1994–95 Southampton F.C. season
The 1994–95 Southampton F.C. season was the club's third in the Premier League, and their 25th in the top division of English football. Having narrowly avoided relegation from the league the previous season, the club were looking to improve their performances in order to remain in the top flight for another year. After finishing 18th in the division for two consecutive seasons, Southampton managed to finish 10th in the Premier League, their best top-flight finish since 1990. They also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, and the third round of the League Cup.
1994–95 season | ||
---|---|---|
Chairman | Guy Askham | |
Manager | Alan Ball | |
Stadium | The Dell | |
FA Premier League | 10th | |
FA Cup | Fifth Round | |
League Cup | Third Round | |
Top goalscorer | League: Matthew Le Tissier (19) All: Matthew Le Tissier (29) | |
Highest home attendance | 15,210 v Queens Park Rangers (15 April 1995) | |
Lowest home attendance | League: 12,876 v Norwich City (2 November 1994) Overall: 12,032 v Huddersfield Town (5 October 1994) | |
Average home league attendance | League: 14,685 Overall: 14,547 | |
| ||
Southampton acted conservatively in the 1994 summer transfer window, although did make notable signings in the form of Zimbabwean goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar from Liverpool and Danish midfielder Ronnie Ekelund from Barcelona. After Christmas the spending was increased, with strikers Neil Shipperley and Gordon Watson moving to Southampton from Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday respectively, both for fees in excess of £1 million. Notable departures included striker Iain Dowie halfway through the season, and defender Jeff Kenna near the end of the campaign.
At the end of the season Southampton finished 10th in the Premier League table with 12 wins, 18 draws and 12 losses, although only nine points above the relegation zone. Matthew Le Tissier was the club's top scorer with 19 goals in the league, making him the seventh best goalscorer in the league that season. Le Tissier also won the Southampton Player of the Season award, surpassing Peter Shilton and Tim Flowers as the first player to win the award a third time.
FA Premier League
Southampton's start to the third Premier League season saw the Hampshire side pick up just two points from their first four games, all in August, including a 5–1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle United. The following month was much more positive for the club, who picked up four wins out of five games, including a late win at Tottenham Hotspur and 3–1 wins against Coventry City and Ipswich Town. The Saints lost their next three games, and won only one of their November fixtures, a tightly-fought 1–0 victory over Arsenal. The run-up to Christmas was similarly difficult, with Southampton picking up only one win from a possible three.
Saints hosted Wimbledon on Boxing Day 1994, and eventually lost 3–2 after a close match-up between the sides. It took the Saints almost three months to win a match again, during which time the club dropped to 20th in the table. Between 28 December 1994 and 18 March 1995, Southampton took part in an amazing nine draws, including late losses of leads against Manchester City and Norwich City, and lost their other two matches at Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest.
Luck changed for the Saints after this poor run of results, as they picked up important victories against high-profile opponents Newcastle United (in which Southampton's three goals were scored within the last four minutes) and Tottenham Hotspur, and later against Chelsea and a number of other teams. Despite winning only one of their final five fixtures, the club remained in 10th position in the Premier League come the end of the season, with just ten points between themselves and the relegation zone.
20 August 1994 1 | Southampton | 1–1 | Blackburn Rovers | Southampton |
Banger |
Shearer |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,209 Referee: Keith Cooper |
24 August 1994 2 | Aston Villa | 1–1 | Southampton | Birmingham |
Saunders |
Le Tissier |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 24,179 Referee: Philip Don |
27 August 1994 3 | Newcastle United | 5–1 | Southampton | Newcastle upon Tyne |
Watson Cole Lee |
Banger |
Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 34,183 Referee: David Elleray |
31 August 1994 4 | Southampton | 0–2 | Liverpool | Southampton |
Fowler Barnes |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,190 Referee: Martin Bodenham |
12 September 1994 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–2 | Southampton | London |
Klinsmann |
Le Tissier |
Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 22,387 Referee: Alan Wilkie |
17 September 1994 6 | Southampton | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
Le Tissier |
Collymore |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,185 Referee: Mike Reed |
24 September 1994 7 | Coventry City | 1–3 | Southampton | Coventry |
Dublin |
Dowie Ekelund |
Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 11,798 Referee: Kelvin Morton |
1 October 1994 8 | Southampton | 3–1 | Ipswich Town | Southampton |
Maddison Ekelund Dowie |
Marshall |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,266 Referee: Gerald Ashby |
8 October 1994 9 | Southampton | 2–0 | Everton | Southampton |
Ekelund Le Tissier |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,163 Referee: Brian Hill |
15 October 1994 10 | Leicester City | 4–3 | Southampton | Leicester |
Blake Roberts Carr |
Dowie Le Tissier |
Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 20,020 Referee: Robbie Hart |
22 October 1994 11 | West Ham United | 2–0 | Southampton | London |
Allen Rush |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 18,853 Referee: Joe Worrall |
29 October 1994 12 | Southampton | 1–3 | Leeds United | Southampton |
Maddison |
Maddison Wallace |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,202 Referee: Rodger Gifford |
2 November 1994 13 | Southampton | 1–1 | Norwich City | Southampton |
Le Tissier |
Robins |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,876 Referee: Paul Durkin |
5 November 1994 14 | Manchester City | 3–3 | Southampton | Manchester |
Walsh Beagrie |
Hall Ekelund |
Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 21,589 Referee: Mike Reed |
19 November 1994 15 | Southampton | 1–0 | Arsenal | Southampton |
Magilton |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,201 Referee: Roger Dilkes |
26 November 1994 16 | Crystal Palace | 0–0 | Southampton | London |
Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 14,186 Referee: Paul Danson |
3 December 1994 17 | Southampton | 0–1 | Chelsea | Southampton |
Furlong |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,404 Referee: Rodger Gifford |
10 December 1994 18 | Blackburn Rovers | 3–2 | Southampton | Blackburn |
Atkins Shearer |
Le Tissier |
Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,372 Referee: Alan Wilkie |
19 December 1994 19 | Southampton | 2–1 | Aston Villa | Southampton |
Hall Le Tissier |
Houghton |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,874 Referee: Stephen Lodge |
26 December 1994 20 | Southampton | 2–3 | Wimbledon | Southampton |
Dodd Le Tissier |
Holdsworth Harford |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,603 Referee: Graham Poll |
28 December 1994 21 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–2 | Southampton | London |
Barker Gallen |
Dodd Hughes |
Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 16,078 Referee: Keith Cooper |
31 December 1994 22 | Southampton | 2–2 | Manchester United | Southampton |
Magilton Hughes |
Butt Pallister |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,204 Referee: Martin Bodenham |
2 January 1995 23 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–1 | Southampton | Sheffield |
Hyde |
Le Tissier |
Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 28,424 Referee: Roger Dilkes |
14 January 1995 24 | Leeds United | 0–0 | Southampton | Leeds |
Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 28,869 Referee: Steve Dunn |
24 January 1995 25 | Arsenal | 1–1 | Southampton | London |
Hartson |
Magilton |
Stadium: Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 27,213 Referee: Dermot Gallagher |
4 February 1995 26 | Southampton | 2–2 | Manchester City | Southampton |
Coton Le Tissier |
Kernaghan Flitcroft |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,902 Referee: Paul Durkin |
11 February 1995 27 | Norwich City | 2–2 | Southampton | Norwich |
Newsome Ward |
Hall Magilton |
Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 18,361 Referee: Robbie Hart |
25 February 1995 28 | Ipswich Town | 2–1 | Southampton | Ipswich |
Mathie Chapman |
Maddison |
Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 15,788 Referee: Peter Jones |
4 March 1995 29 | Southampton | 0–0 | Coventry City | Southampton |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,505 Referee: Kelvin Morton |
15 March 1995 30 | Southampton | 1–1 | West Ham United | Southampton |
Shipperley |
Hutchison |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,178 Referee: Keith Burge |
18 March 1995 31 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Southampton | Nottingham |
Roy Collymore |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 24,146 Referee: Keith Cooper |
22 March 1995 32 | Southampton | 3–1 | Newcastle United | Southampton |
Heaney Watson Shipperley |
Kitson |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,666 Referee: Joe Worrall |
2 April 1995 33 | Southampton | 4–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
Heaney Le Tissier Magilton |
Sheringham Klinsmann |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,105 Referee: Gary Willard |
5 April 1995 34 | Liverpool | 3–1 | Southampton | Liverpool |
Rush Fowler |
Hall |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 29,881 Referee: Stephen Lodge |
12 April 1995 35 | Chelsea | 0–2 | Southampton | London |
Shipperley Le Tissier |
Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 16,739 Referee: Alan Wilkie |
15 April 1995 36 | Southampton | 2–1 | Queens Park Rangers | Southampton |
Shipperley Watson |
Ferdinand |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,210 Referee: Peter Jones |
17 April 1995 37 | Wimbledon | 0–2 | Southampton | London |
Le Tissier Magilton |
Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 10,521 Referee: Gerald Ashby |
29 April 1995 38 | Southampton | 0–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | Southampton |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,189 Referee: Joe Worrall |
3 May 1995 39 | Southampton | 3–1 | Crystal Palace | Southampton |
Wilmot Watson Le Tissier |
Southgate |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,151 Referee: Graham Poll |
6 May 1995 40 | Everton | 0–0 | Southampton | Liverpool |
Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 36,851 Referee: Terry Holbrook |
10 May 1995 41 | Manchester United | 2–1 | Southampton | Manchester |
Cole Irwin |
Charlton |
Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 43,479 Referee: Paul Danson |
14 May 1995 42 | Southampton | 2–2 | Leicester City | Southampton |
Monkou Le Tissier |
Parker Robins |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,101 Referee: Keith Burge |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 61 | 59 | +2 | 60 |
9 | Wimbledon | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 48 | 65 | −17 | 56 |
10 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 61 | 63 | −2 | 54 |
11 | Chelsea | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 54 |
12 | Arsenal | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 51 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
FA Cup
As a Premier League club, Southampton entered the 1994–95 FA Cup in the Third Round. They were drawn against First Division side Southend United, who the Saints defeated comfortably 2–0 to move onto the Fourth Round. In the next match against Luton Town the sides drew 1–1, but Southampton asserted their dominance in the replay with a 6–0 home win. In the Fifth Round, against Tottenham Hotspur, a replay was required again after another 1–1 draw, but it was Spurs who enjoyed the spoils when they defeated the Saints 6–2 in the second game, with Ronny Rosenthal scoring a hat-trick.
7 January 1995 Round 3 | Southampton | 2–0 | Southend United | Southampton |
Le Tissier Heaney |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,003 |
28 January 1995 Round 4 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Southampton | Luton |
Shipperley |
Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 9,938 |
8 February 1995 Round 4 Replay | Southampton | 6–0 | Luton Town | Southampton |
Le Tissier Monkou Heaney Magilton Hughes |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,075 |
18 February 1995 Round 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–1 | Southampton | London |
Klinsmann |
Le Tissier |
Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 28,091 |
1 March 1995 Round 5 Replay | Southampton | 2–6 a.e.t. | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
Shipperley Le Tissier |
Rosenthal Sheringham Barmby Anderton |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,172 |
League Cup
As a Premier League club, Southampton entered the 1994–95 Football League Cup in the Second Round. They were drawn against Second Division side Huddersfield Town, whom they eliminated with 1–0 and 4–0 wins, all goals coming from Matthew Le Tissier. Fellow FA Premier League side Sheffield Wednesday were the opposition in the Third Round, and a goal from Chris Bart-Williams was enough to eliminate the South Coast side from the competition.
20 September 1994 Round 2 Leg 1 | Huddersfield Town | 0–1 | Southampton | Huddersfield |
Le Tissier |
Stadium: McAlpine Stadium Attendance: 13,814 |
5 October 1994 Round 2 Leg 2 | Southampton | 4–0 | Huddersfield Town | Southampton |
Le Tissier |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,032 |
26 October 1994 Round 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–0 | Southampton | Sheffield |
Bart-Williams |
Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 16,715 |
Squad statistics
No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | Discipline | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | ||||||
1 | GK | Bruce Grobbelaar | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
2 | DF | Matthew Robinson | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
3 | DF | Francis Benali | 32(3) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 39(3) | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
4 | MF | Jim Magilton | 42 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 7 | 3 | 0 | |
5 | DF | Richard Hall | 36(1) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42(1) | 3 | 6 | 0 | |
6 | DF | Ken Monkou | 31 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
7 | MF | Matthew Le Tissier | 41 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 49 | 29 | 6 | 0 | |
8 | FW | Craig Maskell | 2(4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
9 | FW | Neil Shipperley | 19 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 0 | |
10 | MF | Neil Maddison | 35 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
11 | MF | Paul Allen | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
12 | MF | Neil Heaney | 21(13) | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2(1) | 0 | 28(14) | 4 | 3 | 0 | |
13 | GK | Dave Beasant | 12(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
14 | DF | Simon Charlton | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 28(1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
15 | DF | Jason Dodd | 24(2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28(2) | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
16 | FW | Gordon Watson | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
17 | DF | Derek Allan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
18 | MF | David Hughes | 2(10) | 2 | 0(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2(14) | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
19 | DF | Paul McDonald | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
21 | MF | Tommy Widdrington | 23(5) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29(5) | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
23 | GK | Neil Hopper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
24 | FW | Frankie Bennett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
27 | DF | Peter Whiston | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
28 | MF | Paul Tisdale | 0(7) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(9) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
33 | MF | Matt Oakley | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season | |||||||||||||
2 | DF | Jeff Kenna | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
9 | FW | Iain Dowie | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | |
16 | FW | Nicky Banger | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
24 | MF | Ronnie Ekelund | 15(2) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 17(3) | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Most appearances
Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Total | ||||
1 | MF | Jim Magilton | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | |
2 | FW | Matthew Le Tissier | 41 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 49 | |
3 | DF | Richard Hall | 36 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 43 | |
4 | DF | Francis Benali | 32 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 3 | 42 | |
MF | Neil Heaney | 21 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 14 | 42 | ||
6 | MF | Neil Maddison | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 41 | |
7 | GK | Bruce Grobbelaar | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 38 | |
8 | DF | Ken Monkou | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 37 | |
9 | DF | Jeff Kenna | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 35 | |
10 | MF | Tommy Widdrington | 23 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 5 | 34 |
Top goalscorers
Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FW | Matthew Le Tissier | 19 | 5 | 5 | 29 | |
2 | MF | Jim Magilton | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
3 | FW | Neil Shipperley | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
4 | FW | Iain Dowie | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
MF | Ronnie Ekelund | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
6 | DF | Richard Hall | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
MF | Neil Heaney | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||
8 | MF | Neil Maddison | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
FW | Gordon Watson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
MF | David Hughes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Transfers
Players transferred in | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Pos. | Name | Club | Fee |
10 August 1994 | DF | £30,000 | ||
11 August 1994 | GK | Free | ||
15 September 1994 | MF | Loan | ||
6 January 1995 | FW | £1,250,000 | ||
17 March 1995 | FW | £1,200,000 | ||
31 March 1995 | MF | £40,000 | ||
Players transferred out | ||||
Date | Pos. | Name | Club | Fee |
30 August 1995 | FW | Undisclosed | ||
5 September 1994 | GK | £20,000 | ||
27 October 1994 | DF | £100,000 | ||
4 November 1994 | FW | £250,000 | ||
18 November 1994 | FW | Free | ||
2 December 1994 | MF | Free | ||
13 January 1995 | FW | £400,000 | ||
15 March 1995 | DF | £1,500,000 | ||
Players loaned out | ||||
Start date | Pos. | Name | Club | End date |
9 December 1994 | MF | 19 January 1995 | ||
20 January 1995 | MF | End of season | ||
Players released | ||||
Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date |
31 May 1995 | MF | Unknown | 23 December 1995 |
References
- "Southampton results: 1994/95". Soccerbase. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- "Southampton squad details: 1994/95". Soccerbase. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- "Southampton transfers: 1994/95". Soccerbase. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- "Southampton 1994-1995: Home". statto.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- "Southampton 1994-1995: Results". statto.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- "Southampton football club match record: 1995". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- "All Southampton football club players: 1995". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 November 2012.