1935–36 Southampton F.C. season

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Southampton F.C.
1935–36 season
ChairmanSloane Stanley
ManagerGeorge Kay
StadiumThe Dell
Second Division17th
FA CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague: Vic Watson (14)
All: Vic Watson (14)
Highest home attendance21,333 v Tottenham Hotspur (23 November 1935)
Lowest home attendance1,875 v Port Vale
(30 March 1936)
Average home league attendance10,600
Biggest win7–2 v Nottingham Forest
(15 February 1936)
Biggest defeat0–8 v Tottenham Hotspur
(28 March 1936)

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[edit]

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.[1] He took the place of last season's primary centre-forward Norman Cole, who had moved to Norwich City.[2] The club's second signing, in July, was half-back/forward Jack Gurry from recently relegated Leicester City.[3] 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);[4] wing-half Frank Ward, who left on a free transfer to Southern League side Folkestone;[5] and out-of-favour inside-forward Alf Wheeler, who remained in the Second Division with Barnsley.[6] In October, the club also sold forward James Horton to Aldershot, after just one season in which he only made a handful of appearances.[7]

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.[8] To bring Light to the club, West Brom paid Southampton a transfer fee of £2,000 – a new English record fee for a goalkeeper.[9] 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",[8] and claimed that it led to a "storm of protest".[9]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Vic Watson  England FW England West Ham United June 1935 Unknown [1]
Jack Gurry  England HB England Leicester City July 1935 Unknown [3]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Frank Campbell  England HB England Newport (Isle of Wight) Summer 1935 Unknown [4]
Norman Cole  England FW England Norwich City May 1935 Unknown [2]
Frank Ward  England HB England Folkestone August 1935 Free [5]
Alf Wheeler  England FW England Barnsley August 1935 Unknown [6]
James Horton  England FW England Aldershot October 1935 Unknown [7]
Billy Light  England GK England West Bromwich Albion March 1936 £2,000[a] [9]

Second Division[edit]

See also: 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[11] 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.[8]

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.[13] 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.[11] 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.[11][14] 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.[11] 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.[11]

On 28 March 1936, Southampton suffered their heaviest league defeat to date when they lost 0–8 against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.[8] Joe Meek and George Hunt scored hat-tricks for Spurs, with the other two goals registered by Willie Evans.[15] This would remain the club's biggest league defeat – equalled at the hands of Everton in the 1971–72 season[16] – until they lost 0–9 to Leicester City in the Premier League in 2019.[17] 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.[8] 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.[11] 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.[18] Manager George Kay left after the season ended to join Liverpool.[19]

List of match results[edit]

31 August 1935 1 Southampton 4–3 Swansea Town Southampton
McIlwaine
Pollard
Watson
Fishlock 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,528
2 September 1935 2 Doncaster Rovers 0–1 Southampton Doncaster
Fishlock Stadium: Belle Vue
Attendance: 14,227
7 September 1935 3 Leicester City 1–1 Southampton Leicester
Neal Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 18,000
9 September 1935 4 Southampton 1–0 Doncaster Rovers Southampton
Watson Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,126
14 September 1935 5 Southampton 3–0 Bradford Southampton
Brewis
Pollard
Fishlock 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,315
16 September 1935 6 Southampton 0–0 Bury Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,320
21 September 1935 7 Sheffield United 2–1 Southampton Sheffield
Watson Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 13,000
28 September 1935 8 Southampton 2–1 Manchester United Southampton
Holt
Fishlock 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,678
5 October 1935 9 Southampton 1–1 Norwich City Southampton
Watson Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,073
12 October 1935 10 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Southampton Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 10,000
19 October 1935 11 Port Vale 0–2 Southampton Stoke-on-Trent
Watson Stadium: Old Recreation Ground
Attendance: 5,000
26 October 1935 12 Southampton 1–2 Fulham Southampton
Holt Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,999
2 November 1935 13 Burnley 2–0 Southampton Burnley
Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 8,524
9 November 1935 14 Southampton 2–5 Charlton Athletic Southampton
Sillett
Watson 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,050
16 November 1935 15 Hull City 2–2 Southampton Kingston upon Hull
Holt
Watson 		Stadium: Anlaby Road
Attendance: 8,000
23 November 1935 16 Southampton 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Southampton
Tully
Holt 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,333
30 November 1935 17 Plymouth Argyle 0–0 Southampton Plymouth
Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 14,356
7 December 1935 18 Southampton 0–0 Bradford City Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,525
14 December 1935 19 Newcastle United 4–1 Southampton Newcastle upon Tyne
Brewis Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 15,000
21 December 1935 20 Southampton 0–1 Barnsley Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,622
25 December 1935 21 West Ham United 0–0 Southampton London
Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 27,609
26 December 1935 22 Southampton 2–4 West Ham United Southampton
Holt
Watson 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 18,967
28 December 1935 23 Swansea Town 0–0 Southampton Swansea
Stadium: Vetch Field
Attendance: 8,076
1 January 1936 24 Bury 0–0 Southampton Bury
Stadium: Gigg Lane
Attendance: 3,000
4 January 1936 25 Southampton 1–0 Leicester City Southampton
Neal Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,848
18 January 1936 26 Bradford 2–1 Southampton Bradford
Fishlock Stadium: Park Avenue
Attendance: 8,548
1 February 1936 27 Manchester United 4–0 Southampton Manchester
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 20,000
5 February 1936 28 Southampton 0–1 Sheffield United Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,053
8 February 1936 29 Norwich City 5–1 Southampton Norwich
Holt Stadium: The Nest
Attendance: 12,000
15 February 1936 30 Southampton 7–2 Nottingham Forest Southampton
Watson
Holt
Neal 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,253
29 February 1936 31 Bradford City 2–1 Southampton Bradford
Neal Stadium: Valley Parade
Attendance: 5,000
7 March 1936 32 Southampton 1–0 Hull City Southampton
Fishlock Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,476
14 March 1936 33 Charlton Athletic 2–0 Southampton London
Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 25,000
21 March 1936 34 Southampton 1–0 Burnley Southampton
Holt Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,095
28 March 1936 35 Tottenham Hotspur 8–0 Southampton London
Meek
Hunt
Evans 		Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 28,907
30 March 1936 36 Southampton 0–1 Port Vale Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 1,875
4 April 1936 37 Southampton 2–0 Plymouth Argyle Southampton
Sillett
Holt 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,882
10 April 1936 38 Blackpool 2–1 Southampton Blackpool
King Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 18,447
11 April 1936 39 Fulham 0–2 Southampton London
Watson
Fishlock 		Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 15,000
13 April 1936 40 Southampton 0–1 Blackpool Southampton
Holt Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,911
18 April 1936 41 Southampton 1–3 Newcastle United Southampton
Holt Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,670
25 April 1936 42 Barnsley 3–1 Southampton Barnsley
Watson Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 5,202

Final league table[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
15 Burnley 42 12 13 17 50 59 0.847 37
16 Bradford Park Avenue 42 14 9 19 62 84 0.738 37
17 Southampton 42 14 9 19 47 65 0.723 37
18 Doncaster Rovers 42 14 9 19 51 71 0.718 37
19 Nottingham Forest 42 12 11 19 69 76 0.908 35
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results by matchday[edit]

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHHHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHA
ResultWWDWWDLWDLWLLLDWDDLLDLDDWLLLLWLWLWLLWLWWLL
Position62312132243478989891212141314121314141713171616151717161815141617
Source: 11v11.com[20]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup[edit]

See also: 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.[8]

11 January 1936 Round 3 Middlesbrough 1–0 Southampton Middlesbrough
Cunliffe Stadium: Ayresome Park
Attendance: 29,950

Other matches[edit]

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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23]

16 October 1935 Hampshire CC Semi-Final Aldershot 4–0 Southampton Aldershot
Stadium: Recreation Ground
25 January 1936 Friendly Southampton 2–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Southampton
Fishlock
Watson 		Stadium: The Dell
27 April 1936 Hampshire Benevolent Cup Southampton 1–2 Portsmouth Southampton
Watson Stadium: The Dell

Player details[edit]

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.[11] 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.[11] 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.[11]

Squad statistics[edit]

Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Bill Adams HB England 17 0 1 0 18 0
Arthur Bradford HB England 12 0 0 0 12 0
Tom Brewis FW England 19 2 1 0 20 2
Norman Catlin FW England 5 0 0 0 5 0
Laurie Fishlock FW England 41 7 1 0 42 7
Jack Gurry HB England 9 0 0 0 9 0
Doug Henderson FB England 8 0 0 0 8 0
Arthur Holt FW England 37 13 1 0 38 13
Cyril King HB England 21 1 0 0 21 1
Bill Luckett HB England 19 0 0 0 19 0
Johnny McIlwaine HB Scotland 33 1 1 0 34 1
Dick Neal FW England 32 4 1 0 33 4
Walter Pollard FW England 13 2 0 0 13 2
Arthur Roberts FB England 32 0 1 0 33 0
Bert Scriven GK England 10 0 0 0 10 0
Charlie Sillett FB England 42 2 1 0 43 2
Fred Tully FW England 28 1 1 0 29 1
Vic Watson FW England 36 14 1 0 37 14
Stan Woodhouse HB England 16 0 0 0 16 0
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Billy Light GK England 32 0 1 0 33 0

Most appearances[edit]

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Charlie Sillett FB 42 100.00 1 100.00 43 100.00
2 Laurie Fishlock FW 41 97.62 1 100.00 42 97.67
3 Arthur Holt FW 37 88.10 1 100.00 38 88.37
4 Vic Watson FW 36 85.71 1 100.00 37 86.05
5 Johnny McIlwaine HB 33 78.57 1 100.00 34 79.07
6 Billy Light GK 32 76.19 1 100.00 33 76.74
Dick Neal FW 32 76.19 1 100.00 33 76.74
Arthur Roberts FB 32 76.19 1 100.00 33 76.74
9 Fred Tully FW 28 66.67 1 100.00 29 67.44
10 Cyril King HB 21 50.00 0 0.00 21 48.84

Top goalscorers[edit]

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Vic Watson FW 14 0.39 0 0.00 14 0.38
2 Arthur Holt FW 13 0.35 0 0.00 13 0.34
3 Laurie Fishlock FW 7 0.17 0 0.00 7 0.17
4 Dick Neal FW 4 0.13 0 0.00 4 0.12
5 Walter Pollard FW 2 0.15 0 0.00 2 0.15
Tom Brewis FW 2 0.11 0 0.00 2 0.10
Charlie Sillett FB 2 0.05 0 0.00 2 0.05
8 Cyril King HB 1 0.05 0 0.00 1 0.05
Fred Tully FW 1 0.04 0 0.00 1 0.03
Johnny McIlwaine HB 1 0.03 0 0.00 1 0.03

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ Billy Light's £2,000 transfer fee was an English record for a goalkeeper at the time.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Vic Watson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Norman Cole". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b "John Gurry". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Frank Campbell". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Frank Ward". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Fred Wheeler". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Sonny Horton". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 94
  9. ^ a b c d "Bill Light". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  10. ^ "League Division Two table after close of play on 14 September 1935". 11v11.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 95
  12. ^ "League Division Two table after close of play on 09 November 1935". 11v11.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  13. ^ "League Division Two table after close of play on 01 January 1936". 11v11.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  14. ^ "League Division Two table after close of play on 08 February 1936". 11v11.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  15. ^ Holmes, Logan (28 March 2014). "Tottenham On This Day: Spurs Hit Eight (8) Against Southampton". Hotspur HQ. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  16. ^ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 160
  17. ^ Cole, Jackson (13 July 2020). "From 0-9 to cloud nine – how Southampton changed their fortunes to become one of the Premier League's in-form sides". Talksport. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  18. ^ "League Division Two table after close of play on 25 April 1936". 11v11.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  19. ^ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 226
  20. ^ "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  21. ^ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 205
  22. ^ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 213
  23. ^ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 206

Bibliography[edit]

  • Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (10 August 1987), A Complete Record of Southampton Football Club: 1885–1987, Derby, England: Breedon Books, ISBN 978-0907969228
  • Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (28 November 2013), All the Saints: A Complete Who's Who of Southampton FC, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN 978-0992686406
  • Juson, Dave; Aldworth, Clay; Bendel, Barry; Bull, David; Chalk, Gary (10 November 2004), Saints v Pompey: A History of Unrelenting Rivalry, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN 978-0953447459

External links[edit]

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