1933–34 Southampton F.C. season

The 1933–34 season was the 39th season of competitive football by Southampton, and the club's 12th in the Second Division of the Football League. The season was another mediocre campaign for the Saints, who finished in the bottom half of the Second Division table for the fifth time since joining the league. The club equalled their Football League record of 15 home wins from 21 games, but failed to win a single away fixture all season, continuing a club record run of 33 games without an away which started late the last season and continued until December 1934. Despite starting the season strongly and spending months in the top half of the table, Southampton finished the 1933–34 season in 14th place with 15 wins, eight draws and 19 losses, just five points above Millwall in the first relegation spot.

Southampton F.C.
1933–34 season
ChairmanSloane Stanley
ManagerGeorge Kay
StadiumThe Dell
Second Division14th
FA CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague: Ted Drake (22)
All: Ted Drake (23)
Highest home attendance24,797 v Fulham
(26 December 1933)
Lowest home attendance3,396 v Swansea Town
(5 February 1934)
Average home league attendance10,008

In the 1933–34 FA Cup, Southampton entered the third round with a home fixture against Third Division South side Northampton Town. After a 1–1 draw at The Dell, the Saints lost by a single goal in the replay at the County Ground, exiting the tournament without a win for a club record seventh season running. As in the previous year, the club ended the season against local First Division rivals Portsmouth in a single game for the Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup, which they lost 4–1 at home. In the semi-final of the third annual Hampshire Combination Cup, they also lost 1–0 to Pompey, who had thrashed them 6–0 at the same stage the previous season. Southampton played just one additional friendly match during the 1933–34 campaign, beating divisional rivals Fulham 2–1 at home in January.

Southampton used 22 different players during the 1933–34 season and had thirteen different goalscorers. Their top scorer was centre-forward Ted Drake, who scored 22 goals in the Second Division and one in the FA Cup before he left the club to join Arsenal in March. Inside-forward Arthur Holt scored six times in the league, followed by Norman Cole – who took Drake's place in the regular lineup after his transfer – on five league goals in just ten appearances. Ten 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 1933–34 season was 10,008. The highest attendance of the season was 24,797 against Fulham on 26 December 1933. The lowest attendance was 3,396 against Swansea Town on 5 February 1934.

Background and transfers

After the end of the 1932–33 season, Southampton manager George Kay sold several players. In May, amateur forward Bill Charlton joined divisional rivals Fulham,[1] while former Cottagers left-back Arthur Tilford returned to the club after three months at the South Coast side.[2] Frank Osborne also left the Saints after a season playing for the reserve side, retiring from football until returning as a director at Fulham a few years later.[3] Backup goalkeeper Bob Foster joined Third Division North side Wrexham in June,[4] while outside-left Jimmy Harris was sold to Aylesford Paper Mills.[5] The club also signed several new players. In June, versatile forward Fred Tully joined from top-flight side Aston Villa,[6] and in August half-back Johnny McIlwaine returned after a year at Welsh side Llanelli.[7] During the summer, the club also signed winger Norman Catlin from Arsenal,[8] full-back Frank Ward from Preston North End,[9] and inside-forward Ted Withers from Clark's College, all on amateur terms initially.[10]

Shortly after the start of the season, Southampton signed outside-left Ben Burley from First Division side Sheffield United,[11] centre-forward Vivian Gibbins from Third Division South club Bristol Rovers,[12] and wing-half Henry Long from Hampshire League side Ryde Sports.[13] In October, outside-right Fred Dunmore was sold to Blyth Spartans,[14] and the following month inside-right Joe Cummins and amateur goalkeeper Eugene Bernard were signed.[15][16] The most notable transfer of the season, however, took place late in the campaign when Ted Drake was sold to First Division title challengers Arsenal. Drake had previously rejected an approach from the Gunners, but moved to the club after a second offer in March 1934, breaking Southampton's transfer record with his fee of £6,000.[17] At the time, Drake was the top scorer in the Second Division with 22 goals; in the ten games he played for Arsenal before the end of the season, he scored seven league goals to help them win the championship.[18]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Norman Catlin  England FW Arsenal June 1933 [8]
Fred Tully  England FW Aston Villa June 1933 [6]
Frank Ward  England FB Preston North End July 1933 [9]
Johnny McIlwaine  Scotland HB Llanelli August 1933 [7]
Ted Withers  England FW Clark's College August 1933 [10]
Ben Burley  England FW Sheffield United September 1933 [11]
Vivian Gibbins  England FW Bristol Rovers September 1933 [12]
Henry Long  England HB Ryde Sports September 1933 [13]
Eugene Bernard  England GK Taunton's School November 1933 [16]
Joe Cummins  England FW Jersey Wanderers November 1933 [15]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Ref.
Bill Charlton  England FW Fulham May 1933 [1]
Frank Osborne  England FW none (retired) May 1933 [3]
Arthur Tilford  England FB Fulham May 1933 [2]
Bob Foster  England GK Wrexham June 1933 [4]
Jimmy Harris  England FW Aylesford Paper Mills August 1933 [5]
Fred Dunmore  England FW Blyth Spartans October 1933 [14]
Ted Drake  England FW Arsenal March 1934 [17]

Second Division

Southampton started the 1933–34 season strongly, picking up three wins in their first five games to secure a place in the top three of the Second Division league table.[19] Centre-forward Ted Drake quickly established himself as the division's top scorer with eight goals in the opening five games, including a hat-trick on the opening day 4–1 win over Bradford City.[20] The club's poor form away from home continued throughout the season, with only their strong home record keeping them safe from relegation.[18] The Saints quickly slipped into the bottom half of the table, and by the end of 1933 were struggling in 13th place.[21] Drake was sent off in a 3–1 loss at Grimsby Town on 9 December, becoming the first Southampton player to be dismissed in the league since Jerry Mackie on the opening day of the 1929–30 season.[18]

The club failed to win a single game away from home during the 1933–34 league campaign, combining with the last two away fixtures of the previous season and the first ten of the next in the club's longest league sequence without an away win (33 matches in total).[22] After top scorer Ted Drake was sold to First Division side Arsenal for a new Southampton club record fee of £6,000 in March 1934, the Saints continued to struggle in the bottom six places of the table, dropping as low as 17th after a run of seven games with just one win.[20][23] Three more home wins in April – against Blackpool, West Ham United and Grimsby Town – ensured that the club survived relegation to the Third Division South; Southampton finished 14th in the league table with 15 wins (all at home, equalling the club record), eight draws and 19 losses.[20]

List of match results

26 August 1933 1Southampton4–1Bradford CitySouthampton
Drake
Brewis
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,474
28 August 1933 2Oldham Athletic1–1SouthamptonOldham
Drake Stadium: Boundary Park
Attendance: 7,000
2 September 1933 3Port Vale2–1SouthamptonHanley
Drake Stadium: Old Recreation Ground
Attendance: 10,000
4 September 1933 4Southampton1–0Oldham AthleticSouthampton
Drake Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,280
9 September 1933 5Southampton3–2Notts CountySouthampton
Drake
Ruddy
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,237
16 September 1933 6Swansea Town1–0SouthamptonSwansea
Stadium: Vetch Field
Attendance: 10,000
23 September 1933 7Southampton2–3MillwallSouthampton
Neal Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,314
30 September 1933 8Lincoln City1–1SouthamptonLincoln
Drake Stadium: Sincil Bank
Attendance: 9,000
7 October 1933 9Southampton1–0BurySouthampton
Campbell Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,961
14 October 1933 10Hull City1–0SouthamptonKingston upon Hull
Stadium: Anlaby Road
Attendance: 12,000
21 October 1933 11Southampton2–1BurnleySouthampton
Drake Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,160
28 October 1933 12Brentford2–0SouthamptonBrentford
Stadium: Griffin Park
Attendance: 16,000
4 November 1933 13Southampton1–0Bolton WanderersSouthampton
Drake Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,084
11 November 1933 14Manchester United1–0SouthamptonManchester
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 15,000
18 November 1933 15Southampton0–1Plymouth ArgyleSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,333
25 November 1933 16West Ham United0–0SouthamptonLondon
Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 23,000
2 December 1933 17Southampton2–0Nottingham ForestSouthampton
Holt
Luckett
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,247
9 December 1933 18Grimsby Town3–1SouthamptonCleethorpes
Bradford Stadium: Blundell Park
Attendance: 12,000
16 December 1933 19Southampton5–0Bradford Park AvenueSouthampton
Sillett
Drake
Holt
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,482
23 December 1933 20Preston North End3–1SouthamptonPreston
Drake Stadium: Deepdale
Attendance: 7,000
25 December 1933 21Fulham1–0SouthamptonLondon
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 21,788
26 December 1933 22Southampton2–0FulhamSouthampton
Drake Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 24,797
30 December 1933 23Bradford City2–2SouthamptonBradford
Campbell
Holt
Stadium: Valley Parade
Attendance: 10,000
6 January 1934 24Southampton1–4Port ValeSouthampton
Campbell Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,800
20 January 1934 25Notts County2–2SouthamptonNottingham
Neal
Drake
Stadium: Meadow Lane
Attendance: 8,000
5 February 1934 26Southampton1–0Swansea TownSouthampton
Holt Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 3,396
10 February 1934 27Southampton3–1Lincoln CitySouthampton
Drake
Tully
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,044
17 February 1934 28Bury1–0SouthamptonBury
Stadium: Gigg Lane
Attendance: 9,263
24 February 1934 29Southampton1–1Hull CitySouthampton
Drake Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,000
3 March 1934 30Burnley2–1SouthamptonBurnley
Drake Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 7,000
10 March 1934 31Southampton0–0BrentfordSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,439
17 March 1934 32Bolton Wanderers2–0SouthamptonBolton
Stadium: Burnden Park
Attendance: 10,000
24 March 1934 33Southampton1–0Manchester UnitedSouthampton
Cole Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 4,900
30 March 1934 34Blackpool4–2SouthamptonBlackpool
Holt
Tully
Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 20,966
31 March 1934 35Plymouth Argyle0–0SouthamptonPlymouth
Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 10,000
2 April 1934 36Southampton3–2BlackpoolSouthampton
Adams
Brewis
Cole
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,221
7 April 1934 37Southampton3–2West Ham UnitedSouthampton
Cole Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 7,000
9 April 1934 38Millwall1–0SouthamptonLondon
Stadium: The Den
Attendance: 8,000
14 April 1934 39Nottingham Forest4–1SouthamptonWest Bridgford
Tully Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 8,000
21 April 1934 40Southampton4–2Grimsby TownSouthampton
Adams
Brewis
McIlwaine
Holt
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,000
28 April 1934 41Bradford Park Avenue3–1SouthamptonBradford
Tully Stadium: Park Avenue
Attendance: 6,000
5 May 1934 42Southampton0–1Preston North EndSouthampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 9,000

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
12 Bury 42 17 9 16 70 73 0.959 43
13 Burnley 42 18 6 18 60 72 0.833 42
14 Southampton 42 15 8 19 54 58 0.931 38
15 Hull City 42 13 12 17 52 68 0.765 38
16 Fulham 42 15 7 20 48 67 0.716 37
Source:

Results by matchday

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAH
ResultWDLWWLLDWLWLWLLDWLWLLWDLDWWLDLDLWLDWWLLWLL
Position249538101081291181115131113101315141315161212131416161716171616161616141414
Source: 11v11.com[24]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

Southampton were drawn in the third round of the 1933–34 FA Cup against Third Division South side Northampton Town at The Dell. The Cobblers opened the scoring after 25 minutes and held onto their lead until half-time, before Ted Drake equalised four minutes after the break to force a replay at the County Ground four days later.[18] Northampton, described by Southampton club historians as "much the better team on the day", defeated the visiting Saints by a single goal, eliminating them in the third round for the sixth season in a row, extending the club's worst run in the tournament.[18][25]

13 January 1934 Round 3Southampton1–1Northampton TownSouthampton
Drake  49'  25' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,847
17 January 1934 Round 3 ReplayNorthampton Town1–0SouthamptonNorthampton
Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 16,161

Other matches

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played three additional first-team matches during the 1933–34 season. The first was the semi-final of the third annual Hampshire Combination Cup against local rivals Portsmouth on 22 November at Fratton Park. The First Division hosts eliminated the visiting Saints for a second season, with John Wallbanks scoring the only goal after 20 minutes.[26] The club's only friendly match of the season took place on 27 January 1934, with Southampton beating divisional rivals Fulham 2–1 thanks to goals from Ted Drake and Arthur Holt.[27] At the end of the season, Southampton and Portsmouth met again for the combined Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup. Pompey, having just finished as runners-up in the FA Cup, beat the Second Division hosts 4–1 thanks to goals from Septimus Rutherford, Jack Weddle, Jack Smith and Fred Worrall.[28] Fred Tully scored the only goal for Southampton, "scarcely a minute" after Rutherford's opener.[28]

22 November 1933 Hampshire CC
Semi-Final
Portsmouth1–0SouthamptonPortsmouth
Wallbanks  20' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 2,215
Referee: G. H. Allen
27 January 1934 FriendlySouthampton2–1FulhamSouthampton
Drake
Holt
Stadium: The Dell
7 May 1934 Hampshire BC/Rowland HCSouthampton1–4PortsmouthSouthampton
Tully Rutherford  15'
Weddle
Smith
Worrall
Stadium: The Dell
Referee: W. B. Rainey

Player details

Southampton used 22 different players during the 1933–34 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.[20] Outside-right Dick Neal appeared in all but one of the club's league games during the campaign, while Arthur Roberts, Bill Adams and Stan Woodhouse all played in 39 of the 42 games in the Second Division.[20] Centre-forward Ted Drake finished as the season's top scorer with 20 goals in the Second Division, followed by inside-forward Arthur Holt on six goals, then Norman Cole and Fred Tully on five each. Frank Campbell was the highest-scoring half-back of the season, with three goals during the league campaign.[20]

Squad statistics

Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Other[lower-alpha 1] Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Bill Adams HB 392 20 10 422
Arthur Bradford HB 301 20 20 341
Tom Brewis FW 323 00 20 343
Ben Burley FW 20 00 00 20
Frank Campbell HB 323 20 10 353
Herbert Coates FW 40 00 00 40
Norman Cole FW 105 00 10 115
Joe Cummins FW 10 00 00 10
Vivian Gibbins FW 20 00 00 20
Arthur Holt FW 326 20 10 356
Billy Light GK 40 00 00 40
Bill Luckett HB 291 10 20 321
Johnny McIlwaine HB 111 00 00 111
Dick Neal FW 413 20 20 453
Arthur Roberts FB 390 20 20 430
Tom Ruddy FW 91 10 10 111
Bert Scriven GK 380 20 20 420
Charlie Sillett FB 52 10 10 72
Fred Tully FW 264 10 21 295
Frank Ward FB 100 00 10 110
Stan Woodhouse HB 390 20 10 420
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Ted Drake FW 2722 21 00 2923

Notes

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

Most appearances

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Apps. % Apps. % Apps. % Apps. %
1 Dick Neal FW 4197.62 2100.00 2100.00 4597.83
2 Arthur Roberts FB 3992.86 2100.00 2100.00 4393.48
3 Bill Adams HB 3992.86 2100.00 150.00 4291.30
Stan Woodhouse HB 3992.86 2100.00 150.00 4291.30
Bert Scriven GK 3890.48 2100.00 2100.00 4291.30
6 Frank Campbell HB 3276.20 2100.00 150.00 3576.09
Arthur Holt FW 3276.20 2100.00 150.00 3576.09
8 Tom Brewis FW 3276.19 00.00 2100.00 3473.91
Arthur Bradford HB 3071.43 2100.00 2100.00 3473.91
10 Bill Luckett HB 2969.05 150.00 2100.00 3269.57

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup Other Total
Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG Gls. GPG
1 Ted Drake FW 220.81 10.50 00.00 230.79
2 Arthur Holt FW 60.18 00.00 00.00 60.17
3 Norman Cole FW 50.50 00.00 00.00 50.45
Fred Tully FW 40.15 00.00 10.50 50.17
5 Tom Brewis FW 30.09 00.00 20.00 30.08
Frank Campbell HB 30.09 00.00 20.00 30.08
Dick Neal FW 30.07 00.00 20.00 30.06
8 Charlie Sillett FW 20.40 00.00 20.00 20.28
Bill Adams HB 20.05 00.00 20.00 20.04
10 Johnny McIlwaine HB 10.11 00.00 20.00 10.11
Tom Ruddy FW 10.11 00.00 20.00 10.11
Bill Luckett HB 10.03 00.00 20.00 10.03
Arthur Bradford HB 10.03 00.00 20.00 10.02

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

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