| 1986–87 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Alan Woodford | ||
| Manager | Chris Nicholl | ||
| Stadium | The Dell | ||
| First Division | 12th | ||
| FA Cup | Third round | ||
| League Cup | Semi-finals | ||
| Full Members' Cup | Third round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League:Colin Clarke (20) All:Colin Clarke (22) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 20,452 vLiverpool (20 September 1986) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 4,518 vHull City (25 November 1986) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 14,948 | ||
| Biggest win | 5–0 vAston Villa (21 March 1987) | ||
| Biggest defeat | 1–5 vManchester United (13 September 1986) 0–4 vArsenal (15 November 1986) | ||
The1986–87Southampton F.C. season was the club's 86th season of competitive football and their 17th in theFirst Division of theFootball League. The second season withChris Nicholl as manager, 1986–87 saw the Saints improve only marginally on their previous campaign, finishing 12th in the First Division table – two places higher than the year before. Outside the league, the South Coast club were knocked out of theFA Cup in the third round for the first time in four years, reached theLeague Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1978–79, and made it to the third round of the second annualFull Members' Cup tournament.
Southampton made two key signings in the summer of 1986, making goalkeeperTim Flowers' loan move permanent and bringing in Scottish strikerColin Clarke. Nicholl also signed three trainees, including midfielderNeil Maddison and strikerAlan Shearer, who would go on to be important members of the Saints squad a few years later. Leaving ahead of the 1986–87 season were fringe playersEamonn Collins,Alan Curtis,Stuart McManus,Mark Whitlock andDavid Puckett, while former top scorerSteve Moran left a few months later. Southampton's league performance was characterised by spells of mixed form, including a run which included just one win in eleven games over the new year period, and a nine-match unbeaten run at the end of the season. The club generally sat in the bottom half of the table throughout.
In the FA Cup, Southampton were eliminated in the third round for the first time since 1982–83, losing 1–2 to previous year's runners-up (and First Division runners-up)Everton. The club fared much better in the League Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the first time since finishing as runners-up in 1978–79. The club picked up wins overFourth Division sideSwindon Town, First Division rivalsManchester United andAston Villa, andSecond Division strugglersShrewsbury Town en route to the semi-finals, where they lost to defending league championsLiverpool. In the Full Members' Cup – which was held in lieu of European competitions due to the banning of English sides following theHeysel Stadium disaster in 1985 – Southampton made it to the third round before being eliminated byNorwich City.
Southampton used 23 players during the 1986–87 season and had 15 different goalscorers. Their top scorer was new signing Clarke, who scored 20 times in the league and twice in the League Cup.George Lawrence was second highest with eleven goals in all competitions, followed closely byMatt Le Tissier in his debut year for the first team, who scored ten times.Glenn Cockerill was the only Saints player to feature in all 53 games during the 1986–87 season, followed byJimmy Case andGerry Forrest on 49 and 47 games, respectively. The average league attendance atThe Dell during the campaign was 14,948 – the first time it had dipped below 15,000 since 1962. The highest attendance was 20,452 against Liverpool on 20 September 1986; the lowest was 11,508 againstCoventry City on 3 February 1987.
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Ahead of the 1986–87 season, Southampton made a club record signing ofColin Clarke, paying localThird Division sideBournemouth £400,000 for the Northern Irish striker.[1] The only other first team signing in the summer was goalkeeperTim Flowers, who was signed on a permanent basis for £70,000 after having spent the last two months of the previous season at the club on loan.[2] In addition to Clarke and Flowers, managerChris Nicholl also signed traineesNeil Maddison,Alan Shearer andSteve Davis in the summer of 1986, each of whom signed professional deals over the next couple of years.[3][4][5] Numerous players left the club prior to the start of the season –Eamonn Collins moved toPortsmouth in theSecond Division,[6]Alan Curtis was sent toFourth Division sideCardiff City,[7]Stuart McManus departed for Swedish clubÖrgryte,[8] and bothMark Whitlock andDavid Puckett were sent to Bournemouth as part of the deal which brought Clarke to The Dell.[9][10] In September,Steve Moran moved toLeicester City for £300,000.[11]
The only players added to the Southampton squad partway through the season were strikerGordon Hobson, who was brought in for £125,000 fromGrimsby Town in November to bolster the club's frontline,[12] and goalkeeperEric Nixon, who was loaned in for a month fromManchester City in December following injuries toPeter Shilton, Flowers andPhil Kite.[13] Kite and Flowers were both loaned out towards the end of the season, toGillingham andSwindon Town, respectively.[14][2] Swindon also received midfielderCraig Maskell on loan at the same time, as he had failed to break into the first team.[15] After a disappointing debut season,Joe Jordan was sold toBristol City in February 1987.[16] The following month,Mark Dennis was released from the club following disputes with Nicholl and the club's directors; he later joinedQueens Park Rangers.[17]
Players transferred in
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Flowers |  England | GK | Wolverhampton Wanderers | June 1986 | £70,000 | [2] |
| Colin Clarke |  Northern Ireland | FW | Bournemouth | July 1986 | £400,000 | [1] |
| Neil Maddison | England | MF | none (free agent) | July 1986 | Free[a] | [3] |
| Alan Shearer | England | FW | Wallsend Boys Club | July 1986 | Free[b] | [4] |
| Steve Davis | England | DF | none (free agent) | August 1986 | Free[c] | [5] |
| Matthew Bound | England | DF | none (free agent) | November 1986 | Free[d] | [18] |
| Gordon Hobson | England | FW | Grimsby Town | November 1986 | £125,000 | [12] |
| Paul Tisdale | England | MF | Bristol Rovers | February 1987 | Free[e] | [19] |
| Tommy Widdrington | England | MF | Wallsend Boys Club | February 1987 | Free[f] | [20] |
Players transferred out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eamonn Collins |  Republic of Ireland | MF | Portsmouth | May 1986 | Unknown | [6] |
| Alan Curtis | England | MF |  Cardiff City | May 1986 | Unknown | [7] |
| Stuart McManus |  Scotland | FW |  Örgryte | June 1986 | Unknown | [8] |
| Mark Whitlock | England | DF | Bournemouth | June 1986 | Unknown | [9] |
| David Puckett | England | FW | Bournemouth | July 1986 | Unknown | [10] |
| Steve Moran | England | FW | Leicester City | September 1986 | £300,000 | [11] |
| Joe Jordan | Scotland | FW | Bristol City | February 1987 | Unknown | [16] |
Players loaned in
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date from | Date to | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Nixon | England | GK | Manchester City | December 1986 | January 1987 | [13] |
Players loaned out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date from | Date to | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Kite | England | GK | Gillingham | January 1987 | End of season | [14] |
| Tim Flowers | England | GK | Swindon Town | March 1987 | End of season | [2] |
| Craig Maskell | England | MF | Swindon Town | March 1987 | End of season | [15] |
Players released
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Date | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Dennis | England | DF | March 1987 | Released after disputes with manager Chris Nicholl | [17] |
Notes
Ahead of the 1986–87 league season, Southampton played six pre-seasonfriendlies. First, the club beatConference sideWeymouth 3–1 and lost 0–2 at Portuguese sideBenfica, before facing threeFourth Division sides – they drew 1–1 withExeter City, beatTorquay United 2–1, and drew 1–1 withWolverhampton Wanderers.[21] A return 4–1 win over Benfica forNick Holmes' testimonial followed.[21]
| 5 August 1986Friendly | Benfica | 2–0 | Southampton | Lisbon,Portugal |
| Stadium:Estádio da Luz |
| 9 August 1986Friendly | Exeter City | 1–1 | Southampton | Exeter |
Armstrong | Stadium:St James Park |
| 11 August 1986Friendly | Torquay United | 1–2 | Southampton | Torquay |
| Blake | Stadium:Plainmoor |
| 13 August 1986Friendly | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–1 | Southampton | Wolverhampton |
| Maskell | Stadium:Molineux Stadium |
| 16 August 1986Nick Holmes Testimonial | Southampton | 4–1 | Benfica | Southampton |
| Case Clarke Holmes Wallace | Stadium:The Dell |
Southampton kicked off the 1986–87 season in convincing fashion, thrashingQueens Park Rangers 5–1 atThe Dell and immediately going to the top of the table.[22] Three of the hosts' goals were scored by debutantColin Clarke, who had signed fromBournemouth just a month previously – this was the first time a Southampton player had scored a hat-trick on their debut.[1] A disappointing spell followed as the club lost four out of their next five games, with their only victory a 2–0 home win overTottenham Hotspur which featuredMatt Le Tissier's first starting appearance for the team.[23] The spell ended with a 1–5 thrashing at the hands ofManchester United, with goalkeeperTim Flowers making his debut for the first team.[24] The Saints subsequently made their way back to the top half of the league table again after winning two of three games, including a 2–1 defeat of defending championsLiverpool and a 4–1 win overNewcastle United which saw Clarke score his second hat-trick in only his ninth appearance for the club.[24]
The run-up to the new year brought mixed fortunes for the Saints, who picked up just three wins from twelve games between mid-October and late-December: a hard-fought 3–2 away victory against strugglersLeicester City on 25 October, a 3–1 win on the road against recently promotedCharlton Athletic on 22 November, and a 3–1 victory at home toWatford on 29 November, which sawGordon Hobson score on his Southampton debut.[25] At the end of 1986, Southampton were just three points above the first automatic relegation spot.[26]
1987 started much the same for the South Coast side, who dropped another two places in the league standings after failing to win a game in January – losing 1–3 to fellow strugglersOxford United, drawing 1–1 at home to Manchester United, and losing 1–2 at Queens Park Rangers.[27] In March, however, the club won three out of their five fixtures, each while keeping a clean sheet, to fight against the threat of relegation. The first of the wins was a 4–0 home victory over Leicester City, featuring Le Tissier's first hat-trick for the club, despite being played in what he would later describe as "probably the worst conditions I have ever played in".[27] The second was a season-record 5–0 thrashing ofAston Villa, who would finish the season at the bottom of the table.[27] The third win saw the Saints host high-flyingLuton Town and win 3–0, moving back up to 16th in the table.[28] In April, Hobson joined Clarke and Le Tissier as a hat-trick scorer, delivering Southampton's first away hat-trick since 1969 in a 4–2 win overManchester City atMaine Road.[29]
April saw Southampton embarking on an unbeaten run stretching for the last nine games of the league campaign, during which time they climbed from 17th to 12th in the table.[30][31] The run consisted of six draws and three wins – the Manchester City game, a 3–0 home win over Oxford United, and a 1–0 edging ofWest Ham United on the penultimate day.[29] The club finished 12th in the First Division table – an improvement of two places on the previous campaign – equal on points withSheffield Wednesday in 13th,Chelsea in 14th and West Ham in 15th, but with the only positive goal difference of the four sides.[32]
| 23 August 19861 | Southampton | 5–1 | Queens Park Rangers | Southampton |
| Holmes 10' Wallace 15'Clarke 35',58',68' | Allen 70' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,711 |
| 26 August 19862 | Luton Town | 2–1 | Southampton | Luton |
| Wilson 4' Stein 50' | Clarke 72' | Stadium:Kenilworth Road Attendance: 8,777 |
| 30 August 19863 | Norwich City | 4–3 | Southampton | Norwich |
| Drinkell 47' Gordon 48'Williams 69'Bruce 82' | Wallace 33' Blake 42'Dennis 80' | Stadium:Carrow Road Attendance: 15,250 |
| 2 September 19864 | Southampton | 2–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
| Clarke 3' Wallace 79' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 17,911 |
| 6 September 19865 | Southampton | 1–3 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
| Clarke 74' | Webb 12',77' Birtles 78' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,604 |
| 13 September 19866 | Manchester United | 5–1 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Olsen 23' (pen.) Davenport 25'Stapleton 38',84'Whiteside 52' | Clarke 23' | Stadium:Old Trafford Attendance: 40,135 |
| 20 September 19867 | Southampton | 2–1 | Liverpool | Southampton |
| Armstrong 11' Cockerill 66' | McMahon 61' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 20,452 |
| 27 September 19868 | Wimbledon | 2–2 | Southampton | London |
| Fashanu 27',89' | Lawrence 25' Cockerill 72' | Stadium:Plough Lane Attendance: 7,147 |
| 4 October 19869 | Southampton | 4–1 | Newcastle United | Southampton |
| Clarke 16',70',76' Dennis 82' | A. Thomas 13' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,622 |
| 11 October 198610 | Aston Villa | 3–1 | Southampton | Birmingham |
| Elliott 29',64' Evans 49' (pen.) | Wallace 53' | Stadium:Villa Park Attendance: 16,211 |
| 18 October 198611 | Southampton | 0–2 | Everton | Southampton |
| Steven 79' (pen.) Wilkinson 81' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 18,009 |
| 25 October 198612 | Leicester City | 2–3 | Southampton | Leicester |
| Osman 7' McAllister 43' | Lawrence 8' Clarke 45'Wallace 87' | Stadium:Filbert Street Attendance: 9,186 |
| 1 November 198613 | Southampton | 1–1 | Manchester City | Southampton |
| Clarke 17' | G. Baker 83' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,352 |
| 8 November 198614 | Sheffield Wednesday | 3–1 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Marwood 67' (pen.) Chapman 71',77' | Le Tissier 87' | Stadium:Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 20,802 |
| 15 November 198615 | Southampton | 0–4 | Arsenal | Southampton |
| Hayes 60' (pen.) Anderson 61'Quinn 64'Groves 77' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 18,728 |
| 22 November 198616 | Charlton Athletic | 1–3 | Southampton | London |
| Stuart 60' | Lawrence 19' Clarke 65'Case 86' | Stadium:Selhurst Park Attendance: 5,930 |
| 29 November 198617 | Southampton | 3–1 | Watford | Southampton |
| Wright 7' Clarke 11'Hobson 81' | Terry 77' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,537 |
| 6 December 198618 | West Ham United | 3–1 | Southampton | London |
| Ince 15' Devonshire 42'Cottee 60' (pen.) | Clarke 19' | Stadium:Boleyn Ground Attendance: 18,111 |
| 20 December 198619 | Nottingham Forest | 0–0 | Southampton | Nottingham |
| Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 15,394 |
| 26 December 198620 | Southampton | 1–2 | Chelsea | Southampton |
| Clarke 24' | McLaughlin 56' Bumstead 87' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,709 |
| 27 December 198621 | Arsenal | 1–0 | Southampton | London |
| Quinn 73' | Stadium:Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 38,138 |
| 1 January 198722 | Oxford United | 3–1 | Southampton | Oxford |
| Aldridge 32' (pen.) Whitehurst 36'Houghton 62' | Case 48' | Stadium:Manor Ground Attendance: 9,777 |
| 3 January 198723 | Southampton | 1–1 | Manchester United | Southampton |
| Holmes 4' | Olsen 11' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 20,409 |
| 24 January 198724 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | Southampton | London |
| Byrne 2' Bannister 81' | Case 72' | Stadium:Loftus Road Attendance: 10,200 |
| 3 February 198725 | Southampton | 2–0 | Coventry City | Southampton |
| Cockerill 46',66' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 11,508 |
| 7 February 198726 | Southampton | 1–2 | Norwich City | Southampton |
| Cockerill 68' | Phelan 55' Drinkell 79' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,754 |
| 14 February 198727 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 | Southampton | London |
| Gough 8' Hodge 61' | Stadium:White Hart Lane Attendance: 22,066 |
| 28 February 198728 | Liverpool | 1–0 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Aldridge 59' | Stadium:Anfield Attendance: 33,133 |
| 7 March 198729 | Southampton | 4–0 | Leicester City | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 29',62',82' Hobson 58' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 11,611 |
| 14 March 198730 | Everton | 3–0 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Wright 12' (o.g.) Power 15'Watson 55' | Stadium:Goodison Park Attendance: 26,564 |
| 21 March 198731 | Southampton | 5–0 | Aston Villa | Southampton |
| Hobson 1' Cockerill 3'Clarke 19',38'Wallace 83' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,686 |
| 24 March 198732 | Southampton | 3–0 | Luton Town | Southampton |
| Townsend 3' Lawrence 13',75' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,117 |
| 28 March 198733 | Newcastle United | 2–0 | Southampton | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Goddard 23' Gascoigne 60' | Stadium:St James' Park Attendance: 22,717 |
| 7 April 198734 | Southampton | 2–2 | Wimbledon | Southampton |
| Gayle 3' (o.g.) Lawrence 82' | Fairweather 55' Joseph 77' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,811 |
| 11 April 198735 | Manchester City | 2–4 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Stewart 28' Moulden 89' | Hobson 43',68',81' (pen.) Wallace 52' | Stadium:Maine Road Attendance: 18,193 |
| 18 April 198736 | Southampton | 3–0 | Oxford United | Southampton |
| Cockerill 70' Hobson 72'Wallace 83' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,025 |
| 20 April 198737 | Chelsea | 1–1 | Southampton | London |
| Nevin 39' | Clarke 74' | Stadium:Stamford Bridge Attendance: 11,512 |
| 22 April 198738 | Southampton | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | Southampton |
| Chapman 31' | Le Tissier 74' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,014 |
| 25 April 198739 | Southampton | 2–2 | Charlton Athletic | Southampton |
| Bond 68' Lawrence 74' | Melrose 20' Lee 78' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,534 |
| 2 May 198740 | Watford | 1–1 | Southampton | Watford |
| Terry 3' | Le Tissier 19' | Stadium:Vicarage Road Attendance: 13,067 |
| 4 May 198741 | Southampton | 1–0 | West Ham United | Southampton |
| Clarke 49' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,810 |
| 9 May 198742 | Coventry City | 1–1 | Southampton | Coventry |
| Kilcline 29' | Lawrence 38' | Stadium:Highfield Road Attendance: 22,619 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Coventry City[a] | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 63 | Disqualified from theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup |
| 11 | Manchester United | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 56 | |
| 12 | Southampton | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 69 | 68 | +1 | 52 | |
| 13 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 52 | |
| 14 | Chelsea | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 52 |
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | L | L | W | L | L | W | D | W | L | L | W | D | L | L | W | W | L | D | L | L | L | D | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | W | W | L | D | W | W | D | D | D | D | W | D |
| Position | 1 | 7 | 15 | 7 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 12 |
Southampton entered the 1986–87 FA Cup in the third round drawn away toEverton, who had finished the previous season as runners-up in both the First Division and the FA Cup. Despite facing such high-calibre opponents away from home, the Saints held their own for much of the first half, beforeGraeme Sharp opened the scoring for the hosts in the 37th minute, converting a "stupendous pass" fromAdrian Heath past returning goalkeeperPeter Shilton.[34] The Toffees came close to doubling their lead on multiple occasions shortly after half-time, but it was the visitors who scored next whenGordon Hobson netted from aDanny Wallace setup.[34] The deadlock lasted only five minutes, however, as Sharp scored his and his team's second with "a header hailed by the press as one of the best seen atGoodison in years".[34]Colin Clarke came close to equalising again for the Saints with two late chances, but Everton ultimately went through to the fourth round, knocking Southampton out at the first hurdle for the first time since 1983.[34]
| 10 January 1987Round 3 | Everton | 2–1 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Sharp 37',67' | Hobson 62' | Stadium:Goodison Park Attendance: 32,320 |
Southampton entered the 1986–87 League Cup in the second round againstThird Division promotion hopefulsSwindon Town. In the first leg at home, the First Division side won 3–0 thanks to a first-half brace fromGeorge Lawrence and a last-minute tap-in fromJoe Jordan.[35] In the return leg at theCounty Ground two weeks later, Southampton held Swindon to a goalless draw to secure their status in the next round, with goalkeeperPeter Shilton keeping the score down.[35] In the third round, the Saints held out for another goalless draw away, this time atManchester United, before beating them 4–1 in the replay thanks to goals from Lawrence,Danny Wallace andMatt Le Tissier (two) – this was the last game in charge of United forRon Atkinson, who was sacked just two days later.[36]
In the fourth round, the Saints again faced First Division rivals, this time hosting relegation-threatenedAston Villa. The hosts won the game 2–1, which was marked by three players (two for Villa) being sent off late on.[36] The fifth round saw Southampton hosting again, this time second-tier sideShrewsbury Town, who they edged out 1–0 thanks to a second-half penalty fromColin Clarke.[36] In the two-legged semi-finals, Southampton faced defending First Division championsLiverpool. The first leg, at home, finished goalless, despite the visitors going one man down early in the second half.[36] The second leg, atAnfield, saw Liverpool break the Saints down in the second half, winning 3–0 thanks to goals in the 66th, 74th and 84th minutes.[36] Liverpool went on to lose the final 1–2 toArsenal.[37]
| 23 September 1986Round 2 Leg 1 | Southampton | 3–0 | Swindon Town | Southampton |
| Lawrence 8',42' Jordan 90' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 10,458 |
| 8 October 1986Round 2 Leg 2 | Swindon Town | 0–0 (0–3agg.) | Southampton | Swindon |
| Stadium:County Ground Attendance: 9,453 |
| 29 October 1986Round 3 | Manchester United | 0–0 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Stadium:Old Trafford Attendance: 23,639 |
| 4 November 1986Round 3 Replay | Southampton | 4–1 | Manchester United | Southampton |
| Lawrence 43' Wallace 71'Le Tissier 75',84' | Davenport 88' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 17,915 |
| 18 November 1986Round 4 | Southampton | 2–1 | Aston Villa | Southampton |
| Case 17' Clarke 64' | Evans 67' (pen.) | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,402 |
| 26 January 1987Round 5 | Southampton | 1–0 | Shrewsbury Town | Southampton |
| Clarke 68' (pen.) | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,940 |
| 11 February 1987Semi-Final Leg 1 | Southampton | 0–0 | Liverpool | Southampton |
| Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 22,818 |
| 25 February 1987Semi-Final Leg 2 | Liverpool | 3–0 (3–0agg.) | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Whelan 66' Dalglish 74'Mølby 84' | Stadium:Anfield Attendance: 38,481 |
In 1986–87, Southampton entered the Full Members' Cup for the first time, facingSecond Division clubHull City in the second round atThe Dell. The Saints beat the Tigers 2–1 thanks to two goals in quick succession fromMatt Le Tissier.[38] In the third round, Southampton hosted First Division rivalsNorwich City, losing 1–2 after extra time courtesy of a 91st-minute goal fromRobert Rosario.[38]
| 25 November 1986Round 2 | Southampton | 2–1 | Hull City | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 30',32' | Parker 59' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 4,518 |
| 9 December 1986Round 3 | Southampton | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Norwich City | Southampton |
| Case 87' (pen.) | Biggins 48' Rosario 91' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 5,745 |
Southampton played four additional matches during 1986–87. The first two were testimonials in October – a 3–1 win over local non-league sideRoad-Sea Southampton and a 7–1 thrashing ofSalisbury the week after.[21] In November, the Saints beatWestern League sideMelksham Town 3–0; and in April, they drew 2–2 withTaunton Town, also of the Western League, in a testimonial for Jimmy Greene.[21]
| 14 October 1986Nick Farmer Testimonial | Road-Sea Southampton | 1–3 | Southampton | Southampton |
| Sylvanus Mann | Stadium:Road-Sea Park |
| 21 October 1986Ricky Haysom Testimonial | Salisbury | 1–7 | Southampton | Salisbury |
| Maskell Baker Case Cockerill Gittens Lawrence |
| 10 November 1986Friendly | Melksham Town | 0–3 | Southampton | Melksham |
| Lawrence Jordan | Stadium:Conigre |
| 28 April 1987Jimmy Greene Testimonial | Taunton Town | 2–2 | Southampton | Taunton |
| Maskell Lawrence | Stadium:Wordsworth Drive |
Southampton used 23 different players during the 1986–87 season, 15 of whom scored during the campaign. MidfielderGlenn Cockerill was the only player to feature in all 53 of the club's games, winning theSouthampton F.C. Player of the Season award at the end of the season.[32]Colin Clarke finished as the season's top goalscorer in his first season at the club, scoring 20 times in the league and twice in the League Cup run. He was followed byGeorge Lawrence andMatt Le Tissier on eleven and ten goals, respectively, in all competitions.[32]
| Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | |||
| David Armstrong | MF | | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Steve Baker | DF | | 19(7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26(8) | 0 |
| Mark Blake | DF | | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 9(2) | 1 |
| Kevin Bond | DF | | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
| Kevan Brown | DF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Bull | FW | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmy Case | MF | | 39 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 5 |
| Colin Clarke | FW | | 33 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 22 |
| Glenn Cockerill | MF | | 42 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 7 |
| Gerry Forrest | DF | | 37(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46(1) | 0 |
| Jon Gittens | DF | | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Keith Granger | GK | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ian Hamilton | MF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gordon Hobson | FW | | 20 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 8 |
| Nick Holmes | MF | | 8(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11(1) | 2 |
| George Lawrence | MF | | 34(2) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6(1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 42(3) | 11 |
| Matt Le Tissier | MF | | 12(12) | 6 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(4) | 2 | 1(1) | 2 | 13(18) | 10 |
| Eric Nixon | GK | | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Phil Parkinson | MF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Shilton | GK | | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Allen Tankard | DF | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Andy Townsend | MF | | 11(3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13(4) | 1 |
| Danny Wallace | FW | | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 9 |
| Mark Wright | DF | | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| Players with appearances who left before the end of the season | ||||||||||||
| Mark Dennis | DF | | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| Joe Jordan | FW | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 3(1) | 1 |
| Players with appearances who ended the season out on loan | ||||||||||||
| Tim Flowers | GK | | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Craig Maskell | FW | | 2(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(2) | 0 |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Total | |||
| 1 | Glenn Cockerill | MF | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 53 |
| 2 | Jimmy Case | MF | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 49 |
| 3 | Gerry Forrest | DF | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 47 |
| 4 | George Lawrence | MF | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 45 |
| 5 | Colin Clarke | FW | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 43 |
| 6 | Kevin Bond | DF | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| 7 | Danny Wallace | FW | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| 8 | Peter Shilton | GK | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Mark Wright | DF | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 40 | |
| 10 | Steve Baker | DF | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 8 | 34 |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | GPG | |||
| 1 | Colin Clarke | FW | 20 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 43 | 0.51 |
| 2 | George Lawrence | MF | 8 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 45 | 0.24 |
| 3 | Matt Le Tissier | MF | 6 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 31 | 0.32 |
| 4 | Danny Wallace | FW | 8 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 40 | 0.23 |
| 5 | Gordon Hobson | FW | 7 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 0.35 |
| 6 | Glenn Cockerill | MF | 7 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 53 | 0.13 |
| 7 | Jimmy Case | MF | 3 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 49 | 0.10 |
| 8 | Nick Holmes | MF | 2 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0.17 |
| Mark Dennis | DF | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 0.07 | |
| 10 | Joe Jordan | FW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0.25 |
| Mark Blake | DF | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0.09 | |
| Andy Townsend | MF | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0.06 | |
| David Armstrong | MF | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 0.04 | |
| Mark Wright | DF | 1 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 0.03 | |
| Kevin Bond | DF | 1 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 0.02 | |
