Southampton F.C.
1948–49 season
ChairmanAlf Jukes (died April 1949)
Reg Jukes (from April 1949)
ManagerBill Dodgin
StadiumThe Dell
Second Division3rd
FA CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Charlie Wayman (32)
All:
Charlie Wayman (32)
Highest home attendance30,586 v West Bromwich Albion (23 April 1949)
Lowest home attendance20,937 v Cardiff City
(1 January 1949)
Average home league attendance25,465
Biggest win6–0 v Leicester City
(23 October 1948)
Biggest defeat0–3 v Barnsley
(2 October 1948)

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]

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

Season summary

Southampton'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

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
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Results by matchday

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHHAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAHHHAHHHAHAHAAHAAHHA
ResultWWLWWLDWDLLWDWDWDWLWWWLWWDWWWWDWWWWLLWLDDL
Position113212222364433333333232121111111111111112
Source: statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Match reports

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
16 April 1949 39 Bury 1–0 Southampton Bury
Bodle 57' Stadium: Gigg Lane
Attendance: 20,355
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

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

Southampton 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

Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
Ted Ballard FB England 00 00 00
Ted Bates FW England 3411 10 3511
Ian Black GK Scotland 410 10 420
Stan Clements HB England 00 00 00
George Curtis FW England 405 10 415
Eric Day FW England 377 00 377
Bill Ellerington FB England 203 00 203
José Gallego FW Spain 10 00 10
Wilf Grant FW England 174 11 185
Jack Gregory FB England 00 00 00
Bill Heaton FW England 150 00 150
George Horsfall HB Australia 00 00 00
Joe Mallett HB England 411 10 421
John Mitchell FW England 00 00 00
Alf Ramsey FB England 252 10 262
Bill Rochford FB England 380 10 390
Albie Roles FB England 10 00 10
Tommy Rudkin FW England 40 00 40
Augie Scott FW England 224 10 234
George Smith HB England 130 00 130
Len Stansbridge GK England 10 00 10
Bobby Veck FW England 30 00 30
Charlie Wayman FW England 3732 10 3832
Eric Webber HB England 420 10 430
Ron Wheatley HB England 10 00 10
Len Wilkins HB England 290 10 300

Most appearances

No. Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Apps. Mins. Apps. Mins. Apps. Mins. %
1 Eric Webber HB England 423,780 190 433,870100%
2 Ian Black GK Scotland 413,690 190 423,78097.67%
Joe Mallett HB England 413,690 190 423,78097.67%
4 George Curtis FW England 403,600 190 413,69095.35%
5 Bill Rochford FB England 383,420 190 393,51090.70%
6 Charlie Wayman FW England 373,330 190 383,42088.37%
7 Eric Day FW England 373,330 00 373,33086.05%
8 Ted Bates FW England 343,060 190 353,15081.40%
9 Len Wilkins HB England 292,610 190 302,70069.77%
10 Alf Ramsey FB England 252,250 190 262,34060.47%

Top goalscorers

No. Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup Total
Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. GPG
1 Charlie Wayman FW England 3237 01 32380.84
2 Ted Bates FW England 1134 01 11350.31
3 Eric Day FW England 737 00 7370.19
4 Wilf Grant FW England 417 11 5180.28
George Curtis FW England 540 01 5410.12
6 Augie Scott FW England 422 01 4230.17
7 Bill Ellerington FB England 320 00 3200.15
8 Alf Ramsey FB England 225 01 2260.08
9 Joe Mallett HB England 141 01 1420.02

Transfers

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Club Fee Ref.
May 1948 FW Spain José Gallego England Brentford Free [4]
January 1949 HB England Ron Wheatley England Nottingham Forest Free [19]
February 1949 FW England Bill Heaton England Leeds United £7,000 [9]
March 1949 FW England John Mitchell England Gosport Athletic Free [20]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Club Fee Ref.
June 1948 FW Wales George Lewis England Brighton & Hove Albion Free [5]
June 1948 FW England Billy Wrigglesworth England Reading Free [6]
July 1948 GK England George Ephgrave England Norwich City Free [7]
December 1948 FW Scotland George Beattie England Gloucester City Free [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Southampton Complete History". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Season 1948-49". English League Tables, 1888-2008. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "England FA Challenge Cup 1948-49". England FA Challenge Cup Finals. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 "José Gallego". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 "George Lewis". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Billy Wrigglesworth". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  7. 1 2 "George Ephgrave". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  8. 1 2 "George Beattie". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 "Bill Heaton". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Bill Dodgin". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 13
  12. 1 2 "Football League Div 1 & 2 Leading Goalscorers 1947-92". English League Leading Goalscorers. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 12
  14. 1 2 3 4 Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 10
  15. 1 2 3 Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 11
  16. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 14
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 307
  18. ↑ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 308
  19. ↑ "Roland Wheatley". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  20. ↑ "John Mitchell". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2022.

Bibliography

  • 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
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