside-forward Alf Wheeler, who remained in the Second Division with Barnsley.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/fred-wheeler/ Fred Wheeler SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 In October, the club also sold forward James Horton to Aldershot, after just one season in which he only made a handful of appearances.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/sonny-horton/ Sonny Horton SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 Towards the end of the season, Southampton surprisingly sold third first-choice goalkeeper Billy Light – who had played in every single match of the season so far – to West Bromwich Albion, who were struggling in the First Division.Chalk Holley 1987 94 To bring Light to the club, West Brom paid Southampton a transfer fee of £2,000 – a new English record fee for a goalkeeper.https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/bill-light/ Bill Light SaintsPlayers.co.uk 1 September 2022 The decision to sell Light was unpopular amongst Saints fans, who had seen several high-profile players sold in recent seasons – club historians have reflected that the sale "naturally displeased fans", and claimed that it led to a "storm of protest". Players transferred in NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Vic WatsonEnglandFW ForwardENG West Ham UnitedJune 1935UnknownJack GurryEnglandHB Half-backENG Leicester CityJuly 1935Unknown Players transferred out NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Frank CampbellEnglandHB Half-backENG Newport (Isle of Wight)Summer 1935UnknownNorman ColeEnglandFW ForwardENG Norwich CityMay 1935UnknownFrank WardEnglandHB Half-backENG FolkestoneAugust 1935FreeAlf WheelerEnglandFW ForwardENG BarnsleyAugust 1935UnknownJames HortonEnglandFW ForwardENG AldershotOctober 1935UnknownBilly LightEnglandGK GoalkeeperENG West Bromwich AlbionMarch 1936£2,000Billy Light's £2,000 transfer fee was an English record for a goalkeeper at the time. Second Division 1935–36 Football League Southampton's strong run at the end of the 1934–35 season continued at the beginning of 1935–36, as they went unbeaten for the first six fixtures and picked up four wins to start off at the top of the league table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/14-september-1935/ League Division Two table after close of play on 14 September 1935 11v11.com 1 September 2022 Early victories included a hard-fought 4–3 against Swansea Town on the opening day (in which Vic Watson scored on his Saints debut), a 1–0 double over recently-promoted Doncaster Rovers, and a 3–0 defeat of Bradford Park Avenue.Chalk Holley 1987 95 The run of form was short-lived, however, and the Saints dropped into the mid-table region with just one win from their next eight games, five of which were defeats.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/09-november-1935/ League Division Two table after close of play on 09 November 1935 11v11.com 1 September 2022 Most of the losses were against fellow mid-table sides (namely, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Burnley), but ended with a surprising 2–5 loss at home to Charlton Athletic, who had just been promoted after winning the Third Division South. On 23 November, 50 years and two days after the club's very first match, Southampton picked up a 2–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur to mark their jubilee. The win against Tottenham was the last for Southampton in 1935, however, as they went on a winless run extending into the new year which saw them drop from 8th to 14th in the Second Division standings.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/01-january-1936/ League Division Two table after close of play on 01 January 1936 11v11.com 1 September 2022 The eight-match run between 30 November and 1 January saw the Saints fall victim to a goal drought, as they scored just three times across the fixtures which included five 0–0 draws, a 2–4 defeat at Newcastle United, and home losses against Barnsley and West Ham United. A 1–0 win over promotion hopefuls Leicester City on 4 January kept the side in the fight for a top-half finish, however this was followed by four straight defeats which saw them dropping all the way to 17th in the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/08-february-1936/ League Division Two table after close of play on 08 February 1936 11v11.com 1 September 2022 Despite this poor run, the Saints picked up their biggest win of the season when they beat Nottingham Forest 7–2 at The Dell, with Watson scoring a hat-trick. The team's form continued to be inconsistent, as they hovered around the bottom third of the table, with a few narrow wins keeping them out of the relegation zone. On 28 March 1936, Southampton suffered their heaviest league defeat to date when they lost 0–8 against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Joe Meek and George Hunt scored hat-tricks for Spurs, with the other two goals registered by Willie Evans.https://hotspurhq.com/2014/03/28/tottenham-day-spurs-hit-eight-8-southampton/ Tottenham On This Day: Spurs Hit Eight (8) Against Southampton Holmes Logan Hotspur HQ 28 March 2014 1 September 2022 1 September 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220901193318/https://hotspurhq.com/2014/03/28/tottenham-day-spurs-hit-eight-8-southampton/ dead This would remain the club's biggest league defeat – equalled at the hands of Everton in the 1971–72 seasonChalk Holley 1987 160 – until they lost 0–9 to Leicester City in the Premier League in 2019.https://talksport.com/football/728990/southampton-leicester-record-defeat-comeback-form-hasenhuttl-ings/ From 0-9 to cloud nine – how Southampton changed their fortunes to become one of the Premier League's in-form sides Cole Jackson Talksport 13 July 2020 1 September 2022 The next home game, a 0–1 loss against Port Vale two days later, saw the attendance at The Dell drop to a record-low 1,875 people. Despite this thrashing, the club responded in the final run-in with three wins from their last six fixtures, beating top-third sides Plymouth Argyle, Fulham and Blackpool to ensure their safety in the division. Ultimately, the Saints finished the season 17th in the Second Division table with just three more points than the previous season, and only seven points above the first relegation place.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/25-april-1936/ League Division Two table after close of play on 25 April 1936 11v11.com 1 September 2022 Manager George Kay left after the season ended to join Liverpool.Chalk Holley 1987 226 List of match results 1 31 August 1935 Southampton 4–3 Swansea Town McIlwaine Pollard Watson Fishlock The Dell Southampton 12,528 W 2 2 September 1935 Doncaster Rovers 0–1 Southampton Fishlock Belle Vue Doncaster 14,227 W 3 7 September 1935 Leicester City 1–1 Southampton Neal Filbert Street Leicester 18,000 D 4 9 September 1935 Southampton 1–0 Doncaster Rovers Watson The Dell Southampton 10,126 W 5 14 September 1935 Southampton 3–0 Bradford Brewis Pollard Fishlock The Dell Southampton 15,315 W 6 16 September 1935 Southampton 0–0 Bury The Dell Southampton 10,320 D 7 21 September 1935 Sheffield United 2–1 Southampton Watson Bramall Lane Sheffield 13,000 L 8 28 September 1935 Southampton 2–1 Manchester United Holt Fishlock The Dell Southampton 17,678 W 9 5 October 1935 Southampton 1–1 Norwich City Watson The Dell Southampton 15,073 D 10 12 October 1935 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Southampton City Ground Nottingham 10,000 L 11 19 October 1935 Port Vale 0–2 Southampton Watson Old Recreation Ground Stoke-on-Trent 5,000 W 12 26 October 1935 Southampton 1–2 Fulham Holt The Dell Southampton 14,999 L 13 2 November 1935 Burnley 2–0 Southampton Turf Moor Burnley 8,524 L 14 9 November 1935 Southampton 2–5 Charlton Athletic Sillett Watson The Dell Southampton 11,050 L 15 16 November 1935 Hull City 2–2 Southampton Holt Watson Anlaby Road Kingston upon Hull 8,000 D 16 23 November 1935 Southampton 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Tully Holt The Dell Southampton 21,333 W 17 30 November 1935 Plymouth Argyle 0–0 Southampton Home Park Plymouth 14,356 D 18 7 December 1935 Southampton 0–0 Bradford City The Dell Southampton 9,525 D 19 14 December 1935 Newcastle United 4–1 Southampton Brewis St James' Park Newcastle upon Tyne 15,000 L 20 21 December 1935 Southampton 0–1 Barnsley The Dell Southampton 6,622 L 21 25 December 1935 West Ham United 0–0 Southampton Boleyn Ground London 27,609 D 22 26 December 1935 Southampton 2–4 West Ham United Holt Watson The Dell Southampton 18,967 L 23 28 December 1935 Swansea Town 0–0 Southampton Vetch Field Swansea 8,076 D 24 1 January 1936 Bury 0–0 Southampton Gigg Lane Bury 3,000 D 25 4 January 1936 Southampton 1–0 Leicester City Neal The Dell Southampton 11,848 W 26 18 January 1936 Bradford 2–1 Southampton Fishlock Park Avenue Bradford 8,548 L 27 1 February 1936 Manchester United 4–0 Southampton Old Trafford Manchester 20,000 L 28 5 February 1936 Southampton 0–1 Sheffield United The Dell Southampton 5,053 L 29 8 February 1936 Norwich City 5–1 Southampton Holt The Nest Norwich 12,000 L 30 15 February 1936 Southampton 7–2 Nottingham Forest Watson Holt Neal The Dell Southampton 5,253 W 31 29 February 1936 Bradford City 2–1 Southampton Neal Valley Parade Bradford 5,000 L 32 7 March 1936 Southampton 1–0 Hull City Fishlock The Dell Southampton 5,476 W 33 14 March 1936 Charlton Athletic 2–0 Southampton The Valley London 25,000 L 34 21 March 1936 Southampton 1–0 Burnley Holt The Dell Southampton 5,095 W 35 28 March 1936 Tottenham Hotspur 8–0 Southampton Meek Hunt Evans White Hart Lane London 28,907 L 36 30 March 1936 Southampton 0–1 Port Vale The Dell Southampton 1,875 L 37 4 April 1936 Southampton 2–0 Plymouth Argyle Sillett Holt The Dell Southampton 5,882 W 38 10 April 1936 Blackpool 2–1 Southampton King Bloomfield Road Blackpool 18,447 L 39 11 April 1936 Fulham 0–2 Southampton Watson Fishlock Craven Cottage London 15,000 W 40 13 April 1936 Southampton 0–1 Blackpool Holt The Dell Southampton 11,911 W 41 18 April 1936 Southampton 1–3 Newcastle United Holt The Dell Southampton 6,670 L 42 25 April 1936 Barnsley 3–1 Southampton Watson Oakwell Barnsley 5,202 L Final league table Second Division y SOU RSSSF Results by matchday table b Round Ground H / A / A / H / H / H / A / H / H / A / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / A / H / A / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / A / H / H / A / A / H / H / A Result W / W / D / W / W / D / L / W / D / L / W / L / L / L / D / W / D / D / L / L / D / L / D / D / W / L / L / L / L / W / L / W / L / W / L / L / W / L / W / W / L / L Position 6 / 2 / 3 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 4 / 3 / 4 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 8 / 9 / 8 / 9 / 12 / 12 / 14 / 13 / 14 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 14 / 17 / 13 / 17 / 16 / 16 / 15 / 17 / 17 / 16 / 18 / 15 / 14 / 16 / 17 Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss 1st 2nd 3rd red1 11v11.comhttps://www.11v11.com/league-tables/ 11v11 league table generator 11v11.com 1 September 2022 FA Cup 1935–36 FA Cup Southampton entered the 1935–36 FA Cup in the third round, travelling north to face First Division mid-table side Middlesbrough. In front of a crowd just shy of 30,000 at Ayresome Park, the Saints succumbed to a 0–1 defeat, with the only goal scored by winger Arthur Cunliffe while the visitors were "reorganising" following an injury to Johnny McIlwaine. Round 3 11 January 1936 Middlesbrough 1–0 Southampton Cunliffe Ayresome Park Middlesbrough 29,950 L Other matches Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played three additional first-team matches during the 1935–36 season. The first was the semi-final of the annual Hampshire Combination Cup, for which they travelled to face nearby Third Division South club Aldershot, who thrashed the Second Division side 4–0.Chalk Holley 1987 205 During a break in between league games in January, the club hosted a friendly match against top-flight Wolverhampton Wanderers, which they lost 2–3 despite goals from Laurie Fishlock and Vic Watson.Chalk Holley 1987 213 Two days after the last game of the season, The Dell played host to the Hampshire Benevolent Cup charity match between the Saints and local rivals Portsmouth, having recently returned to its original single-branded format following three seasons combined with the Rowland Hospital Cup.Chalk Holley 1987 206 Hampshire CC Semi-Final 16 October 1935 Aldershot 4–0 Southampton Recreation Ground Aldershot L Friendly 25 January 1936 Southampton 2–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Fishlock Watson The Dell Southampton L Hampshire Benevolent Cup 27 April 1936 Southampton 1–2 Portsmouth Watson The Dell Southampton L Player details Southampton used 20 different players during the 1935–36 season, ten 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. Right-back Charlie Sillett featured in more games than any other player, being ever present with 43 appearances, followed by left-winger Laurie Fishlock who appeared in all but one league game. New centre-forward Vic Watson finished as the season's top scorer with 14 goals in the league, followed shortly by inside-forward Arthur Holt on 13 goals, then Fishlock (top scorer the previous season) on seven. Squad statistics NamePos. Playing positionNat. NationalityLeagueFA CupTotalApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsBill AdamsHB Half-backENG17010180Arthur BradfordHB Half-backENG12000120Tom BrewisFW ForwardENG19210202Norman CatlinFW ForwardENG500050Laurie FishlockFW ForwardENG41710427Jack GurryHB Half-backENG900090Doug HendersonFB Full-backENG800080Arthur HoltFW ForwardENG3713103813Cyril KingHB Half-backENG21100211Bill LuckettHB Half-backENG19000190Johnny McIlwaineHB Half-backSCO33110341Dick NealFW ForwardENG32410334Walter PollardFW ForwardENG13200132Arthur RobertsFB Full-backENG32010330Bert ScrivenGK GoalkeeperENG10000100Charlie SillettFB Full-backENG42210432Fred TullyFW ForwardENG28110291Vic WatsonFW ForwardENG3614103714Stan WoodhouseHB Half-backENG16000160Players with appearances who left before the end of the seasonBilly LightGK GoalkeeperENG32010330 Most appearances RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupTotalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of total1Charlie SillettFB Full-back42100.001100.0043100.002Laurie FishlockFW Forward4197.621100.004297.673Arthur HoltFW Forward3788.101100.003888.374Vic WatsonFW Forward3685.711100.003786.055Johnny McIlwaineHB Half-back3378.571100.003479.076Billy LightGK Goalkeeper3276.191100.003376.74Dick NealFW Forward3276.191100.003376.74Arthur RobertsFB Full-back3276.191100.003376.749Fred TullyFW Forward2866.671100.002967.4410Cyril KingHB Half-back2150.0000.002148.84 Top goalscorers RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupTotalGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per game1Vic WatsonFW Forward140.3900.00140.382Arthur HoltFW Forward130.3500.00130.343Laurie FishlockFW Forward70.1700.0070.174Dick NealFW Forward40.1300.0040.125Walter PollardFW Forward20.1500.0020.15Tom BrewisFW Forward20.1100.0020.10Charlie SillettFB Full-back20.0500.0020.058Cyril KingHB Half-back10.0500.0010.05Fred TullyFW Forward10.0400.0010.03Johnny McIlwaineHB Half-back10.0300.0010.03 Footnotes References Bibliography Chalk Gary Holley Duncan A Complete Record of Southampton Football Club: 1885–1987 Derby, England Breedon Books 10 August 1987 978-0907969228 Chalk Gary Holley Duncan Bull David All the Saints: A Complete Who's Who of Southampton FC Bristol, England Hagiology Publishing 28 November 2013 978-0992686406 Juson Dave Aldworth Clay Bendel Barry Bull David Chalk Gary Saints v Pompey: A History of Unrelenting Rivalry Bristol, England Hagiology Publishing 10 November 2004 978-0953447459 External links Southampton F.C. official website Category:Southampton F.C. seasons Southampton