1993–94 Southampton F.C. season

Southampton F.C.

1993–94 season
Chairman	Guy Askham
Manager	Ian Branfoot (until January 1994) Alan Ball (from January 1994)
Stadium	The Dell
FA Premier League	18th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	League: Matt Le Tissier (25) All: Matt Le Tissier (25)
Highest home attendance	19,105 vs Blackburn Rovers (16 April 1994)
Lowest home attendance	League: 9,028 vs Ipswich Town (8 December 1993) Overall: 5,038 vs Shrewsbury Town (22 September 1993)
Average home league attendance	League: 14,751 Overall: 14,169
Home colours
← 1992–93 1994–95 →

The 1993–94 Southampton F.C. season was the club's second in the Premier League, and their 24th season in the top division of English football. Having narrowly avoided relegation from the newly formed league the previous season, the club were looking to improve their performances in order to remain in the top flight for another year. For the second year in a row, Southampton finished 18th in the league, again just one point above the relegation zone. They also reached the third round of the FA Cup, and the second round of the League Cup.

The club brought in a number of players throughout the season to try and bolster the squad – defenders Simon Charlton and Paul McDonald were transferred during the 1993 summer transfer window, followed by midfielders Paul Allen and Peter Reid, and goalkeeper Dave Beasant, later in the year. After Christmas Southampton also enlisted the services of striker Craig Maskell, midfielder Jim Magilton, and winger Neil Heaney. Tim Flowers was sold to Blackburn Rovers in November 1993 for £2 million, while Glenn Cockerill, Paul Moody and Micky Adams all departed too.

Halfway through the season, on 10 January 1994, Southampton manager Ian Branfoot was dismissed from his position at the club. At the time, the club were placed second from bottom in the Premier League table, with just five wins from a total of 24 matches. Former Saints midfielder Alan Ball was appointed as Branfoot's replacement, and made an instant impact by leading the team to three wins out of the next four matches, and eventually to safety in the Premier League. He would remain with Southampton for the following season, and left in 1995.

At the end of the season Southampton finished 18th in the Premier League table with 12 wins, 7 draws and 23 losses, just two positions and one point above the relegation zone. Matthew Le Tissier was the club's top scorer with 25 goals in the league, making him the third best goalscorer in the league that season. Le Tissier also won the Southampton Player of the Season award, joining Peter Shilton and Tim Flowers as a second winner of the accolade. At the end of the season, striker Lee Powell was released from the club.

FA Premier League

Southampton's start to the second Premier League season was one of the worst in the league, with the club losing eight out of their first nine games. In the other match the Saints picked up their best win of the season, overcoming Swindon Town 5–1, with Matthew Le Tissier scoring two goals. The team improved throughout October and November, picking up 11 points from a total of 21 in a seven-match period, including tight home wins over Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, and a 2–0 win at Aston Villa. During this period, Le Tissier continued to increase his scoring record by netting six more times for Southampton.

Following this positive run of results, Southampton had dropped back into the relegation zone by Christmas when they lost five games in a row, scoring just one goal overall. In the three matches immediately after Christmas, the club beat Chelsea 3–1, drew 1–1 with Manchester City, and lost 0–1 to Norwich City, after which chairman Guy Askham dismissed manager Ian Branfoot and replaced him with former Saints midfielder Alan Ball.

With Ball in charge fortunes appeared to change, as Southampton won four of their next five games, the only loss coming against Oldham Athletic. During this period, Matthew Le Tissier scored at least once in every match, including a hat-trick against Liverpool. Thanks to those wins, by the end of February the Saints were up to 17th in the table, their highest position that season. The run didn't last long however, as the side went seven matches without a win between 5 March and 9 April 1994, including a 0–4 loss against Arsenal at The Dell.

Southampton saved their Premier League place in the final month of the season, winning three and drawing one to pull themselves up to 18th in the table, the same position as the season before. The first win was a dramatic 5–4 victory over Norwich City, in which Le Tissier scored his second hat-trick of the season. The second win came against Blackburn Rovers, to whom the Saints had in recent times sold both star striker Alan Shearer and mainstay goalkeeper Tim Flowers, and the third win was the second of the season over Aston Villa, which Southampton won 4–1. The final match of the season saw the Hampshire side sharing the spoils with West Ham United in a dramatic 3–3 draw at the Boleyn Ground, which meant they dropped down from 17th to 18th in the final Premier League standings.

Southampton v Everton

14 August 1993 1	Southampton	0–2	Everton	Southampton
			Beagrie 10' Ebbrell 45'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,051 Referee: Keith Cooper

Ipswich Town v Southampton

17 August 1993 2	Ipswich Town	1–0	Southampton	Ipswich
	Marshall 58'			Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 14,958 Referee: Alan Wilkie

Queens Park Rangers v Southampton

21 August 1993 3	Queens Park Rangers	2–1	Southampton	London
	Penrice 13' Wilson 46' (pen.)		Dowie 88'	Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 10,613 Referee: Roger Dilkes

Southampton v Swindon Town

25 August 1993 4	Southampton	5–1	Swindon Town	Southampton
	Le Tissier 12', 50' Kenna 56' Dowie 62' Maddison 79'		Maskell 83' (pen.)	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,505 Referee: Paul Durkin

Southampton v Manchester United

28 August 1993 5	Southampton	1–3	Manchester United	Southampton
	Maddison 12'		Sharpe 5' Cantona 15' Irwin 49'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,189 Referee: Alan Gunn

Wimbledon v Southampton

31 August 1993 6	Wimbledon	1–0	Southampton	London
	Barton 34'			Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 6,036 Referee: Keith Hackett

Southampton v Leeds United

11 September 1993 7	Southampton	0–2	Leeds United	Southampton
			Deane 50' Speed 90'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,511 Referee: Keith Burge

Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton

18 September 1993 8	Sheffield Wednesday	2–0	Southampton	Sheffield
	Sheridan 58' (pen.) Hirst 80'			Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 22,503 Referee: Rodger Gifford

Arsenal v Southampton

25 September 1993 9	Arsenal	1–0	Southampton	London
	Merson 45'			Stadium: Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 26,902 Referee: Kelvin Morton

Southampton v Sheffield United

2 October 1993 10	Southampton	3–3	Sheffield United	Southampton
	Monkou 29' Maddison 53' Kenna 77'		Falconer 72' Flo 80', 90'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,619 Referee: Graham Poll

Coventry City v Southampton

16 October 1993 11	Coventry City	1–1	Southampton	Coventry
	Babb 87'		Charlton 56'	Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 9,837 Referee: Joe Worrall

Southampton v Newcastle United

24 October 1993 12	Southampton	2–1	Newcastle United	Southampton
	Le Tissier 62', 87'		Cole 72'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,804 Referee: Philip Don

Liverpool v Southampton

30 October 1993 13	Liverpool	4–2	Southampton	Liverpool
	Fowler 14', 29', 85' Rush 63'		Le Tissier 40', 79'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 32,818 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur

6 November 1993 14	Southampton	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Southampton
	Maddison 60'			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,017 Referee: David Allison

Blackburn Rovers v Southampton

20 November 1993 15	Blackburn Rovers	2–0	Southampton	Blackburn
	Shearer 24' (pen.), 77'			Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 17,434 Referee: Keith Cooper

Aston Villa v Southampton

24 November 1993 16	Aston Villa	0–2	Southampton	Birmingham
			Le Tissier 50', 62'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 16,180 Referee: Kelvin Morton

Southampton v West Ham United

29 November 1993 17	Southampton	0–2	West Ham United	Southampton
			Morley 30' Chapman 38'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 13,258 Referee: Martin Bodenham

Everton v Southampton

4 December 1993 18	Everton	1–0	Southampton	Liverpool
	Cottee 35'			Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 13,265 Referee: Keith Burge

Southampton v Ipswich Town

8 December 1993 19	Southampton	0–1	Ipswich Town	Southampton
			Kiwomya 54'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 9,028 Referee: Gerald Ashby

Southampton v Queens Park Rangers

11 December 1993 20	Southampton	0–1	Queens Park Rangers	Southampton
			Ferdinand 2'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,946 Referee: Keren Barratt

Swindon Town v Southampton

18 December 1993 21	Swindon Town	2–1	Southampton	Swindon
	Bodin 11' Scott 65'		Le Tissier 38'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 13,565 Referee: David Elleray

Southampton v Chelsea

27 December 1993 22	Southampton	3–1	Chelsea	Southampton
	Widdrington 28' Dowie 65' Bennett 89'		Stein 42'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,221 Referee: Paul Durkin

Manchester City v Southampton

28 December 1993 23	Manchester City	1–1	Southampton	Manchester
	Phelan 29'		Dowie 26'	Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 24,712 Referee: Alan Wilkie

Southampton v Norwich City

1 January 1994 24	Southampton	0–1	Norwich City	Southampton
			Sutton 45'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,556 Referee: Graham Poll

Southampton v Coventry City

15 January 1994 25	Southampton	1–0	Coventry City	Southampton
	Le Tissier 44' (pen.)			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 12,397 Referee: Philip Don

Newcastle United v Southampton

22 January 1994 26	Newcastle United	1–2	Southampton	Newcastle
	Cole 38'		Maddison 5' Le Tissier 83'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 32,067 Referee: Alan Gunn

Oldham Athletic v Southampton

5 February 1994 27	Oldham Athletic	2–1	Southampton	Oldham
	McCarthy 33' Bernard 38'		Le Tissier 26'	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 9,982 Referee: Kelvin Morton

Southampton v Liverpool

14 February 1994 28	Southampton	4–2	Liverpool	Southampton
	Le Tissier 1', 42' (pen.), 50' (pen.) Maskell 6'		Dicks 69' (pen.) Rush 86'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 18,306 Referee: Peter Foakes

Southampton v Wimbledon

26 February 1994 29	Southampton	1–0	Wimbledon	Southampton
	Le Tissier 74'			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,790 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday

12 March 1994 31	Southampton	1–1	Sheffield Wednesday	Southampton
	Monkou 78'		Bart-Williams 67'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,391 Referee: David Crick

Southampton v Arsenal

19 March 1994 32	Southampton	0–4	Arsenal	Southampton
			Wright 12', 30', 69' (pen.) Campbell 85'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,790 Referee: David Frampton

Southampton v Oldham Athletic

30 March 1994 34	Southampton	1–3	Oldham Athletic	Southampton
	Le Tissier 58'		Sharp 13' Benali 42' (o.g.) Holden 88'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 14,101 Referee: Vic Callow

Chelsea v Southampton

2 April 1994 35	Chelsea	2–0	Southampton	London
	Spencer 45' Johnsen 80'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 19,801 Referee: Mike Reed

Southampton v Manchester City

4 April 1994 36	Southampton	0–1	Manchester City	Southampton
			Karl 88'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,377 Referee: Brian Hill

Norwich City v Southampton

9 April 1994 37	Norwich City	4–5	Southampton	Norwich
	Robins 37' Goss 48' Sutton 55', 63'		Ullathorne 44' (o.g.) Le Tissier 57', 63' (pen.), 72' Monkou 90'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 17,150 Referee: Keith Cooper

Southampton v Blackburn Rovers

16 April 1994 38	Southampton	3–1	Blackburn Rovers	Southampton
	Dowie 28' Allen 38' Le Tissier 69' (pen.)		Ripley 48'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 19,105 Referee: Joe Worrall

Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton

23 April 1994 39	Tottenham Hotspur	3–0	Southampton	London
	Sedgley 4' Samways 66' Anderton 88'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 25,959 Referee: Paul Durkin

Southampton v Aston Villa

30 April 1994 40	Southampton	4–1	Aston Villa	Southampton
	Le Tissier 19', 76' Monkou 31' Maddison 85'		Saunders 57'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 18,803 Referee: Steve Lodge

Manchester United v Southampton

4 May 1994 41	Manchester United	2–0	Southampton	Manchester
	Kanchelskis 60' Hughes 89'			Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 44,705 Referee: Terry Holbrook

West Ham United v Southampton

7 May 1994 42	West Ham United	3–3	Southampton	London
	Williamson 11' Allen 62' Chapman 89'		Le Tissier 45', 65' (pen.) Maddison 52'	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 26,952 Referee: Gerald Ashby

FA Cup

As a Premier League club, Southampton entered the 1993–94 FA Cup in the third round. They were drawn against Second Division side Port Vale, who defeated the Saints 1–0 in the replay following a 1–1 draw in which Iain Dowie scored.

Southampton v Port Vale

8 January 1994 Round 3	Southampton	1–1	Port Vale	Southampton
	Dowie		Porter	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 11,086

Port Vale v Southampton

18 January 1994 Round 3 replay	Port Vale	1–0	Southampton	Stoke-on-Trent
	Slaven			Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 12,042

League Cup

As a Premier League club, Southampton entered the 1993–94 Football League Cup in the second round. They were drawn against Third Division side Shrewsbury Town, who defeated the Saints 2–0 in the second leg after Southampton's 1–0 first leg victory.

Southampton v Shrewsbury Town

22 September 1993 Round 2 Leg 1	Southampton	1–0	Shrewsbury Town	Southampton
	Moore			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 5,038

Shrewsbury Town v Southampton

6 October 1993 Round 2 Leg 2	Shrewsbury Town	2–0	Southampton	Shrewsbury
	Unknown			Stadium: Gay Meadow Attendance: 5,247

Squad statistics

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total		Discipline
				Apps.	Goals	Apps.	Goals	Apps.	Goals	Apps.	Goals
1	GK		Dave Beasant	25	0	2	0	0	0	27	0	1	0
2	DF		Jeff Kenna	40(1)	2	1	0	1	0	42(1)	2	4	0
4	MF		Jim Magilton	15	0	0	0	0	0	15	0	0	0
5	DF		Richard Hall	4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0	0	0
6	DF		Ken Monkou	35	4	2	0	1	0	38	4	5	0
7	MF		Matthew Le Tissier	38	25	2	0	0	0	40	25	5	0
8	FW		Craig Maskell	6(4)	1	0	0	0	0	6(4)	1	0	0
9	FW		Iain Dowie	39	5	2	1	2	0	43	6	8	0
10	MF		Neil Maddison	41	7	2	0	2	0	45	7	2	0
11	DF		Francis Benali	34(3)	0	1	0	2	0	37(3)	0	3	1
12	MF		Neil Heaney	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
13	GK		Ian Andrews	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0
14	DF		Simon Charlton	29(4)	1	1	0	1	0	31(4)	1	1	0
15	DF		Jason Dodd	5(5)	0	2	0	0	0	7(5)	0	1	0
16	FW		Nicky Banger	4(10)	0	0(1)	0	0(1)	0	4(12)	0	1	0
17	DF		Kevin Moore	14	0	1	0	2	1	17	1	0	0
18	DF		Steve Wood	27	0	1	0	1(1)	0	29(1)	0	2	0
19	DF		Paul McDonald	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	MF		Tommy Widdrington	11	1	2	0	0	0	13	1	2	0
22	DF		Matthew Bound	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
23	GK		Neil Hopper	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	FW		Frankie Bennett	0(8)	1	0(1)	0	1	0	1(9)	1	0	0
25	MF		Neal Bartlett	4(3)	0	0	0	0(1)	0	4(4)	0	0	0
26	FW		Lee Powell	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
27	MF		Paul Allen	29(3)	1	2	0	2	0	33(3)	1	5	0
29	MF		David Hughes	0(2)	0	0	0	0	0	0(2)	0	0	0
30	FW		Colin Cramb	0(1)	0	0	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0	0
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
1	GK		Tim Flowers	12	0	0	0	2	0	14	0	0	0
3	DF		Micky Adams	17(2)	0	1	0	1	0	19(2)	0	2	0
4	MF		Terry Hurlock	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0
8	MF		Glenn Cockerill	12(2)	0	1(1)	0	0	0	13(3)	0	0	0
20	FW		Paul Moody	3(2)	0	0	0	1	0	4(2)	0	0	0
28	MF		Peter Reid	7	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	8	0

Most appearances

	Pos.	Nat.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
				Starts	Subs	Starts	Subs	Starts	Subs	Starts	Subs	Total
1	MF		Neil Maddison	41	0	2	0	2	0	45	0	45
2	FW		Iain Dowie	39	0	2	0	2	0	43	0	43
	DF		Jeff Kenna	40	1	1	0	1	0	42	1	43
4	FW		Matthew Le Tissier	38	0	2	0	0	0	40	0	40
	DF		Francis Benali	34	3	1	0	2	0	37	3	40
6	DF		Ken Monkou	35	0	2	0	1	0	38	0	38
7	MF		Paul Allen	29	3	2	0	2	0	33	3	36
8	DF		Simon Charlton	29	4	1	0	1	0	31	4	35
9	DF		Steve Wood	27	0	1	0	1	1	29	1	30
10	GK		Dave Beasant	25	0	2	0	0	0	27	0	27

Top goalscorers

	Pos.	Nat.	Name	League	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	FW		Matthew Le Tissier	25	0	0	25
2	MF		Neil Maddison	7	0	0	7
3	FW		Iain Dowie	5	1	0	6
4	DF		Ken Monkou	4	0	0	4
5	DF		Jeff Kenna	2	0	0	2
6	FW		Craig Maskell	1	0	0	1
	DF		Simon Charlton	1	0	0	1
	MF		Tommy Widdrington	1	0	0	1
	FW		Frankie Bennett	1	0	0	1
	MF		Paul Allen	1	0	0	1
	DF		Kevin Moore	0	0	1	1

Transfers

Players transferred in
Date	Pos.	Name	Club	Fee
8 June 1993	DF	Simon Charlton	Huddersfield Town	£250,000
8 June 1993	DF	Paul McDonald	Hamilton Academical	£75,000
8 June 1993	FW	Colin Cramb	Hamilton Academical	£60,000
16 September 1993	MF	Paul Allen	Tottenham Hotspur	£500,000
1 October 1993	MF	Peter Reid	Manchester City	Free
4 November 1993	GK	Dave Beasant	Chelsea	£300,000
7 February 1994	FW	Craig Maskell	Swindon Town	£250,000
11 February 1994	MF	Jim Magilton	Oxford United	£600,000
22 March 1994	MF	Neil Heaney	Arsenal	£300,000
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Club	Fee
4 November 1993	GK	Tim Flowers	Blackburn Rovers	£2,400,000
10 December 1993	MF	Glenn Cockerill	Leyton Orient	Free
2 February 1994	MF	Peter Reid	Notts County	Free
19 February 1994	FW	Paul Moody	Oxford United	£60,000
24 March 1994	MF	Martin Thomas	Leyton Orient	Free
24 March 1994	DF	Micky Adams	Stoke City	Free
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date
31 May 1993	MF	Perry Groves	None (retirement)
31 May 1993	FW	David Speedie	Leicester City	1 August 1993
1 March 1994	MF	Terry Hurlock	Millwall	2 March 1994

References