1925–26 Southampton F.C. season

April 2022 Southampton F.C. 1925–26 Wyndham Portal George Goss (until October 1925)Arthur Chadwick (from October 1925) The Dell Second Division 14th FA Cup Third round Bill Rawlings (20) Bill Rawlings (20) League: 18,000 v Portsmouth (5 September 1925)Overall: 18,391 v Liverpool (9 January 1926) 5,000 v Oldham Athletic (27 March 1926) 9,806 5–0 v Bradford City (6 February 1926) 0–4 v Hull City (7 September 1925) _red_stripes _redstripes2 _red_stripes _band_red FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 003366 003366 1924–25 1926–27 The 1925–26 season was the 31st season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's fourth in the Second Division of the Football League. After finishing in the top half of the league table in their first three seasons in the division, Southampton had their worst year to date in the second flight when they finished in 14th place, ending just six points above the first relegation position. The club suffered a string of losses at the beginning of the campaign, leaving them with points to make up in later months. Former player Arthur Chadwick was brought in as Southampton's new manager in October, and the club subsequently secured their position in the Second Division with a run of wins over the Christmas period, despite continuing to lose points. The club finished in 14th place with 15 wins, eight draws and 19 losses. In the 1925–26 FA Cup (the first in which all First and Second Division clubs entered at the third round), Southampton faced top-flight side Liverpool at The Dell for the third year running in the tournament. The game finished goalless, and the Saints were eliminated in the replay by a single goal. As usual, the club ended the season with two games against local rivals Portsmouth, for the Rowland Hospital Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup, respectively. Pompey won both games, beating the Saints 4–2 at The Dell in the former and 5–1 at Fratton Park in the latter. The club also played five additional friendly games during the campaign, beating Portsmouth in September and Leicester City in March, drawing with Corinthian in January and Guildford United in April, and losing to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in April. Southampton used 29 different players during the 1925–26 season and had 14 different goalscorers. The club's top scorer was centre-forward Bill Rawlings, who scored 20 goals in the Second Division and one in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. Six new players were signed by the club during the campaign, with eight released and sold to other clubs. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1925–26 season was 9,806. The highest attendance was 18,391 for the FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool on 9 January 1926; the lowest was around 5,000 against Oldham Athletic in the league on 27 March 1926. The season was the club's last to feature long-time forward Arthur Dominy, who left on a free transfer to join First Division side Everton in the summer of 1926, having made almost 400 appearances for the Saints. Background and transfers At the end of the 1924–25 season, several players left Southampton. Amongst the departures were a number of players who had spent only a season with the club: outside-left Fred Price joined Wolverhampton Wanderers,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 153 Scottish centre-half John Callagher signed for Third Division North side Wigan Borough,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 34 right-half Dennis Jones left for Midland League champions Mansfield Town,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 105 and outside-right Tommy Broad was sold to Weymouth in the Southern League.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 24 Albert Barrett, a wing-half who had only joined from West Ham United in February, left in June to join Fulham.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 8 Scottish forward Willie McCall joined Queen of the South on a permanent basis in September, having spent the previous season on loan at the club.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 118–119 The club also added several players in the summer, signing outside-right Cuthbert Coundon from North Eastern League club Jarrow,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 47 inside-left Frank Matthews from Second Division rivals Barnsley,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 129 and Welsh forward Ernest Turner from Third Division South side Merthyr Town.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 191 One of the later signings of the summer was goalkeeper Len Hill, who joined from Queens Park Rangers in June 1925.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 93 Regular keeper Tommy Allen had turned down a new contract at the club, leading to the signing of Hill as his replacement. Allen later agreed to new terms in October and returned to his place as first-choice Southampton goalkeeper, with Hill making sporadic appearances later in the season. Transfer activity continued throughout the season. In December 1925 the club signed inside-forward Jim Swinden from Salisbury City, following a trial in which he scored two goals on his debut for the reserve side against Folkestone.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 182 In March 1926, right-half Bill Adams joined from Southern League side Guildford United.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 2 Needing money to purchase the freehold of The Dell, Southampton sold mainstay full-backs Fred Titmuss and Tom Parker in early 1926 – the former in February to Plymouth Argyle for £1,750; the latter in March to Arsenal for £3,250 – which "caused uproar amongst supporters".Chalk Holley 1987 74 Players transferred in NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Cuthbert CoundonEnglandFW ForwardENG JarrowApril 1925UnknownFrank MatthewsEnglandFW ForwardENG BarnsleyMay 1925UnknownErnest TurnerWalesFW ForwardWAL Merthyr TownMay 1925UnknownLen HillEnglandGK GoalkeeperENG Queens Park RangersJune 1925UnknownJim SwindenEnglandFW ForwardENG Salisbury CityDecember 1925UnknownBill AdamsEnglandHB Half-backENG Guildford UnitedMarch 1926Unknown Players transferred out NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Fred PriceEnglandFW ForwardENG Wolverhampton WanderersMay 1925UnknownAlbert BarrettEnglandHB Half-backENG FulhamJune 1925UnknownJohn CallagherScotlandHB Half-backENG Wigan BoroughJune 1925£400Dennis JonesEnglandHB Half-backENG Mansfield TownJune 1925UnknownTommy BroadEnglandFW ForwardENG WeymouthSeptember 1925£100Willie McCallScotlandFW ForwardSCO Queen of the SouthSeptember 1925£250Fred TitmussEnglandFB Full-backENG Plymouth ArgyleFebruary 1926£1,750Chalk Holley Bull 2013 187Tom ParkerEnglandFB Full-backENG ArsenalMarch 1926£3,250Chalk Holley Bull 2013 146 Second Division 1925–26 Football League The 1925–26 season started off poorly for Southampton, who lost their first four matches of the campaign and scored only two goals to find themselves at the bottom of the Second Division league table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/07-september-1925/ League Division Two table after close of play on 07 September 1925 11v11.com 15 April 2018 The run included a 3–1 home defeat to local rivals Portsmouth described by club historians as a "particularly bitter blow", and a 4–0 loss at fellow mid-table side Hull City.Chalk Holley 1987 75 After picking up their first points with a win over Nottingham Forest and a draw at Derby County, Southampton appointed former half-back Arthur Chadwick as the club's new manager, after secretary George Goss and the board of directors had been temporarily managing the club following Jimmy McIntyre's departure the previous December. The team's position in the league slowly began to improve as they picked up a few more points, including 4–1 wins over Darlington and Swansea Town, before another run of four losses leading up to Christmas left them 19th in the table, one point above the relegation zone with more games played than teams below.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/25-december-1925/ League Division Two table after close of play on 25 December 1925 11v11.com 15 April 2018 After being eliminated from the FA Cup at the first hurdle, Southampton's fortunes in the league began to change. The club won four out of four games between 16 January and 10 February 1926, including a 2–1 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park and a 5–0 thrashing of fellow strugglers Bradford City at Valley Parade – their biggest win in the Second Division. The Saints continued to pick up important wins throughout the final months of the season, allowing them to secure a mid-table finish with games remaining. Highlights included a 4–2 victory over promotion hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers and a 3–1 defeat of Oldham Athletic, who would finish seventh in the league. The side remained in 14th place for the last five games of the season, where they finished with 15 wins, eight draws and 19 losses. Club historians described Southampton's 1925–26 campaign as "a disappointing season", noting that it ended with "rumblings off the field" following the controversial transfers of Tom Parker and Fred Titmuss. List of match results 1 29 August 1925 Blackpool 2–1 Southampton Dominy Bloomfield Road Blackpool 18,000 L 2 31 August 1925 Southampton 0–2 Hull City The Dell Southampton 9,433 L 3 5 September 1925 Southampton 1–3 Portsmouth Price Parker 27 o.g.Beedie 30Meerie The Dell Southampton 18,000 W. Musther L 4 7 September 1925 Hull City 4–0 Southampton Anlaby Road Kingston upon Hull 10,000 L 5 12 September 1925 Southampton 2–0 Nottingham Forest Price The Dell Southampton 9,304 W 6 19 September 1925 Derby County 2–2 Southampton Rawlings Baseball Ground Derby 4,000 D 7 26 September 1925 Southampton 1–2 Bradford City Price The Dell Southampton 9,000 L 8 30 September 1925 Darlington 3–1 Southampton Rawlings Feethams Darlington 4,838 L 9 3 October 1925 Port Vale 1–1 Southampton Rawlings Old Recreation Ground Hanley 10,000 D 10 5 October 1925 Southampton 4–1 Darlington Campbell Turner Rawlings Price The Dell Southampton 8,205 W 11 10 October 1925 Southampton 0–0 Barnsley The Dell Southampton 12,000 D 12 17 October 1925 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–1 Southampton Own goal Molineux Stadium Wolverhampton 20,000 L 13 24 October 1925 Southampton 4–1 Swansea Town Rawlings Coundon Price The Dell Southampton 13,000 W 14 31 October 1925 Preston North End 2–2 Southampton Turner Price Deepdale Preston 12,000 D 15 7 November 1925 Southampton 3–1 Middlesbrough Coundon Dominy Carr The Dell Southampton 10,000 W 16 14 November 1925 Oldham Athletic 1–0 Southampton Boundary Park Oldham 12,000 L 17 21 November 1925 Southampton 3–0 Stockport County Coundon Dominy Rawlings The Dell Southampton 9,000 W 18 28 November 1925 Fulham 1–1 Southampton Rawlings Craven Cottage London 25,000 D 19 5 December 1925 Southampton 0–1 South Shields The Dell Southampton 9,000 L 20 12 December 1925 The Wednesday 2–1 Southampton Rawlings Hillsborough Stadium Sheffield 20,000 L 21 19 December 1925 Southampton 1–2 Stoke City Matthews The Dell Southampton 8,000 L 22 25 December 1925 Clapton Orient 2–1 Southampton Turner Clapton Stadium London 14,000 L 23 26 December 1925 Southampton 2–0 Clapton Orient Dominy Rawlings The Dell Southampton 16,000 W 24 2 January 1926 Southampton 2–2 Blackpool Woodhouse Rawlings The Dell Southampton 6,000 D 25 16 January 1926 Portsmouth 1–2 Southampton Haines 20 Matthews 5Rawlings 60 Fratton Park Portsmouth 12,000 W. Musther W 26 23 January 1926 Nottingham Forest 1–2 Southampton Dominy Matthews City Ground West Bridgford 8,000 W 27 6 February 1926 Bradford City 0–5 Southampton Rawlings Henderson Bullock Carr Valley Parade Bradford 14,000 W 28 10 February 1926 Southampton 2–1 Derby County Bullock The Dell Southampton 6,000 W 29 13 February 1926 Southampton 2–3 Port Vale Rawlings The Dell Southampton 11,000 L 30 20 February 1926 Barnsley 2–0 Southampton Oakwell Barnsley 8,000 L 31 27 February 1926 Southampton 4–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Parker Henderson Rawlings Matthews The Dell Southampton 8,000 W 32 6 March 1926 South Shields 2–0 Southampton Horsley Hill South Shields 4,000 L 33 13 March 1926 Southampton 2–0 Preston North End Rawlings Matthews The Dell Southampton 6,000 W 34 20 March 1926 Middlesbrough 3–0 Southampton Ayresome Park Middlesbrough 10,000 L 35 27 March 1926 Southampton 3–1 Oldham Athletic Keeping Dominy Carr The Dell Southampton 5,000 W 36 29 March 1926 Swansea Town 3–1 Southampton Bullock Vetch Field Swansea 10,581 L 37 2 April 1926 Chelsea 0–0 Southampton Stamford Bridge London 40,000 D 38 3 April 1926 Stockport County 1–2 Southampton Woodhouse Henderson Edgeley Park Stockport 7,000 W 39 5 April 1926 Southampton 0–1 Chelsea The Dell Southampton 17,000 L 40 10 April 1926 Southampton 2–0 Fulham Bradford Rawlings The Dell Southampton 8,000 W 41 24 April 1926 Southampton 1–2 The Wednesday Keeping The Dell Southampton 8,000 L 42 1 May 1926 Stoke City 1–1 Southampton Carr Victoria Ground Stoke-on-Trent 8,000 D Final league table Second Division y SOU Results by matchday table b Round Ground A /H /H /A /H /A /H /A /A /H /H /A /H /A /H /A /H /A /H /A /H /A /H /H /A /A /A /H /H /A /H /A /H /A /H /A /A /A /H /H /H /A Result L /L /L /L /W /D /L /L /D /W /D /L /W /D /W /L /W /D /L /L /L /L /W /D /W /W /W /W /L /L /W /L /W /L /W /L /D /W /L /W /L /D Position 16/20/21/22/20/18/19/19/19/17/17/18/17/17/16/17/16/16/17/18/19/19/19/19/18/14/13/12/14/15/14/15/13/15/14/15/15/14/14/14/14/14 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 15 April 2018 FA Cup 1925–26 FA Cup The 1925–26 FA Cup was the first edition of the competition in which all First Division and Second Division clubs entered at the third round. Southampton entered the tournament at home to Liverpool, who they were facing for the third consecutive year – they had lost in 1923–24,Chalk Holley 1987 70 and had won in 1924–25.Chalk Holley 1987 72 The hosts entered the game with regular starters Bert Shelley and Cliff Price unavailable due to injury, and during the match goalkeeper Tommy Allen suffered bruised ribs in a collision with defender Michael Keeping, forcing him to leave the field. Half-back Arthur Bradford took over in goal, and the Saints held on for a goalless draw. In the replay at Anfield four days later, Southampton succumbed to a 1–0 defeat by the top-flight side, with Dick Forshaw scoring the only goal of the game after 65 minutes. Round 3 9 January 1926 Southampton 0–0 Liverpool The Dell Southampton 18,391 D Round 3 Replay 13 January 1926 Liverpool 1–0 Southampton Forshaw 65 Anfield Liverpool 41,902 L Other matches Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played seven additional first-team matches during the 1925–26 season. The first was a friendly against local rivals Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 23 September 1925, a testimonial for former Pompey (and briefly Saints) full-back Jack Warner.Juson Aldworth Bendel Bull 2004 115 The visitors won the game 3–0, with Jimmy Bullock at centre-forward scoring all three goals – the first a "glorious shot" in the 36th minute, and the other two in the Southampton-dominated second half. On 28 January 1926 the club faced amateur side Corinthian at The Dell,Cavallini 2007 258–259 drawing 3–3 with goals from Bill Rawlings (two) and Bill Henderson.Chalk Holley 1987 212 On 15 March they hosted Leicester City in a benefit match for Tommy Allen and Bert Shelley, beating the recently promoted First Division club 2–0 thanks to a brace from Frank Matthews. In April the club played two more friendly matches, drawing 1–1 with Guildford United at Joseph's Road and losing 1–0 to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic at Dean Court. As in previous years, Southampton ended the 1925–26 season with two more matches against Portsmouth, competing for the Rowland Hospital Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. The first meeting, on 3 May 1926 for the former trophy, was a high-scoring affair ending in a 4–2 win for the visiting Pompey side. A George Harkus own goal opened the scoring, after he passed back to goalkeeper James Thitchener, who controlled the ball but was already over the goal line.Juson Aldworth Bendel Bull 2004 117 Michael Keeping equalised with a penalty after a handball by John McColgan, but by half-time it was 3–1 against the Saints following another own goal and a McColgan penalty. In the second half, Jerry Mackie added a fourth for Pompey before Jimmy Bullock scored a second consolation goal for the hosts. Two days later, the sides met again at Fratton Park for the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. The hosts were victorious again, in a similarly high-scoring game, as they thrashed Southampton 5–1.Juson Aldworth Bendel Bull 2004 118 The club were 3–0 up at half-time through goals from Goodwin and a Willie Haines brace, before Haines completed his hat-trick in the second half and Haywood scored a fifth. Bill Rawlings scored the consolation goal for the travelling Southampton side. Friendly 23 September 1925 Portsmouth 0–3 Southampton Bullock Fratton Park Portsmouth 6,000–7,000 W Friendly 28 January 1926 Southampton 3–3 Corinthian Rawlings Henderson Toppin Ashton Hartley The Dell Southampton 3,000 D Friendly 15 March 1926 Southampton 2–0 Leicester City Frank Matthews The Dell Southampton W Friendly 14 April 1926 Guildford United 1–1 Southampton Dominy Joseph's Road Guildford D Friendly 28 April 1926 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 1–0 Southampton Dean Court Bournemouth L Rowland Hospital Cup 3 May 1926 Southampton 2–4 Portsmouth Keeping pen.Bullock Harkus o.g.Thitchener o.g.McColgan pen.Mackie The Dell Southampton L Hampshire BC 5 May 1926 Portsmouth 5–1 Southampton Goodwin 5Haines Haywood Rawlings Fratton Park Portsmouth 3,000 L Player details Southampton used 29 different players during the 1925–26 season, 14 of whom scored during the campaign. The team played in a 2–3–5 formation throughout the campaign, using two full-backs, three half-backs, two outside forwards, two inside forwards and a centre-forward. Left-half Stan Woodhouse made the most appearances during the season, playing in 37 of 42 league matches, both FA Cup matches and the Rowland Hospital Cup. Centre-forward Bill Rawlings missed seven league games, while outside-right Bill Henderson appeared in all but eight league games and the Rowland Hospital Cup. Rawlings finished the season as the club's top scorer, with 20 goals in the league and one in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. Inside-left Cliff Price scored seven goals in his 16 league appearances. Woodhouse was the top-scoring half-back of the season with two league goals, and Michael Keeping was the top-scoring full-back with two goals in the Second Division and one in the Rowland Hospital Cup. Squad statistics NamePos. Playing positionNat. NationalityLeagueFA CupOtherIncludes the Rowland Hospital Cup and Hampshire Benevolent Cup matches.TotalApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsBill AdamsHB Half-backENG00001010Tommy AllenGK GoalkeeperENG2401010260Arthur BradfordHB Half-backENG2212000241Les BrutonFW ForwardENG20000020Jimmy BullockFW ForwardENG1040021125Alec CampbellHB Half-backENG1912000211Jimmy CarrFW ForwardSCO3442000364Cuthbert CoundonFW ForwardENG83000083Stan CribbFW ForwardENG900020110Arthur DominyFW ForwardENG2762000296George HarkusHB Half-backENG2802020320Harris"harrissmith" Players named "Harris" and "Smith" are listed in the lineup for the Rowland Hospital Cup match, however no first names are given.FW ForwardENG00002020Bill HendersonFW ForwardENG3432010373Len HillGK GoalkeeperENG1001000110Ted HoughFB Full-backENG1300020150Michael KeepingFB Full-backENG3122021353Ernie KingHB Half-backENG10000010Frank MatthewsFW ForwardENG1650000165Sammy MestonFW ForwardENG10000010Cliff PriceFW ForwardENG1670000167Bill RawlingsFW ForwardENG352020213921Bert ShelleyHB Half-backENG2100020230Smith"harrissmith"FW ForwardENG00001010James ThitchenerGK GoalkeeperENG00001010Ernest TurnerFW ForwardWAL1630000163Stan WoodhouseHB Half-backENG3722010402Harry YeomansGK GoalkeeperENG80000080Players with appearances who left before the end of the seasonTom ParkerFB Full-backENG2912000311Fred TitmussFB Full-backENG1100000110 Notes Most appearances RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupOtherTotalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of total1Stan WoodhouseHB Half-back3788.102100.00150.004086.962Bill RawlingsFW Forward3583.332100.002100.003984.783Bill HendersonFW Forward3480.952100.00150.003780.434Jimmy CarrFW Forward3480.952100.00003678.265Michael KeepingFB Full-back3173.812100.002100.003576.096George HarkusHB Half-back2866.672100.002100.003269.577Tom ParkerFB Full-back2969.052100.0000.003167.398Arthur DominyFW Forward2764.292100.0000.002963.049Tommy AllenGK Goalkeeper2457.14150.00150.002656.5210Arthur BradfordHB Half-back2252.382100.0000.002452.17 Top goalscorers RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupOtherTotalGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per game1Bill RawlingsFW Forward200.5700.0010.50210.532Cliff PriceFW Forward70.4300.0000.0070.433Arthur DominyFW Forward60.2200.0000.0060.204Jimmy BullockFW Forward40.4000.0010.5050.41Frank MatthewsFW Forward50.3100.0000.0050.316Jimmy CarrFW Forward40.1100.0000.0040.117Cuthbert CoundonFW Forward30.3700.0000.0030.37Ernest TurnerFW Forward30.1800.0000.0030.18Michael KeepingFB Full-back20.0600.0010.5030.08Bill HendersonFW Forward30.0800.0000.0030.08 References Bibliography Rob Cavallini Play Up Corinth: A History of the Corinthian Football Club 2007 Stadia Stroud 978-0752444796 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