| 1988–89 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Guy Askham | ||
| Manager | Chris Nicholl | ||
| Stadium | The Dell | ||
| First Division | 13th | ||
| FA Cup | Third round | ||
| League Cup | Fifth round | ||
| Full Members' Cup | Second round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League:Rod Wallace (12) All: Rod Wallace (15) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 21,046 vLiverpool (24 September 1988) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 12,725 vSheffield Wednesday (22 October 1988) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 15,584 | ||
| Biggest win | 4–0 vWest Ham United (27 August 1988) | ||
| Biggest defeat | 1–6 vLuton Town (2 January 1989) | ||
The1988–89Southampton F.C. season was the club's 88th season of competitive football and their 19th in theFirst Division of theFootball 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 theFA Cup, the fifth round of theLeague Cup, and the second round of theFull Members' Cup.
Southampton made two main signings in the summer of 1988, bringing inRussell Osman to replace outgoing centre-backKevin Bond, and re-signing former Saints youth playerPaul Rideout to boost their forward line. Also released in the summer wereCraig Maskell,Allen Tankard,Andy Townsend andGordon Hobson. Towards the end of the season, managerChris Nicholl brought inBarry Horne,Neil Ruddock,Micky Adams andJason Dodd, whileColin Clarke left permanently forQueens Park Rangers after a loan spell atBournemouth. 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 sideDerby County, who beat the Saints 2–1 after extra time in a replay atThe Dell days after a 1–1 draw at theBaseball Ground in the initial fixture. The Hampshire club performed better in the League Cup, advancing from the second to the fifth leg. They beatFourth Division sidesLincoln City andScarborough in the second and third rounds, respectively, and beat top-flight rivalsTottenham Hotspur to advance to the quarter-finals. There they facedLuton 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 beatSecond Division sideStoke City before being eliminated byCrystal Palace (another Second Division side) in the second round.
Southampton used 23 players during 1988–89 and had 11 different goalscorers. Their top scorer wasRod 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 midfielderJimmy Case on 45 appearances. Case also won theSouthampton 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 againstLiverpool in September and the lowest was 12,725 againstSheffield Wednesday in October.
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Southampton managerChris Nicholl made two key signings in the summer ahead of the 1988–89 season. First, in June, he brought in centre-backRussell Osman fromLeicester City (with whom he'd been relegated to theSecond Division just over a year before) for £325,000.[1] The next month, he signed strikerPaul Rideout – who had spent a year in Southampton's youth system as a youngster – from Italian sideBari for £350,000.[2] Nicholl also sold five players during the summer –Craig Maskell andAllen Tankard moved toThird Division sidesHuddersfield Town andWigan Athletic, respectively;[3][4] centre-backKevin Bond returned toBournemouth in theSecond Division;[5] midfielderAndy Townsend was sold for £300,000 to top-flight rivalsNorwich City;[6] and strikerGordon Hobson moved toLincoln City, who had recently been promoted to theFourth Division.[7]
After a poor run of form leading up to the new year, Southampton attempted to sign Yugoslavian defenderMiloš Drizić fromFK Rad in January, but the application for his work permit was rejected by theFootball Association.[8] The next month, they instead signedNeil Ruddock from newly promotedMillwall for a fee of £250,000.[9] In March, out-of-favour strikerColin Clarke was sold toQueens Park Rangers after a short loan spell at Bournemouth, bringing in £800,000 to the club for further signings.[10] With an extra £200,000 investment from the club,[8] Nicholl signed experienced midfielderBarry Horne from local rivalsPortsmouth for a new club record fee of £750,000,[11] brought in centre-backMicky Adams fromLeeds United for £200,000,[12] and added young right-backJason Dodd to the squad for £50,000 from non-league clubBath City.[13]
Players transferred in
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Osman |  England | DF | Leicester City | June 1988 | £325,000 | [1] |
| Paul Rideout | England | FW |  Bari | July 1988 | £350,000 | [2] |
| Neil Ruddock | England | DF | Millwall | February 1989 | £250,000 | [9] |
| Barry Horne |  Wales | MF | Portsmouth | March 1989 | £700,000 | [11] |
| Micky Adams | England | DF | Leeds United | March 1989 | £250,000 | [12] |
| Jason Dodd | England | DF | Bath City | March 1989 | £50,000 | [13] |
Players transferred out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Maskell | England | MF | Huddersfield Town | May 1988 | £50,000 | [3] |
| Allen Tankard | England | DF | Wigan Athletic | July 1988 | Unknown | [4] |
| Kevin Bond | England | DF | Bournemouth | August 1988 | Unknown | [5] |
| Andy Townsend |  Republic of Ireland | MF | Norwich City | August 1988 | £300,000 | [6] |
| Gordon Hobson | England | FW | Lincoln City | September 1988 | £60,000 | [7] |
| Colin Clarke |  Northern Ireland | FW | Queens Park Rangers | March 1989 | £800,000 | [10] |
Players loaned out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date from | Date to | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Clarke | Northern Ireland | FW | Bournemouth | December 1988 | January 1989 | [10] |
Ahead of the 1988–89 league campaign, Southampton played six pre-seasonfriendlies. In the first, the Saints beatSouthern League sidePoole Town andIsthmian League sideBasingstoke Town 2–0 on the same day.[14] Three days later, the team was hosted byMatt Le Tissier's former clubVale Recreation, who they thrashed 13–0 including six goals for new signingPaul Rideout and a hat-trick for Le Tissier himself.[14] The last three pre-season games saw Southampton face threeThird Division opponents, beatingAldershot 4–0,Reading 2–0, and drawing 1–1 withBristol City.[14]
| 6 August 1988Friendly | Poole Town | 0–2 | Southampton | Poole |
Clarke Le Tissier | Stadium:Poole Stadium |
| 6 August 1988Friendly | Basingstoke Town | 0–2 | Southampton | Basingstoke |
| Bond Shearer | Stadium:The Camrose |
| 9 August 1988Friendly | Vale Recreation | 0–13 | Southampton | Saint Sampson, Guernsey |
| Rideout Le Tissier Hobson Cockerill Townsend | Stadium:Corbet Field |
| 12 August 1988Friendly | Aldershot | 0–4 | Southampton | Aldershot |
| Townsend Clarke Rideout | Stadium:Recreation Ground |
| 16 August 1988Friendly | Reading | 0–2 | Southampton | Basingstoke |
| Clarke Rideout |
| 20 August 1988Friendly | Bristol City | 1–1 | Southampton | Bristol |
| Osman | Stadium:Ashton Gate |
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.[15] The opening game saw the Saints beatWest Ham United (who had only avoided the Second Division play-offs the previous season on the basis of goal difference) 4–0 atThe Dell, with debutantPaul Rideout scoring two of the hosts' goals.[16] This was followed by a 1–0 away win overQueens Park Rangers, who had finished in the top five the year before, withMatt Le Tissier scoring the only goal of the game early in the first half.[16] The third win saw Southampton beatingLuton Town 2–1 at home, responding to a late equaliser from the Hatters with a winner fromRod Wallace.[16] This marked the first time Southampton had won their opening three league games since the 1957–58 season.[16]
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.[17] Their winning streak ended with a 2–2 draw atArsenal, 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.[16] The Arsenal draw was followed by a 1–3 loss against defending championsLiverpool, a goalless draw withDerby County, a 1–4 defeat at title challengersEverton, and a 1–2 loss toSheffield Wednesday.[18] The latter fixture featured the debut of right-backRay Wallace, which marked the first time since the 1920s that a Football League club had fielded three brothers in the same lineup.[18]
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.[19] The run included one draw and three wins: 2–1 overTottenham Hotspur thanks to aGlenn Cockerill brace; 2–0 over strugglersCharlton Athletic; and 3–1 over recently promotedAston Villa, with two goals forMatt Le Tissier.[18] A dry spell throughout late November and December saw Southampton draw five of their next six fixtures, including games againstNottingham Forest andNewcastle United in which they dropped points from leading positions.[18] After their game on Boxing Day, the club had dropped to eighth place in the league.[20]
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.[21] The spell started with a 1–4 home defeat toQueens Park Rangers, which was followed by the club's heaviest defeat of the season, 1–6 atLuton Town.[8] The Saints also lost 1–3 at home toMiddlesbrough, 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.[8] The spell continued with 0–2 and 1–3 losses to Liverpool and Derby County, respectively.[8] 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.[8][22]
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.[23] 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 toNorwich City andWimbledon, 2–1 wins over Aston Villa andManchester United, and finally a 1–1 draw withMillwall.[23] 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.[24]
| 27 August 19881 | Southampton | 4–0 | West Ham United | Southampton |
| Rideout 36',60' Cockerill 36'Le Tissier 86' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 18,407 |
| 3 September 19882 | Queens Park Rangers | 0–1 | Southampton | London |
| Le Tissier 15' | Stadium:Loftus Road Attendance: 9,053 |
| 10 September 19883 | Southampton | 2–1 | Luton Town | Southampton |
| Rideout 6' Rod Wallace 82' | Foster 78' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,214 |
| 17 September 19884 | Arsenal | 2–2 | Southampton | London |
| Marwood 82' (pen.) Smith 90' | Le Tissier 2' Rod Wallace 24' | Stadium:Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 31,384 |
| 24 September 19885 | Southampton | 1–3 | Liverpool | Southampton |
| Statham 33' (pen.) | Aldridge 30' Beardsley 46'Mølby 84' (pen.) | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 21,046 |
| 1 October 19886 | Southampton | 0–0 | Derby County | Southampton |
| Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,283 |
| 8 October 19887 | Everton | 4–1 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Cottee 20',51' Watson 47'Steven 85' | D. Wallace 1' | Stadium:Goodison Park Attendance: 25,356 |
| 22 October 19888 | Southampton | 1–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | Southampton |
| Statham 40' (pen.) | Varadi 44' Reeves 60' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,725 |
| 25 October 19889 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–2 | Southampton | London |
| Ray Wallace 16' (o.g.) | Cockerill 69',82' | Stadium:White Hart Lane Attendance: 19,517 |
| 29 October 198810 | Norwich City | 1–1 | Southampton | Norwich |
| Fleck 47' | D. Wallace 68' | Stadium:Carrow Road Attendance: 14,808 |
| 5 November 198811 | Southampton | 2–0 | Charlton Athletic | Southampton |
| G. Baker 61' D. Wallace 82' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,826 |
| 12 November 198812 | Southampton | 3–1 | Aston Villa | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 10',74' Rod Wallace 82' | Daley 21' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,007 |
| 19 November 198813 | Manchester United | 2–2 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Robson 16' Hughes 51' | G. Baker 7' Le Tissier 73' | Stadium:Old Trafford Attendance: 37,277 |
| 26 November 198814 | Southampton | 2–2 | Millwall | Southampton |
| G. Baker 12',77' | O'Callaghan 33' Sheringham 51' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,925 |
| 3 December 198815 | Wimbledon | 2–1 | Southampton | London |
| Gibson 31' Fairweather 87' | Maddison 28' | Stadium:Plough Lane Attendance: 6,040 |
| 10 December 198816 | Southampton | 1–1 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
| Maddison 37' | Clough 63' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,259 |
| 17 December 198817 | Newcastle United | 3–3 | Southampton | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Brock 8' O'Neill 65',89' | Le Tissier 16',28' Rod Wallace 54' | Stadium:St James' Park Attendance: 19,986 |
| 26 December 198818 | Southampton | 2–2 | Coventry City | Southampton |
| Rod Wallace 60' Moore 90' | Phillips 7' Bannister 25' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,008 |
| 31 December 198819 | Southampton | 1–4 | Queens Park Rangers | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 62' | M. Allen 52' Barker 74'Falco 90',90' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,086 |
| 2 January 198920 | Luton Town | 6–1 | Southampton | Luton |
| Harford 2',71' Black 7'Wegerle 52',54'Hill 68' | Rod Wallace 53' | Stadium:Kenilworth Road Attendance: 8,637 |
| 14 January 198921 | Southampton | 1–3 | Middlesbrough | Southampton |
| Moore 15' | Kerr 60' Slaven 64'Burke 80' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,157 |
| 21 January 198922 | Liverpool | 2–0 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Aldridge 73' Rush 77' | Stadium:Anfield Attendance: 35,565 |
| 4 February 198923 | Derby County | 3–1 | Southampton | Derby |
| Goddard 24',64' Saunders 74' (pen.) | D. Wallace 78' | Stadium:Baseball Ground Attendance: 13,758 |
| 11 February 198924 | Southampton | 1–1 | Everton | Southampton |
| Moore 22' | Sheedy 61' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,845 |
| 18 February 198925 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–1 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Proctor 89' | Rod Wallace 85' | Stadium:Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 16,677 |
| 25 February 198926 | Southampton | 0–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
| Waddle 35' Nayim 86' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,702 |
| 11 March 198927 | Charlton Athletic | 2–2 | Southampton | London |
| Lee 10' Williams 55' | Rod Wallace 61' Rideout 74' | Stadium:Selhurst Park Attendance: 6,377 |
| 25 March 198928 | Southampton | 1–3 | Arsenal | Southampton |
| Cockerill 65' | Groves 7' Rocastle 58'Merson 76' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 19,202 |
| 27 March 198929 | Coventry City | 2–1 | Southampton | Coventry |
| Houchen 29' Speedie 72' | D. Wallace 14' | Stadium:Highfield Road Attendance: 11,734 |
| 1 April 198930 | Southampton | 1–0 | Newcastle United | Southampton |
| Ruddock 89' (pen.) | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,175 |
| 8 April 198931 | Middlesbrough | 3–3 | Southampton | Middlesbrough |
| Hamilton 39' Slaven 78'Burke 89' | Rod Wallace 53' Ruddock 56',66' | Stadium:Ayresome Park Attendance: 16,983 |
| 12 April 198932 | Nottingham Forest | 3–0 | Southampton | Nottingham |
| Clough 7' (pen.) Pearce 32'Gaynor 79' | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 18,948 |
| 15 April 198933 | West Ham United | 1–2 | Southampton | London |
| Brady 35' (pen.) | Rod Wallace 1' Rideout 51' | Stadium:Boleyn Ground Attendance: 14,766 |
| 19 April 198934 | Southampton | 0–0 | Norwich City | Southampton |
| Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,403 |
| 22 April 198935 | Southampton | 0–0 | Wimbledon | Southampton |
| Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,805 |
| 2 May 198936 | Aston Villa | 1–2 | Southampton | Birmingham |
| Gray 84' | Rod Wallace 1' Rideout 25' | Stadium:Villa Park Attendance: 15,218 |
| 6 May 198937 | Southampton | 2–1 | Manchester United | Southampton |
| Cockerill 30' Rod Wallace 89' | Beardsmore 55' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 17,021 |
| 13 May 198938 | Millwall | 1–1 | Southampton | London |
| Sheringham 82' | Cockerill 43' | Stadium:The Den Attendance: 12,011 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Manchester United | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 51 |
| 12 | Wimbledon | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 51 |
| 13 | Southampton | 38 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 52 | 66 | −14 | 45 |
| 14 | Charlton Athletic | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 42 |
| 15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 42 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | W | W | D | L | D | L | L | W | D | W | W | D | D | L | D | D | D | L | L | L | L | L | D | D | L | D | L | L | W | D | L | W | D | D | W | W | D |
| Position | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Southampton entered the1988–89 FA Cup in the third round against fellow First Division sideDerby County. The first half saw chances for either side to open the scoring, but both defences and goalkeepers kept their opposing attackers at bay.[26] Early in the second half, former Saints keeperPeter Shilton brought downRod Wallace for a penalty, which was converted byDerek Statham.[26] The visiting Saints almost doubled their lead on multiple occasions, but it was the Rams who scored next whenTrevor Hebberd (another former Saint) headed in a long ball in the penultimate minute of the game.[26] In the replay atThe Dell, another goalless first half was followed by two goals in quick succession within 15 minutes of the restart, asTed McMinn opened the scoring for the visitors beforeGerry Forrest responded a minute later.[26] The game ended 1–1 and went to extra time, during whichNigel Callaghan scored a long-range goal and sent Derby through to the fourth round, with Southampton knocked out at the first hurdle again.[26]
| 7 January 1989Round 3 | Derby County | 1–1 | Southampton | Derby |
| Hebberd 89' | Statham (pen.) | Stadium:Baseball Ground Attendance: 17,178 |
| 10 January 1989Round 3 Replay | Southampton | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Derby County | Southampton |
| Forrest 59' | McMinn 58' Callaghan 95' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,323 |
In the1988–89 League Cup, Southampton travelled to faceFourth Division clubLincoln 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 fromRod Wallace and a second-half brace fromGraham Baker.[27] In the third round, Southampton facedScarborough, another Fourth Division side, sacrificing a 2–0 lead to be forced to a replay after a 2–2 draw.[27] The replay atThe Dell ended in a narrow 1–0 win for the hosts, thanks to a second-half header fromMatt Le Tissier.[27] In the fourth round, Southampton hosted First Division rivalsTottenham Hotspur, winning 2–1 thanks to two goals early in the second half.[27] The fifth round again saw the Saints drawn against league rivals, this timeLuton 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.[27]
| 28 September 1988Round 2 Leg 1 | Lincoln City | 1–1 | Southampton | Lincoln |
| Clarke 77' | Rideout 10' | Stadium:Sincil Bank Attendance: 5,404 |
| 13 October 1988Round 2 Leg 2 | Southampton | 3–1 (4–2agg.) | Lincoln City | Southampton |
| Rod Wallace 4' Baker 60',75' | Hobson 14' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 6,401 |
| 1 November 1988Round 3 | Scarborough | 2–2 | Southampton | Scarborough |
| Norris 42' Cook 80' | Case 23' Le Tissier 40' | Stadium:Athletic Ground Attendance: 5,885 |
| 9 November 1988Round 3 Replay | Southampton | 1–0 | Scarborough | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 57' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 9,398 |
| 29 November 1988Round 4 | Southampton | 2–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
| Cockerill 49' Moore 55' | Osman 66' (o.g.) | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 17,375 |
| 18 January 1989Round 5 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Southampton | Luton |
| Hill 70' | Cockerill 79' | Stadium:Kenilworth Road Attendance: 11,785 |
| 25 January 1989Round 5 Replay | Southampton | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Luton Town | Southampton |
| Rod Wallace 118' | Wegerle 102' Harford 108' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 18,872 |
Southampton entered the1988–89 Full Members' Cup in the first round againstStoke City. The First Division hosts won the game 3–0 thanks to a 15-minute hat-trick fromDanny Wallace early in the first half.[28] In the second round, the Saints were beaten 2–1 byCrystal Palace, withAlex Dyer scoring the decisive goal in the final minutes to break a deadlock made byRod Wallace in the second half.[28]
| 8 November 1988Round 1 | Southampton | 3–0 | Stoke City | Southampton |
| D. Wallace 3',13',18' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 4,627 |
| 13 December 1988Round 2 | Southampton | 1–2 | Crystal Palace | Southampton |
| Rod Wallace 68' | Wright 4' Dyer 88' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 4,914 |
Southampton played six additional games during the 1988–89 season. In October, the Saints were hosted byWestbury United of theWestern League to mark the opening of floodlights, with the top-flight visitors winning 12–1 thanks to goals from eight different players.[14] This was followed in March by a 10–0 win overWessex League side AFC Lymington (featuring a Le Tissier hat-trick), a 7–1 testimonial win overSecond Division sideSwindon Town (featuring aGlenn Cockerill hat-trick), and a goalless draw with Danish sideBoldklubben 1903.[14] 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 clubCarl Zeiss Jena.[14]
| 14 October 1988Friendly | Westbury United | 1–12 | Southampton | Westbury |
| D. Wallace Le Tissier Shearer Baker Benali Blake Rideout Rod Wallace |
| 1 March 1989Friendly | Lymington | 0–10 | Southampton | Lymington |
| Le Tissier Cockerill Clarke Davis Maddison Rideout Statham |
| 6 March 1989Charlie Henry Testimonial | Swindon Town | 1–7 | Southampton | Swindon |
| Cockerill Rod Wallace Ruddock Rideout | Stadium:County Ground |
Boldklubben 1903| 17 March 1989Friendly | Southampton | 0–0 | Boldklubben 1903 | Southampton |
| Stadium:The Dell |
| 25 April 1989Friendly | Royal Hussars | 1–15 | Southampton | Tidworth |
| Rideout Cherednyk Cockerill Osman Roast Rowland Ruddock Tisdale | Stadium:Tidworth Camp |
Carl Zeiss Jena v Southampton| 16 May 1989Friendly | Carl Zeiss Jena | 1–2 | Southampton | Jena,Germany |
| Le Tissier Ruddock | Stadium:Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld |
Southampton used 23 players during the 1988–89 season, 11 of whom scored during the campaign.[29] Eight players were making their debut appearances for the club, including five new signings (Micky Adams,[12]Barry Horne,[11] Osman,[1]Paul Rideout,[2] andNeil Ruddock,[9]) and three players making the step up from youth to the first team (Francis Benali,[30]Neil Maddison,[31] andRay Wallace.[32]). Four players played their final games for the Saints during the campaign:Mark Blake,[33]John Burridge,[34]Colin Clarke,[10] andDerek Statham.[35] StrikerRod 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).[29] MidfielderJimmy Case and defenderRussell Osman featured in 45 games each, whileMatt Le Tissier finished as the season's second-highest scorer with 11 goals in all competitions.[29] Case won theSouthampton F.C. Player of the Season award for the 1988–89 season.[23]
| Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | |||
| Micky Adams | DF | | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Graham Baker | MF | | 20(1) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 30(1) | 6 |
| Francis Benali | DF | | 3(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(6) | 0 |
| Mark Blake | DF | | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| John Burridge | GK | | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Jimmy Case | MF | | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
| Glenn Cockerill | MF | | 33(1) | 6 | 0(1) | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 40(2) | 8 |
| Andy Cook | DF | | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4(1) | 0 |
| Tim Flowers | GK | | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Gerry Forrest | DF | | 15(2) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19(2) | 1 |
| Barry Horne | MF | | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Matt Le Tissier | MF | | 21(7) | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3(1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 28(8) | 11 |
| Neil Maddison | MF | | 3(2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4(3) | 0 |
| Kevin Moore | DF | | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 4 |
| Russell Osman | DF | | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
| Paul Rideout | FW | | 20(4) | 6 | 0(2) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24(6) | 7 |
| Neil Ruddock | DF | | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
| Alan Shearer | FW | | 8(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8(2) | 0 |
| Derek Statham | DF | | 26 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 3 |
| Danny Wallace | FW | | 27(4) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 38(4) | 8 |
| Ray Wallace | DF | | 25(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33(1) | 0 |
| Rod Wallace | FW | | 38 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 15 |
| Players with appearances who left before the end of the season | ||||||||||||
| Colin Clarke | FW | | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Total | |||
| 1 | Rod Wallace | FW | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 49 |
| 2 | Jimmy Case | MF | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 45 |
| Russell Osman | DF | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 45 | |
| 4 | Glenn Cockerill | MF | 33 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 42 |
| Danny Wallace | FW | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 4 | 42 | |
| 6 | John Burridge | GK | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 41 |
| 7 | Matt Le Tissier | MF | 21 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 8 | 36 |
| 8 | Kevin Moore | DF | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 35 |
| Derek Statham | DF | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 35 | |
| 10 | Ray Wallace | DF | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 34 |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FM Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | GPG | |||
| 1 | Rod Wallace | FW | 12 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 49 | 0.31 |
| 2 | Matt Le Tissier | MF | 9 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 36 | 0.31 |
| 3 | Glenn Cockerill | MF | 6 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 42 | 0.19 |
| Danny Wallace | FW | 5 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 42 | 0.19 | |
| 5 | Paul Rideout | FW | 6 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 30 | 0.23 |
| 6 | Graham Baker | MF | 4 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 31 | 0.19 |
| 7 | Kevin Moore | DF | 3 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 0.11 |
| 8 | Neil Ruddock | DF | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0.23 |
| Derek Statham | DF | 2 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 0.09 | |
| 10 | Gerry Forrest | DF | 0 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0.05 |
| Jimmy Case | MF | 0 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 0.02 | |
