| 1992–93 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Guy Askham | |||
| Manager | Ian Branfoot | |||
| Stadium | The Dell | |||
| FA Premier League | 18th | |||
| FA Cup | Third round | |||
| League Cup | Third round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League:Matt Le Tissier (15) All: Matt Le Tissier (18) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 19,654 vTottenham Hotspur(15 August 1992) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 6,764 vGillingham (7 October 1992) | |||
| Average home league attendance | 15,148 | |||
| Biggest win | 3–0 vGillingham (7 October 1992) 3–0 vNorwich City (10 February 1993) | |||
| Biggest defeat | 2–5 vSheffield Wednesday(12 April 1993) | |||
The1992–93 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 92nd season of competitive football, their 23rd in the top flight ofEnglish football, and their first in theFA Premier League following its replacement of theFirst Division as the top flight. After a poor first season with managerIan Branfoot in which the club finished 16th in the final year of the old First Division, the Saints faired even worse in the inaugural Premier League campaign, finishing 18th and avoiding relegation by a single point. Outside the league, the club were knocked out of both theFA Cup and theLeague Cup in only the third round.
After a final season in which he finished as the club's top scorer, strikerAlan Shearer joinedBlackburn Rovers, who had been newly promoted to the top flight, for a British record fee of £3.6 million.Neil Ruddock,Jon Gittens andBarry Horne also left in the summer, with Branfoot signingDavid Speedie,Kerry Dixon,Ken Monkou andPerry Groves to replace them. Southampton's inaugural FA Premier League campaign started in much the same form as their final First Division season had gone, with the club sitting in or just above the relegation zone for much of the first half of the year. A stronger run of form after Christmas saw the Saints climb as high as ninth in the table, which ultimately saved them from the drop ahead of six defeats from their last eight games.
In the FA Cup, Southampton were eliminated in the third round byNottingham Forest, another club who were struggling against the risk of relegation from the FA Premier League (they would ultimately drop to the First Division, after finishing bottom of the league table). In the League Cup, the Saints beat fourth-flight sideGillingham in the second round (winning the second leg 3–0 after a goalless draw), before facing elimination at the hands ofCrystal Palace who, like Nottingham Forest, would later be relegated from the FA Premier League. Along with the club's worst top-flight league finish since their relegation in 1973–74, this marked Southampton's worst FA Cup performance since 1988–89 and their worst League Cup performance since 1987–88.
Southampton used 25 players during the 1992–93 season and had 12 different goalscorers. Following Shearer's departure,Matt Le Tissier returned to his spot as the club's top scorer, with 18 goals across all competitions.Iain Dowie was second on 12 goals.Tim Flowers made the most appearances during the season, as the only player to feature in all 46 matches; Le Tissier followed on 44 appearances. The goalkeeper was also namedSouthampton F.C. Player of the Season, followingPeter Shilton to become only the second player to win the award on two occasions. The average league attendance atThe Dell during 1992–93 was 15,148. The highest attendance was 19,654 againstTottenham Hotspur in August and the lowest was 6,764 againstGillingham in October.
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Ahead of the 1992–93 season, Southampton received numerous offers for strikerAlan Shearer, who had finished the last year as the club's top scorer and recently made his debut (and scored) for theEngland national team.[1] Despite interest fromManchester United, he opted to move toBlackburn Rovers (who had been recently promoted to theFA Premier League) in July for a fee of £3.6 million, surpassingLiverpool's purchase ofDean Saunders a year earlier for £2.9 million.[2] Saints managerIan Branfoot wanted to signMike Newell in part-exchange for Shearer, but instead saw the arrival ofDavid Speedie for an additional £400,000; Speedie himself was described as "reluctant" to move, claiming in later years that he felt "forced" into the transfer.[1] Shearer has cited Blackburn's management team – including formerEngland under-21 coachRay Harford – as his main reason for joining.[3]
Also leaving in the summer were centre-backNeil Ruddock, who was signed byTottenham Hotspur for a tribunal-determined fee of £750,000;[4] midfielderBarry Horne, who moved toEverton for £675,000;[5] andJon Gittens, who made his loan move toMiddlesbrough permanent in a £350,000 deal.[6] Branfoot's first signing of the 1992–93 transfer window was strikerKerry Dixon, who joined fromChelsea for a fee of £575,000, reuniting with former teammate Speedie when he joined the following week.[7] In August, the manager signed another Chelsea player, Dutch international centre-backKen Monkou, for whom they paid £750,000.[8] The final addition of the summer came in the form ofArsenal wingerPerry Groves, who joined a few days after Monkou for the same fee, despite "nursing an Achilles problem" which would ultimately end his professional playing career within a year.[9]
Despite only joining in the summer, Speedie was put up for transfer by Southampton during the early stages of the season, after reportedly falling out with Branfoot, as well as teammates includingGlenn Cockerill andTerry Hurlock. He subsequently spent short periods out on loan atBirmingham City andWest Bromwich Albion, before finishing the season withWest Ham United and helping the Hammers win promotion to the top flight.[10] Dixon was also loaned out towards the end of the season, joiningLuton Town in February 1993 and making the deal permanent early the next season.[7] Other loan deals included defenderKevin Moore spending a month atBristol Rovers in late-1992,[11] midfielderDavid Lee joiningBolton Wanderers for a month in November, before joining permanently in December,[12] and strikerPaul Moody moving toReading over the Christmas period.[13]Alloa Athletic midfielderPaul Sheerin,Halesowen Town strikerFrankie Bennett andAyr United defenderDerek Allan all joined Southampton during the course of the 1992–93 season for small fees.[14][15][16]
Players transferred in
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry Dixon |  England | FW | Chelsea | 19 July 1992 | £575,000 | [7] |
| David Speedie |  Scotland | FW | Blackburn Rovers | 27 July 1992 | £400,000 | [10] |
| Ken Monkou |  Netherlands | DF | Chelsea | 21 August 1992 | £750,000 | [8] |
| Perry Groves | England | MF | Arsenal | 24 August 1992 | £750,000 | [9] |
| Paul Sheerin | Scotland | MF | Alloa Athletic | 1 October 1992 | £65,000 | [14] |
| Frankie Bennett | England | FW | Halesowen Town | 24 February 1993 | £5,000 | [15] |
| Derek Allan | Scotland | DF | Ayr United | 16 March 1993 | £75,000 | [16] |
Players transferred out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Horne |  Wales | MF | Everton | 1 July 1992 | £675,000 | [5] |
| Jon Gittens | England | MF | Middlesbrough | 27 July 1992 | £350,000 | [6] |
| Alan Shearer | England | FW | Blackburn Rovers | 27 July 1992 | £3,600,000 | [2] |
| Neil Ruddock | England | DF | Tottenham Hotspur | 29 July 1992 | £750,000 | [4] |
| David Lee | England | MF | Bolton Wanderers | December 1992 | Unknown | [12] |
Players loaned out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date from | Date to | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Moore | England | DF | Bristol Rovers | October 1992 | November 1992 | [11] |
| David Lee | England | MF | Bolton Wanderers | November 1992 | December 1992 | [12] |
| David Speedie | Scotland | FW | Birmingham City | November 1992 | December 1992 | [10] |
| Paul Moody | England | FW | Reading | December 1992 | January 1993 | [13] |
| David Speedie | Scotland | FW | West Bromwich Albion | January 1993 | February 1993 | [10] |
| Kerry Dixon | England | FW | Luton Town | February 1993 | End of season | [7] |
| David Speedie | Scotland | FW | West Ham United | March 1993 | End of season | [10] |
Ahead of the 1992–93 league campaign, Southampton played ten pre-seasonfriendlies. The first two, which took place in May just after the end of the previous season, saw Southampton travel toGrand Cayman to compete in the Hampsteads International Cup alongside two national sides:Jamaica and theCayman Islands. The Saints beat Jamaica 2–0 in the first game and drew 1–1 with the Cayman Islands in the second.[17] After the summer break, in July the club facedScottish First Division sideAyr United, which they lost 1–0.[17] Later in the month, the Saints completed a tour of Sweden which included six friendlies in nine days: an 8–1 win over Trollhättan, a 2–1 win overVästra Frölunda, a 12–0 win overVärnamo (in which new signingKerry Dixon scored five goals andNeil Maddison added a hat-trick), a 6–0 win over Gällstads, a 5–2 win over Vinninga, and a 5–1 win over Yngsjö.[17] Back in the UK, Southampton beatSecond Division sideSwansea City 3–2 atVetch Field eight days before the start of the league season.[17]
| May 1992Hampsteads International Cup | Jamaica | 0–2 | Southampton | Grand Cayman |
Adams Banger |
| May 1992Hampsteads International Cup | Cayman Islands | 1–1 | Southampton | Grand Cayman |
| Moody |
| 21 July 1992Friendly | Ayr United | 1–0 | Southampton | Ayr,Scotland |
| Stadium:Somerset Park |
| 27 July 1992Friendly | Trollhättan | 1–8 | Southampton | Trollhättan,Sweden |
| Adams Cockerill Dixon Hall Le Tissier Moore Speedie Widdrington |
| 28 July 1992Friendly | Västra Frölunda | 1–2 | Southampton | Gothenburg,Sweden |
| Le Tissier Speedie |
| 30 July 1992Friendly | Värnamo | 0–12 | Southampton | Värnamo,Sweden |
| Banger Dixon Dowie Lee Le Tissier Maddison | Stadium:Finnvedsvallen |
| 1 August 1992Friendly | Gällstads | 0–6 | Southampton | Gällstad,Sweden |
| Adams Cockerill Dowie Le Tissier Speedie |
| 3 August 1992Friendly | Vinninga | 2–5 | Southampton | Vinninga,Sweden |
| Adams Bound Dixon Le Tissier Speedie |
| 7 August 1992Friendly | Swansea City | 2–3 | Southampton | Swansea,Wales |
| Dixon Le Tissier | Stadium:Vetch Field |
The 1992–93 season saw the introduction of theFA Premier League, which replaced theFirst Division of theEnglish Football League as the top flight of football in England.[18] The league was created primarily to allow clubs in the top flight to secure broadcasting deals independently of the Football League, in order to maximise revenue for the clubs and attract more talent to the division.[19] The inaugural outing of the new league featured 22 clubs determined by the results of the previous season (19 First Division clubs and three promoted from theSecond Division), with Southampton one of the founding members.[20]
The season started poorly for Southampton. A goalless draw withTottenham Hotspur on the opening day was followed by a 3–1 loss atQueens Park Rangers during whichMicky Adams was sent off, although the left-back was involved more positively three days later when he scored the visitors' goal in a 1–1 draw atAston Villa.[1] After a late 1–0 loss atManchester United courtesy of a penultimate-minute goal from new signingDion Dublin, the Saints picked up their first win of the season at home toMiddlesbrough, who had been recently promoted to the FA Premier League after finishing as runners-up in the Second Division; all three goals in the 2–1 affair were scored in the last 15 minutes of the game, with aMatt Le Tissier penalty and aNicky Banger header securing the hosts' first victory of the campaign.[1] 1–1 draws withFA Cup championsLiverpool and league championsLeeds United (featuring debut goals forKerry Dixon andPerry Groves, respectively) flanked two more defeats, against league leadersNorwich City and Queens Park Rangers.[1]
Following the Leeds game, Southampton sat 20th in the FA Premier League table, in the first of three relegation spots.[21] The team's second win of the season came againstCrystal Palace the next week, withIain Dowie scoring both of the visitors' goals either side of half-time.[14] The next week's 2–0 loss atSheffield United marked the final appearance of summer signingDavid Speedie, who had fallen out with Branfoot and other players, and was subsequently loaned out to various clubs during the rest of the season.[10] Following a 2–2 draw at home toWimbledon and a 1–0 loss atManchester City, the Saints started a six-game unbeaten run with a 1–0 win over strugglersOldham Athletic, marking their best run of results of the whole season.[14] The spell included a 2–1 win over bottom-placedNottingham Forest and a 2–0 defeat of title hopefulsArsenal.[14]
After climbing as high as 13th in the table following the win over Arsenal,[22] a run of three defeats and two draws over Christmas and new year saw them drop back down to 19th, just above the relegation zone.[14][23] In January, the club picked up key wins over Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, the latter of whom were second in the table before the game.[14] February brought a pair of wins over Norwich City, who were still challenging for the title, andLiverpool, which was followed by a narrow defeat at league leaders Manchester United.[24] A run of four games unbeaten from late-February to mid-March saw the club climb into the top half of the table for the first time during the season, peaking at ninth following a hard-fought 4–3 win overIpswich Town in which Le Tissier scored the winner in the last minute of the game, after a goal for each side within the closing ten minutes.[24][25]
The victory over Ipswich was Southampton's penultimate win of the season, as they lost six of their last eight games and started to drop back towards the bottom of the league table again. The spell started with a closely-fought 4–3 defeat at Arsenal, who were occupying a mid-table spot at the time, which was followed by a 2–1 home loss to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest in which Le Tissier missed a penalty for the first time on his 21st attempt.[24][26] Another loss to mid-table sideCoventry City was followed by the club's last win of the season, a 1–0 edging ofChelsea after which they remained 14th in the table.[27]Sheffield Wednesday dealt Southampton their heaviest defeat of the season two days after the Chelsea game, thrashing the visiting Saints 5–2, before the Saints finished their debut FA Premier League campaign with a goalless draw at home toEverton, a 1–0 defeat at home to Manchester City, and a 4–3 loss atOldham Athletic.[26] The final game of the season gave the Latics a win which secured their FA Premier League status, as they equalled Crystal Palace's points tally and had a superior goal difference, while also featuring Le Tissier's second away hat-trick and first from open play.[26]
Southampton's 18th-place finish in the inaugural FA Premier League was the club's lowest finishing position in the top flight since they were last relegated from the First Division in the 1973–74 season.
| 15 August 19921 | Southampton | 0–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
| Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 19,654 Referee: Vic Callow |
| 19 August 19922 | Queens Park Rangers | 3–1 | Southampton | London |
| Ferdinand 58',86' Bardsley 70' | Le Tissier 31' | Stadium:Loftus Road Attendance: 10,925 Referee: Ray Bigger |
| 22 August 19923 | Aston Villa | 1–1 | Southampton | Birmingham |
| Atkinson 64' | Adams 79' | Stadium:Villa Park Attendance: 17,894 Referee: Kelvin Morton |
| 24 August 19924 | Southampton | 0–1 | Manchester United | Southampton |
| Dublin 89' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,623 Referee:Ray Lewis |
| 29 August 19925 | Southampton | 2–1 | Middlesbrough | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 80' (pen.) Banger 83' | Wilkinson 75' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,003 Referee:Rodger Gifford |
| 1 September 19926 | Liverpool | 1–1 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Wright 60' | Dixon 51' | Stadium:Anfield Attendance: 30,024 Referee:Robbie Hart |
| 5 September 19927 | Norwich City | 1–0 | Southampton | Norwich |
| Robins 87' | Stadium:Carrow Road Attendance: 12,452 Referee:Keith Hackett |
| 12 September 19928 | Southampton | 1–2 | Queens Park Rangers | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 11' | Sinton 53' Channing 56' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,125 Referee: Alan Gunn |
| 19 September 19929 | Southampton | 1–1 | Leeds United | Southampton |
| Groves 43' | Speed 83' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,229 Referee: Alf Buksh |
| 26 September 199210 | Crystal Palace | 1–2 | Southampton | London |
| Young 54' | Dowie 44',88' | Stadium:Selhurst Park Attendance: 13,829 Referee: Jim Borrett |
| 3 October 199211 | Sheffield United | 2–0 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Whitehouse 4' Littlejohn 26' | Stadium:Bramall Lane Attendance: 15,842 Referee: Ken Redfern |
| 17 October 199212 | Southampton | 2–2 | Wimbledon | Southampton |
| Dowie 57' Groves 83' | Cotterill 50',67' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 11,221 Referee:Keren Barratt |
| 24 October 199213 | Manchester City | 1–0 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Sheron 74' | Stadium:Maine Road Attendance: 20,089 Referee:Philip Don |
| 31 October 199214 | Southampton | 1–0 | Oldham Athletic | Southampton |
| Hall 58' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 10,827 Referee:Paul Durkin |
| 7 November 199215 | Ipswich Town | 0–0 | Southampton | Ipswich |
| Stadium:Portman Road Attendance: 15,722 Referee:Roger Dilkes |
| 22 November 199216 | Southampton | 1–1 | Blackburn Rovers | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 22' | Moran 38' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,626 Referee:Martin Bodenham |
| 28 November 199217 | Nottingham Forest | 1–2 | Southampton | Nottingham |
| Clough 43' | Le Tissier 21' Adams 63' | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 19,942 Referee:David Elleray |
| 5 December 199218 | Southampton | 2–0 | Arsenal | Southampton |
| Maddison 16' Dowie 53' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 17,286 Referee: John Key |
| 12 December 199219 | Southampton | 2–2 | Coventry City | Southampton |
| Maddison 9' Dowie 61' | Quinn 6',25' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,306 Referee: Bob Nixon |
| 19 December 199220 | Everton | 2–1 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Beardsley 11' (pen.) Rideout 36' | Le Tissier 5' | Stadium:Goodison Park Attendance: 14,051 Referee: Mike Peck |
| 26 December 199221 | Chelsea | 1–1 | Southampton | London |
| Newton 89' | Dowie 2' | Stadium:Stamford Bridge Attendance: 18,344 Referee: Alan Gunn |
| 28 December 199222 | Southampton | 1–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | Southampton |
| Monkou 80' | Sheridan 12' (pen.) Hirst 63' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 17,426 Referee:Roger Milford |
| 9 January 199323 | Leeds United | 2–1 | Southampton | Leeds |
| Fairclough 50' Speed 72' | Dixon 19' | Stadium:Elland Road Attendance: 26,071 Referee: Ron Groves |
| 16 January 199324 | Southampton | 1–0 | Crystal Palace | Southampton |
| Maddison 50' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,397 Referee:Philip Don |
| 26 January 199325 | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Southampton | Middlesbrough |
| Mohan 24' Wilkinson 71' | Le Tissier 58' | Stadium:Ayresome Park Attendance: 13,918 Referee:Peter Foakes |
| 30 January 199326 | Southampton | 2–0 | Aston Villa | Southampton |
| Banger 39' Dowie 63' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 19,087 Referee: Philip Wright |
| 7 February 199327 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4–2 | Southampton | London |
| Sheringham 54',59' Barmby 56'Anderton 57' | Dowie 21' Hall 66' | Stadium:White Hart Lane Attendance: 20,098 Referee: Ken Redfern |
| 10 February 199328 | Southampton | 3–0 | Norwich City | Southampton |
| Hall 9' Adams 25'Banger 79' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,969 Referee:Joe Worrall |
| 13 February 199329 | Southampton | 2–1 | Liverpool | Southampton |
| Maddison 23' Banger 73' | Hutchison 60' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 17,216 Referee: Alf Buksh |
| 20 February 199330 | Manchester United | 2–1 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Giggs 82',83' | Banger 77' | Stadium:Old Trafford Attendance: 36,257 Referee:Ray Lewis |
| 27 February 199331 | Southampton | 3–2 | Sheffield United | Southampton |
| Moore 2' Kenna 5'Dowie 39' | Gayle 37' Bryson 83' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,814 Referee: Jim Borrett |
| 6 March 199332 | Wimbledon | 1–2 | Southampton | London |
| Holdsworth 22' | Le Tissier 33' Moore 73' | Stadium:Selhurst Park Attendance: 4,534 Referee: Alan Gunn |
| 9 March 199333 | Blackburn Rovers | 0–0 | Southampton | Blackburn |
| Stadium:Ewood Park Attendance: 13,556 Referee:Stephen Lodge |
| 13 March 199334 | Southampton | 4–3 | Ipswich Town | Southampton |
| Hall 17' Le Tissier 65' (pen.),90'Kenna 84' | Linighan 13' Goddard 35'Kiwomya 87' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,428 Referee:David Elleray |
| 20 March 199335 | Arsenal | 4–3 | Southampton | London |
| Linighan 15' Merson 16'Carter 20',79' | Dowie 4' Adams 30'Le Tissier 50' | Stadium:Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 24,149 Referee:Keren Barratt |
| 24 March 199336 | Southampton | 1–2 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 72' | Clough 5' Keane 45' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 18,005 Referee: Mike Reed |
| 3 April 199337 | Coventry City | 2–0 | Southampton | Coventry |
| Quinn 7' (pen.) Williams 80' | Stadium:Highfield Road Attendance: 10,463 Referee:Keith Cooper |
| 10 April 199338 | Southampton | 1–0 | Chelsea | Southampton |
| Banger 49' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 15,135 Referee:Keith Burge |
| 12 April 199339 | Sheffield Wednesday | 5–2 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Bright 37' Bart-Williams 43',71',80'King 50' | Dodd 68' Dowie 86' | Stadium:Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 26,183 Referee: Kelvin Morton |
| 17 April 199340 | Southampton | 0–0 | Everton | Southampton |
| Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,911 Referee:Martin Bodenham |
| 1 May 199341 | Southampton | 0–1 | Manchester City | Southampton |
| White 41' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 11,830 Referee: T. Lloyd |
| 8 May 199342 | Oldham Athletic | 4–3 | Southampton | Oldham |
| Pointon 29' Olney 44'Ritchie 54'Halle 63' | Le Tissier 34',66',84' | Stadium:Boundary Park Attendance: 14,597 Referee:Howard King |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 52 | |
| 17 | Leeds United | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 57 | 62 | −5 | 51 | |
| 18 | Southampton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 54 | 61 | −7 | 50 | |
| 19 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 63 | 74 | −11 | 49 | |
| 20 | Crystal Palace(R) | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 49 | Relegation toFootball League First Division |
Southampton entered the 1992–93 FA Cup in the third round againstNottingham Forest, another side fighting the risk of relegation from the FA Premier League. The visiting Saints opened the scoring in the 14th minute, whenMatt Le Tissier headed in a corner fromMicky Adams flicked on byGlenn Cockerill.[28] Forest responded with a run of chances on goal, denied by Southampton goalkeeperTim Flowers, before they eventually equalised a minute before half-time whenRoy Keane headed in from a corner.[28] During stoppage time before the break, the hosts went ahead throughNeil Webb.[28] In the second half, Le Tissier came close to equalising on multiple occasions, including hitting the crossbar just a minute after the break, whileKerry Dixon saw his "powerful header" saved by Forest goalkeeperMark Crossley.[28]
| 3 January 1993Round 3 | Nottingham Forest | 2–1 | Southampton | Nottingham |
| Keane 44' Webb 45+2' | Le Tissier 14' | Stadium:City Ground Attendance: 13,592 |
Southampton entered the 1992–93 League Cup againstThird Division sideGillingham. After a goalless first leg atPriestfield Stadium, the Saints overcame the fourth-flight side at home with a 3–0 win –Iain Dowie opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a header, beforeMatt Le Tissier added a penalty ten minutes after half-time, followed by a chip six minutes later.[29] In the third round, the South Coast club hosted fellow FA Premier League sideCrystal Palace, who won the tie 2–0 after a "dreadful" performance by the home side "lacking in passion and purpose".[29]
| 23 September 1992Round 2 Leg 1 | Gillingham | 0–0 | Southampton | Gillingham |
| Stadium:Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 7,488 |
| 7 October 1992Round 2 Leg 2 | Southampton | 3–0 (3–0agg.) | Gillingham | Southampton |
| Dowie 29' Le Tissier 55' (pen.),61' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 6,764 |
| 28 October 1992Round 3 | Southampton | 0–2 | Crystal Palace | Southampton |
| McGoldrick 10' Salako 17' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 9,060 |
Outside the league, FA Cup and League Cup, the Southampton first team played five additional matches during the 1992–93 season. The first was afriendly against a team representingJersey in September 1992, which the Saints won 4–1 (goals included a pair fromNicky Banger).[17] A similar friendly against a team representingGuernsey was played in March 1993, which was also won by Southampton 3–1 (Matt Le Tissier scored twice).[17] The next month, before the last two games of the season, the club played friendlies against Fordingbridge Turks andGrimsby Town. The former was hosted to mark the Turks' 125th anniversary and saw the Saints thrash the non-league side 13–1; Le Tissier scored a hat-trick and later played in goal, withTim Flowers scoring a "spectacular diving header" during an outfield spell.[30] Seven other players were on the scoresheet.[17] The latter, just over a week later, was a testimonial for retiring playerJohn Cockerill, brother of Saints playerGlenn, which saw the FA Premier League side beat theFirst Division hosts 3–1.[17] The last friendly, which took place in between the penultimate and final games in the league, saw Southampton beat localSecond Division sideBournemouth 2–0 atDean Court forPaul Morrell's testimonial.[17]
Jersey Select XI v Southampton| 15 September 1992Friendly | Jersey Select XI | 1–4 | Southampton | St Helier,Jersey |
| Banger Hurlock Le Tissier | Stadium:Springfield Stadium |
Guernsey FA XI v Southampton| 15 March 1993Friendly | Guernsey FA XI | 1–3 | Southampton | Saint Sampson, Guernsey |
| Le Tissier Maddison | Stadium:Corbet Field |
| 19 April 1993Friendly | Fordingbridge Turks | 1–13 | Southampton | Fordingbridge |
| Banger Benali Cockerill Dowie Flowers Le Tissier Maddison Tisdale Widdrington | Stadium:Recreation Ground |
| 27 April 1993John Cockerill Testimonial | Grimsby Town | 1–3 | Southampton | Cleethorpes |
| Le Tissier Maddison | Stadium:Blundell Park |
| 4 May 1993Paul Morrell Testimonial | Bournemouth | 0–2 | Southampton | Bournemouth |
| Maddison | Stadium:Dean Court |
Southampton used 25 players during the 1992–93 season, 12 of whom scored during the campaign.[31] Six players made their debut appearances for the club, including five of their seven new signings (Derek Allan,[16]Kerry Dixon,[7]Perry Groves,[9]Ken Monkou,[8] andDavid Speedie[10]) and one player making the step up from youth to the first team (Neal Bartlett[32]). Four of these new signings (Allan,[16] Dixon,[7] Groves,[9] and Speedie[10]) also made their last appearances for the Saints during the campaign, as did strikerDavid Lee, who left the following summer.[12] GoalkeeperTim Flowers was the only Southampton player to appear in all 46 of the team's matches across all competitions.[31]Matt Le Tissier finished as the club's top scorer in 1992–93 with 15 goals in the league, one in the FA Cup and two in the League Cup;Iain Dowie was the second-highest scorer with 12 goals in all competitions.[31] Flowers won theSouthampton F.C. Player of the Season award for a second time (the second player, after fellow goalkeeperPeter Shilton, to do so).[26]
| Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | Discipline | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals |  |  | |||
| Micky Adams | DF | | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Derek Allan | DF | | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ian Andrews | GK | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nicky Banger | FW | | 10(17) | 6 | 0(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11(18) | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Neal Bartlett | MF | | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Francis Benali | DF | | 31(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1(2) | 0 | 33(4) | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Frankie Bennett | FW | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Bound | DF | | 1(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glenn Cockerill | MF | | 21(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jason Dodd | DF | | 27(3) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31(3) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Iain Dowie | FW |  | 34(2) | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 36(2) | 12 | 9 | 0 |
| Tim Flowers | GK | | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Perry Groves | FW | | 13(2) | 2 | 0(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15(3) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Richard Hall | DF | | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| David Hughes | MF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry Hurlock | MF | | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Jeff Kenna | DF |  | 27(2) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28(2) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Le Tissier | MF | | 40 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 18 | 5 | 0 |
| Neil Maddison | MF | | 33(4) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35(4) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Monkou | DF | | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Paul Moody | FW | | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kevin Moore | DF | | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Lee Powell | MF | | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Sheerin | MF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Thomas | MF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Widdrington | MF | | 11(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 11(2) | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Steve Wood | DF | | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Squad members who ended the season out on loan | ||||||||||||
| Kerry Dixon | FW | | 8(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11(1) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| David Speedie | FW | | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players with appearances who left before the end of the season | ||||||||||||
| David Lee | FW | | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Total | |||
| 1 | Tim Flowers | GK | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 46 |
| 2 | Matt Le Tissier | MF | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 44 |
| 3 | Micky Adams | DF | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| 4 | Neil Maddison | MF | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | 39 |
| 5 | Iain Dowie | FW | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 2 | 38 |
| 6 | Ken Monkou | DF | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 37 |
| Francis Benali | DF | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 33 | 4 | 37 | |
| 8 | Jason Dodd | DF | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 34 |
| 9 | Terry Hurlock | MF | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| 10 | Richard Hall | DF | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Jeff Kenna | DF | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 30 | |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | GPG | |||
| 1 | Matt Le Tissier | FW | 15 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 44 | 0.40 |
| 2 | Iain Dowie | FW | 11 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 38 | 0.31 |
| 3 | Nicky Banger | FW | 6 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 0.20 |
| 4 | Richard Hall | DF | 4 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 0.13 |
| Neil Maddison | MF | 4 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 39 | 0.10 | |
| Micky Adams | DF | 4 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 42 | 0.09 | |
| 7 | Kerry Dixon | FW | 2 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 0.16 |
| Perry Groves | FW | 2 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 0.11 | |
| Kevin Moore | DF | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 0.10 | |
| Jeff Kenna | DF | 2 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 0.06 | |
