1930–31 Southampton F.C. season

After the conclusion of the 1929–30 season, outside-left Stan Cribb joined First Division side West Ham United, having lost his place in the team to Johnny Arnold.[1] Recently signed Scottish centre-half Alex Sharp also left the club, returning to his native country with Tranent Juniors.[2] George Harkus left later in the summer, briefly joining French side Olympique Lyonnais.[3] Southampton manager Arthur Chadwick brought in several players during the pre-season period. Most significant of the additions was Portsmouth captain Johnny McIlwaine, who signed in June for a club record fee of £2,650.[4] Around the same time, the club also signed outside-forward Peter Cowper from Third Division North side New Brighton and inside-forward Laurie Cumming from divisional rivals Oldham Athletic.[5][6] Billy Stage joined from Burnley in July.[7] Just before the season started, goalkeeper George Thompson and forward Bobby Weale also left the club – the former joined Dinnington Miners' Welfare,[8] while the latter signed for Cardiff City.[9]

Transfer activity continued throughout the 1930–31 season. In September, the club signed full-back Reg Thomas on amateur terms from Western League side Weymouth (he turned professional in December).[8] Horden Colliery Welfare centre-forward Arthur Haddleton signed the following month,[10] when Thomas Groves left after his contract was cancelled.[11] In November, amateur forward Sid Grover was signed from local Hampshire League side Romsey Town.[11] In the new year, several more players were signed by Southampton. Romsey Town inside-forward Fred Allan and Cowes Sports winger Chris Crossley signed on amateur terms in March,[12][6] and the following month goalkeeper Bill Soffe was brought in from Totton, another Hampshire League club.[13] Grover, Allan, Crossley and Soffe were all rushed into the first-team for the penultimate game of the season against Portsmouth in May, having only made appearances for the reserves thus far, after 15 Southampton players refused to sign new contracts.[14]

Players transferred in

Name	Nationality	Pos.	Club	Date	Ref.
Peter Cowper	England	FW	New Brighton	June 1930	[5]
Laurie Cumming	Ireland	FW	Oldham Athletic	June 1930	[6]
Johnny McIlwaine	Scotland	HB	Portsmouth	June 1930	[4]
Billy Stage	England	FW	Burnley	July 1930	[7]
Reg Thomas	England	FB	Weymouth	September 1930	[8]
Arthur Haddleton	England	FW	Horden Colliery Welfare	October 1930	[10]
Sid Grover	England	FW	Romsey Town	November 1930	[11]
Fred Allan	England	FW	Romsey Town	March 1931	[12]
Chris Crossley	England	FW	Cowes	March 1931	[6]
Bill Soffe	England	GK	Totton	April 1931	[13]

Players transferred out

Name	Nationality	Pos.	Club	Date	Ref.
Stan Cribb	England	FW	West Ham United	May 1930	[1]
Alex Sharp	Scotland	HB	Tranent Juniors	May 1930	[2]
George Harkus	England	HB	Olympique Lyonnais	June 1930	[3]
George Thompson	England	GK	Dinnington Miners' Welfare	August 1930	[8]
Bobby Weale	Wales	FW	Cardiff City	August 1930	[9]
Thomas Groves	England	FW	none (retired)	October 1930	[11]

Southampton began the 1930–31 Second Division season on 30 August 1930 with a 5–0 loss at Preston North End,[15] which sent the club straight to the bottom of the league table.[16] Draws at home to Nottingham Forest and Burnley were followed by another away defeat against Oldham Athletic, leaving the Saints firmly in the battle against relegation.[15] The club's fortunes quickly turned around, however, as they embarked on an eight-match unbeaten run which included five wins to help them move up to the top seven of the table.[15][17] Much of the rest of the calendar year was spent alternating between winning and losing, during which time the team remained in the middle of the table. In November and December the club picked up wins over promotion hopefuls such as Tottenham Hotspur and Preston North End, while dropping points to strugglers like Cardiff City and Bristol City.[15] They remained in the top eight of the Second Division table by the end of December, still in with a chance of reaching promotion.[18]

The pattern of Southampton's season continued throughout the early months of 1931, as the team won against a host of lower-placed sides and lost against those in the higher level of the table.[15] After drawing 3–3 with Plymouth Argyle on 17 January, the Saints did not draw again for the rest of the season, contributing to a club record 27 games without sharing points which extended into the early stages of the following season.[19] After returning to the side in late December, centre-forward Willie Haines took over from Herbert Coates as the season's top scorer when he scored 15 goals in the last 20 games of the league, including three consecutive matches in which he scored twice in January.[15] With Southampton safe in the top half of the table, manager Arthur Chadwick departed from the club on 16 April 1931 and retired from management, following a 23-year career.[20] The club finished in seventh place with 19 wins, six draws and 17 losses, ten points behind West Bromwich Albion in the first promotion place.[15]

List of match results

Preston North End v Southampton

30 August 1930 1	Preston North End	5–0	Southampton	Preston
				Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 10,000

Southampton v Nottingham Forest

1 September 1930 2	Southampton	0–0	Nottingham Forest	Southampton
				Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,000

Southampton v Burnley

6 September 1930 3	Southampton	1–1	Burnley	Southampton
	Jepson			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,485

Oldham Athletic v Southampton

8 September 1930 4	Oldham Athletic	2–1	Southampton	Oldham
			Cumming	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 13,689

Plymouth Argyle v Southampton

13 September 1930 5	Plymouth Argyle	2–3	Southampton	Plymouth
			Cumming Wilson	Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 25,000

Southampton v Oldham Athletic

15 September 1930 6	Southampton	1–0	Oldham Athletic	Southampton
	Wilson			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 9,858

Reading v Southampton

20 September 1930 7	Reading	1–1	Southampton	Reading
			Jepson	Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 8,000

Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers

27 September 1930 8	Southampton	2–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Southampton
	Fraser			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,552

Bradford Park Avenue v Southampton

4 October 1930 9	Bradford Park Avenue	1–1	Southampton	Bradford
			Coates	Stadium: Park Avenue Attendance: 10,000

Southampton v Stoke City

11 October 1930 10	Southampton	2–1	Stoke City	Southampton
	Cumming Coates			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,772

Southampton v West Bromwich Albion

18 October 1930 11	Southampton	1–1	West Bromwich Albion	Southampton
	Fraser			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,931

Swansea Town v Southampton

25 October 1930 12	Swansea Town	0–1	Southampton	Swansea
			Fraser	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 10,000

Southampton v Cardiff City

1 November 1930 13	Southampton	0–1	Cardiff City	Southampton
				Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,202

Bristol City v Southampton

8 November 1930 14	Bristol City	2–1	Southampton	Bristol
			Jepson	Stadium: Ashton Gate Stadium Attendance: 15,000

Southampton v Bradford City

15 November 1930 15	Southampton	4–1	Bradford City	Southampton
	Fraser Arnold			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 10,356

Charlton Athletic v Southampton

22 November 1930 16	Charlton Athletic	3–1	Southampton	London
			Stage	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 5,000

Southampton v Barnsley

29 November 1930 17	Southampton	4–0	Barnsley	Southampton
	McIlwaine Jepson Coates			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,751

Port Vale v Southampton

6 December 1930 18	Port Vale	1–0	Southampton	Hanley
				Stadium: Old Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,000

Southampton v Bury

13 December 1930 19	Southampton	5–0	Bury	Southampton
	Coates Arnold McIlwaine			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,889

Everton v Southampton

20 December 1930 20	Everton	2–1	Southampton	Liverpool
			Wilson	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 20,000

Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton

25 December 1930 21	Tottenham Hotspur	1–3	Southampton	London
			McIlwaine Coates	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 37,000

Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur

26 December 1930 22	Southampton	0–3	Tottenham Hotspur	Southampton
				Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 23,156

Southampton v Preston North End

27 December 1930 23	Southampton	2–1	Preston North End	Southampton
	McIlwaine Haines			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,707

Burnley v Southampton

3 January 1931 24	Burnley	3–2	Southampton	Burnley
			Haines	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 10,000

Southampton v Plymouth Argyle

17 January 1931 25	Southampton	3–3	Plymouth Argyle	Southampton
	Haines Coates			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,013

Southampton v Reading

24 January 1931 26	Southampton	3–2	Reading	Southampton
	Haines Arnold			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 10,446

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Southampton

31 January 1931 27	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–2	Southampton	Wolverhampton
			Mackie Arnold	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 9,000

Southampton v Bradford Park Avenue

7 February 1931 28	Southampton	2–3	Bradford Park Avenue	Southampton
	Mackie Haines			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,212

Stoke City v Southampton

14 February 1931 29	Stoke City	1–3	Southampton	Stoke-on-Trent
			Haines Mackie	Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 10,000

West Bromwich Albion v Southampton

21 February 1931 30	West Bromwich Albion	1–2	Southampton	West Bromwich
			Dougall Own goal	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 18,000

Southampton v Swansea Town

28 February 1931 31	Southampton	1–2	Swansea Town	Southampton
	Arnold			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,041

Cardiff City v Southampton

7 March 1931 32	Cardiff City	0–1	Southampton	Cardiff
			Jepson	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 5,000

Southampton v Bristol City

14 March 1931 33	Southampton	5–1	Bristol City	Southampton
	Mackie Haines Jepson			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 10,473

Bradford City v Southampton

21 March 1931 34	Bradford City	4–3	Southampton	Bradford
			Dougall Arnold	Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 12,000

Southampton v Charlton Athletic

28 March 1931 35	Southampton	3–0	Charlton Athletic	Southampton
	Haines Jepson Own goal			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 8,785

Millwall v Southampton

3 April 1931 36	Millwall	1–0	Southampton	London
				Stadium: The Den Attendance: 18,000

Barnsley v Southampton

4 April 1931 37	Barnsley	3–1	Southampton	Barnsley
			Jepson	Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 7,000

Southampton v Millwall

6 April 1931 38	Southampton	3–1	Millwall	Southampton
	Keeping McIlwaine Fraser			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,137

Southampton v Port Vale

11 April 1931 39	Southampton	2–0	Port Vale	Southampton
	Haines Dougall			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 9,487

Bury v Southampton

18 April 1931 40	Bury	1–0	Southampton	Bury
				Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 15,000

Southampton v Everton

25 April 1931 41	Southampton	2–1	Everton	Southampton
	Wilson		Dean	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 9,553

Nottingham Forest v Southampton

2 May 1931 42	Nottingham Forest	3–1	Southampton	West Bridgford
			Haines	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 6,000

Southampton entered the 1930–31 FA Cup in the third round, travelling north to face First Division side Sunderland on 10 January 1931 in the first competitive meeting between the two clubs.[20] Club historians described the hosts as "by far the better side", with the Saints going a goal down within ten minutes of the start of the game before being eliminated with a second goal later on.[20] The team were weak in both defence and attack, with the performances of Bert Shelley and Johnny McIlwaine (playing at centre-forward in place of Willie Haines, who was absent due to illness) singled out by club historians as particularly poor.[20]

Outside of the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played seven additional first-team matches during the 1930–31 season. Shortly after the previous season's Hampshire Benevolent Cup and Rowland Hospital Cup games against Portsmouth, the club conducted a close season tour of Denmark in which they played four matches against local Danish league teams. The Saints won three of these games, beating Odense BK 3–0 on 25 May, AGF Aarhus 4–0 on 29 May and Aalborg BK 3–1 on 1 June, before losing 4–3 to Horsens fS on 5 June.[22] The only other friendly match the club played during the season was against local Third Division South side Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic on 25 March 1931 at Dean Court. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, with Willie Haines scoring a hat-trick for the visiting Saints.[22]

Prior to the club's penultimate game of the season, at home to Portsmouth in the Hampshire Benevolent Cup, 15 Southampton players had turned down new contracts from the club and refused to play again. As a result, the club had to field a team including a number of reserves and former players who had agreed to step in as guests, including wing-half Len Butt, centre-forward Bill Rawlings and inside-forward Arthur Dominy.[14] Organised by Hampshire FA secretary G. J. Eden, the makeshift side lost 4–0 to Portsmouth at The Dell, with goals scored by Jack Weddle, Jimmy Easson and Septimus Rutherford (two).[14] The Rowland Hospital Cup game two days later featured a team consisting mainly of reserve players, with Fred Allan and Arthur Haddleton scoring for the Saints in the 2–2 draw at Fratton Park.[23]

Horsens fS v Southampton

5 June 1930 Friendly	Horsens fS	4–3	Southampton	Horsens
			Fraser Dougall Jepson	Stadium: Forum Horsens Arena

Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic v Southampton

25 March 1931 Friendly	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	3–3	Southampton	Bournemouth
			Haines	Stadium: Dean Court

Southampton v Portsmouth

4 May 1931 Hampshire BC	Southampton	0–4	Portsmouth	Southampton
			Weddle Easson Rutherford	Stadium: The Dell

Portsmouth v Southampton

6 May 1931 Rowland Hospital Cup	Portsmouth	2–2	Southampton	Portsmouth
	Easson Weddle		Allan Haddleton	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 2,098 Referee: Arthur Kingscott

Southampton used 36 different players during the 1930–31 season, 15 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.[15] Arthur Bradford, Bert Jepson and Bill Adams made the most appearances for the club during the campaign, all playing in 40 games across all competitions. Left-back Michael Keeping played in 39 games, missing four league matches and the two end-of-season cup games.[15] Centre-forward Willie Haines finished as the season's top scorer with 15 goals in the Second Division, followed by Johnny Arnold on eight goals. Four players – Herbert Coates, Bill Fraser, Bert Jepson and Johnny McIlwaine – scored seven goals in the league.[15]

At the end of the season, 15 players offered new contracts by the club refused to sign the terms or play in the final games of the season against Portsmouth. For the Hampshire Benevolent Cup match, Hampshire FA secretary G. J. Eden arranged a "Hampshire County Team" to play against Pompey at The Dell, which included just three players with first-team appearances during the season.[14] Alongside Bill Adams, Arthur Haddleton and Coates were reserve team players Bill Soffe, Reg Thomas and Ernie Warren, as well as returning former players Len Butt, George Harkus, Bill Rawlings and Arthur Dominy, plus Cardiff City striker Frank Matson.[14] Soffe, Thomas and Warren also played in the Rowland Hospital Cup, alongside fellow reserves Fred Allan, Chris Crossley and Sid Grover.[23]

Squad statistics

Name	Pos.	Nat.	League		FA Cup		Other[lower-alpha 1]		Total
			Apps.	Gls.	Apps.	Gls.	Apps.	Gls.	Apps.	Gls.
Bill Adams	HB		37	0	1	0	2	0	40	0
Fred Allan	FW		0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1
Johnny Arnold	FW		30	8	1	0	0	0	31	8
Arthur Bradford	HB		39	0	1	0	0	0	40	0
Herbert Coates	FW		16	7	1	0	2	0	19	7
Peter Cowper	FW		4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Chris Crossley	FW		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Laurie Cumming	FW		20	4	1	0	0	0	21	4
Peter Dougall	FW		14	4	0	0	0	0	14	4
Bill Fraser	FW		22	7	0	0	0	0	22	7
Sid Grover	FW		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Arthur Haddleton	FW		1	0	0	0	2	1	3	1
Willie Haines	FW		21	15	0	0	0	0	21	15
Ted Hough	FB		3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Bert Jepson	FW		39	7	1	0	0	0	40	7
Michael Keeping	FB		38	1	1	0	0	0	39	1
Bill Luckett	HB		21	0	0	0	0	0	21	0
Jerry Mackie	FW		14	5	0	0	0	0	14	5
Johnny McIlwaine	HB		26	7	1	0	0	0	27	7
Arthur Roberts	FB		4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Bert Scriven	GK		29	0	0	0	0	0	29	0
Bert Shelley	HB		23	0	1	0	1	0	25	0
Bill Soffe	GK		0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0
Billy Stage	FW		4	1	0	0	0	0	4	1
Bill Stoddart	HB		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Reg Thomas	FB		0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0
Ernie Warren	FW		0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0
Reg Watson	FW		5	1	0	0	0	0	5	1
Willie White	GK		13	0	1	0	0	0	14	0
Arthur Wilson	HB		13	5	0	0	0	0	13	5
Stan Woodhouse	HB		26	0	1	0	0	0	27	0
Players who appeared for the club as guests
Len Butt	HB		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Arthur Dominy	FW		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
George Harkus	HB		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Frank Matson	FW		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Bill Rawlings	FW		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0

Notes

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

• 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

• Southampton F.C. official website