2010–11 Southampton F.C. season

While the first team were located at their Swiss training camp, a team dubbed as the "Saints XI" comprising reserve and youth players contested a number of friendlies back in Hampshire.[34] In their first game, a side including four trial players beat Winchester City 4–1 at the Denplan City Ground, with trialists Harlee Dean and Scott Shutton scoring in the process.[35] In the second game, Southampton lost 2–1 to Havant & Waterlooville, after a home goal within two minutes and a 2–0 deficit at half-time meant Jordace Holder-Spooner's second goal in as many games was little more than a consolation for the Saints.[36] On 17 July the young side played Basingstoke Town at The Camrose, losing 2–1 after a Basingstoke opener in the second half, an equalising header by in-form striker Sam Hoskins and a Stuart Lake winner for the home team.[37]

Winchester City v Southampton

10 July 2010 Friendly	Winchester City	1–4	Southampton	The Denplan City Ground, Winchester
17:00 BST	Gripp  88'	Report	Holder-Spooner  29' Dean  41' Shutton  62' (pen.) Isgrove  80'

Havant & Waterlooville v Southampton

13 July 2010 Friendly	Havant & Waterlooville	2–1	Southampton	West Leigh Park, Havant
19:45 BST	Fogden  2' Igoe  27'	Report	Holder-Spooner  74'

Basingstoke Town v Southampton

17 July 2010 Friendly	Basingstoke Town	2–1	Southampton	The Camrose, Basingstoke
15:00 BST	Pratt  50' Lake  75'	Report	Hoskins  62'	Attendance: 528

The season got off to a disappointing start for Southampton, who lost 1–0 to Plymouth Argyle in the opening game of the season on 7 August 2010. Despite dominating the first half, it was the visiting side who broke the deadlock when Luke Summerfield scored within two minutes of the beginning of the second half.[40] Substitute Adam Lallana was the first to test Argyle goalkeeper David Button in the last quarter of the game, but the home side failed to regain their early momentum to slip to a defeat in their first game of the campaign despite a number of late chances.[40] The club were due to play Milton Keynes Dons at Stadium:mk on 14 August, but due to the death of Markus Liebherr the match was rescheduled for 15 September.[41] On 21 August Southampton picked up their first league point of the season against Leyton Orient, drawing 1–1 at St Mary's.[42] On his return to the team following injury, Rickie Lambert scored a free kick early in the game to put the Saints ahead, only for Terrell Forbes to equalise two minutes later with a headed goal.[42] Momentum changed hands throughout the remainder of the game, and a number of chances were created but missed by Southampton players, not least Lee Barnard, but the game ended level to leave the Saints in the bottom quarter of the table.[42] The following week the club recorded their first win of the season, with an emphatic 4–0 away victory over Bristol Rovers. The game saw defender José Fonte score his debut for the club, as well as goals from Adam Lallana and a penalty from Rickie Lambert, ending in the final minute with Lee Barnard's first goal of the season. Despite this impressive win, it was the last game for manager Alan Pardew, who was sacked just days later.[16][17]

Assistant manager Dean Wilkins took over as caretaker manager following Pardew's sacking, and his first league game in charge was at home against recently promoted Rochdale on 4 September. The first period was largely dictated by the Saints, but a goal from Chris O'Grady on the stroke of half time broke up the home side's momentum and they went into the second half trailing.[43] The game continued in the visitors' favour and Rochdale doubled their lead just after the hour mark courtesy of a volley from Gary Jones, leaving the Saints in a precarious position leading up to the imminent appointment of a new manager.[43] Saints, still without a replacement manager, played Swindon Town on 11 September after losing 3–0 to the club in the League Trophy less than two weeks before. The game was yet another disappointment for Dean Wilkins's side, who lost 1–0 courtesy of a 65th-minute goal from Charlie Austin, despite hitting the frame of the goal twice and having an effort cleared off the line during the game.[44]

Following the appointment of Nigel Adkins as the club's new first team manager, the Saints played Milton Keynes Dons at Stadium:mk on 15 September, the game having been postponed following the death of Markuss Liebherr. Adkins began his time on the South Coast poorly, leading Southampton to their fourth consecutive goalless defeat at the hands of the Dons.[45] The first half ended goalless, with goalkeepers David Martin and Kelvin Davis impressing with saves from Rickie Lambert and Lewis Guy respectively, but two goals in the last 20 minutes from Angelo Balanta and Peter Leven left the visitors in the relegation zone with their game in hand played.[45][46] The club's disappointing run of results continued on 18 September with a goalless draw against Colchester United, leaving them in the relegation zone. The game itself was arguably evenly spread between Southampton and Colchester, with the home side said to be edging ahead in the second half culminating in three consecutive chances for Rickie Lambert in injury time at the end of the game.[47] On 25 September Southampton earned their first win in six games by beating Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium.[48][49] Lee Barnard scored his second league goal of the season (and the first under manager Nigel Adkins) to end the club's 510-minute goal drought to help them out of the relegation zone.[48][49] The game was largely dominant for the Saints, although for short periods of time throughout the game Wednesday looked to be on top of proceedings.[48][49] Other chances came from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rickie Lambert, and at the very end of the game goalkeeper Kelvin Davis pulled off a string of impressive saves to hold on to the 1–0 for Southampton.[48][49] In the final game of the month on 28 September, Southampton were unable to build on the previous weekend's win, drawing 1–1 at Yeovil Town. Brazilian loan signing Guilherme do Prado, who came on as a substitute for the second half, scored his first goal of the season for the Saints just before the hour mark, only to be cancelled out by an Adam Virgo penalty less than ten minutes later.[50][51] Guly almost won the game for the visiting side late on in the match, but was denied a second goal by Yeovil's post, leaving both sides to pick up a point from the match.[50][51]

On 2 October the Saints picked up their second win in three matches by beating local rivals Bournemouth 2–0 at St Mary's Stadium. The home side took command throughout the game, with Rickie Lambert scoring two penalties, one in each half, to overpower the in-form visitors.[52][53] The first league meeting between the local rivals in over 50 years, the match was eventful throughout with a total of five bookings and one dismissal, numerous potential penalties and other controversies, and also saw the return of Adam Lallana and debut of loanee Richard Chaplow.[52][53] The following week Southampton continued their winning streak with a 2–0 domination of visitors Tranmere Rovers.[54][55] Rickie Lambert picked up his third goal in two games just before the end of the first period, followed by a goal from Adam Lallana on the outside of the box to send the club two places up to 13th in League One.[54][55] Southampton faced defeat again on 16 October when they lost 2–0 to fellow promotion hopefuls Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm Stadium.[56][57] The home side broke the deadlock within the first six minutes of the game thanks to a goal from winger Anthony Pilkington, and continued to dominate the first half until Joey Guðjónsson doubled the lead in the final minute before half-time.[56][57] The second half continued largely in Huddersfield's favour, with sporadic moments of Southampton domination leading to little in terms of scoring chances.[56][57] Late in the second period the game's fourth official, unable to continue, had to be replaced, which took some time to complete; the result was an astonishing 11 minutes of injury time (which also included time added on for a head injury to Rickie Lambert) added on at the end of the game, although even this was insufficient for the Saints to come back and they ultimately lost quite comprehensively.[56][57] The Saints made it three home wins in a row on 23 October when they came behind from a one-goal deficit to beat Oldham Athletic 2–1.[58][59] Defender José Fonte scored his second of the season on the stroke of half time, before young winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first league goal for the club in the second half to secure the win.[58][59]

The following week the Saints travelled to League One newcomers Notts County, with a team that included the return of defender Frazer Richardson after a long injury and captain Dean Hammond following suspension.[60][61] The home side opened the scoring within ten minutes, with Mike Edwards heading in a Ben Davies free kick to give new manager Paul Ince a dream start to his managerial spell with the club.[60][61] County held onto their lead until just before the 70-minute mark, when captain John Tompson was shown a straight red card for bringing down Lee Barnard in the box, subsequently resulting in a penalty for the visiting side.[60][61] Rickie Lambert converted the spot kick to equalise for Southampton, before setting up Barnard himself for a goal just a few minutes later to take the lead.[60][61] Winger Adam Lallana scored in injury time to seal the win against the ten-man Notts County, sending the South Coast club up to 9th place in the league, their highest since the beginning of the campaign.[60][61] On 2 November the Saints faced 23rd-placed Dagenham & Redbridge at home, another recently promoted side, and picked up an extremely comfortable 4–0 win.[62][63] Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up two more goals to add to his impressive recent tally and put the home side 2–0 up going into half time, before Lee Barnard and José Fonte scored in the 56th and 69th minutes respectively to convert the dominant performance into another win for Southampton.[62][63] As a result, the club moved into 6th place, the first time they had been in a playoff position all season.[62][63] On 13 November the club's winning streak ended at the hands of Carlisle United who picked up a 3–2 win over the Saints.[64][65] The first half saw Southampton display one of their worst performances of the season, with a Dan Harding own goal putting Carlisle into half-time two goals up.[64][65] Another goal from teenage winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave the Saints a lifeline, although Carlisle picked up one more to make Dean Hammond's 81st-minute long range strike a mere consolation.[64][65]

Southampton got back on track with their sixth home win in a row in all competitions against Peterborough United on 20 November with a convincing 4–1 win.[66][67] Goals came from Lee Barnard, José Fonte, Richard Chaplow and Guly do Prado, which sent the club back into the playoff positions in preparation for the match against first-place Brighton & Hove Albion later in the week.[66][67] The game against Brighton, contested on 23 November, ended goalless after Southampton owned the first half and also arguably out-performed the visitors in the second period.[68][69] Kelvin Davis notably saved a penalty, while Southampton had a large number of chances thwarted by the defensive Brighton side who ultimately held on to end Southampton's winning run at home.[68][69] After a long break due to adverse weather conditions, Southampton hosted Brentford on 11 December and lost 2–0, with first half goals coming from strikers Gary Alexander and Charlie MacDonald.[70][71] After more postponed matches, the Saints returned to St Mary's on 28 December to defeat Huddersfield Town 4–1 in the first return game of the season.[72][73] Despite going 1–0 down in the first half, the Saints dominated the majority of the game and goals from Rickie Lambert, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Radhi Jaïdi and Richard Chaplow helped the home side move swiftly to the playoff positions in 5th place.[72][73]

Southampton began 2011 in top form, beating Exeter City 4–0 on 1 January.[74][75] Winger Guly do Prado scored twice, before Adam Lallana and substitute Lee Barnard topped off the match with goals in the second half.[74][75] Thanks to results elsewhere in the league, the result sent the club to the automatic promotion places for the first time in the season.[74][75] Just two days later, the Saints travelled to play the return match against Dagenham & Redbridge, after beating the side 4–0 in November. After a goalless first half and numerous Saints chances, the visiting club broke the deadlock less than two minutes after the break, when Adam Lallana scored his eighth of the season with an overhead kick.[76][77] Guly do Prado made it 2–0 after 75 minutes, before Josh Scott headered in a goal for the home side in the last ten minutes.[76][77] Dagenham were unable to make the goal count for anything, however, as striker Rickie Lambert finished the game off with a goal in the last minute to keep Saints in the automatic promotion places.[76][77] On 11 January Southampton closed the gap on League leaders Brighton by thrashing Oldham Athletic 6–0 at Boundary Park.[78][79] The scoring started early, as winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored within nine minutes before Adam Lallana made it two shortly before half time.[78][79] In the second half though, the Saints made their advantage really count, converting a further four chances with Guly do Prado, Richard Chaplow, Rickie Lambert and substitute Lee Barnard adding to their season tallies to increase the pressure at the top of League One.[78][79] Southampton's winning run came to an end on 15 January, as the match with Notts County ended goalless.[80][81] The Saints had the majority of possession throughout the game, José Fonte was denied a goal in the second half as his header was cleared off the line, and in the last minute Ryan Dickson cleared a County effort off the line to leave the match goalless.[80][81] The misfortune continued when Southampton lost 2–0 to Tranmere Rovers in the return game at Prenton Park.[82][83] The first half was dominated by the struggling home side, and marked by a goal for midfielder John Welsh following a miscommunication between Saints goalkeeper Kelvin Davis and defender José Fonte.[82][83] The visiting team continued to struggle in the second half, and under-performances from players such as Rickie Lambert, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Guly do Prado meant that Rovers doubled their lead thanks to a goal from Dale Jennings, sending the Saints down to fourth below local rivals Bournemouth following their win over league leaders Brighton.[82][83]

On 1 February, Saints scraped a win at Exeter City to avoid a three-game losing streak.[84][85] The game ended 2–1 to Southampton after a brace of goals from Rickie Lambert, including a final-minute winner, reversed the initial Exeter lead.[84][85] Daniel Nardiello opened the scoring for the home side just before half time, and it took until 20 minutes before the end for the visitors to come back, when Lambert headed in a cross from new signing Dany N'Guessan to equalise.[84][85] Lambert doubled his tally in the last minute of normal time, heading in another cross this time from returning midfielder Dean Hammond.[84][85] On 5 February Southampton dropped two points in the return match against Peterborough United, sharing the spoils in an eight-goal thriller.[86][87] The visitors started off the game well, going 2–0 up within half an hour following a Richard Chaplow goal and a Rickie Lambert penalty, but in the last six minutes of the first half Peterborough equalised with strikes from Craig Mackail-Smith and Chris Whelpdale.[86][87] Lambert scored a second penalty just after the break to extend his lead as the club's top scorer of the season, and returning captain Dean Hammond restored the Saints' two-goal lead just three minutes later.[86][87] A further two penalties for Peterborough led to a 4–4 draw, with the final goal coming from Lee Tomlin in the third minute of injury time at the end of the match.[86][87] A week later the Saints reduced Huddersfield Town's lead in 3rd place of the table when they defeated Carlisle United 1–0 at home in a relatively uneventful game.[88][89] The game was initially brought alive within the last five minutes of the first half, when Carlisle defender Gary Borrowdale was sent off after receiving a second booking for arguing with the assistant referee, after which Rickie Lambert scored his 50th Southampton goal by heading in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross.[88][89] In the second half, further chances were limited and Southampton nervously picked up three points while Huddersfield played out a goalless draw with Oldham Athletic meaning Southampton could go ahead of Huddersfield should they win their game-in-hand.[88][89] Southampton remained fifth with several games in hand over Peterborough, Huddersfield and Bournemouth after drawing 0–0 with Hartlepool United on 22 February.[90][91] Southampton upheld their unbeaten league run at the weekend, beating Swindon Town 4–1 at home in a convincing performance marked by only five minutes of Swindon dominance in the second half.[92][93] Adam Lallana opened the scoring for the home side after just 15 minutes, and chances for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Guly do Prado could have increased the scoreline going into half-time.[92][93] In the second half, winger Matt Ritchie equalised for Swindon, but his effort was cancelled out within minutes when Rickie Lambert and Radhi Jaïdi both scored from set pieces within two minutes of one another to make it 3–1.[92][93] With more chances for Saints in the later stages of the game, substitute Lee Barnard eventually confirmed the win for Southampton with a goal in stoppage time.[92][93]

On 1 March, Southampton lost away to Walsall, who before the match were in the relegation zone.[94][95] In terms of attempts and pressure, the visitors were largely on top for most of the game, but it was Walsall who made their chance count when Jon Macken scored in a period dominated by Saints chances in the second half.[94][95] Despite late chances for Lallana, Barnard, Lambert and Jaïdi, Walsall rode out the 1–0 victory to leave Saints in 5th place in the table.[94][95] The Saints won their return game against Colchester United 2–0 on 5 March, increasing the pressure in the top section of the table.[96][97] After largely dominating the opening period, the visitors went one up after half an hour with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain poaching a goal following a Rickie Lambert free kick.[96][97] Within two minutes of the goal, Colchester were reduced to ten players as striker David Mooney was sent off for challenging Danny Butterfield off the ball, and Southampton's dominance was made easier for the remainder of the game.[96][97] In the second half the team made their advantage count, as captain and former Colchester player Dean Hammond scored his third league goal of the season from inside to double Southampton's lead and secure the three points.[96][97] Back at St Mary's on 8 March, Southampton beat struggling side Yeovil Town 3–0.[98][99] Lee Barnard scored twice to bring his league tally to 10, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finished off the scoring in the second half with a long-range solo effort.[98][99] The Saints remained fifth, however, as teams above them won their matches too.[98][99]

On 13 March, Southampton travelled to Dean Court for the second local derby against Bournemouth of the season.[100][101] Southampton won the game 3–1, meaning they moved above the home side in the league table.[100][101] The game was an exciting encounter all-round, with Finnish teenage striker Lauri Dalla Valle, on loan from Fulham, opening the scoring for Bournemouth in the 6th minutes, despite Southampton players' protests of offside.[100][101] Just five minutes later however, it was all level again when Lee Barnard's header was fumbled by the Bournemouth defence and found its way into the net for 1–1.[100][101] In the second half, Southampton took the lead thanks to a goal from captain Dean Hammond, and top scorer Rickie Lambert assured the win in the 88th minute with a solo effort.[100][101] In injury time, Oscar Gobern received a red card, but Southampton cruised to victory to move up to 4th place in the table once again.[100][101] Southampton picked up a fourth league win in a row on 19 March, beating Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 in a late kick-off.[102][103] Despite a number of good chances for the Saints in the opening 45 minutes, it took until 15 minutes into the second half for defender José Fonte to break the deadlock, heading in an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain corner.[102][103] With the team in full flow now, Rickie Lambert scored his 17th goal of the season just six minutes later to make it two for Southampton and secure the win.[102][103] It could have been more though, with Adam Lallana hitting the post shortly after Lambert's goal and a great performance from Wednesday goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell denying further opportunities from Oxlade-Chamberlain and others.[102][103]

Southampton moved up to third place in the table on 24 March when they picked up a point against Charlton Athletic at The Valley, although missed out on the chance to move second with two games still in hand over Huddersfield Town.[104][105] The Saints largely edged out the home side throughout the game, with more possession and chances on goal, but it took until after the hour mark to break the deadlock when defender Radhi Jaïdi headed in a corner from Guly do Prado, who had only come on as a substitute three minutes earlier.[104][105] Charlton increased the pressure in the last 20 minutes, and former Saints player Bradley Wright-Phillips equalised the game in the 86th minute to crush Southampton's hopes of moving into the League One promotion places.[104][105] After a two-week break, Southampton returned to St Mary's to face Milton Keynes Dons on 2 April 2011 and won 3–2.[106][107] The visiting side were on top for most of the first half, and opened the scoring in the 34th minute when Gary MacKenzie headed in a Peter Leven corner.[106][107] The Dons doubled their lead early in the second half courtesy of Sam Baldock, but after Jonathan Forte came on for the Saints shortly after the hour mark the dynamic of the game changed: Forte scored two goals in the space of two minutes, bringing Southampton level and giving them a chance to make the game their own.[106][107] It only took another ten minutes for the home team to score another and take the lead, this time courtesy of Lee Barnard latching onto a Rickie Lambert assist.[106][107] Southampton held out for the victory, and remained third in the table with three games in hand over Huddersfield and two over Brighton.[106][107] Southampton's run of good form was continued when they played Charlton Athletic at St Mary's just two weeks after the match at The Valley, winning 2–0.[108][109] Goals came from Guly do Prado early in the first half and from Lee Barnard early in the second, with each scorer setting up the other for their goal.[108][109]

Southampton moved into the automatic promotion places of League One on 9 April by beating Leyton Orient 2–0 at Brisbane Road.[110][111] The Saints rode their luck somewhat throughout the game, as Orient playmaker Jimmy Smith was denied two goals for offside and Stephen Dawson hit the post in the last minute.[110][111] Rickie Lambert scored his 18th goal of the season in the 26th minute to put the Saints one up, and the victory was sealed in the 88th minute by a goal from Lee Barnard.[110][111] The victory was complemented by Huddersfield Town drawing 1–1 with Peterborough United, which meant that Southampton could move past them into second place in the table, still with two games in hand.[110][111] Three days later though, Southampton lost for the first time in ten games at Rochdale in one of their games-in-hand over third-placed Huddersfield and leaders Brighton.[112][113] Midfielder Joe Thompson opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark with a headed goal before striker Chris O'Grady made it two before half time.[112][113] The visitors had more of the ball overall and more chances on goal, but Rochdale held onto the clean sheet and the two-goal lead to leave Southampton trailing even further behind Brighton, who picked up another win to go 16 points ahead at the top of League One.[112][113] Southampton picked up an important three points on 16 April against Bristol Rovers, when they won by a single goal at St Mary's.[114][115] The game was marked by the high number of bookings it heralded – four for the Saints and three for Rovers – as well as an injury to striker Lee Barnard which forced him to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher.[114][115] Guly do Prado scored the only goal of the game, converting a solo effort into the winning strike in the 82nd minute to keep Southampton in second place.[114][115] Brighton won their game against Walsall 3–1, which meant that they secured the League One title for the season, leaving Southampton to fight against Huddersfield, Peterborough United and Milton Keynes Dons for the second automatic promotion place.[114][115]

Southampton faced Brighton on 23 April, and after trailing for most of the game managed to beat the new League One champions 2–1.[116][117] The first half was evenly matched, with the Saints maybe edging the home side out slightly, but it was Brighton who broke the deadlock just before half time thanks to a goal from Ashley Barnes following an incident of miscommunication between Radhi Jaïdi and Kelvin Davis.[116][117] It took until the 84th minute for the Saints to equalise, and the goal came from substitute David Connolly, who had been on the pitch for less than ten minutes.[116][117] Just five minutes later, in the last minute of normal time, José Fonte headed in a cross from Dean Hammond to put the visitors ahead and secure the three points.[116][117] The Saints increased the pressure on Huddersfield by beating Hartlepool United 2–0 two days later.[118][119] The first half was dominated by the home side, with a goal from Guly do Prado being disallowed for offside.[118][119] Rickie Lambert opened the scoring in the second half with a penalty following a foul by defender Sam Collins which saw the visitors go down to ten men.[118][119] José Fonte doubled the lead in the 82nd minute to secure the win and keep Southampton in the second automatic promotion place.[118][119] Southampton beat Brentford 3–0 on 30 April to put them one win away from promotion.[120][121] The Saints dominated from start to finish, with goals coming from Adam Lallana in the 16th minute, David Conolly on the half-hour mark, and Oscar Gobern in the first minute of added time at the end of the match.[120][121]

Southampton essentially confirmed their promotion in the penultimate game of the season against Plymouth Argyle on 2 May, when they won 3–1 after dominating the entire match.[22][23] Despite their dominance, Southampton did not score until the stroke of half time, when Rickie Lambert scored his 20th goal of the season by heading in a Danny Butterfield cross.[22][23] Defender Ryan Dickson made it two with his first of the season shortly after the break, before a foul gave the Saints a penalty which Lambert confidently converted to put the visitors three up within the hour and all-but confirm the relegation of struggling Plymouth.[22][23] Yannick Bolasie picked up a consolation for the home side in injury time, but it was not enough to save their League One status.[22][23] Southampton confirmed their promotion in the last game of the season on 7 May against Walsall, winning 3–1.[20][21] The game was largely dominated by the home side, who scored twice in a three-minute period in the first half, with goals coming from Guly do Prado and David Connolly.[20][21] A Walsall goal on the stroke of half time was a mere consolation, as returning winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, on as a substitute, scored a solo goal in the 68th minute to make Southampton's promotion dream a reality.[20][21]

Southampton v Plymouth Argyle

7 August 2010 Match 1	Southampton	0–1	Plymouth Argyle	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
12:15 BST		Report	Summerfield  47'	Attendance: 21,727 Referee: Jon Moss

Southampton v Leyton Orient

21 August 2010 Match 2	Southampton	1–1	Leyton Orient	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	Lambert  12'	Report	Forbes  15'	Attendance: 21,468 Referee: Phil Gibbs

Bristol Rovers v Southampton

28 August 2010 Match 3	Bristol Rovers	0–4	Southampton	Memorial Stadium, Bristol
15:00 BST		Report	Fonte  10' Lallana  34' Lambert  59' (pen.) Barnard  90+1'	Attendance: 8,226 Referee: Graham Scott

Southampton v Rochdale

4 September 2010 Match 4	Southampton	0–2	Rochdale	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST		Report	O'Grady  45+1' Jones  68'	Attendance: 18,169 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Swindon Town v Southampton

11 September 2010 Match 5	Swindon Town	1–0	Southampton	County Ground, Swindon
15:00 BST	Austin  65'	Report		Attendance: 11,087 Referee: Andy Penn

Milton Keynes Dons v Southampton

15 September 2010 Match 6	Milton Keynes Dons	2–0	Southampton	Stadium:mk, Milton Keynes
19:45 BST	Balanta  72' Leven  87'	Report		Attendance: 8,133 Referee: Fred Graham

Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton

25 September 2010 Match 8	Sheffield Wednesday	0–1	Southampton	Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield
15:00 BST		Report	Barnard  61'	Attendance: 18,198 Referee: Graham Salisbury

Yeovil Town v Southampton

28 September 2010 Match 9	Yeovil Town	1–1	Southampton	Huish Park, Yeovil
19:45 BST	Virgo  65' (pen.)	Report	do Prado  56'	Attendance: 5,854 Referee: Simon Hooper

Southampton v Bournemouth

2 October 2010 Match 10	Southampton	2–0	Bournemouth	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	Lambert  19' (pen.), 55' (pen.)	Report		Attendance: 26,289 Referee: Kevin Wright

Southampton v Tranmere Rovers

9 October 2010 Match 11	Southampton	2–0	Tranmere Rovers	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	Lambert  42' Lallana  56'	Report		Attendance: 19,293 Referee: Gavin Ward

Huddersfield Town v Southampton

16 October 2010 Match 12	Huddersfield Town	2–0	Southampton	Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield
15:00 BST	Pilkington  6' Guðjónsson  45'	Report		Attendance: 14,769 Referee: Colin Webster

Southampton v Oldham Athletic

23 October 2010 Match 13	Southampton	2–1	Oldham Athletic	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	Fonte  45+2' Oxlade-Chamberlain  73'	Report	Furman  22'	Attendance: 20,968 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Notts County v Southampton

30 October 2010 Match 14	Notts County	1–3	Southampton	Meadow Lane, Nottingham
15:00 BST	Edwards  9'	Report	Lambert  68' (pen.) Barnard  73' Lallana  90+4'	Attendance: 9,457 Referee: Jock Waugh

Southampton v Dagenham & Redbridge

2 November 2010 Match 15	Southampton	4–0	Dagenham & Redbridge	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
19:45 GMT	Oxlade-Chamberlain  11', 37' Barnard  56' Fonte  69'	Report		Attendance: 20,161 Referee: Danny McDermid

Carlisle United v Southampton

13 November 2010 Match 16	Carlisle United	3–2	Southampton	Brunton Park, Carlisle
15:00 GMT	Marshall  21' Harding  30' (o.g.) Chester  57'	Report	Oxlade-Chamberlain  49' Hammond  81'	Attendance: 6,578 Referee: Karl Evans

Southampton v Peterborough United

20 November 2010 Match 17	Southampton	4–1	Peterborough United	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 GMT	Barnard  28' Fonte  46' Chaplow  50' do Prado  80'	Report	McLean  76'	Attendance: 22,177 Referee: Chris Sarginson

Southampton v Brentford

11 December 2010 Match 19	Southampton	0–2	Brentford	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 GMT		Report	Alexander  13' MacDonald  28'	Attendance: 19,641 Referee: Oliver Langford

Southampton v Huddersfield Town

28 December 2010 Match 20	Southampton	4–1	Huddersfield Town	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 GMT	Lambert  28' Oxlade-Chamberlain  32' Jaïdi  51' Chaplow  72'	Report	Novak  15'	Attendance: 24,483 Referee: James Linington

Southampton v Exeter City

1 January 2011 Match 21	Southampton	4–0	Exeter City	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 GMT	do Prado  19', 51' Lallana  66' Barnard  90+2'	Report		Attendance: 22,465 Referee: Dave Phillips

Dagenham & Redbridge v Southampton

3 January 2011 Match 22	Dagenham & Redbridge	1–3	Southampton	Victoria Road, London
15:00 GMT	Scott  84'	Report	Lallana  47' do Prado  75' Lambert  90'	Attendance: 3,585 Referee: Mick Russell

Oldham Athletic v Southampton

11 January 2011 Match 23	Oldham Athletic	0–6	Southampton	Boundary Park, Oldham
19:45 GMT		Report	Oxlade-Chamberlain  9' Lallana  38' do Prado  52' Chaplow  69' Lambert  74' Barnard  86'	Attendance: 3,767 Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Tranmere Rovers v Southampton

22 January 2011 Match 25	Tranmere Rovers	2–0	Southampton	Prenton Park, Birkenhead
15:00 GMT	Welsh  13' Jennings  60'	Report		Attendance: 5,504 Referee: David Webb

Exeter City v Southampton

1 February 2011 Match 26	Exeter City	1–2	Southampton	St James Park, Exeter
19:45 GMT	Nardiello  39'	Report	Lambert  70', 90'	Attendance: 6,370 Referee: Danny McDermid

Peterborough United v Southampton

5 February 2011 Match 27	Peterborough United	4–4	Southampton	London Road Stadium, Peterborough
17:20 GMT	Mackail-Smith  39' Whelpdale  45' McCann  55' (pen.) Tomlin  90+3' (pen.)	Report	Chaplow  18' Lambert  31' (pen.), 47' (pen.) Hammond  50'	Attendance: 6,905 Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Southampton v Carlisle United

12 February 2011 Match 28	Southampton	1–0	Carlisle United	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 GMT	Lambert  43'	Report		Attendance: 25,076 Referee: Robert Lewis

Southampton v Swindon Town

26 February 2011 Match 30	Southampton	4–1	Swindon Town	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 GMT	Lallana  15' Lambert  60' Jaïdi  61' Barnard  90+2'	Report	Ritchie  54'	Attendance: 22,627 Referee: Steve Rushton

Walsall v Southampton

1 March 2011 Match 31	Walsall	1–0	Southampton	Bescot Stadium, Walsall
19:45 GMT	Macken  69'	Report		Attendance: 4,684 Referee: Dean Whitestone

Colchester United v Southampton

5 March 2011 Match 32	Colchester United	0–2	Southampton	Colchester Community Stadium, Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Oxlade-Chamberlain  30' Hammond  50'	Attendance: 6,523 Referee: Phil Gibbs

Southampton v Yeovil Town

8 March 2011 Match 33	Southampton	3–0	Yeovil Town	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
19:45 GMT	Barnard  15', 55' Oxlade-Chamberlain  67'	Report		Attendance: 18,623 Referee: Keith Hill

Bournemouth v Southampton

12 March 2011 Match 34	Bournemouth	1–3	Southampton	Dean Court, Bournemouth
15:00 GMT	Dalla Valle  6'	Report	Barnard  11' Hammond  71' Lambert  88'	Attendance: 10,008 Referee: Andre Marriner

Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday

19 March 2011 Match 35	Southampton	2–0	Sheffield Wednesday	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
17:20 GMT	Fonte  60' Lambert  66'	Report		Attendance: 20,234 Referee: Darren Deadman

Charlton Athletic v Southampton

22 March 2011 Match 36	Charlton Athletic	1–1	Southampton	The Valley, London
19:45 GMT	Wright-Phillips  86'	Report	Jaïdi  64'	Attendance: 16,550 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Southampton v Milton Keynes Dons

2 April 2011 Match 37	Southampton	3–2	Milton Keynes Dons	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	Forte  66', 67' Barnard  77'	Report	MacKenzie  34' Baldock  52'	Attendance: 22,377 Referee: Mick Russell

Southampton v Charlton Athletic

5 April 2011 Match 38	Southampton	2–0	Charlton Athletic	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
19:45 BST	do Prado  11' Barnard  58'	Report		Attendance: 20,112 Referee: Anthony Bates

Leyton Orient v Southampton

9 April 2011 Match 39	Leyton Orient	0–2	Southampton	Brisbane Road, London
15:00 BST		Report	Lambert  26' Barnard  88'	Attendance: 7,714 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Rochdale v Southampton

12 April 2011 Match 40	Rochdale	2–0	Southampton	Spotland Stadium, Manchester
19:45 BST	Joe Thompson  28' O'Grady  41'	Report		Attendance: 3,825 Referee: Mark Haywood

Southampton v Bristol Rovers

16 April 2011 Match 41	Southampton	1–0	Bristol Rovers	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	do Prado  82'	Report		Attendance: 23,647 Referee: Dean Whitestone

Brighton & Hove Albion v Southampton

23 April 2011 Match 42	Brighton & Hove Albion	1–2	Southampton	Withdean Stadium, Brighton
15:00 BST	Barnes  45+1'	Report	Connolly  84' Fonte  89'	Attendance: 8,169 Referee: Scott Mathieson

Southampton v Hartlepool United

25 April 2011 Match 43	Southampton	2–0	Hartlepool United	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	Lambert  50' (pen.) Fonte  82'	Report		Attendance: 24,210 Referee: Simon Hooper

Brentford v Southampton

30 April 2011 Match 44	Brentford	0–3	Southampton	Griffin Park, London
15:00 BST		Report	Lallana  16' Connolly  30' Gobern  90+1'	Attendance: 7,015 Referee: Trevor Kettle

Plymouth Argyle v Southampton

2 May 2011 Match 45	Plymouth Argyle	1–3	Southampton	Home Park, Plymouth
15:00 BST	Bolasie  90+3'	Report	Lambert  45', 59' (pen.) Dickson  49'	Attendance: 13,118 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Southampton v Walsall

7 May 2011 Match 46	Southampton	3–1	Walsall	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
15:00 BST	do Prado  26' Connolly  29' Oxlade-Chamberlain  68'	Report	Gray  45+3'	Attendance: 31,653 Referee: Graham Scott

Match-by-match record

League table

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points