1934–35 Southampton F.C. season

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

Players transferred out

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

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

Burnley v Southampton

25 August 1934 1	Burnley	3–0	Southampton	Burnley
				Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 12,000

Southampton v Port Vale

27 August 1934 2	Southampton	0–0	Port Vale	Southampton
				Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 7,000

Southampton v Oldham Athletic

1 September 1934 3	Southampton	2–2	Oldham Athletic	Southampton
	Rowe Cole			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 7,042

Port Vale v Southampton

3 September 1934 4	Port Vale	4–1	Southampton	Stoke-on-Trent
			Fishlock	Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 7,746

Bolton Wanderers v Southampton

8 September 1934 5	Bolton Wanderers	4–0	Southampton	Bolton
				Stadium: Burnden Park Attendance: 17,000

Southampton v Hull City

15 September 1934 6	Southampton	3–0	Hull City	Southampton
	Adams Brewis Fishlock			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 6,500

Southampton v Notts County

22 September 1934 7	Southampton	1–1	Notts County	Southampton
	Brewis			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 4,800

Bradford City v Southampton

29 September 1934 8	Bradford City	1–1	Southampton	Bradford
			Wheeler	Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 9,000

Southampton v Sheffield United

6 October 1934 9	Southampton	1–1	Sheffield United	Southampton
	Tully			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 9,913

Barnsley v Southampton

13 October 1934 10	Barnsley	1–1	Southampton	Barnsley
			Cole	Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 8,000

Nottingham Forest v Southampton

20 October 1934 11	Nottingham Forest	3–1	Southampton	Nottingham
			Cole	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 10,000

Southampton v Brentford

27 October 1934 12	Southampton	1–0	Brentford	Southampton
	Tully			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 10,415

Fulham v Southampton

3 November 1934 13	Fulham	3–3	Southampton	London
			McIlwaine Luckett Horton	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 20,000

Southampton v Bradford Park Avenue

10 November 1934 14	Southampton	4–1	Bradford Park Avenue	Southampton
	Wheeler Fishlock			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 10,000

Plymouth Argyle v Southampton

17 November 1934 15	Plymouth Argyle	4–0	Southampton	Plymouth
				Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 17,501

Southampton v Norwich City

24 November 1934 16	Southampton	1–4	Norwich City	Southampton
	Wheeler			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,400

Newcastle United v Southampton

1 December 1934 17	Newcastle United	1–0	Southampton	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
				Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 13,000

Southampton v West Ham United

8 December 1934 18	Southampton	2–2	West Ham United	Southampton
	Cole Fishlock			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 8,500

Blackpool v Southampton

15 December 1934 19	Blackpool	4–1	Southampton	Blackpool
			Fishlock	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,000

Southampton v Bury

22 December 1934 20	Southampton	2–1	Bury	Southampton
	Cole			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 7,300

Swansea Town v Southampton

25 December 1934 21	Swansea Town	0–1	Southampton	Swansea
			Fishlock	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 2,000

Southampton v Swansea Town

26 December 1934 22	Southampton	1–0	Swansea Town	Southampton
	Wheeler			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 18,351

Southampton v Burnley

29 December 1934 23	Southampton	0–0	Burnley	Southampton
				Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,257

Manchester United v Southampton

1 January 1935 24	Manchester United	3–0	Southampton	Manchester
				Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 15,174

Oldham Athletic v Southampton

5 January 1935 25	Oldham Athletic	0–2	Southampton	Oldham
			Cole	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 7,000

Southampton v Bolton Wanderers

19 January 1935 26	Southampton	1–2	Bolton Wanderers	Southampton
	Neal			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,575

Hull City v Southampton

31 January 1935 27	Hull City	0–0	Southampton	Kingston upon Hull
				Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 5,130

Notts County v Southampton

2 February 1935 28	Notts County	3–1	Southampton	Nottingham
			Tully	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 11,000

Southampton v Bradford City

9 February 1935 29	Southampton	1–1	Bradford City	Southampton
	Holt			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 6,472

Sheffield United v Southampton

16 February 1935 30	Sheffield United	6–1	Southampton	Sheffield
			Pollard	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 5,000

Southampton v Barnsley

23 February 1935 31	Southampton	0–1	Barnsley	Southampton
				Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 5,625

Southampton v Nottingham Forest

2 March 1935 32	Southampton	1–2	Nottingham Forest	Southampton
	McIlwaine			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 5,790

Brentford v Southampton

9 March 1935 33	Brentford	3–2	Southampton	London
			Neal Brewis	Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 13,111

Southampton v Fulham

16 March 1935 34	Southampton	1–1	Fulham	Southampton
	McIlwaine			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 8,946

Bradford Park Avenue v Southampton

23 March 1935 35	Bradford Park Avenue	3–1	Southampton	Bradford
			Neal	Stadium: Horsfall Stadium Attendance: 5,000

Southampton v Plymouth Argyle

30 March 1935 36	Southampton	1–0	Plymouth Argyle	Southampton
	McIlwaine			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 7,271

Norwich City v Southampton

6 April 1935 37	Norwich City	4–0	Southampton	Norwich
				Stadium: The Nest (football ground) Attendance: 8,000

Southampton v Newcastle United

13 April 1935 38	Southampton	2–0	Newcastle United	Southampton
	Tully McIlwaine			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 9,125

West Ham United v Southampton

20 April 1935 39	West Ham United	2–1	Southampton	London
			Fishlock	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 31,000

Southampton v Manchester United

22 April 1935 40	Southampton	1–0	Manchester United	Southampton
	McIlwaine			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,458

Southampton v Blackpool

27 April 1935 41	Southampton	2–0	Blackpool	Southampton
	Woodhouse McIlwaine			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 6,758

Bury v Southampton

4 May 1935 42	Bury	4–1	Southampton	Bury
			Holt	Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 5,000

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]

Walsall v Southampton

12 January 1935 Round 3	Walsall	1–2	Southampton	Walsall
	Alsop		Fishlock	Stadium: Fellows Park Attendance: 14,475

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]

Le Havre AC v Southampton

5 March 1935 Friendly	Le Havre AC	2–2	Southampton	Le Havre, France
			Holt Tully	Stadium: Stade Jules Deschaseaux

Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic v Southampton

3 April 1935 Hampshire CC Semi-Final	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	4–2	Southampton	Bournemouth
			McIlwaine	Stadium: Dean Court

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		25	1	2	0	27	1
Arthur Bradford	HB		20	0	0	0	20	0
Tom Brewis	FW		27	3	0	0	27	3
Frank Campbell	HB		1	0	0	0	1	0
Norman Cole	FW		24	8	1	0	25	8
Laurie Fishlock	FW		28	7	1	2	29	9
James Horton	FW		0	0	1	0	1	0
Arthur Holt	FW		27	2	2	0	29	2
Cyril King	HB		13	0	2	0	15	0
Billy Light	GK		9	0	0	0	9	0
Bill Luckett	HB		38	1	2	0	40	1
Johnny McIlwaine	HB		24	7	2	0	26	7
Dick Neal	FW		22	3	2	0	24	3
Walter Pollard	FW		10	1	0	0	10	1
Bob Reid	FW		0	0	1	0	1	0
Arthur Roberts	FB		16	0	0	0	16	0
Bert Scriven	GK		33	0	2	0	35	0
Charlie Sillett	FB		39	0	2	0	41	0
Fred Tully	FW		40	4	2	0	42	4
Frank Ward	FB		17	0	0	0	17	0
Alf Wheeler	FW		11	6	0	0	11	6
Stan Woodhouse	HB		22	1	0	0	22	1
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Doug Rowe	FW		2	1	0	0	2	1

• 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)

• Southampton F.C. official website