| Club: | Southampton F.C. |
| Season: | 1988–89 |
| Chairman: | Guy Askham |
| Manager: | Chris Nicholl |
| Stadium: | The Dell |
| League: | First Division |
| League Result: | 13th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Third round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Fifth round |
| Cup3: | Full Members' Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Rod Wallace (12) |
| Season Topscorer: | Rod Wallace (15) |
| Highest Attendance: | 21,046 v Liverpool |
| Lowest Attendance: | 12,725 v Sheffield Wednesday |
| Average Attendance: | 15,584 |
| Largest Win: | 4–0 v West Ham United |
| Largest Loss: | 1–6 v Luton Town |
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| Prevseason: | 1987–88 |
| Nextseason: | 1989–90 |
The 1988–89 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 88th season of competitive football and their 19th in the First Division of the Football League. Another poor season for the Saints, 1988–89 saw the South Coast club finish 13th in the league table, dropping down from 12th the previous two years. Outside the league was also disappointing, as the club reached only the third round of the FA Cup, the fifth round of the League Cup, and the second round of the Full Members' Cup.
Southampton made two main signings in the summer of 1988, bringing in Russell Osman to replace outgoing centre-back Kevin Bond, and re-signing former Saints youth player Paul Rideout to boost their forward line. Also released in the summer were Craig Maskell, Allen Tankard, Andy Townsend and Gordon Hobson. Towards the end of the season, manager Chris Nicholl brought in Barry Horne, Neil Ruddock, Micky Adams and Jason Dodd, while Colin Clarke left permanently for Queens Park Rangers after a loan spell at Bournemouth. The league campaign was one of mixed fortunes for the Saints, who enjoyed strong spells of form during the early and latter stages of the season, but went through a period of 17 games without a win between November 1988 and March 1989 which saw them drop steadily down the table.
In the FA Cup, Southampton were knocked out in the third round by fellow First Division side Derby County, who beat the Saints 2–1 after extra time in a replay at The Dell days after a 1–1 draw at the Baseball Ground in the initial fixture. The Hampshire club performed better in the League Cup, advancing from the second to the fifth leg. They beat Fourth Division sides Lincoln City and Scarborough in the second and third rounds, respectively, and beat top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur to advance to the quarter-finals. There they faced Luton Town, another First Division side, who beat Southampton in a replay after extra time, and went on to win the tournament. In the Full Members' Cup, Southampton beat Second Division side Stoke City before being eliminated by Crystal Palace (another Second Division side) in the second round.
Southampton used 23 players during 1988–89 and had 11 different goalscorers. Their top scorer was Rod Wallace, who scored 12 league goals and three in other competitions; Matt Le Tissier was second on 11 goals. Wallace also made the most appearances of the season, starting every game in every competition, followed by midfielder Jimmy Case on 45 appearances. Case also won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award. The average league attendance at The Dell during the campaign was 15,584. The highest attendance was 21,046 against Liverpool in September and the lowest was 12,725 against Sheffield Wednesday in October.
Southampton manager Chris Nicholl made two key signings in the summer ahead of the 1988–89 season. First, in June, he brought in centre-back Russell Osman from Leicester City (with whom he'd been relegated to the Second Division just over a year before) for £325,000.[1] The next month, he signed striker Paul Rideout – who had spent a year in Southampton's youth system as a youngster – from Italian side Bari for £350,000.[2] Nicholl also sold five players during the summer – Craig Maskell and Allen Tankard moved to Third Division sides Huddersfield Town and Wigan Athletic, respectively;[3] [4] centre-back Kevin Bond returned to Bournemouth in the Second Division;[5] midfielder Andy Townsend was sold for £300,000 to top-flight rivals Norwich City;[6] and striker Gordon Hobson moved to Lincoln City, who had recently been promoted to the Fourth Division.[7]
After a poor run of form leading up to the new year, Southampton attempted to sign Yugoslavian defender Miloš Drizić from FK Rad in January, but the application for his work permit was rejected by the Football Association. The next month, they instead signed Neil Ruddock from newly promoted Millwall for a fee of £250,000.[8] In March, out-of-favour striker Colin Clarke was sold to Queens Park Rangers after a short loan spell at Bournemouth, bringing in £800,000 to the club for further signings.[9] With an extra £200,000 investment from the club, Nicholl signed experienced midfielder Barry Horne from local rivals Portsmouth for a new club record fee of £750,000,[10] brought in centre-back Micky Adams from Leeds United for £200,000,[11] and added young right-back Jason Dodd to the squad for £50,000 from non-league club Bath City.[12]
Players transferred in
| Name | Nationality | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Osman | Leicester City | June 1988 | £325,000 | ||||
| Paul Rideout |  Bari | July 1988 | £350,000 | ||||
| Neil Ruddock | Millwall | February 1989 | £250,000 | ||||
| Barry Horne | Portsmouth | March 1989 | £700,000 | ||||
| Micky Adams | Leeds United | March 1989 | £250,000 | ||||
| Jason Dodd | Bath City | March 1989 | £50,000 |
Players transferred out
| Name | Nationality | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Maskell | Huddersfield Town | May 1988 | £50,000 | ||||
| Allen Tankard | Wigan Athletic | July 1988 | Unknown | ||||
| Kevin Bond | Bournemouth | August 1988 | Unknown | ||||
| Andy Townsend | Norwich City | August 1988 | £300,000 | ||||
| Gordon Hobson | Lincoln City | September 1988 | £60,000 | ||||
| Colin Clarke | Queens Park Rangers | March 1989 | £800,000 |
Players loaned out
Ahead of the 1988–89 league campaign, Southampton played six pre-season friendlies. In the first, the Saints beat Southern League side Poole Town and Isthmian League side Basingstoke Town 2–0 on the same day. Three days later, the team was hosted by Matt Le Tissier's former club Vale Recreation, who they thrashed 13–0 including six goals for new signing Paul Rideout and a hat-trick for Le Tissier himself. The last three pre-season games saw Southampton face three Third Division opponents, beating Aldershot 4–0, Reading 2–0, and drawing 1–1 with Bristol City.
Southampton had a strong start to the 1988–89 First Division campaign, winning their first three games to start at the top of the league table.[13] The opening game saw the Saints beat West Ham United (who had only avoided the Second Division play-offs the previous season on the basis of goal difference) 4–0 at The Dell, with debutant Paul Rideout scoring two of the hosts' goals. This was followed by a 1–0 away win over Queens Park Rangers, who had finished in the top five the year before, with Matt Le Tissier scoring the only goal of the game early in the first half. The third win saw Southampton beating Luton Town 2–1 at home, responding to a late equaliser from the Hatters with a winner from Rod Wallace. This marked the first time Southampton had won their opening three league games since the 1957–58 season.
Despite this early winning run, the Saints' form quickly worsened, and they picked up just two points from their next five games, dropping to tenth in the table as a result.[14] Their winning streak ended with a 2–2 draw at Arsenal, in which a 2–0 lead secured after 24 minutes was reversed in the last ten minutes of the game by the hosts; had they won, it would have marked the first time in history the Saints had won their first four games in the Football League. The Arsenal draw was followed by a 1–3 loss against defending champions Liverpool, a goalless draw with Derby County, a 1–4 defeat at title challengers Everton, and a 1–2 loss to Sheffield Wednesday. The latter fixture featured the debut of right-back Ray Wallace, which marked the first time since the 1920s that a Football League club had fielded three brothers in the same lineup.
Starting in late October, the Saints went on another short unbeaten run to make their way back up to third in the table by mid-November.[15] The run included one draw and three wins: 2–1 over Tottenham Hotspur thanks to a Glenn Cockerill brace; 2–0 over strugglers Charlton Athletic; and 3–1 over recently promoted Aston Villa, with two goals for Matt Le Tissier. A dry spell throughout late November and December saw Southampton draw five of their next six fixtures, including games against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United in which they dropped points from leading positions. After their game on Boxing Day, the club had dropped to eighth place in the league.[16]
The new year brought Southampton's worst run of form of the season, as they lost five league games in a row between 31 December and 4 February, dropping all the way down to 15th in the table.[17] The spell started with a 1–4 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers, which was followed by the club's heaviest defeat of the season, 1–6 at Luton Town. The Saints also lost 1–3 at home to Middlesbrough, who had only recently been promoted as Second Division play-off winners, and would ultimately be relegated back to the second flight at the end of the season. The spell continued with 0–2 and 1–3 losses to Liverpool and Derby County, respectively. Southampton picked up points later in February with draws against Everton, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic, but additional losses saw them drop as low as 18th – the first relegation place – after a total of 17 league games without a win up to the end of March.[18]
Southampton won their first league game in almost five months on 1 April 1989, beating Newcastle United by a single goal scored from a penalty in the 89th minute. Neil Ruddock, in his sixth game for the club, scored the "disputed penalty", despite not being a regular penalty taker. After an away draw and loss at Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, respectively, the Saints went unbeaten in their last six games of the season to gain back some places in the table. A 2–1 win over West Ham United was followed by goalless draws at home to Norwich City and Wimbledon, 2–1 wins over Aston Villa and Manchester United, and finally a 1–1 draw with Millwall. By the end of the run, Southampton had made it back up to 13th place in the First Division table, six points clear of the relegation zone, with ten wins, 15 draws and 13 defeats.[19]
See also: 1988–89 FA Cup. Southampton entered the 1988–89 FA Cup in the third round against fellow First Division side Derby County. The first half saw chances for either side to open the scoring, but both defences and goalkeepers kept their opposing attackers at bay. Early in the second half, former Saints keeper Peter Shilton brought down Rod Wallace for a penalty, which was converted by Derek Statham. The visiting Saints almost doubled their lead on multiple occasions, but it was the Rams who scored next when Trevor Hebberd (another former Saint) headed in a long ball in the penultimate minute of the game. In the replay at The Dell, another goalless first half was followed by two goals in quick succession within 15 minutes of the restart, as Ted McMinn opened the scoring for the visitors before Gerry Forrest responded a minute later. The game ended 1–1 and went to extra time, during which Nigel Callaghan scored a long-range goal and sent Derby through to the fourth round, with Southampton knocked out at the first hurdle again.
See also: 1988–89 Football League Cup. In the 1988–89 League Cup, Southampton travelled to face Fourth Division club Lincoln City in the opening second round. The first leg finished in a 1–1 draw, with the second a convincing 3–1 win for the Saints, thanks to an early goal from Rod Wallace and a second-half brace from Graham Baker. In the third round, Southampton faced Scarborough, another Fourth Division side, sacrificing a 2–0 lead to be forced to a replay after a 2–2 draw. The replay at The Dell ended in a narrow 1–0 win for the hosts, thanks to a second-half header from Matt Le Tissier. In the fourth round, Southampton hosted First Division rivals Tottenham Hotspur, winning 2–1 thanks to two goals early in the second half. The fifth round again saw the Saints drawn against league rivals, this time Luton Town. Another draw forced a replay at The Dell, which the hosts lost 1–2 in extra time, after the only goal in normal time was denied by the referee in "drama[tic] and controvers[ial]" circumstances.
See also: 1988–89 Full Members' Cup. Southampton entered the 1988–89 Full Members' Cup in the first round against Stoke City. The First Division hosts won the game 3–0 thanks to a 15-minute hat-trick from Danny Wallace early in the first half. In the second round, the Saints were beaten 2–1 by Crystal Palace, with Alex Dyer scoring the decisive goal in the final minutes to break a deadlock made by Rod Wallace in the second half.
Southampton played six additional games during the 1988–89 season. In October, the Saints were hosted by Westbury United of the Western League to mark the opening of floodlights, with the top-flight visitors winning 12–1 thanks to goals from eight different players. This was followed in March by a 10–0 win over Wessex League side AFC Lymington (featuring a Le Tissier hat-trick), a 7–1 testimonial win over Second Division side Swindon Town (featuring a Glenn Cockerill hat-trick), and a goalless draw with Danish side Boldklubben 1903. The final two unofficial games of the season came in April and May, as the Saints beat the Royal Hussars armed forces side 15–1 (Rideout scored eight times in this match) and won 2–1 against German club Carl Zeiss Jena.
Southampton used 23 players during the 1988–89 season, 11 of whom scored during the campaign. Eight players were making their debut appearances for the club, including five new signings (Micky Adams,[11] Barry Horne,[10] Osman,[1] Paul Rideout,[2] and Neil Ruddock,[8]) and three players making the step up from youth to the first team (Francis Benali,[20] Neil Maddison,[21] and Ray Wallace.[22]). Four players played their final games for the Saints during the campaign: Mark Blake,[23] John Burridge,[24] Colin Clarke,[9] and Derek Statham.[25] Striker Rod Wallace made the most appearances and scored the most goals for Southampton during 1988–89, scoring 15 goals in 49 games across all four competitions (the only player to feature in every game of the season). Midfielder Jimmy Case and defender Russell Osman featured in 45 games each, while Matt Le Tissier finished as the season's second-highest scorer with 11 goals in all competitions. Case won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award for the 1988–89 season.
| Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Goals | Goals | Goals | Goals | |||||||||
| Micky Adams | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| Graham Baker | 20(1) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 30(1) | 6 | |||
| Francis Benali | 3(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(6) | 0 | |||
| Mark Blake | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| John Burridge | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |||
| Jimmy Case | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |||
| Glenn Cockerill | 33(1) | 6 | 0(1) | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 40(2) | 8 | |||
| Andy Cook | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4(1) | 0 | |||
| Tim Flowers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| Gerry Forrest | 15(2) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19(2) | 1 | |||
| Barry Horne | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||
| Matt Le Tissier | 21(7) | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3(1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 28(8) | 11 | |||
| Neil Maddison | 3(2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4(3) | 0 | |||
| Kevin Moore | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |||
| Russell Osman | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |||
| Paul Rideout | 20(4) | 6 | 0(2) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24(6) | 7 | |||
| Neil Ruddock | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | |||
| Alan Shearer | 8(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8(2) | 0 | |||
| Derek Statham | 26 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |||
| Danny Wallace | 27(4) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 38(4) | 8 | |||
| Ray Wallace | 25(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33(1) | 0 | |||
| Rod Wallace | 38 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 15 | |||
| Players with appearances who left before the end of the season | |||||||||||||
| Colin Clarke | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||
| Rank | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Total | ||||
| 1 | Rod Wallace | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 49 | ||
| 2 | Jimmy Case | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 45 | ||
| Russell Osman | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 45 | |||
| 4 | Glenn Cockerill | 33 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 42 | ||
| Danny Wallace | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 4 | 42 | |||
| 6 | John Burridge | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 41 | ||
| 7 | Matt Le Tissier | 21 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 8 | 36 | ||
| 8 | Kevin Moore | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 35 | ||
| Derek Statham | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 35 | |||
| 10 | Ray Wallace | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 34 | ||
| Rank | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | ||||
| 1 | Rod Wallace | 12 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 49 | 0.31 | |
| 2 | Matt Le Tissier | 9 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 36 | 0.31 | |
| 3 | Glenn Cockerill | 6 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 42 | 0.19 | |
| Danny Wallace | 5 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 42 | 0.19 | ||
| 5 | Paul Rideout | 6 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 30 | 0.23 | |
| 6 | Graham Baker | 4 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 31 | 0.19 | |
| 7 | Kevin Moore | 3 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 0.11 | |
| 8 | Neil Ruddock | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0.23 | |
| Derek Statham | 2 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 0.09 | ||
| 10 | Gerry Forrest | 0 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0.05 | |
| Jimmy Case | 0 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 0.02 | ||