Southampton F.C.
1934–35 season
ChairmanSloane Stanley
ManagerGeorge Kay
StadiumThe Dell
Second Division19th
FA CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague: Laurie Fishlock (7)
All: Laurie Fishlock (9)
Highest home attendance18,351 v Swansea Town
(26 December 1934)
Lowest home attendance4,800 v Notts County
(22 September 1934)
Average home league attendance9,118
Biggest win3–0 v Hull City
(15 September 1934)
4–1 v Bradford Park Avenue (10 November 1934)
Biggest defeat1–6 v Sheffield United
(16 February 1935)

The 1934–35 season was the 40th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's 13th in the Second Division of the Football League. The season was the Saints' worst league campaign since they were promoted to the second flight in 1923, as they finished in 19th place just two places and eight points above the relegation spots. With a lack of high-scoring forwards and injuries to players across the squad, the side struggled to pick up wins throughout the season; in the first half of the campaign, they continued their run without an away win that had encompassed the whole of the previous season, finally ending it after 33 winless fixtures with victory over Swansea Town on Christmas Day 1934. Southampton finished the season with 11 wins, 12 draws and 19 losses – their lowest win rate since the 1911–12 season.

In the 1934–35 FA Cup, Southampton entered the third round with an away fixture against Third Division North side Walsall, who they beat 2–1 thanks to a brace from Laurie Fishlock. In their first fourth round fixture since 1926–27, the Saints lost 0–3 to First Division strugglers Birmingham, in front of a new club record attendance of 28,291. As in previous seasons, the club ended the season with two local tournaments: the Hampshire Combination Cup and the combined Benevolent and Rowland Hospital Cups. In the former, the Saints lost 2–4 at Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in the semi-final. In the latter, they also lost to top-flight rivals Portsmouth, who scored the only goal of the game. Southampton's only friendly match during the 1934–35 campaign saw them drawing 2–2 with French side Le Havre AC in March.

Southampton used 23 different players during the 1934–35 season and had 13 different goalscorers. Their top scorer was left winger Laurie Fishlock, who scored seven goals in the Second Division and two in the FA Cup. Centre-forward Norman Cole scored eight times in the league, followed by centre-half Johnny McIlwaine on seven league goals during the campaign. Nine players were signed by the club during the season, with six released and sold to other clubs. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1934–35 season was 9,118. The highest attendance of the season was 28,291 in the FA Cup against Birmingham; the highest attendance in the league was significantly lower – 18,351 against Swansea Town on Boxing Day. The lowest attendance of the season was 4,800 against Notts County on 22 September.

Background and transfers

With mounting financial problems, transfer activity was limited for Southampton ahead of the 1934–35 season. At the end of the previous campaign, two amateur players – inside-left Herbert Coates and inside-right Vivian Gibbins – left to join Athenian League side Leyton.[1][2] Outside-left Ben Burley, who had made his first-team debut in the last two games of the previous season, also left in June for Grimsby Town, who had recently been promoted to the First Division.[3] Another inside-left out of contention, Tom Ruddy, left for Spennymoor United in the North Eastern League the next month.[4] Both left-sided forward positions were targeted as part of the club's only two signings prior to the start of the season – Alf Wheeler joined from Northampton Town in July and Doug Rowe moved to The Dell from Lincoln City in August.[5][6]

Southampton's headline signing came just after the start of the league campaign, however, as Laurie Fishlock was brought in from Millwall (who had been relegated from the Second Division last season) as first choice outside-left in September.[7] James Horton also joined from Millwall around the same time, although only made one appearance during the season at centre-forward in the FA Cup fourth round against Birmingham the following January.[8] Also in September, Joe Cummins – who had joined less than a year earlier but made just one appearance during the campaign before succumbing to injury – left to join French club CA Paris-Charenton.[9] In October, after just two months at the club, Rowe also left for France when he joined US Tourquennoise, having lost in place in the starting lineup upon Fishlock's arrival.[6] With the club struggling to score goals in the league, in December they signed Walter Pollard from Fulham, for whom he had failed to make an appearance; he played regularly in both inside-forward roles in the second half of the season, but only scored one goal.[10] Bob Reid also joined on amateur terms from Southwick in Sussex, turning professional the next month and making one appearance in the FA Cup fourth round fixture.[11]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Alf Wheeler  England FW England Northampton Town July 1934 Unknown [5]
Donovan Browning  England FB England Crystal Palace August 1934 Free[lower-alpha 1] [12]
Doug Rowe  England FW England Lincoln City August 1934 Unknown [6]
Lionel Bowen  England FB England Crystal Palace September 1934 Free[lower-alpha 2] [13]
Laurie Fishlock  England FW England Millwall September 1934 Unknown [7]
Doug Henderson  England FB England Park Avenue September 1934 Free[lower-alpha 3] [14]
James Horton  England FW England Millwall September 1934 Unknown [8]
Walter Pollard  England FW England Fulham December 1934 Unknown [10]
Bob Reid  England FW England Southwick December 1934 Free[lower-alpha 4] [11]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Herbert Coates  England FW England Leyton Summer 1934 Free [1]
Vivian Gibbins  England FW England Leyton Summer 1934 Free [2]
Ben Burley  England FW England Grimsby Town June 1934 Unknown [3]
Tom Ruddy  England FW England Spennymoor United July 1934 Unknown [4]
Joe Cummins  England FW France CA Paris-Charenton September 1934 Unknown [9]
Doug Rowe  England FW France US Tourquennoise October 1934 Unknown [6]

Second Division

Southampton begun the 1934–35 league campaign as poorly as they had ended the previous, picking up just two points from their first five games in home draws with fellow mid-table sides Port Vale and Oldham Athletic, to find themselves at the bottom end of the table.[15] In the return leg against Port Vale at the Old Recreation Ground, debutant winger Laurie Fishlock scored the only Saints goal in a 1–4 loss, which was followed a few days later by a 0–4 thrashing at the hands of Bolton Wanderers.[16] The club's sole win in their first ten games came against Hull City, who they beat 3–0 thanks to goals from Bill Adams, Tom Brewis and Fishlock.[16] A surprise 1–0 win over eventual league champions Brentford in October and a convincing 4–1 victory over Bradford Park Avenue a couple of weeks later (in which recent arrival Alf Wheeler scored a hat-trick) saw the team move away from the relegation spots, but by mid-December they were back just one point above the drop zone after picking up a solitary point from their next five fixtures.[17]

In the Christmas week, Southampton beat Bury 2–1 at home, then ended their 33-game streak without an away win on Christmas Day, when they scored the only goal of the game against Swansea Town (a feat which they repeated at home the next day).[16] After moving up to 12th in the league after a 2–0 win at Oldham Athletic on 5 January, Southampton began to plummet back down the league table with a winless run extending into late-March, including a 1–3 loss at bottom-ranked Notts County, a season-record 1–6 defeat at the hands of mid-table Sheffield United, and home losses against Barnsley and Nottingham Forest.[16] By the time they won their next game, 1–0 against Plymouth Argyle at The Dell on 30 March 1935, Southampton were struggling in 20th place in the league table, just six points above the first relegation spot.[18] The club won their last three home fixtures of the season, against Newcastle United, Manchester United and Blackpool, to ensure their safety in the Second Division with a 19th-place finish.[16]

List of match results

25 August 1934 1 Burnley 3–0 Southampton Burnley
Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 12,000
27 August 1934 2 Southampton 0–0 Port Vale Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,000
1 September 1934 3 Southampton 2–2 Oldham Athletic Southampton
Rowe
Cole 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,042
3 September 1934 4 Port Vale 4–1 Southampton Stoke-on-Trent
Fishlock Stadium: Old Recreation Ground
Attendance: 7,746
8 September 1934 5 Bolton Wanderers 4–0 Southampton Bolton
Stadium: Burnden Park
Attendance: 17,000
15 September 1934 6 Southampton 3–0 Hull City Southampton
Adams
Brewis
Fishlock 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,500
22 September 1934 7 Southampton 1–1 Notts County Southampton
Brewis Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 4,800
29 September 1934 8 Bradford City 1–1 Southampton Bradford
Wheeler Stadium: Valley Parade
Attendance: 9,000
6 October 1934 9 Southampton 1–1 Sheffield United Southampton
Tully Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,913
13 October 1934 10 Barnsley 1–1 Southampton Barnsley
Cole Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 8,000
20 October 1934 11 Nottingham Forest 3–1 Southampton Nottingham
Cole Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 10,000
27 October 1934 12 Southampton 1–0 Brentford Southampton
Tully Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,415
3 November 1934 13 Fulham 3–3 Southampton London
McIlwaine
Luckett
Horton 		Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 20,000
10 November 1934 14 Southampton 4–1 Bradford Park Avenue Southampton
Wheeler
Fishlock 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,000
17 November 1934 15 Plymouth Argyle 4–0 Southampton Plymouth
Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 17,501
24 November 1934 16 Southampton 1–4 Norwich City Southampton
Wheeler Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,400
1 December 1934 17 Newcastle United 1–0 Southampton Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 13,000
8 December 1934 18 Southampton 2–2 West Ham United Southampton
Cole
Fishlock 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,500
15 December 1934 19 Blackpool 4–1 Southampton Blackpool
Fishlock Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 10,000
22 December 1934 20 Southampton 2–1 Bury Southampton
Cole Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,300
25 December 1934 21 Swansea Town 0–1 Southampton Swansea
Fishlock Stadium: Vetch Field
Attendance: 2,000
26 December 1934 22 Southampton 1–0 Swansea Town Southampton
Wheeler Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 18,351
29 December 1934 23 Southampton 0–0 Burnley Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,257
1 January 1935 24 Manchester United 3–0 Southampton Manchester
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 15,174
5 January 1935 25 Oldham Athletic 0–2 Southampton Oldham
Cole Stadium: Boundary Park
Attendance: 7,000
19 January 1935 26 Southampton 1–2 Bolton Wanderers Southampton
Neal Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,575
31 January 1935 27 Hull City 0–0 Southampton Kingston upon Hull
Stadium: Boothferry Park
Attendance: 5,130
2 February 1935 28 Notts County 3–1 Southampton Nottingham
Tully Stadium: Meadow Lane
Attendance: 11,000
9 February 1935 29 Southampton 1–1 Bradford City Southampton
Holt Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,472
16 February 1935 30 Sheffield United 6–1 Southampton Sheffield
Pollard Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 5,000
23 February 1935 31 Southampton 0–1 Barnsley Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,625
2 March 1935 32 Southampton 1–2 Nottingham Forest Southampton
McIlwaine Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,790
9 March 1935 33 Brentford 3–2 Southampton London
Neal
Brewis 		Stadium: Griffin Park
Attendance: 13,111
16 March 1935 34 Southampton 1–1 Fulham Southampton
McIlwaine Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,946
23 March 1935 35 Bradford Park Avenue 3–1 Southampton Bradford
Neal Stadium: Horsfall Stadium
Attendance: 5,000
30 March 1935 36 Southampton 1–0 Plymouth Argyle Southampton
McIlwaine Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,271
6 April 1935 37 Norwich City 4–0 Southampton Norwich
Stadium: The Nest (football ground)
Attendance: 8,000
13 April 1935 38 Southampton 2–0 Newcastle United Southampton
Tully
McIlwaine 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,125
20 April 1935 39 West Ham United 2–1 Southampton London
Fishlock Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 31,000
22 April 1935 40 Southampton 1–0 Manchester United Southampton
McIlwaine Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,458
27 April 1935 41 Southampton 2–0 Blackpool Southampton
Woodhouse
McIlwaine 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,758
4 May 1935 42 Bury 4–1 Southampton Bury
Holt Stadium: Gigg Lane
Attendance: 5,000

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Promotion or relegation
17 Swansea Town 42 14 8 20 56 67 0.836 36
18 Port Vale 42 11 12 19 55 74 0.743 34
19 Southampton 42 11 12 19 46 75 0.613 34
20 Bradford City 42 12 8 22 50 68 0.735 32
21 Oldham Athletic (R) 42 10 6 26 56 95 0.589 26 Relegation to the Third Division North
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(R) Relegated

Results by matchday

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundAHHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA
ResultLDDLLWDDDDLWDWLLLDLWWWDLWLDLDLLLLDLWLWLWWL
Position201518192018191818171718181517191920201714121314121414151516171819192020201919191819
Source: 11v11.com[19]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

Southampton were drawn in the third round of the 1934–35 FA Cup against Third Division North side Walsall. The hosts went ahead through Gilbert Alsop, but the Saints responded through a Laurie Fishlock brace to win for the first time in the tournament since 1927.[20] In the fourth round, the Saints hosted First Division side Birmingham, attracting a new club record attendance of 28,291. With their top goalscorer Fishlock injured, however, the side lacked firepower as he was replaced by young amateur Bob Reid, who was described by club historians as "overawed by the experience".[20] Birmingham won the game 3–0, scoring two goals in the first half and the third in the second, as Southampton were knocked out of the fourth round, to which they didn't return until after the Second World War.[20]

12 January 1935 Round 3 Walsall 1–2 Southampton Walsall
Alsop Fishlock Stadium: Fellows Park
Attendance: 14,475
26 January 1935 Round 4 Southampton 0–3 Birmingham Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 28,291

Other matches

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played three additional first-team matches during the 1934–35 season. The first was a friendly against French club Le Havre AC on 5 March 1935, which ended in a 2–2 draw including goals from Arthur Holt and Fred Tully.[21] The next month, the team played the semi-final of the third annual Hampshire Combination Cup against Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic at Dean Court. Despite struggling towards the bottom of the division below the Saints, the Third Division South hosts won the game 4–2 to advance to the final of the competition, with Johnny McIlwaine scoring both consolations for the visitors.[22] In the final game of the season, four days after the league had concluded, the Saints lost 0–1 at Portsmouth for the 1935 combined Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup. Septimus Rutherford scored the only goal of the game in front of a lacklustre crowd of 2,215, extending Southampton's winless run in the competition to six years.[23]

5 March 1935 Friendly Le Havre AC 2–2 Southampton Le Havre, France
Holt
Tully 		Stadium: Stade Jules Deschaseaux
3 April 1935 Hampshire CC Semi-Final Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 4–2 Southampton Bournemouth
McIlwaine Stadium: Dean Court
8 May 1935 Hampshire BC/Rowland HC Portsmouth 1–0 Southampton Portsmouth
Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 2,215

Player details

Laurie Fishlock was Southampton's top scorer in 1934–35, with seven goals in the league and two in the FA Cup.

Southampton used 23 different players during the 1934–35 season, thirteen 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.[16] Outside-right Fred Tully appeared in all but two of the club's league games during the campaign, followed by right-back Charlie Sillett who played in 39 league and both FA Cup games.[16] Outside-left Laurie Fishlock finished as the season's top scorer with seven goals in the Second Division and two in the FA Cup, followed by centre-forward Norman Cole on eight goals, then centre-half Johnny McIlwaine on seven.[16]

Squad statistics

Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Bill Adams HB England 251 20 271
Arthur Bradford HB England 200 00 200
Tom Brewis FW England 273 00 273
Frank Campbell HB Scotland 10 00 10
Norman Cole FW England 248 10 258
Laurie Fishlock FW England 287 12 299
James Horton FW England 00 10 10
Arthur Holt FW England 272 20 292
Cyril King HB England 130 20 150
Billy Light GK England 90 00 90
Bill Luckett HB England 381 20 401
Johnny McIlwaine HB Scotland 247 20 267
Dick Neal FW England 223 20 243
Walter Pollard FW England 101 00 101
Bob Reid FW England 00 10 10
Arthur Roberts FB England 160 00 160
Bert Scriven GK England 330 20 350
Charlie Sillett FB England 390 20 410
Fred Tully FW England 404 20 424
Frank Ward FB England 170 00 170
Alf Wheeler FW England 116 00 116
Stan Woodhouse HB England 221 00 221
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Doug Rowe FW England 21 00 21

Most appearances

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Fred Tully FW 4095.24 2100.00 4297.67
2 Charlie Sillett FB 3992.86 2100.00 4195.35
3 Bill Luckett HB 3890.48 2100.00 4093.02
4 Bert Scriven GK 3378.57 2100.00 3581.40
5 Laurie Fishlock FW 2866.67 150.00 2967.44
Arthur Holt FW 2764.29 2100.00 2967.44
7 Tom Brewis FW 2764.29 00.00 2762.79
Bill Adams HB 2559.52 2100.00 2762.79
9 Johnny McIlwaine HB 2457.14 2100.00 2660.47
10 Norman Cole FW 2457.14 150.00 2558.14

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Laurie Fishlock FW 70.25 22.00 90.31
2 Norman Cole FW 80.33 00.00 80.32
3 Johnny McIlwaine HB 70.29 00.00 70.27
4 Alf Wheeler FW 60.55 00.00 60.55
5 Fred Tully FW 40.10 00.00 40.10
6 Dick Neal FW 30.14 00.00 30.13
Tom Brewis FW 30.11 00.00 30.11
8 Arthur Holt FW 20.07 00.00 20.07
9 Doug Rowe FW 10.50 00.00 10.50
Walter Pollard FW 10.10 00.00 10.10
Stan Woodhouse HB 10.05 00.00 10.05
Bill Adams HB 10.04 00.00 10.04
Bill Luckett HB 10.03 00.00 10.03

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Donovan Browning initially joined on amateur terms in August 1934, before turning professional the following May.[12]
  2. ↑ Lionel Bowen initially joined on amateur terms in September 1934, before turning professional the following month.[13]
  3. ↑ Doug Henderson initially joined on amateur terms.[14]
  4. ↑ Bob Reid initially joined on amateur terms in December 1934, before turning professional in January 1935.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rigger Coates". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Viv Gibbins". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Ben Burley". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Tom Ruddy". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Fred Wheeler". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Douglas Rowe". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Laurie Fishlock". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Sonny Horton". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Joe Cummins". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Walter Pollard". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 "Bob Reid". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Donovan Browning". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Lionel Bowen". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Doug Henderson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  15. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 08 September 1934". 11v11.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 93
  17. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 15 December 1934". 11v11.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  18. ↑ "League Division Two table after close of play on 30 March 1935". 11v11.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 92
  21. ↑ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 213
  22. ↑ Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 205
  23. ↑ Juson et al. 2004, p. 133

Bibliography

  • 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{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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