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1949–50 Southampton F.C. season

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Southampton F.C.
1949–50 season
ChairmanPenn Barrow
ManagerBill Dodgin (to July 1949)
Sid Cann (from July 1949)
StadiumThe Dell
Second Division4th
FA CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Charlie Wayman (24)
All:
Charlie Wayman (26)
Highest home attendance30,240 v Tottenham Hotspur (8 October 1949)
Lowest home attendance20,689 v Bury
(4 February 1950)
Average home league attendance23,895
Biggest win5–0 v Hull City
(5 November 1949)
Biggest defeat0–4 v Swansea Town
(10 September 1949)
0–4 v Tottenham Hotspur (25 February 1950)

The 1949–50 season was the 49th year of competitive football played by Southampton F.C., the club's 23rd season as members of the Football League, and their 21st competing in the Second Division.[1] The Saints finished the campaign in fourth place in the league table, having gained 52 from a possible 84 points with 19 wins, 14 draws and nine losses – missing out on promotion only on goal average.[2] The club also competed in the FA Cup, losing a third round replay against Northampton Town.[3]

After narrowly missing out on promotion to the First Division during the previous season, Southampton looked to build on their squad with two big signings in the summer of 1949: winger Ernie Jones for £6,000 (plus Alf Ramsey) from Tottenham Hotspur,[4] followed by Jack Edwards for £10,000 from Nottingham Forest.[5] Ramsey made his long-touted move away from the club,[6] who also sent Tommy Rudkin to Bristol City,[7] Albie Roles to Gloucester City,[8] George Horsfall to Southend United,[9] and Bill Heaton (who had only joined in February) to Stalybridge Celtic.[10] Bill Dodgin left the club as manager in July 1949 and was replaced by assistant Sid Cann.[11] The new manager continued to sign players throughout the season, adding Bryn Elliott, Bill Molloy and Tom Lowder in October 1949,[12][13][14] followed by right-back Alex Anderson, and inside-forwards Jimmy McGowan and Ernie Stevenson in early 1950 (the last of whom the Saints paid Cardiff City a "five-figure fee" for, as well as sending Wilf Grant to the club).[15][16][17]

During the season, 25 players appeared for Southampton in all competitions. George Curtis, converted from winger to wing-half, featured in more games than any other player, being ever present in both the league and FA Cup with 44 appearances.[18] Centre-forward Charlie Wayman finished as Southampton's top scorer with 24 goals in the league and two in the FA Cup.[18] The club attracted an average home league attendance at The Dell of 23,895 – slightly less than the previous season. The highest league attendance was 30,240 against eventual Second Division champions Tottenham Hotspur on 8 October 1949; the lowest was 20,689 against Bury on 4 February 1950.[18]

Second Division

[edit]

Season summary

[edit]

Southampton had a poor start to the 1949–50 season, losing their first three fixtures against Grimsby Town, Barnsley and Queens Park Rangers to find themselves at the bottom of the league table.[11] Hard-fought victories over Preston North End (recently relegated from the First Division) and West Ham United gave the Saints their crucial first few points, as the new players began to settle in with their teammates.[11] In the three months between mid-September and mid-December, the team went on an unbeaten run of 13 games to jump all the way from 19th to fourth in the table, picking up key wins in the process over fellow promotion-hopefuls Leeds United and recently promoted Hull City (the Saints' 5–0 victory was the club's biggest win of the season, and featured a hat-trick for Charlie Wayman), as well as hard-fought draws with championship contenders Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday.[19] Going into the new year with two more wins, Southampton found themselves regularly occupying a top-five position in the league table.[19]

After dropping to seventh in the table following two losses in January, Southampton picked up wins over Bury and Sheffield United in February to return to the top five, with mixed fortunes over their next few games seeing them climb and fall between fourth and sixth.[20] After a joint-record season loss of 0–4 against leaders Tottenham, the Saints boosted their squad with the additions of forwards Jimmy McGowan and Ernie Stevenson, both of whom played central roles in the last run of fixtures.[18] With their new recruits, Southampton saw an improved run of form, remaining unbeaten for their last nine games of the season. However, despite closely fought wins over key promotion rivals, including Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, the Saints were unable to obtain promotion and finished the season in fourth place – the final game of the season saw Wednesday secure the second promotion spot after drawing with league champions Tottenham due to their slightly higher goal average, with Sheffield United finishing in third after beating Hull 5–0.[20]

Final league table

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Sheffield Wednesday (P) 42 18 16 8 67 48 1.396 52 Promotion to the First Division
3 Sheffield United 42 19 14 9 68 49 1.388 52
4 Southampton 42 19 14 9 64 48 1.333 52
5 Leeds United 42 17 13 12 54 45 1.200 47
6 Preston North End 42 18 9 15 60 49 1.224 45
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(P) Promoted

Results by matchday

[edit]
Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHHAAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHH
ResultLLLDWWLWDWDWWWDDDWDDLDWWLLWWDLWDLWWDWWDDWW
Position1621222018141917161314111056664445665676566546444444444
Source: statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Match reports

[edit]
20 August 1949 1 Southampton 1–2 Grimsby Town Southampton
Edwards 63' Briggs 12', 53' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 26,222
24 August 1949 2 Barnsley 2–1 Southampton Barnsley
Griffiths 39'
Baxter 		Wayman 60' Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 17,762
27 August 1949 3 Queens Park Rangers 1–0 Southampton London
Hudson 26' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 23,040
31 August 1949 4 Southampton 0–0 Barnsley Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 22,319
3 September 1949 5 Southampton 1–0 Preston North End Southampton
Bates 64' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 26,317
5 September 1949 6 West Ham United 1–2 Southampton London
Robinson 60' (pen.) Wayman 25'
Bates 28'		 Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 26,317
10 September 1949 7 Swansea Town 4–0 Southampton Swansea
Paul 44' (pen.), 87' (pen.)
Richards 65'
O'Driscoll 89'		 Stadium: Vetch Field
Attendance: 29,000
17 September 1949 8 Southampton 2–1 Leeds United Southampton
Wayman 7', 15' Harrison 85' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 23,214
24 September 1949 9 Bury 1–1 Southampton Bury
Bodle 82' Bates 72' Stadium: Gigg Lane
Attendance: 15,095
1 October 1949 10 Coventry City 1–2 Southampton Coventry
Roberts 56' Edwards 36'
Day 53'		 Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 22,549
8 October 1949 11 Southampton 1–1 Tottenham Hotspur Southampton
Bates 87' Walters 48' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 30,240
22 October 1949 12 Southampton 3–1 Blackburn Rovers Southampton
Bates 19'
Wayman 21'
Day 29'		 Wharton 45' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,406
29 October 1949 13 Brentford 0–1 Southampton London
Jones Stadium: Griffin Park
Attendance: 21,860
5 November 1949 14 Southampton 5–0 Hull City Southampton
Wayman 5', 9', 50'
Bates 35'
Edwards 78'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 23,275
12 November 1949 15 Sheffield Wednesday 2–2 Southampton Sheffield
Wayman 8'
Edwards 19'		 Froggatt 54'
Whitcomb 79'		 Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium
Attendance: 32,146
19 November 1949 16 Southampton 3–3 Plymouth Argyle Southampton
Bates 25', 82'
Wayman 30'		 Dews 56'
Williams 59'
Strauss 75'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 25,129
26 November 1949 17 Chesterfield 0–0 Southampton Chesterfield
Stadium: Saltergate
Attendance: 10,605
3 December 1949 18 Southampton 3–1 Bradford Park Avenue Southampton
Edwards 24' (pen.)
Day 35'
Bates 72'		 Henry 5' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 20,876
10 December 1949 19 Leicester City 2–2 Southampton Leicester
Griffiths 7'
Lee 70'		 Wayman 6'
Bates 69'		 Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 22,167
17 December 1949 20 Grimsby Town 1–1 Southampton Cleethorpes
Cairns 55' Wayman 23' Stadium: Blundell Park
Attendance: 14,000
24 December 1949 21 Southampton 1–2 Queens Park Rangers Southampton
Wayman 60' Neary 68' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,391
26 December 1949 22 Luton Town 1–1 Southampton Luton
Cooke 31' (pen.) Wayman 12' Stadium: Kenilworth Road
Attendance: 18,765
27 December 1949 23 Southampton 2–1 Luton Town Southampton
Day
Bates 		Kiernan 63' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 26,928
31 December 1949 24 Preston North End 0–3 Southampton Preston
Wayman 19', 31'
Day 72'		 Stadium: Deepdale
Attendance: 27,000
14 January 1950 25 Southampton 1–2 Swansea Town Southampton
Wayman 32' Lucas 58'
Allchurch 78'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 24,674
21 January 1950 26 Leeds United 1–0 Southampton Leeds
Williams 82' Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 38,500
4 February 1950 27 Southampton 4–1 Bury Southampton
Wayman 8', 79'
Day 62'
Bates 82'		 Massart 54' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 20,689
11 February 1950 28 Sheffield United 0–1 Southampton Sheffield
Wheatley 75' Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 30,000
18 February 1950 29 Southampton 1–1 Coventry City Southampton
Veck 77' Wilkins 11' (o.g.) Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 23,412
25 February 1950 30 Tottenham Hotspur 4–0 Southampton London
Medley 19', 25'
Rees 73'
Duquemin 79'		 Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 70,302
4 March 1950 31 Southampton 3–1 Cardiff City Southampton
Day 5'
McGowan 11'
Bates 72'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 23,375
11 March 1950 32 Blackburn Rovers 0–0 Southampton Blackburn
Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 18,300
18 March 1950 33 Southampton 2–3 Brentford Southampton
Day 10', 69' Paton 30'
Dare 44'
Mallett 73' (o.g.)		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 22,429
25 March 1950 34 Hull City 1–2 Southampton Kingston upon Hull
Gibson 32' Stevenson 17', 89' Stadium: Boothferry Park
Attendance: 32,000
1 April 1950 35 Southampton 1–0 Chesterfield Southampton
Stevenson 67' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,964
8 April 1950 36 Bradford Park Avenue 0–0 Southampton Bradford
Stadium: Horsfall Stadium
Attendance: 16,363
10 April 1950 37 Southampton 1–0 Sheffield United Southampton
Wayman 82' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 23,528
15 April 1950 38 Southampton 1–0 Sheffield Wednesday Southampton
Wayman 51' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 28,529
17 April 1950 39 Cardiff City 1–1 Southampton Cardiff
Edwards 35' Wayman 25' Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 21,247
22 April 1950 40 Plymouth Argyle 0–0 Southampton Plymouth
Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 22,873
29 April 1950 41 Southampton 5–3 Leicester City Southampton
Bates 7', 22'
Wayman 34', 61'
Stevenson 63' (pen.)		 Lee 5', 65'
Barlow 67'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,091
6 May 1950 42 Southampton 3–2 West Ham United Southampton
Jones 49', 56'
Stevenson 69'		 Robinson 22', 35' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 24,778

FA Cup

[edit]
Northampton Town (7 January 1950)

Southampton entered the 1949–50 FA Cup in the third round, drawn against Third Division South promotion contenders Northampton Town. In front of a record crowd of 23,209 at Northampton's County Ground, the visitors took the lead in the 18th minute against the run of play, when Augie Scott followed up from Eric Day's blocked shot to make it 1–0.[21] In the next minute, however, the hosts equalised through Tommy McCulloch, who took advantage of a mistake by George Curtis to take possession and score with a low shot.[21] Going into half-time, Southampton were reduced to ten men when Ernie Jones had to be taken off on a stretcher after breaking his ankle, while Ron Wheatley and Ted Bates played on with minor injuries.[21] After the break, Northampton sought to take advantage of the reduced Saints (who also lost Eric Webber towards the end), coming close to going in front on numerous occasions but for the Southampton defence and the crossbar; ultimately, the game finished level, and a replay was scheduled.[21]

Northampton Town replay (11 January 1950)

With a depleted first team due to injuries, Southampton struggled to gain a hold on the home replay against Northampton, with the visiting Cobblers enjoying the majority of possession and goal-scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes.[21] The game remained goalless going into half-time, before three goals came in the first five minutes after the break – first, Arthur Dixon put the visitors in front with a header from a corner; the next minute, Charlie Wayman headed in a cross from Eric Day, and a couple of minutes after that Wayman scored a second due to a mistake by goalkeeper Jack Ansell.[21] After leading for just over 10 minutes, the Saints conceded an equaliser through Gwyn Hughes as the result of another corner, before in the 80th minute a third goal from a corner came courtesy of Maurice Candlin.[21]

7 January 1950 Round 3 Northampton Town 1–1 Southampton Northampton
McCulloch 19' Scott 18' Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 23,209
11 January 1950 Round 3 replay Southampton 2–3 Northampton Town Southampton
Dixon 46'
Hughes 62'
Candlin 80'		 Wayman 47', 49' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 24,806

Additional friendlies

[edit]

Southampton played one friendly during the 1949–50 season, beating Third Division South side Torquay United 1–0 on 28 January 1950, the only goal scored by reserves player Reginald Dare.[21] Shortly after the conclusion of the league campaign, the team went on a Scandinavian tour which included five exhibition matches. The first, against Danish side Aalborg, ended in a 6–2 win for the travelling Saints, with Charlie Wayman scoring four goals and Ted Bates and Eric Day each scoring one.[21] The victory was followed by a 2–1 loss at Helsingborgs, a 1–1 draw with side Copenhagen, a 1–0 win over Aarhus, and a 2–2 draw with Esbjerg.[21]

28 January 1950 Friendly Southampton 1–0 Torquay United Southampton
Dare Stadium: The Dell
25 May 1950 Friendly Aalborg 2–6 Southampton Denmark
Wayman
Bates
Day
29 May 1950 Friendly Helsingborgs 2–1 Southampton Sweden
Bates
1 June 1950 Friendly Copenhagen 1–1 Southampton Denmark
5 June 1950 Friendly Aarhus 0–1 Southampton Denmark
Bates
8 June 1950 Friendly Esbjerg 2–2 Southampton Denmark
Wayman

Squad statistics

[edit]
Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Alex Anderson FB Scotland 8 0 0 0 8 0
Ted Ballard FB England 18 0 2 0 20 0
Ted Bates FW England 33 15 2 0 35 15
Ian Black GK Scotland 39 0 2 0 41 0
Stan Clements HB England 0 0 1 0 1 0
George Curtis HB England 42 0 2 0 44 0
Reginald Dare FW England 0 0 0 0 0 0
Eric Day FW England 38 9 2 0 40 9
Jack Edwards FW England 28 5 0 0 28 5
Bill Ellerington FB England 24 0 0 0 24 0
Bryn Elliott HB England 2 0 0 0 2 0
José Gallego FW Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jack Gregory FB England 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ernie Jones FW Wales 30 3 1 0 31 3
Walter Judd FW England 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tom Lowder FW England 10 0 0 0 10 0
Jimmy McGowan FW Scotland 3 1 0 0 3 1
Joe Mallett HB England 38 0 0 0 38 0
John Mitchell FW England 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bill Molloy FW England 1 0 0 0 1 0
Bill Rochford FB England 14 0 0 0 14 0
Augie Scott FW England 4 0 2 1 6 1
George Smith HB England 0 0 0 0 0 0
Len Stansbridge GK England 3 0 0 0 3 0
Ernie Stevenson FW England 11 5 0 0 11 5
Bobby Veck FW England 2 1 0 0 2 1
Charlie Wayman FW England 36 24 2 2 38 26
Eric Webber HB England 42 0 1 0 43 0
Ron Wheatley HB England 8 1 2 0 10 1
Ken Wilkins FW England 0 0 0 0 0 0
Len Wilkins HB England 24 0 2 0 26 0
Players with appearances who left the club before the end of the season
Wilf Grant FW England 4 0 1 0 5 0

Most appearances

[edit]
No. Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Apps. Mins. Apps. Mins. Apps. Mins. %
1 George Curtis HB England 42 3,780 2 180 44 3,960 100%
2 Eric Webber HB England 42 3,780 1 90 43 3,870 97.73%
3 Ian Black GK Scotland 39 3,510 2 180 41 3,690 93.18%
4 Eric Day FW England 38 3,420 2 180 40 3,600 90.91%
5 Joe Mallett HB England 38 3,420 0 0 38 3,420 86.36%
Charlie Wayman FW England 36 3,240 2 180 38 3,420 86.36%
7 Ted Bates FW England 33 2,970 2 180 35 3,150 79.55%
8 Ernie Jones FW England 30 2,700 1 90 31 2,790 70.45%
9 Jack Edwards FW England 28 2,520 0 0 28 2,520 63.64%
10 Len Wilkins HB England 24 2,160 2 180 26 2,340 59.09%

Top goalscorers

[edit]
No. Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. GPG
1 Charlie Wayman FW England 24 36 2 2 26 38 0.68
2 Ted Bates FW England 15 33 0 2 15 35 0.43
3 Eric Day FW England 9 38 0 2 9 40 0.23
4 Ernie Stevenson FW England 5 11 0 0 5 11 0.45
Jack Edwards FW England 5 28 0 0 5 28 0.18
6 Ernie Jones FW England 3 30 0 1 3 31 0.10
7 Bobby Veck FW England 1 2 0 0 1 2 0.50
Jimmy McGowan FW Scotland 1 3 0 0 1 3 0.33
Augie Scott FW England 0 4 1 2 1 6 0.17
Ron Wheatley FW England 1 8 0 2 1 10 0.10

Transfers

[edit]
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Club Fee Ref.
May 1949 FW Wales Ernie Jones England Tottenham Hotspur £6,000[a] [4]
June 1949 FW England Reginald Dare England Alton Town Free [22]
June 1949 FW England Jack Edwards England Nottingham Forest £10,000 [5]
August 1949 FW England Walter Judd England Nomansland Free [23]
October 1949 HB England Bryn Elliott England Boston United Free [12]
October 1949 FW England Bill Molloy England Coventry City Free [13]
October 1949 FW England Tom Lowder England Boston United Free [14]
October 1949 FW England Ken Wilkins England Sunderland Free [24]
January 1950 FB Scotland Alex Anderson Scotland Forfar Athletic Free [15]
March 1950 FW Scotland Jimmy McGowan England Grimsby Town Free [16]
March 1950 FW England Ernie Stevenson England Cardiff City £10,000+[b] [17]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Club Fee Ref.
May 1949 FB England Alf Ramsey England Tottenham Hotspur Exchange[a] [6]
May 1949 FW England Tommy Rudkin England Bristol City Free [7]
June 1949 FB England Albie Roles England Gloucester City Free [8]
July 1949 HB Australia George Horsfall England Southend United Free [9]
September 1949 HB England Bill Dodgin Jr. England Fulham Free [25]
September 1949 FW England Bill Heaton England Stalybridge Celtic Free [10]
March 1950 FW England Wilf Grant England Cardiff City Exchange[b] [17]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Ernie Jones transferred to Southampton in exchange for £6,000 and Alf Ramsey moving to Tottenham Hotspur.[4]
  2. ^ a b Ernie Stevenson transferred to Southampton in exchange for a five-figure fee and Wilf Grant moving to Cardiff City.[17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Southampton Complete History". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Season 1949-50". English League Tables, 1888-2008. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  3. ^ "England FA Challenge Cup 1949-50". England FA Challenge Cup Finals. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Ernie Jones". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Jack Edwards". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Alf Ramsey". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Tom Rudkin". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Albie Roles". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b "George Horsfall". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Bill Heaton". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 14
  12. ^ a b "Bryn Elliott". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Billy Molloy". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Tom Lowder". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Sandy Anderson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Jimmy McGowan". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  17. ^ a b c d "Ernie Stevenson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 17
  19. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 15
  20. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 16
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 308
  22. ^ "Dare, Reginald". The Grecian Archive. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Wally Judd". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Ken Wilkins". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  25. ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 612

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (November 2013), All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9926864-0-6
  • Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003), Bull, David (ed.), In That Number: A Post-War Chronicle of Southampton FC, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN 0-9534474-3-X
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