The 1948–49 season was the 48th year of competitive football played by Southampton F.C., the club's 22nd season as members of the Football League, and their 20th competing in the Second Division.[1] The Saints finished the campaign in third place in the league table, having gained 55 from a possible 84 points with 23 wins, nine draws and ten losses.[2] The club also competed in the FA Cup, but lost their only fixture in the third round against fellow Second Division side Sheffield Wednesday.[3]
| 1948–49 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Alf Jukes (died April 1949) Reg Jukes (from April 1949) | |
| Manager | Bill Dodgin | |
| Stadium | The Dell | |
| Second Division | 3rd | |
| FA Cup | Third round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Charlie Wayman (32) All: Charlie Wayman (32) | |
| Highest home attendance | 30,586 v West Bromwich Albion (23 April 1949) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 20,937 v Cardiff City (1 January 1949) | |
| Average home league attendance | 25,465 | |
| Biggest win | 6–0 v Leicester City (23 October 1948) | |
| Biggest defeat | 0–3 v Barnsley (2 October 1948) | |
|
| ||
After a strong second half of the 1947–48 season which saw the club finish third in the league table, Southampton continued with the same squad and brought in just one summer signing, Spanish winger José Gallego.[4] The club also sold centre-forward George Lewis to Brighton & Hove Albion,[5] winger Billy Wrigglesworth to Reading,[6] and goalkeeper George Ephgrave to Norwich City.[7] Partway through the season, George Beattie moved to Gloucester City,[8] and the club signed Bill Heaton from Leeds United to cover the team's outside-left position.[9] The 1948–49 season was the last to feature manager Bill Dodgin, who left to join Fulham before the next season.[10]
During the season, 21 players appeared for Southampton in all competitions. Centre-half Eric Webber featured in more games than any other player, being ever present in both the league and FA Cup with 43 appearances.[11] Centre-forward Charlie Wayman finished as Southampton's top scorer with 32 goals in the league – the highest of any division in the Football League that season.[12] The club attracted an average home league attendance at The Dell of 25,465 – almost 5,000 more than the previous year. The highest league attendance was 30,586 in the final home fixture of the season against fellow promotion contenders West Bromwich Albion, which remained the club's record attendance for more than 20 years.[13] The lowest attendance of the season was 20,937 on New Year's Day 1948 against Cardiff City – higher than the 1947–48 average.[11]
Second Division
editSeason summary
editSouthampton's third post-war season started strongly, as they picked up four wins from their opening five fixtures to go straight to the top of the league table – the first game of the campaign was a 3–0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, who had just been relegated from the First Division.[14] The team's form dropped off quickly though, as they won just once (at home to eventual champions Fulham) out of their next six games, in a run which ended in successive losses at Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley, resulting in a descent to sixth in the league table – the lowest they would be all season.[14] During this period, manager Bill Dodgin claimed that some of the players had a "half-hearted attitude".[14] Squad challenges meant that the Saints struggled to find stability in the outside-left position, deploying eight different players there during the first half of the season.[11]
Despite these difficulties, after dropping to sixth, Southampton went on an unbeaten run of seven games between early October and late November to firmly establish their place in the top three – highlights included a 5–2 win at home to Coventry City, a season-record 6–0 victory over Leicester City in which Charlie Wayman scored five times (the first time a Southampton player had done so in the Football League), and a 3–1 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.[14] Four wins from the last six fixtures of the calendar year saw the Saints moving up to second in the table by the end of December, as West Bromwich Albion and Spurs dropped points to close the gap to just two points between the three teams fighting for the two promotion spots.[15] On 1 January 1949, Southampton moved back up to the top spot for the first time since the beginning of September with a 2–0 win over Cardiff City.[15] At a friendly against Plymouth Argyle a couple of weeks later, Alf Ramsey picked up a knee injury which kept him out of action for the rest of the season.[15]
Another unbeaten run of 12 matches between the end of December and the beginning of April saw the Saints secure an eight-point lead at the top of the league table, becoming "clear favourites" for promotion.[13] Charlie Wayman continued to lead the team's goal-scoring, while the club also signed Bill Heaton to take over the contentious outside-left position.[9] Wins during the unbeaten run included 3–1 away against Queens Park Rangers, 1–0 over Sheffield Wednesday, and 1–0 away over Tottenham Hotspur.[13] Despite their dominance, Southampton lost their lead at the top of the table with unexpected losses against Bradford Park Avenue, West Ham United and Bury, the latter of which saw a Ted Bates goal controversially disallowed for offside.[13] The side picked up only one win and one draw from their final seven games, attracting a new club record attendance of 30,826 in the penultimate game against West Bromwich Albion; after this game, both West Brom and Fulham had decisive fixtures in hand, leaving Southampton powerless in their quest for promotion.[13]
Losing to Chesterfield in their final game, Southampton remained second in the table, however Fulham's draw with Tottenham saw them move ahead on goal average, and when West Brom won their final two games, the Saints dropped to third and lost out on promotion to the top flight.[13] A feature in local newspaper the Southern Daily Echo described the conclusion of the season as "the end of a tragic slide which must be almost without parallel in football".[13] Charlie Wayman finished as the top goalscorer for the Second Division and the Football League overall in 1948–49, with 32 goals in 37 league appearances.[12] This was Southampton's final season with Bill Dodgin as manager, who suddenly left a few weeks into the 1949–50 pre-season to take over at league champions Fulham, and was replaced by his assistant Sid Cann.[16]
Final league table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulham (C, P) | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 77 | 37 | 2.081 | 57 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion (P) | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 69 | 39 | 1.769 | 56 | |
| 3 | Southampton | 42 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 69 | 36 | 1.917 | 55 | |
| 4 | Cardiff City | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 62 | 47 | 1.319 | 51 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 72 | 44 | 1.636 | 50 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Results by matchday
editMatch reports
edit| 21 August 1948 1 | Southampton | 3–0 | Blackburn Rovers | Southampton |
Scott  33'Wayman 70', 84' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 26,018 |
| 25 August 1948 2 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | Southampton | Plymouth |
| Astall |
Wayman 42' Day 48' |
Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 29,443 |
| 28 August 1948 3 | Cardiff City | 2–1 | Southampton | Cardiff |
| Hullett 22', 86' |
Wayman 27' |
Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 40,000 |
| 1 September 1948 4 | Southampton | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Southampton |
| Wayman 14' Curtis 66' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 23,613 |
| 4 September 1948 5 | Southampton | 3–0 | Queens Park Rangers | Southampton |
| Scott 33', 49' Ramsey 88' (pen.) |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 27,600 |
| 8 September 1948 6 | Fulham | 1–0 | Southampton | London |
| Stevens 32' |
Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 24,700 |
| 11 September 1948 7 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Southampton | Luton |
| Small 30' |
Wayman 17' |
Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 20,257 |
| 15 September 1948 8 | Southampton | 3–0 | Fulham | Southampton |
| Day 10' Wayman |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 25,424 |
| 18 September 1948 9 | Southampton | 2–2 | Bradford Park Avenue | Southampton |
| Wayman 3', 12' |
Ainsley 48', 52' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 26,659 |
| 25 September 1948 10 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–0 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Woodhead 70', 75' |
Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 38,347 |
| 2 October 1948 11 | Barnsley | 3–0 | Southampton | Barnsley |
| Baxter 46' Smith 70'Robledo 84' |
Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 23,168 |
| 9 October 1948 12 | Southampton | 5–2 | Coventry City | Southampton |
| Grant 43', 67' Bates 46'Wayman 48'Ramsey 68' (pen.) |
Warner 15' Roberts 40' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 23,362 |
| 16 October 1948 13 | Leeds United | 1–1 | Southampton | Leeds |
| Cochrane 82' |
Grant 53' |
Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 34,300 |
| 23 October 1948 14 | Southampton | 6–0 | Leicester City | Southampton |
| Wayman 12', 30', 56', 60', 67' Bates 35' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 23,907 |
| 30 October 1948 15 | Brentford | 0–0 | Southampton | London |
| Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 29,812 |
| 6 November 1948 16 | Southampton | 3–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
| Wayman 8' Day 34'Bates 77' |
Jones 25' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 29,000 |
| 13 November 1948 17 | West Ham United | 1–1 | Southampton | London |
| Woodgate 27' |
Wayman 29' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 35,000 |
| 20 November 1948 18 | Southampton | 2–0 | Bury | Southampton |
| Bates 75' Grant 89' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 25,057 |
| 27 November 1948 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 2–0 | Southampton | West Bromwich |
| Millard 20' Elliott 77' |
Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 45,000 |
| 4 December 1948 20 | Southampton | 1–0 | Chesterfield | Southampton |
| Bates 54' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 22,697 |
| 11 December 1948 21 | Lincoln City | 1–2 | Southampton | Lincoln |
| Dodds 61' |
Wayman 25', 75' |
Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 14,207 |
| 18 December 1948 22 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–2 | Southampton | Blackburn |
| Westcott 34' |
Bates 44', 65' |
Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 24,700 |
| 25 December 1948 23 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Southampton | Nottingham |
| Edwards 48' Hullett 64' |
Curtis 52' |
Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 25,151 |
| 27 December 1948 24 | Southampton | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
| Curtis 55' Wayman 57' |
Edwards 56' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 24,330 |
| 1 January 1949 25 | Southampton | 2–0 | Cardiff City | Southampton |
| Scott 10' Wayman 61' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 20,937 |
| 22 January 1949 26 | Southampton | 1–1 | Luton Town | Southampton |
| Wayman 62' |
Kiernan 75' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 24,815 |
| 29 January 1949 27 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–3 | Southampton | London |
| Pointon 80' |
Wayman 15' Ellerington (pen.)Curtis 81' |
Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 20,000 |
| 12 February 1949 28 | Southampton | 4–0 | Lincoln City | Southampton |
| Wayman 33', 57' (pen.) Day Bates 74' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 22,782 |
| 19 February 1949 29 | Southampton | 1–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | Southampton |
| Bates 63' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 29,445 |
| 26 February 1949 30 | Southampton | 3–0 | Barnsley | Southampton |
| Wayman 17' Day 37'Curtis 42' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 25,892 |
| 5 March 1949 31 | Coventry City | 2–2 | Southampton | Coventry |
| Roberts 44' Murphy |
Wayman 13' Ellerington 53' (pen.) |
Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 21,920 |
| 12 March 1949 32 | Southampton | 2–1 | Leeds United | Southampton |
| Day 33' Wayman 59' |
Webber 78' (o.g.) |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 25,736 |
| 19 March 1949 33 | Leicester City | 1–3 | Southampton | Leicester |
| Lee 33' |
Bates 35' Wayman 41', 87' |
Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 32,700 |
| 26 March 1949 34 | Southampton | 2–0 | Brentford | Southampton |
| Mallett 85' Bates 87' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 25,217 |
| 2 April 1949 35 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0–1 | Southampton | London |
| Wayman 82' |
Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 69,625 |
| 4 April 1949 36 | Bradford Park Avenue | 2–0 | Southampton | Bradford |
| White 59' Ainsley 72' |
Stadium: Horsfall Stadium Attendance: 92,293 |
| 9 April 1949 37 | Southampton | 0–1 | West Ham United | Southampton |
| Robinson 78' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 25,644 |
| 15 April 1949 38 | Grimsby Town | 0–1 | Southampton | Cleethorpes |
| Ellerington 89' (pen.) |
Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 25,931 |
| 18 April 1949 40 | Southampton | 0–0 | Grimsby Town | Southampton |
| Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 26,064 |
| 23 April 1949 41 | Southampton | 1–1 | West Bromwich Albion | Southampton |
| Day 87' |
Smith 63' |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 30,586 |
| 30 April 1949 42 | Chesterfield | 1–0 | Southampton | Chesterfield |
| McJarrow 57' |
Stadium: Saltergate Attendance: 12,801 |
FA Cup
edit- Sheffield Wednesday (8 January 1949)
Southampton entered the 1948–49 FA Cup in the third round, travelling to face fellow Second Division side Sheffield Wednesday four months after losing 0–2 to them in the league.[17] Despite enjoying the share of chances on goal, the Saints went behind after 25 minutes when Jimmy Dailey converted a "precision cross" from Dennis Woodhead.[17] Only six minutes later, however, the visitors equalised through a 25-yard shot from Wilf Grant; it remained level going into half-time, after goalkeeper Ian Black made a "sensational" save from a Redfern Froggatt effort.[17] The hosts slowly took control of the game in the second half, and in the 68th minute made it 2–1 through Eddie Quigley.[17] Joe Mallett almost scored at the end, but Sheffield goalkeeper Dave McIntosh denied him and it ended with the visitors exiting the tournament.[17]
| 8 January 1949 Round 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Dailey 25' Quigley 68' |
Grant 31' |
Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 44,292 |
Additional friendly
editSouthampton played one friendly during the 1948–49 season, beating fellow Second Division side Plymouth Argyle 1–0 on 15 January 1949, the only goal scored by José Gallego.[18]
| 15 January 1949 Friendly | Southampton | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Plymouth |
| Gallego |
Stadium: Home Park |
Squad statistics
edit| Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | |||
| Ted Ballard | FB | 
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ted Bates | FW |
|
34 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 11 |
| Ian Black | GK | 
|
41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Stan Clements | HB |
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Curtis | FW |
|
40 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 5 |
| Eric Day | FW |
|
37 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 7 |
| Bill Ellerington | FB |
|
20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 |
| José Gallego | FW | 
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wilf Grant | FW |
|
17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 5 |
| Jack Gregory | FB |
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Heaton | FW |
|
15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| George Horsfall | HB | 
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Mallett | HB |
|
41 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
| John Mitchell | FW |
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alf Ramsey | FB |
|
25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
| Bill Rochford | FB |
|
38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Albie Roles | FB |
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tommy Rudkin | FW |
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Augie Scott | FW |
|
22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 |
| George Smith | HB |
|
13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Len Stansbridge | GK |
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bobby Veck | FW |
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Charlie Wayman | FW |
|
37 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 32 |
| Eric Webber | HB |
|
42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| Ron Wheatley | HB |
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Len Wilkins | HB |
|
29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
Most appearances
edit| No. | Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps. | Mins. | Apps. | Mins. | Apps. | Mins. | % | ||||
| 1 | Eric Webber | HB |
|
42 | 3,780 | 1 | 90 | 43 | 3,870 | 100% |
| 2 | Ian Black | GK |
|
41 | 3,690 | 1 | 90 | 42 | 3,780 | 97.67% |
| Joe Mallett | HB |
|
41 | 3,690 | 1 | 90 | 42 | 3,780 | 97.67% | |
| 4 | George Curtis | FW |
|
40 | 3,600 | 1 | 90 | 41 | 3,690 | 95.35% |
| 5 | Bill Rochford | FB |
|
38 | 3,420 | 1 | 90 | 39 | 3,510 | 90.70% |
| 6 | Charlie Wayman | FW |
|
37 | 3,330 | 1 | 90 | 38 | 3,420 | 88.37% |
| 7 | Eric Day | FW |
|
37 | 3,330 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 3,330 | 86.05% |
| 8 | Ted Bates | FW |
|
34 | 3,060 | 1 | 90 | 35 | 3,150 | 81.40% |
| 9 | Len Wilkins | HB |
|
29 | 2,610 | 1 | 90 | 30 | 2,700 | 69.77% |
| 10 | Alf Ramsey | FB |
|
25 | 2,250 | 1 | 90 | 26 | 2,340 | 60.47% |
Top goalscorers
edit| No. | Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | GPG | ||||
| 1 | Charlie Wayman | FW |
|
32 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 38 | 0.84 |
| 2 | Ted Bates | FW |
|
11 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 35 | 0.31 |
| 3 | Eric Day | FW |
|
7 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 37 | 0.19 |
| 4 | Wilf Grant | FW |
|
4 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 0.28 |
| George Curtis | FW |
|
5 | 40 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 41 | 0.12 | |
| 6 | Augie Scott | FW |
|
4 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 0.17 |
| 7 | Bill Ellerington | FB |
|
3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0.15 |
| 8 | Alf Ramsey | FB |
|
2 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 0.08 |
| 9 | Joe Mallett | HB |
|
1 | 41 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 0.02 |
Transfers
edit| Players transferred in | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Pos. | Name | Club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1948 | FW | José Gallego
|
Brentford
|
Free | [4] |
| January 1949 | HB | Ron Wheatley
|
Nottingham Forest
|
Free | [19] |
| February 1949 | FW | Bill Heaton
|
Leeds United
|
£7,000 | [9] |
| March 1949 | FW | John Mitchell
|
Gosport Athletic
|
Free | [20] |
| Players transferred out | |||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Club | Fee | Ref. |
| June 1948 | FW |  George Lewis
|
Brighton & Hove Albion
|
Free | [5] |
| June 1948 | FW | Billy Wrigglesworth
|
Reading
|
Free | [6] |
| July 1948 | GK | George Ephgrave
|
Norwich City
|
Free | [7] |
| December 1948 | FW | George Beattie
|
Gloucester City
|
Free | [8] |
References
edit- ^ "Southampton Complete History". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ "Season 1948-49". English League Tables, 1888-2008. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ "England FA Challenge Cup 1948-49". England FA Challenge Cup Finals. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b "José Gallego". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b "George Lewis". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Billy Wrigglesworth". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b "George Ephgrave". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b "George Beattie". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b c "Bill Heaton". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ "Bill Dodgin". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 13
- ^ a b "Football League Div 1 & 2 Leading Goalscorers 1947-92". English League Leading Goalscorers. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 12
- ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 10
- ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 11
- ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 14
- ^ a b c d e Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 307
- ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 308
- ^ "Roland Wheatley". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "John Mitchell". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
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