1924–25 Southampton F.C. season

The 1924–25 season was the 30th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's third in the Second Division of the Football League. Following the 1923–24 season, in which the club finished just three points shy of the First Division promotion places in fifth place, the Saints dropped two positions to finish seventh in the league. As with the last season, Southampton began their Second Division campaign poorly and found themselves at the bottom of the table after two losses in their first three games. The side continued to struggle to pick up wins, but steadily began making their way up the table over the next few months. A number of wins over the Christmas period and an eight-game unbeaten run at the end of the season helped Southampton finish in seventh place with 13 wins, 18 draws and 11 losses.

Southampton F.C.
1924–25 season
ChairmanWyndham Portal
ManagerJimmy McIntyre
(until December 1924)
George Goss
(from December 1924)
StadiumThe Dell
Second Division7th
FA CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Bill Rawlings (14)
All: Arthur Dominy and
Bill Rawlings (16)
Highest home attendance21,501 v Liverpool
(7 March 1925)
Lowest home attendance4,000 v Blackpool
(1 November 1924)
Average home league attendance8,939

In the 1924–25 FA Cup, Southampton beat Third Division South sides Exeter City and Brighton & Hove Albion in the first and second rounds, respectively, followed by Second Division rivals Bradford City in the third. They then edged past four-time First Division champions Liverpool with a 1–0 win in the fourth round, before being eliminated by Sheffield United, another top-flight side, in the semi-final. United went on to win the tournament, beating Cardiff City in the final at Wembley Stadium. The club ended the season with two games against local rivals Portsmouth, for the Rowland Hospital Cup and the Hampshire Benevolent Cup, respectively. The former ended in a draw and the latter was won by Pompey. In their two friendly games of the season, the Saints drew 1–1 with Plymouth Argyle in November and March.

Southampton used 22 different players during the 1924–25 season and had eight different goalscorers. The club's top scorers were centre-forward Bill Rawlings and inside-right Arthur Dominy, both of whom scored 16 goals in all competitions (Rawlings was the top scorer in the league with 14 goals). Nine new players were signed by the club during the campaign, while six were sold to other clubs and one was loaned out for the season. The average attendance at The Dell during the 1924–25 season was 8,939. The highest attendance was 21,501 against Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup; the lowest was around 4,000 against Blackpool on 1 November 1924. The season was the club's last to feature manager Jimmy McIntyre, who left in December 1924; the Southampton board subsequently took over the role.

Background and transfers

At the end of the 1923–24 season, Southampton brought in centre-half John Callagher and inside-forward Stan Woodhouse from Bury, who had just been promoted to the First Division as runners-up of the second flight.[1][2] As part of the deal, left-half Bill Turner moved to the Manchester-based club, where he would remain for a total of three seasons.[3] In a similar deal, the Saints sold full-back Harry Hooper to divisional rivals Leicester City,[4] in exchange for right-half Dennis Jones and outside-left Fred Price.[5][6] None of the four new players would become regulars in the side, however, and all but Woodhouse had left by the end of the 1924–25 season.[1][5][6] In June, outside-left Elias MacDonald – who had joined from Burton All Saints just a year earlier – left for Third Division South side Southend United.[7] The following month, inside-left Jock Salter also left Southampton after just one season at the club (during which he made a single appearance), joining Thornycrofts.[8] Also in July, outside-right Tommy Broad joined from Stoke.[9]

In August, outside-right Charlie Brown left Southampton to join Third Division South club Queens Park Rangers.[10] Harold Pearson left around the same to join Coventry City.[11] Manager Jimmy McIntyre brought two more players to the club before the start of the league campaign – centre-forward Jimmy Bullock signed from Crewe Alexandra in the Third Division North,[12] while goalkeeper James Thitchener joined on amateur terms from local club Totton.[13] The club signed another amateur in October, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic half-back Ernie King, who had signed professional terms by January 1925.[14] In November, Scottish forward Willie McCall returned to his home country on loan with former club Queen of the South, who he would later join in a permanent deal.[15] The last transfer activity of the 1924–25 season came in February 1925, when wing-half Albert Barrett joined Southampton from West Ham United, making one appearance in the Second Division before leaving for Fulham the following summer.[16]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
John Callagher  Scotland HB Bury May 1924 [1]
Dennis Jones  England HB Leicester City May 1924 [5]
Fred Price  England FW Leicester City May 1924 [6]
Stan Woodhouse  England FW Bury May 1924 [2]
Tommy Broad  England FW Stoke July 1924 [9]
Jimmy Bullock  England FW Crewe Alexandra August 1924 [12]
James Thitchener  England GK Totton August 1924 [13]
Ernie King  England HB Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic October 1924 [14]
Albert Barrett  England HB West Ham United February 1925 [16]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Harry Hooper  England FB Leicester City May 1924 [4]
Bill Turner  England HB Bury May 1924 [3]
Elias MacDonald  England FW Southend United June 1924 [7]
Jock Salter  England FW Thornycrofts July 1924 [8]
Charlie Brown  England FW Queens Park Rangers August 1924 [10]
Harold Pearson  England FW Coventry City August 1924 [11]

Players loaned out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Start date End date Ref.
Willie McCall  Scotland FW Queen of the South November 1924 End of season [15]

Second Division
See also: 1924–25 Football League

Southampton's 1924–25 season started similarly poorly to the previous campaign. After starting with a goalless draw at home to Oldham Athletic on 30 August, the team lost away games against Stoke and The Wednesday to find themselves at the bottom of the league table by 6 September.[17][18] However, the team won the return fixture against Stoke 3–0 and beat Clapton Orient 2–0 the following week (all but one of the five goals scored by Arthur Dominy), quickly moving them up to the top half of the table.[17][19] Southampton struggled to embark on any run of form throughout the rest of September and October, picking up five draws and three losses from their next eight games as they remained just clear of danger at the bottom of the table.[17] November saw the side pick up two more wins – against struggling sides Blackpool and Bradford City – and in December they picked up another two with victories at home to Barnsley and Fulham.[17] By the end of 1924, the Saints sat comfortably in the top half of the Second Division table.[20]

In December 1924, Jimmy McIntyre left Southampton after more than 200 games during a five-year tenure as the club's manager.[21] The board of directors subsequently began to handle managerial duties for the club, with secretary George Goss taking over the role of first team coach for the rest of the season.[22] The team continued to occupy a mid-table position throughout early 1925, picking up wins over struggling teams such as Crystal Palace and Stockport County to remain competitive in the league, but continuing to drop points to higher-placed teams.[17] After dropping back to 15th in the table, Southampton began an unbeaten run of eight games in April to return to the top half for the end of the season. The spell included draws with eventual champions and runners-up Leicester City and Manchester United, and culminated in wins over Bradford City and Coventry City, who finished bottom of the league.[17] Southampton finished in seventh place with 13 wins, 18 draws and 11 losses, two places and four points lower than 1923–24.[17]

List of match results
30 August 1924 1Southampton0–0Oldham AthleticSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,000
1 September 1924 2Stoke2–0SouthamptonStoke-on-Trent
Stadium: Victoria Ground
Attendance: 12,000
6 September 1924 3The Wednesday1–0SouthamptonSheffield
Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium
Attendance: 25,000
8 September 1924 4Southampton3–0StokeSouthampton
Dominy
Rawlings 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,867
13 September 1924 5Southampton2–0Clapton OrientSouthampton
Dominy Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,000
15 September 1924 6Coventry City1–0SouthamptonCoventry
Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 9,000
20 September 1924 7Crystal Palace3–1SouthamptonLondon
Rawlings Stadium: The Nest
Attendance: 10,000
27 September 1924 8Southampton0–0PortsmouthSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 19,366
4 October 1924 9Southampton0–0ChelseaSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,000
11 October 1924 10Stockport County1–1SouthamptonStockport
Rawlings Stadium: Edgeley Park
Attendance: 12,000
13 October 1924 11Port Vale1–1SouthamptonHanley
Woodhouse Stadium: Old Recreation Ground
Attendance: 9,000
18 October 1924 12Southampton0–2Manchester UnitedSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,000
25 October 1924 13Hull City1–1SouthamptonKingston upon Hull
C. Price Stadium: Anlaby Road
Attendance: 10,000
1 November 1924 14Southampton2–1BlackpoolSouthampton
Rawlings
C. Price 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 4,000
8 November 1924 15Derby County3–0SouthamptonDerby
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 14,000
15 November 1924 16Southampton1–1South ShieldsSouthampton
Parker Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,000
22 November 1924 17Bradford City1–2SouthamptonBradford
Dominy
Rawlings 		Stadium: Valley Parade
Attendance: 10,000
29 November 1924 18Portsmouth1–1SouthamptonPortsmouth
Dominy Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 25,000
6 December 1924 19Middlesbrough0–0SouthamptonMiddlesbrough
Stadium: Ayresome Park
Attendance: 12,000
13 December 1924 20Southampton3–1BarnsleySouthampton
Parker
Rawlings
C. Price 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,000
20 December 1924 21Wolverhampton Wanderers3–0SouthamptonWolverhampton
Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 13,000
26 December 1924 22Southampton1–0FulhamSouthampton
C. Price Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,000
27 December 1924 23Oldham Athletic1–1SouthamptonOldham
Dominy Stadium: Boundary Park
Attendance: 6,000
3 January 1925 24Southampton1–0The WednesdaySouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,000
17 January 1925 25Clapton Orient1–0SouthamptonLondon
Stadium: Clapton Stadium
Attendance: 12,000
24 January 1925 26Southampton2–0Crystal PalaceSouthampton
Rawlings
Carr 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,000
7 February 1925 27Chelsea1–0SouthamptonLondon
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 30,000
14 February 1925 28Southampton2–1Stockport CountySouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,000
28 February 1925 29Southampton2–2Hull CitySouthampton
Harkus
Cribb 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,000
14 March 1925 30Southampton2–0Derby CountySouthampton
Rawlings
Carr 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,000
21 March 1925 31South Shields1–1SouthamptonSouth Shields
Dominy Stadium: Horsley Hill
Attendance: 8,000
1 April 1925 32Blackpool1–0SouthamptonBlackpool
Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 9,000
4 April 1925 33Southampton1–0Port ValeSouthampton
Dominy Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,000
10 April 1925 34Fulham1–0SouthamptonLondon
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 12,000
11 April 1925 35Southampton1–1MiddlesbroughSouthampton
C. Price Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,000
13 April 1925 36Southampton0–0Leicester CitySouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,000
14 April 1925 37Leicester City0–0SouthamptonLeicester
Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 25,000
18 April 1925 38Barnsley1–1SouthamptonBarnsley
Rawlings Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 8,000
22 April 1925 39Manchester United1–1SouthamptonManchester
Dominy Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 40,000
25 April 1925 40Southampton1–1Wolverhampton WanderersSouthampton
C. Price Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,000
30 April 1925 41Southampton2–0Bradford CitySouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,500
2 May 1925 42Southampton3–0Coventry CitySouthampton
Dominy Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,000

Final league table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
5 Chelsea 42 16 15 11 51 37 1.378 47
6 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 20 6 16 55 51 1.078 46
7 Southampton 42 13 18 11 40 36 1.111 44
8 Port Vale 42 17 8 17 48 56 0.857 42
9 South Shields 42 12 17 13 42 38 1.105 41
Source:

Results by matchday
Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHHAAHHAAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHHHAAHAHHAAAHHH
ResultDLLWWLLDDDDLDWLDWDDWLWDWLWLWDWDLWLDDDDDDWW
Position13182212910161515151314141214151212141113119911899101010131113151310109977
Source: 11v11.com[23]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup
See also: 1924–25 FA Cup

Southampton entered the 1924–25 FA Cup in the first round against Third Division South club Exeter City. The game was initially played on 10 January 1921, but with the Saints leading 5–0 through goals from Arthur Dominy (two), Cliff Price (two) and Tom Parker, it was abandoned after 80 minutes due to the foggy weather conditions. According to club historians, "some Saints fans went on to the pitch 'in an effort to let the game go on', but the referee was adamant" and the fixture was abandoned.[22] The game was replayed four days later at The Dell, with the hosts winning 3–1 thanks to goals from Dominy, Price and Bill Rawlings.[22] In the second round the club hosted Brighton & Hove Albion, also of the Third Division South, who they beat by a single goal following an early penalty, which was converted by Parker.[22] Second Division rivals Bradford City travelled to The Dell for the third round fixture, with Southampton winning 2–0 through Dominy and George Harkus to advance to the quarter-finals.[22]

In the fourth round of the tournament, Southampton – in a fourth consecutive home tie – hosted former First Division champions Liverpool, who had eliminated them in the third round the previous season following a replay at Anfield.[24] This time the hosts were victorious in the initial meeting, with Rawlings scoring the only goal of the game to send the Saints through to their first FA Cup semi-final since the 1907–08 season.[22] In the semi-final, Southampton faced First Division side Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge, the home ground of Chelsea. Harkus came close to opening the scoring in the first half, but "shot wide with only the goalkeeper to beat".[22] Later in the half, Parker "sliced" the ball past his own goalkeeper Tommy Allen to put United ahead.[22] In the second half, Parker also missed a penalty following a foul on Rawlings in the area, and before the end of the match United doubled their lead after "a mix-up" between the Saints right-back and goalkeeper, eliminating the Second Division side.[22]

14 January 1925 Round 1Southampton3–1Exeter CitySouthampton
Dominy
Rawlings
Price 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,000
31 January 1925 Round 2Southampton1–0Brighton & Hove AlbionSouthampton
Parker  4' (pen.) Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,795
21 February 1925 Round 3Southampton2–0Bradford CitySouthampton
Dominy
Harkus 		Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 19,098
7 March 1925 Round 4Southampton1–0LiverpoolSouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,501
28 March 1925 Semi-FinalSheffield United2–0SouthamptonLondon
Parker  (o.g.)
 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 65,754

Other matches

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played four additional first-team matches during the 1924–25 season. The first was a friendly match against Third Division South side Plymouth Argyle on 24 November 1924. The game, which took place at The Dell and was arranged as a benefit for Southampton right-back Tom Parker, ended in a 1–1 draw, with Bill Rawlings scoring for the hosts.[25] Southampton and Argyle met again on 16 March 1925 at Home Park. The second game also ended in a 1–1 draw, with the visitors' goal scored by inside-left Cliff Price.[25]

As usual, Southampton ended their season with two games against local rivals Portsmouth. The first meeting, for the Rowland Hospital Cup, took place on 4 May 1925 and saw home side Pompey beating the Saints 2–0.[26] Willie Haines, who scored five goals in the three meetings between the sides the previous season, opened the scoring in the third minute, before Jerry Mackie scored the second later on.[27] Two days later, the teams drew 1–1 in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup at The Dell.[26] Arthur Dominy scored the equaliser for Southampton after Martin opened for Pompey.[27]

24 November 1924 FriendlySouthampton1–1Plymouth ArgyleSouthampton
Rawlings Stadium: The Dell
16 March 1925 FriendlyPlymouth Argyle1–1SouthamptonPlymouth
Price Stadium: Home Park
4 May 1925 Rowland Hospital CupPortsmouth2–0SouthamptonPortsmouth
Haines  3'
Mackie 		Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 7,590
Referee: J. V. Pennington
6 May 1925 Hampshire BCSouthampton1–1PortsmouthSouthampton
Dominy Martin Stadium: The Dell
Referee: J. V. Pennington

Player details

Southampton used 22 different players during the 1924–25 season, eight 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.[17] Right-half Bert Shelley made the most appearances during the season, playing in all but one league match. Inside-right Arthur Dominy and left-half George Harkus each missed just two league games, while centre-forward Bill Rawlings appeared in all but three.[17] Rawlings and Dominy finished the season as the club's joint top scorers – the former scored 14 in the league and two in the FA Cup, while the latter scored 13 in the league, two in the FA Cup, and one in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup. Harkus was the club's only scoring half-back of the season, with two league goals, and right-back Tom Parker was their only scoring full-back of the season, netting in the league three times to finish third overall for the season.[17]

Squad statistics
Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Other[lower-alpha 1] Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Tommy Allen GK 380 50 00 420
Albert Barrett HB 10 00 00 10
Arthur Bradford HB 130 30 20 180
Tommy Broad FW 90 00 00 90
Jimmy Bullock FW 10 00 20 30
John Callagher HB 10 00 00 10
Alec Campbell HB 260 50 00 310
Jimmy Carr FW 282 30 20 332
Stan Cribb FW 61 20 00 81
Arthur Dominy FW 4013 52 21 4716
George Harkus HB 401 51 20 472
Bill Henderson FW 340 50 20 410
Ted Hough FB 270 10 20 300
Michael Keeping FB 70 00 00 70
Tom Parker FB 302 51 00 353
Cliff Price FW 240 10 20 270
Fred Price FW 92 00 00 92
Bill Rawlings FW 4114 52 00 4616
Bert Shelley HB 410 50 20 490
Fred Titmuss FB 220 40 20 280
Stan Woodhouse FW 131 10 00 141
Harry Yeomans GK 40 00 20 60

Notes

  1. Includes the Rowland Hospital Cup and Hampshire Benevolent Cup matches.

Most appearances
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Bert Shelley HB 4197.62 5100.00 2100.00 4897.96
2 Arthur Dominy FW 4095.24 5100.00 2100.00 4795.92
George Harkus HB 4095.24 5100.00 2100.00 4795.92
4 Bill Rawlings FW 4197.62 5100.00 00.00 4693.88
5 Tommy Allen GK 3890.48 5100.00 00.00 4285.71
6 Bill Henderson FW 3480.95 5100.00 2100.00 4183.67
7 Tom Parker FB 3071.43 5100.00 00.00 3571.43
8 Jimmy Carr FW 2866.67 360.00 2100.00 3367.35
9 Alec Campbell HB 2661.90 5100.00 00.00 3163.27
10 Ted Hough FB 2764.29 120.00 2100.00 3061.22

Top goalscorers
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Bill Rawlings FW 140.34 20.40 00.00 160.34
Arthur Dominy FW 130.32 20.40 10.50 160.34
3 Tom Parker FB 20.06 10.20 00.00 30.08
4 Fred Price FW 20.22 00.00 00.00 20.22
Jimmy Carr FW 20.07 00.00 00.00 20.06
George Harkus HB 10.02 10.20 00.00 20.04
7 Stan Cribb FW 10.16 00.00 00.00 10.12
Stan Woodhouse FW 10.07 00.00 00.00 10.07
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References
  • 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. 34
  2. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 209
  3. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 193
  4. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 96
  5. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 105
  6. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 153
  7. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 120
  8. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 165
  9. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 24
  10. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 28
  11. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 148
  12. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 32
  13. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 184
  14. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 111
  15. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, pp. 118–119
  16. Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 8
  17. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 73
  18. "League Division Two table after close of play on 06 September 1924". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  19. "League Division Two table after close of play on 13 September 1924". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  20. "League Division Two table after close of play on 27 December 1924". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  21. "James McIntyre". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  22. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 72
  23. "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  24. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 70
  25. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 212
  26. Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 206
  27. Juson et al. 2004, p. 113
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