1921–22 Southampton F.C. season

The 1921–22 season was the 27th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's second in the Football League. After finishing second in the league the previous season, Southampton achieved promotion to the Second Division as champions of the newly regionalised Third Division South. Following a false start to the campaign, the Saints quickly asserted their dominance in the league when they went on a club record 19-game unbeaten run until the end of 1921. The club also remained unbeaten at The Dell for the entirety of the league season, as well as conceding a Football League record low 21 goals in 42 games, which remained in place until the 1978–79 season. Southampton finished atop the league table with 23 wins, 15 draws and four losses, ahead of runners-up Plymouth Argyle only on goal average.

Southampton F.C.
1921–22 season
ChairmanTankerville Chamberlayne
ManagerJimmy McIntyre
StadiumThe Dell
Third Division SouthChampions
FA CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Bill Rawlings (30)
All: Bill Rawlings (33)
Highest home attendance20,940 v Queens Park Rangers (27 December 1921)
Lowest home attendance5,000 (multiple games)
Average home league attendance11,140

In the 1921–22 FA Cup, Southampton beat Second Division side South Shields to reach the second round, but were knocked out following a replay by recently promoted First Division club Cardiff City, who had also eliminated them in the fourth round the previous year. The club ended the season hosting local rivals Portsmouth in the annual Hampshire Benevolent Cup charity match, which they won 3–1 thanks to two goals from Arthur Dominy and one from Bill Rawlings. Southampton also played four friendly matches during the campaign, beating Portsmouth 4–0 in a benefit game for club secretary and former manager Ernest Arnfield in October, losing 1–0 to Pompey the following month, defeating Preston North End 3–1 in a benefit game for Arthur Dominy in December, and beating amateur side Corinthian in February.

Southampton used 25 different players during the 1921–22 season and had ten different goalscorers. Their top scorer was centre-forward Bill Rawlings, who scored 30 goals in the Third Division South (one behind the division's top scorer, Plymouth's Frank Richardson) and two in the FA Cup. During the season, the club broke their record for highest league win, beating Northampton Town 8–0 at The Dell in December. Eight new players were signed by the club during the campaign, with seven released and sold to other clubs. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1921–22 season was 11,140. The highest attendance was 20,940 against Queens Park Rangers on 27 December 1921; the lowest was around 5,000 for matches against Millwall on 5 January 1922 and against Swansea Town on 20 February 1922.

Background and transfers

Several players left Southampton at the end of the 1920–21 season. Most significant of the departures was inside-left James Moore, who had played every game the previous campaign; he returned to his native county of Yorkshire due to "family reasons", joining Second Division club Leeds United.[1] He was replaced in the side by Henry Johnson, who had joined from Darlaston just before the end of the last season,[2] and new addition Len Andrews, who was signed from Reading in August (he had previously played over 100 games for the Saints before World War I).[3] Goalkeeper Arthur Wood, who had lost his place the previous year to new signing Tommy Allen, also left the club in May 1921 to join Second Division side Clapton Orient, where he remained for the rest of his career.[4] Three more players left in the summer, all of whom had spent only one season at the club – centre-forward George Reader retired from the professional game and joined Harland and Wolff on a part-time basis,[5] outside-right Frank Wright returned to his previous position at Hamstead Colliery,[6] and inside-right George Williams joined fellow Third Division South side Exeter City, where he played for a season before being forced to part-retire due to a leg injury.[7]

In addition to Andrews, Jimmy McIntyre brought in another two new players to Southampton before the start of the 1921–22 season. Full-back Harry Hooper joined for £10 from Brierley Hill Alliance,[8] while centre-forward John Horton was brought in from Wombwell.[9] A few months into the campaign, centre-half Ted Hough was signed from Talbot Stead Tubeworks, who were paid £200 and 52 pints of beer for his services.[10] In January 1922, Sammy Meston – the son of former Southampton half-back Samuel Meston – joined from Sholing Athletic,[11] and outside-right Robert Blyth signed from Portsmouth.[12] In March, the club released two popular players to recently promoted First Division club Birmingham, who provided two of their own players in return. McIntyre's contributions were outside-left Fred Foxall and outside-right Joe Barratt, both of whom had played the majority of games up to that point, while their replacements were inside-left Jack Elkes and half-back George Getgood.[13] Foxall had originally attempted to join top-flight side Aston Villa in May, but his transfer was reversed by the Football Association as Southampton had not given permission for the sale (he was also ordered to donate his signing-on fee to the National War Fund).[14]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Harry Hooper  England FB Brierley Hill Alliance May 1921 [8]
John Horton  England FW Wombwell May 1921 [9]
Len Andrews  England FW Reading August 1921 [3]
Ted Hough  England FB Talbot Stead Tubeworks October 1921 [10]
Robert Blyth  England FW Portsmouth January 1922 [12]
Sammy Meston  England FW Sholing Athletic January 1922 [11]
Jack Elkes  England FW Birmingham March 1922 [15]
George Getgood  Scotland HB Birmingham March 1922 [16]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
James Moore  England FW Leeds United May 1921 [1]
George Reader  England FW Harland and Wolff May 1921 [5]
Arthur Wood  England GK Clapton Orient May 1921 [4]
Frank Wright  England FW Hamstead Colliery May 1921 [6]
George Williams  England FW Exeter City June 1921 [7]
Joe Barratt  England FW Birmingham March 1922 [17]
Fred Foxall  England FW Birmingham March 1922 [14]

Third Division South
See also: 1921–22 Football League

Southampton's second Football League campaign began on 27 August 1921 with a home fixture against Gillingham, who had finished bottom of the Third Division table the previous year.[18] The hosts won the game 2–0, with the two top scorers of the last campaign, Arthur Dominy and Bill Rawlings, scoring the goals.[19] Despite this strong start, the Saints were slow to pick up pace in their opening league fixtures, as they were held to a goalless draw at Luton Town and lost 2–0 in the return fixture at Gillingham in their next two games.[19] However, the side's fortunes quickly changed when they embarked on a club record 19-game unbeaten league run, beginning on 5 September with a 2–1 win over Luton at The Dell and not ending until the following January, over four months later.[20] The run produced several high-scoring wins, including a 6–0 victory over Charlton Athletic in November (in which Rawlings scored a hat-trick) and an 8–0 defeat of Northampton Town in December (in which Rawlings scored half of the goals).[19] The result against Northampton Town remained the club's single highest league win until October 2014, when it was equalled with a result of the same scoreline against Sunderland in the Premier League.[20]

The club's unbeaten run finally came to an end on 14 January 1922, when they were beaten by a single goal at mid-table side Brentford.[19] Rawlings scored four goals for a second time during the season the following week when the Saints faced Millwall, making him the first Southampton player to do so three times.[21] However, the club continued to drop points in early 1922, and as a result dropped below main title contenders Plymouth Argyle in the table following a third loss of the season at Swansea Town on 25 February.[19] New signings Jack Elkes and George Getgood debuted against Southend United in the next game, with the former scoring two goals in the convincing 5–2 win; however, he broke his collar bone in the next match, and remained injured for the remainder of the campaign.[13] Southampton dropped valuable points against Argyle in April, when they lost 1–0 at Home Park and were held to a goalless draw at The Dell, with the Devon club pulling five points ahead at the top of the league table.[22]

Despite this points deficit, Southampton had two games in hand over Plymouth, both of which they won 1–0: first over Newport County on 29 April, and second over Merthyr Town on 1 May.[19] By the start of the final day of the season, Southampton were only one point behind leaders Plymouth Argyle, with a superior goal average.[23] In their final game of the campaign, Southampton thrashed Newport County 5–0 in the return fixture at The Dell, with goals coming from Arthur Dominy (two), Alec Campbell, Rawlings and Henry Johnson.[19] According to club historians, "no-one left The Dell" as the club waited for news from Loftus Road, where Plymouth were playing Queens Park Rangers in their final fixture.[13] Argyle lost the match 2–0, which meant that they were level on points with Southampton, who had a superior goal average to secure them the top spot in the division.[13] According to reports, the fans at The Dell "went wild with excitement, storming the ground, demanding to see the players".[13] The club finished on 61 points from 23 wins, 15 draws and four losses; they conceded 21 goals, which was a record low for a Football League season until Liverpool surpassed it with just 16 goals in the 1978–79 season.[19]

List of match results
27 August 1921 1Southampton2–0GillinghamSouthampton
Dominy
Rawlings 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,000
29 August 1921 2Luton Town0–0SouthamptonLuton
Stadium: Kenilworth Road
Attendance: 10,000
3 September 1921 3Gillingham2–0SouthamptonGillingham
Stadium: Priestfield Stadium
Attendance: 6,000
5 September 1921 4Southampton2–1Luton TownSouthampton
Rawlings
Foxall 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,000
10 September 1921 5Southampton3–1Swindon TownSouthampton
Campbell
Barratt
Rawlings 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,000
17 September 1921 6Swindon Town2–3SouthamptonSwindon
Rawlings
Andrews 		Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 9,000
24 September 1921 7Southampton3–0Brighton & Hove AlbionSouthampton
Turner
Rawlings
Foxall 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,000
1 October 1921 8Brighton & Hove Albion0–1SouthamptonHove
Rawlings Stadium: Goldstone Ground
Attendance: 10,000
8 October 1921 9Norwich City2–2SouthamptonNorwich
Rawlings
Andrews 		Stadium: The Nest
Attendance: 9,000
15 October 1921 10Southampton2–0Norwich CitySouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,000
22 October 1921 11Watford1–1SouthamptonWatford
Campbell Stadium: Cassio Road
Attendance: 6,000
29 October 1921 12Southampton2–0WatfordSouthampton
Campbell
Andrews 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,000
5 November 1921 13Reading0–1SouthamptonReading
Dominy Stadium: Elm Park
Attendance: 12,000
12 November 1921 14Southampton0–0ReadingSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,000
19 November 1921 15Southampton6–0Charlton AthleticSouthampton
Rawlings
Dominy
Barratt 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,000
28 November 1921 16Charlton Athletic1–2SouthamptonLondon
Dominy
Rawlings 		Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 9,000
3 December 1921 17Millwall0–1SouthamptonLondon
Rawlings Stadium: The Den
Attendance: 10,000
10 December 1921 18Southampton1–0Bristol RoversSouthampton
Foxall Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,000
24 December 1921 19Southampton8–0Northampton TownSouthampton
Rawlings
Dominy
Johnson 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,000
26 December 1921 20Queens Park Rangers2–2SouthamptonLondon
Campbell
Rawlings 		Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 12,000
27 December 1921 21Southampton1–1Queens Park RangersSouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 20,940
31 December 1921 22Southampton0–0BrentfordSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,000
14 January 1922 23Brentford1–0SouthamptonBrentford
Stadium: Griffin Park
Attendance: 11,000
21 January 1922 24Southampton4–2MillwallSouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,000
4 February 1922 25Southampton2–0Exeter CitySouthampton
Dominy Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,000
11 February 1922 26Exeter City0–0SouthamptonExeter
Stadium: St James Park
Attendance: 6,000
20 February 1922 27Southampton1–1Swansea TownSouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,000
25 February 1922 28Swansea Town1–0SouthamptonSwansea
Stadium: Vetch Field
Attendance: 14,000
4 March 1922 29Southampton5–0Southend UnitedSouthampton
Dominy
Elkes
Campbell 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,000
11 March 1922 30Southend United0–0SouthamptonSouthend-on-Sea
Stadium: Kursaal
Attendance: 6,000
18 March 1922 31Portsmouth0–2SouthamptonPortsmouth
Rawlings Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 26,382
25 March 1922 32Southampton1–1PortsmouthSouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,000
8 April 1922 33Southampton1–1Merthyr TownSouthampton
Brown Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,000
14 April 1922 34Bristol Rovers0–0SouthamptonBristol
Stadium: Eastville Stadium
Attendance: 25,000
15 April 1922 35Plymouth Argyle1–0SouthamptonPlymouth
Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 24,000
17 April 1922 36Southampton1–0Aberdare AthleticSouthampton
Johnson Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,000
18 April 1922 37Aberdare Athletic0–1SouthamptonAberdare
Campbell Stadium: Athletic Ground
Attendance: 17,000
22 April 1922 38Southampton0–0Plymouth ArgyleSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,000
24 April 1922 39Northampton Town0–0SouthamptonNorthampton
Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 7,000
29 April 1922 40Newport County0–1SouthamptonNewport
Campbell Stadium: Rodney Parade
Attendance: 4,000
1 May 1922 41Merthyr Town0–1SouthamptonMerthyr Tydfil
Brown Stadium: Penydarren Park
Attendance: 8,000
6 May 1922 42Southampton5–0Newport CountySouthampton
Dominy
Campbell
Rawlings
Johnson 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,000

Final league table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Southampton 42 23 15 4 68 21 +47 61 Division Champions, promoted
2 Plymouth Argyle 42 25 11 6 63 24 +39 61
3 Portsmouth 42 18 17 7 62 39 +23 53
4 Luton Town 42 22 8 12 64 35 +29 52
5 Queens Park Rangers 42 18 13 11 53 44 +9 49
Source:

Results by matchday
Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHHAHHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAAAH
ResultWDLWWWWWDWDWWDWWWWWDDDLWWDDLWDWDDDLWWDDWWW
Position6711976413222222211111121111222222222222221
Source: 11v11.com[24]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup
See also: 1921–22 FA Cup

Southampton entered the 1921–22 FA Cup in the first round against Second Division side South Shields. Despite their lower league status, the Saints picked up a "convincing" 3–1 win over the second-tier club, with goals from Henry Johnson, Bill Rawlings and Arthur Dominy.[13] In the second round, the club hosted recently promoted First Division side Cardiff City, who had knocked them out in the third round the previous season.[25] The club held the top-flight side to a 1–1 draw at The Dell, but were unable to beat them in the replay at Ninian Park and were eliminated after a 2–0 loss.[13]

7 January 1922 Round 1Southampton3–1South ShieldsSouthampton
Johnson
Rawlings
Dominy 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,497
28 January 1922 Round 2Southampton1–1Cardiff CitySouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 19,291
1 February 1922 Round 2 ReplayCardiff City2–0SouthamptonCardiff
Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 40,000

Other matches

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played five additional first-team matches. The first was a friendly match at home to local rivals Portsmouth on 20 October 1921, which served as a benefit match for club secretary Ernest Arnfield. The Saints won the game 4–0, with all four goals coming in the second half – Arthur Dominy "walked the ball into the net" for the first, John Horton headed in a cross from Fred Foxall for the second, Foxall "completed a solo run" for the third, and Horton scored a second near the end of the game.[26] The two sides met again just over a month later, with Fratton Park hosting a friendly to raise money for the Unemployment District Relief Fund.[26] The game was much more even than the meeting at The Dell, with Percy Cherrett scoring the only goal to give Pompey the win.[27]

In December, the club hosted Preston North End in a benefit match for Arthur Dominy, in which Bill Rawlings scored two and Foxall scored one to give the Saints a 3–1 win.[28] A final friendly took place on 18 February 1922, in which Southampton defeated amateur club Corinthian[29] by a single goal from Sammy Meston.[28] Two days after the conclusion of the Third Division South campaign, Southampton and Portsmouth faced off again (for the fifth time that season) in the annual Hampshire Benevolent Cup fixture. The Saints won the match for only the fourth time in its history (Portsmouth having won it eight times to date, with one ending in a draw), with Dominy (two) and Rawlings scoring in the 3–1 win.[30] Receipts for the match totalled £195, which the Southern Daily Echo described as "rather below the expected returns".[30]

20 October 1921 FriendlySouthampton4–0PortsmouthSouthampton
Dominy
Horton
Foxall 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 4,663
Referee: J. T. Howcroft
16 November 1921 FriendlyPortsmouth1–0SouthamptonPortsmouth
Stadium: Fratton Park
Referee: Albert Prince-Cox
5 December 1921 FriendlySouthampton3–1Preston North EndSouthampton
Rawlings
Foxall 		Stadium: The Dell
18 February 1922 FriendlySouthampton1–0CorinthianSouthampton
Meston Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,000
8 May 1922 Hampshire BCSouthampton3–1PortsmouthSouthampton
Dominy
Rawlings 		Stadium: The Dell
Referee: J. Head

Player details

Southampton manager Jimmy McIntyre used 25 different players during the 1921–22 season, ten of whom scored during the campaign. The team played in a 2–3–5 formation throughout the campaign, with two full-backs, three half-backs, two outside forwards, two inside forwards and a centre-forward.[19] Three players appeared in all 45 league and FA Cup matches: goalkeeper Tommy Allen, right-half Bert Shelley and left-back Fred Titmuss. Inside-right Arthur Dominy played all but one league match during the season, and centre-forward Bill Rawlings appeared in all except four.[19] Rawlings finished as the club's top scorer for the season, with 30 goals in the league and three in the cups, with Dominy's 16 goals across league and cup placing him second. Alec Campbell was the club's highest-scoring half-back of the season with eight league goals.[19]

Squad statistics
Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Hampshire BC Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Tommy Allen GK 420 30 10 460
Len Andrews FW 343 10 00 350
Robert Blyth FW 00 00 10 10
Ken Boyes FW 40 00 00 40
George Bradburn HB 10 10 00 20
Charlie Brown FW 202 10 00 212
Len Butt HB 40 10 00 50
Alec Campbell HB 378 20 10 408
Joe Clark FW 00 00 10 10
John Cooper FW 30 00 00 30
Arthur Dominy FW 4113 31 12 4516
Jack Elkes FW 22 00 00 22
George Getgood HB 110 00 00 110
Harry Hooper FB 40 10 00 50
John Horton FW 10 00 00 10
Ted Hough FB 10 00 00 10
Henry Johnson FW 184 21 00 205
Sammy Meston FW 10 00 10 20
Tom Parker FB 380 20 10 410
Bill Rawlings FW 3830 32 11 4233
Bert Shelley HB 420 30 10 460
Fred Titmuss FB 420 30 10 460
Bill Turner HB 311 20 10 341
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Joe Barratt FW 222 20 00 242
Fred Foxall FW 253 30 00 283

Most appearances
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Hampshire BC Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Tommy Allen GK 42100.00 3100.00 1100.00 46100.00
Bert Shelley HB 42100.00 3100.00 1100.00 46100.00
Fred Titmuss FB 42100.00 3100.00 1100.00 46100.00
4 Arthur Dominy FW 4197.62 3100.00 1100.00 4597.83
5 Bill Rawlings FW 3890.48 3100.00 1100.00 4291.30
6 Tom Parker FB 3890.48 266.67 1100.00 4189.13
7 Alec Campbell HB 3788.10 266.67 1100.00 4086.96
8 Len Andrews FW 3480.95 133.33 00.00 3576.09
9 Bill Turner HB 3173.81 266.67 1100.00 3473.91
10 Fred Foxall FW 2559.52 3100.00 00.00 2860.87

Top goalscorers
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Hampshire BC Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Bill Rawlings FW 300.78 20.66 11.00 330.78
2 Arthur Dominy FW 130.31 10.33 22.00 160.35
3 Alec Campbell HB 80.21 00.00 00.00 80.20
4 Henry Johnson FW 40.22 10.50 00.00 50.25
5 Fred Foxall FW 30.12 00.00 00.00 30.10
Len Andrews FW 30.08 00.00 00.00 30.08
7 Jack Elkes FW 21.00 00.00 00.00 21.00
Charlie Brown FW 20.10 00.00 00.00 20.09
Joe Barratt FW 20.09 00.00 00.00 20.08
10 Bill Turner HB 10.03 00.00 00.00 10.02
gollark: I didn't actually have to use it so far.
gollark: My cheating script removes them, don't worry.
gollark: I may have to cheat next time.
gollark: ...
gollark: You're on a PHONE?

References
  • Cavallini, Rob (2007), Play Up Corinth: A History of the Corinthian Football Club, Stroud: Stadia, ISBN 978-0752444796
  • 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

Footnotes
  1. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 137
  2. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 104
  3. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 4
  4. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 207
  5. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 156
  6. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 210
  7. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 205
  8. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 96
  9. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 97
  10. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 97
  11. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 132
  12. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 18
  13. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 66
  14. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 70
  15. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 65
  16. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 74
  17. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 8
  18. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 65
  19. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 67
  20. "Southampton scoring and sequence records". Statto. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  21. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 306
  22. "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 22 April 1922". 11v11.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  23. "Division Three (South) table after close of play on 01 May 1922". 11v11.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  24. "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  25. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 64
  26. Juson et al. 2004, p. 102
  27. Juson et al. 2004, p. 103
  28. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 212
  29. Cavallini 2007, pp. 254–255
  30. Juson et al. 2004, p. 105
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.