1930–31 Southampton F.C. season

April 2022 Southampton F.C. 1930–31 Sloane Stanley Arthur Chadwick(until 16 April 1931) The Dell Second Division 9th FA Cup Third round Willie Haines (15) Willie Haines (15) 23,156 v Tottenham Hotspur(26 December 1930) 8,785 v Charlton Athletic(28 March 1931) 12,371 5–0 v Bury(13 December 1930) 0–5 v Preston North End(30 August 1930) _red_stripes _redstripes2 _red_stripes _band_red FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 003366 003366 1929–30 1931–32 The 1930–31 season was the 36th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's ninth in the Second Division of the Football League. After securing their place as a top-half side in the Second Division over the past two seasons, the Saints began to lose their footing on the league and dropped to ninth in the division. The club failed to win any of their first four games of the campaign, briefly struggling to stay above the two relegation places, but had soon made their way to the top half of the division where they remained for the rest of the season. The Saints were unable to challenge for promotion to the First Division, however, briefly reaching the top five but remaining a long way off the top two sides. Southampton finished the season in ninth place in the table with 19 wins, six draws and 17 losses. In the 1930–31 FA Cup, Southampton travelled to face First Division side Sunderland in the third round in January. The top-flight hosts beat the Saints convincingly 2–0, with the Second Division side dropping out of the tournament after just one game for the fourth season in a row (the second time in their history they had done so). Prior to the start of the campaign, Southampton completed a pre-season tour of Denmark from May to June which included games against Odense BK, AGF Aarhus, Aalborg BK (all of which they won) and Horsens fS (which they lost). They played just one more friendly match during the season, a 3–3 draw with Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in March 1931. The club ended the season with two games against Portsmouth, for the Rowland Hospital Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. Southampton used 36 different players during the 1930–31 season and had fifteen different goalscorers. Their top-scorer was centre-forward Willie Haines, who scored 15 goals in 21 appearances in the Second Division, all in the second half of the season. Johnny Arnold scored eight goals in the league, followed by Herbert Coates, Bill Fraser, Bert Jepson and Johnny McIlwaine, all on seven goals. Ten players were signed by the club during the campaign, with six released and sold to other clubs. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1930–31 season was 12,371. The highest attendance was 23,156 against Tottenham Hotspur on 26 December 1930. The lowest was 8,785 against Charlton Athletic on 28 March 1931. The season was the club's last to feature manager Arthur Chadwick, who left in April. Background and transfers After the conclusion of the 1929–30 season, outside-left Stan Cribb joined First Division side West Ham United, having lost his place in the team to Johnny Arnold.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 48 Recently signed Scottish centre-half Alex Sharp also left the club, returning to his native country with Tranent Juniors.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 168 George Harkus left later in the summer, briefly joining French side Olympique Lyonnais.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 84–85 Southampton manager Arthur Chadwick brought in several players during the pre-season period. Most significant of the additions was Portsmouth captain Johnny McIlwaine, who signed in June for a club record fee of £2,650.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 122 Around the same time, the club also signed outside-forward Peter Cowper from Third Division North side New Brighton and inside-forward Laurie Cumming from divisional rivals Oldham Athletic.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 47Chalk Holley Bull 2013 49 Billy Stage joined from Burnley in July.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 179 Just before the season started, goalkeeper George Thompson and forward Bobby Weale also left the club – the former joined Dinnington Miners' Welfare,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 185 while the latter signed for Cardiff City.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 199 Transfer activity continued throughout the 1930–31 season. In September, the club signed full-back Reg Thomas on amateur terms from Western League side Weymouth (he turned professional in December). Horden Colliery Welfare centre-forward Arthur Haddleton signed the following month,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 81 when Thomas Groves left after his contract was cancelled.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 79 In November, amateur forward Sid Grover was signed from local Hampshire League side Romsey Town. In the new year, several more players were signed by Southampton. Romsey Town inside-forward Fred Allan and Cowes Sports winger Chris Crossley signed on amateur terms in March,Chalk Holley Bull 2013 3 and the following month goalkeeper Bill Soffe was brought in from Totton, another Hampshire League club.Chalk Holley Bull 2013 177 Grover, Allan, Crossley and Soffe were all rushed into the first-team for the penultimate game of the season against Portsmouth in May, having only made appearances for the reserves thus far, after 15 Southampton players refused to sign new contracts.Juson Aldworth Bendel Bull 2004 127 Players transferred in NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Peter CowperEnglandFW ForwardENG New BrightonJune 1930UnknownLaurie CummingIrelandFW ForwardENG Oldham AthleticJune 1930£500Johnny McIlwaineScotlandHB Half-backENG PortsmouthJune 1930£2,650Billy StageEnglandFW ForwardENG BurnleyJuly 1930UnknownReg ThomasEnglandFB Full-backENG WeymouthSeptember 1930FreeReg Thomas initially joined on amateur terms in September 1930, before turning professional that December.Arthur HaddletonEnglandFW ForwardENG Horden Colliery WelfareOctober 1930UnknownSid GroverEnglandFW ForwardENG Romsey TownNovember 1930FreeSid Grover initially joined on amateur terms in November 1930, before turning professional in May 1931.Fred AllanEnglandFW ForwardENG Romsey TownMarch 1931FreeFred Allan initially joined on amateur terms.Chris CrossleyEnglandFW ForwardENG CowesMarch 1931FreeChris Crossley initially joined on amateur terms.Bill SoffeEnglandGK GoalkeeperENG TottonApril 1931Unknown Players transferred out NameNationalityPos. Playing positionClubDateFeeRef.Stan CribbEnglandFW ForwardENG West Ham UnitedMay 1930UnknownAlex SharpScotlandHB Half-backSCO Tranent JuniorsMay 1930UnknownGeorge HarkusEnglandHB Half-backFRA Olympique LyonnaisJune 1930FreeGeorge Harkus was temporarily transferred out to Olympique Lyonnais, before returning to Southampton in February 1932.Bobby WealeWalesFW ForwardWAL Cardiff CityAugust 1930Unknown Players released NameNationalityPos. Playing positionDateSubsequent clubRef.George ThompsonEnglandGK GoalkeeperAugust 1930ENG Dinnington Miners' Welfare Players retired NameNationalityPos. Playing positionDateReasonRef.Thomas GrovesEnglandFW ForwardOctober 1930Unknown Second Division 1930–31 Football League Southampton began the 1930–31 Second Division season on 30 August 1930 with a 5–0 loss at Preston North End,Chalk Holley 1987 85 which sent the club straight to the bottom of the league table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/30-august-1930/ League Division Two table after close of play on 30 August 1930 11v11.com 28 April 2018 Draws at home to Nottingham Forest and Burnley were followed by another away defeat against Oldham Athletic, leaving the Saints firmly in the battle against relegation. The club's fortunes quickly turned around, however, as they embarked on an eight-match unbeaten run which included five wins to help them move up to the top seven of the table.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/25-october-1930/ League Division Two table after close of play on 25 October 1930 11v11.com 28 April 2018 Much of the rest of the calendar year was spent alternating between winning and losing, during which time the team remained in the middle of the table. In November and December the club picked up wins over promotion hopefuls such as Tottenham Hotspur and Preston North End, while dropping points to strugglers like Cardiff City and Bristol City. They remained in the top eight of the Second Division table by the end of December, still in with a chance of reaching promotion.https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-two/27-december-1930/ League Division Two table after close of play on 27 December 1930 11v11.com 28 April 2018 The pattern of Southampton's season continued throughout the early months of 1931, as the team won against a host of lower-placed sides and lost against those in the higher level of the table. After drawing 3–3 with Plymouth Argyle on 17 January, the Saints did not draw again for the rest of the season, contributing to a club record 27 games without sharing points which extended into the early stages of the following season.http://www.statto.com/football/teams/southampton/records Southampton scoring and sequence records Statto.com https://web.archive.org/web/20150905092224/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/southampton/records 5 September 2015 live 28 April 2018 After returning to the side in late December, centre-forward Willie Haines took over from Herbert Coates as the season's top scorer when he scored 15 goals in the last 20 games of the league, including three consecutive matches in which he scored twice in January. With Southampton safe in the top half of the table, manager Arthur Chadwick departed from the club on 16 April 1931 and retired from management, following a 23-year career.Chalk Holley 1987 84 The club finished in seventh place with 19 wins, six draws and 17 losses, ten points behind West Bromwich Albion in the first promotion place. List of match results 1 30 August 1930 Preston North End 5–0 Southampton Deepdale Preston 10,000 L 2 1 September 1930 Southampton 0–0 Nottingham Forest The Dell Southampton 12,000 D 3 6 September 1930 Southampton 1–1 Burnley Jepson The Dell Southampton 13,485 D 4 8 September 1930 Oldham Athletic 2–1 Southampton Cumming Boundary Park Oldham 13,689 L 5 13 September 1930 Plymouth Argyle 2–3 Southampton Cumming Wilson Home Park Plymouth 25,000 W 6 15 September 1930 Southampton 1–0 Oldham Athletic Wilson The Dell Southampton 9,858 W 7 20 September 1930 Reading 1–1 Southampton Jepson Elm Park Reading 8,000 D 8 27 September 1930 Southampton 2–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Fraser The Dell Southampton 13,552 W 9 4 October 1930 Bradford Park Avenue 1–1 Southampton Coates Park Avenue Bradford 10,000 D 10 11 October 1930 Southampton 2–1 Stoke City Cumming Coates The Dell Southampton 14,772 W 11 18 October 1930 Southampton 1–1 West Bromwich Albion Fraser The Dell Southampton 16,931 D 12 25 October 1930 Swansea Town 0–1 Southampton Fraser Vetch Field Swansea 10,000 W 13 1 November 1930 Southampton 0–1 Cardiff City The Dell Southampton 12,202 L 14 8 November 1930 Bristol City 2–1 Southampton Jepson Ashton Gate Stadium Bristol 15,000 L 15 15 November 1930 Southampton 4–1 Bradford City Fraser Arnold The Dell Southampton 10,356 W 16 22 November 1930 Charlton Athletic 3–1 Southampton Stage The Valley London 5,000 L 17 29 November 1930 Southampton 4–0 Barnsley McIlwaine Jepson Coates The Dell Southampton 11,751 W 18 6 December 1930 Port Vale 1–0 Southampton Old Recreation Ground Hanley 8,000 L 19 13 December 1930 Southampton 5–0 Bury Coates Arnold McIlwaine The Dell Southampton 12,889 W 20 20 December 1930 Everton 2–1 Southampton Wilson Goodison Park Liverpool 20,000 L 21 25 December 1930 Tottenham Hotspur 1–3 Southampton McIlwaine Coates White Hart Lane London 37,000 W 22 26 December 1930 Southampton 0–3 Tottenham Hotspur The Dell Southampton 23,156 L 23 27 December 1930 Southampton 2–1 Preston North End McIlwaine Haines The Dell Southampton 11,707 W 24 3 January 1931 Burnley 3–2 Southampton Haines Turf Moor Burnley 10,000 L 25 17 January 1931 Southampton 3–3 Plymouth Argyle Haines Coates The Dell Southampton 14,013 D 26 24 January 1931 Southampton 3–2 Reading Haines Arnold The Dell Southampton 10,446 W 27 31 January 1931 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 Southampton Mackie Arnold Molineux Stadium Wolverhampton 9,000 L 28 7 February 1931 Southampton 2–3 Bradford Park Avenue Mackie Haines The Dell Southampton 11,212 L 29 14 February 1931 Stoke City 1–3 Southampton Haines Mackie Victoria Ground Stoke-on-Trent 10,000 W 30 21 February 1931 West Bromwich Albion 1–2 Southampton Dougall Own goal The Hawthorns West Bromwich 18,000 W 31 28 February 1931 Southampton 1–2 Swansea Town Arnold The Dell Southampton 11,041 L 32 7 March 1931 Cardiff City 0–1 Southampton Jepson Ninian Park Cardiff 5,000 W 33 14 March 1931 Southampton 5–1 Bristol City Mackie Haines Jepson The Dell Southampton 10,473 W 34 21 March 1931 Bradford City 4–3 Southampton Dougall Arnold Valley Parade Bradford 12,000 L 35 28 March 1931 Southampton 3–0 Charlton Athletic Haines Jepson Own goal The Dell Southampton 8,785 W 36 3 April 1931 Millwall 1–0 Southampton The Den London 18,000 L 37 4 April 1931 Barnsley 3–1 Southampton Jepson Oakwell Barnsley 7,000 L 38 6 April 1931 Southampton 3–1 Millwall Keeping McIlwaine Fraser The Dell Southampton 12,137 W 39 11 April 1931 Southampton 2–0 Port Vale Haines Dougall The Dell Southampton 9,487 W 40 18 April 1931 Bury 1–0 Southampton Gigg Lane Bury 15,000 L 41 25 April 1931 Southampton 2–1 Everton Wilson Dean The Dell Southampton 9,553 W 42 2 May 1931 Nottingham Forest 3–1 Southampton Haines City Ground West Bridgford 6,000 L Final league table Second Division y SOU Results by matchday table b Round Ground A /H /H /A /A /H /A /H /A /H /H /A /H /A /H /A /H /A /H /A /A /H /H /A /H /H /A /H /A /A /H /A /H /A /H /A /A /H /H /A /H /A Result L /D /D /L /W /W /D /W /D /W /D /W /L /L /W /L /W /L /W /L /W /L /W /L /D /W /L /L /W /W /L /W /W /L /W /L /L /W /W /L /W /L Position 22/15/16/18/16 /9/12/10 /9 /8 /8 /7 /8/10/10/10/10/11/10/11 /8/10 /8/10/10 /9/10/11 /9 /8 /9 /8 /7 /7 /5 /7 /9 /7 /7/10 /7 /9 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 28 April 2018 FA Cup 1930–31 FA Cup Southampton entered the 1930–31 FA Cup in the third round, travelling north to face First Division side Sunderland on 10 January 1931 in the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. Club historians described the hosts as "by far the better side", with the Saints going a goal down within ten minutes of the start of the game before being eliminated with a second goal later on. The team were weak in both defence and attack, with the performances of Bert Shelley and Johnny McIlwaine (playing at centre-forward in place of Willie Haines, who was absent due to illness) singled out by club historians as particularly poor. Round 3 10 January 1931 Sunderland 2–0 Southampton Roker Park Sunderland 28,931 L Other matches Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played seven additional first-team matches during the 1930–31 season. Shortly after the previous season's Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup games against Portsmouth, the club conducted a close season tour of Denmark in which they played four matches against local Danish league teams. The Saints won three of these games, beating Odense BK 3–0 on 25 May, AGF Aarhus 4–0 on 29 May and Aalborg BK 3–1 on 1 June, before losing 4–3 to Horsens fS on 5 June.Chalk Holley 1987 212 The only other friendly match the club played during the season was against local Third Division South side Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic on 25 March 1931 at Dean Court. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, with Willie Haines scoring a hat-trick for the visiting Saints. Prior to the club's penultimate game of the season, at home to Portsmouth in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup, 15 Southampton players had turned down new contracts from the club and refused to play again. As a result, the club had to field a team including a number of reserves and former players who had agreed to step in as guests, including wing-half Len Butt, centre-forward Bill Rawlings and inside-forward Arthur Dominy. Organised by Hampshire FA secretary G. J. Eden, the makeshift side lost 4–0 to Portsmouth at The Dell, with goals scored by Jack Weddle, Jimmy Easson and Septimus Rutherford (two). The Rowland Hospital Cup game two days later featured a team consisting mainly of reserve players, with Fred Allan and Arthur Haddleton scoring for the Saints in the 2–2 draw at Fratton Park.Juson Aldworth Bendel Bull 2004 128 Friendly 25 May 1930 Odense BK 0–3 Southampton Odense W Friendly 29 May 1930 AGF Aarhus 0–4 Southampton Aarhus Idrætspark Aarhus W Friendly 1 June 1930 Aalborg BK 1–3 Southampton Aalborg Stadium Aalborg W Friendly 5 June 1930 Horsens fS 4–3 Southampton Fraser Dougall Jepson Forum Horsens Arena Horsens L Friendly 25 March 1931 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 3–3 Southampton Haines Dean Court Bournemouth D Hampshire BC 4 May 1931 Southampton 0–4 Portsmouth Weddle Easson Rutherford The Dell Southampton L Rowland Hospital Cup 6 May 1931 Portsmouth 2–2 Southampton Easson Weddle Allan Haddleton Fratton Park Portsmouth 2,098 Arthur Kingscott D Player details Southampton used 36 different players during the 1930–31 season, 15 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. Arthur Bradford, Bert Jepson and Bill Adams made the most appearances for the club during the campaign, all playing in 40 games across all competitions. Left-back Michael Keeping played in 39 games, missing four league matches and the two end-of-season cup games. Centre-forward Willie Haines finished as the season's top scorer with 15 goals in the Second Division, followed by Johnny Arnold on eight goals. Four players – Herbert Coates, Bill Fraser, Bert Jepson and Johnny McIlwaine – scored seven goals in the league. At the end of the season, 15 players offered new contracts by the club refused to sign the terms or play in the final games of the season against Portsmouth. For the Hampshire Benevolent Cup match, Hampshire FA secretary G. J. Eden arranged a "Hampshire County Team" to play against Pompey at The Dell, which included just three players with first-team appearances during the season. Alongside Bill Adams, Arthur Haddleton and Coates were reserve team players Bill Soffe, Reg Thomas and Ernie Warren, as well as returning former players Len Butt, George Harkus, Bill Rawlings and Arthur Dominy, plus Cardiff City striker Frank Matson. Soffe, Thomas and Warren also played in the Rowland Hospital Cup, alongside fellow reserves Fred Allan, Chris Crossley and Sid Grover. Squad statistics NamePos. Playing positionNat. NationalityLeagueFA CupOther"Other" includes the Rowland Hospital Cup and Hampshire Benevolent Cup matches.TotalApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsApps. AppearancesGls. GoalsBill AdamsHB Half-backENG3701020400Fred AllanFW ForwardENG00001111Johnny ArnoldFW ForwardENG3081000318Arthur BradfordHB Half-backENG3901000400Herbert CoatesFW ForwardENG1671020197Peter CowperFW ForwardENG40000040Chris CrossleyFW ForwardENG00001010Laurie CummingFW ForwardIRL2041000214Peter DougallFW ForwardSCO1440000144Bill FraserFW ForwardENG2270000227Sid GroverFW ForwardENG00001010Arthur HaddletonFW ForwardENG10002131Willie HainesFW ForwardENG211500002115Ted HoughFB Full-backENG30000030Bert JepsonFW ForwardENG3971000407Michael KeepingFB Full-backENG3811000391Bill LuckettHB Half-backENG2100000210Jerry MackieFW ForwardSCO1450000145Johnny McIlwaineHB Half-backSCO2671000277Arthur RobertsFB Full-backENG40000040Bert ScrivenGK GoalkeeperENG2900000290Bert ShelleyHB Half-backENG2301010250Bill SoffeGK GoalkeeperENG00002020Billy StageFW ForwardENG41000041Bill StoddartHB Half-backENG00001010Reg ThomasFB Full-backENG00002020Ernie WarrenFW ForwardENG00002020Reg WatsonFW ForwardENG51000051Willie WhiteGK GoalkeeperSCO1301000140Arthur WilsonHB Half-backENG1350000135Stan WoodhouseHB Half-backENG2601000270Players who appeared for the club as guestsLen ButtHB Half-backENG00001010Arthur DominyFW ForwardENG00001010George HarkusHB Half-backENG00001010Frank MatsonFW ForwardWAL00001010Bill RawlingsFW ForwardENG00001010 Most appearances RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupOtherTotalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of totalApps. Appearances% Percentage of total1Arthur BradfordHB Half-back3992.861100.0000.004088.89Bert JepsonFW Forward3992.861100.0000.004088.89Bill AdamsHB Half-back3788.101100.002100.004088.894Michael KeepingFB Full-back3890.481100.0000.003986.675Johnny ArnoldFW Forward3071.431100.0000.003168.896Bert ScrivenGK Goalkeeper2969.0500.0000.002964.447Johnny McIlwaineHB Half-back2661.901100.0000.002760.00Stan WoodhouseHB Half-back2661.901100.0000.002760.009Bert ShelleyHB Half-back2354.761100.00150.002555.5610Bill FraserFW Forward2252.3800.0000.002248.89 Top goalscorers RankNamePos. Playing positionLeagueFA CupOtherTotalGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per gameGls. GoalsGPG Goals per game1Willie HainesFW Forward150.7100.0000.00150.712Johnny ArnoldFW Forward80.2600.0000.0080.253Herbert CoatesFW Forward70.4300.0000.0070.36Bill FraserFW Forward70.3100.0000.0070.31Johnny McIlwaineHB Half-back70.2600.0000.0070.25Bert JepsonFW Forward70.1700.0000.0070.177Arthur WilsonHB Half-back50.3800.0000.0050.38Jerry MackieFW Forward50.3500.0000.0050.359Peter DougallFW Forward40.2800.0000.0040.28Laurie CummingFW Forward40.2000.0000.0040.19 Footnotes References Bibliographty 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