| 1993–94 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Guy Askham | |||
| Manager | Ian Branfoot (until 10 January 1994) Lew Chatterley and Dave Merrington[a] (10–20 January 1994) Alan Ball (from 20 January 1994) | |||
| Stadium | The Dell | |||
| FA Premier League | 18th | |||
| FA Cup | Third round | |||
| League Cup | Second round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League:Matt Le Tissier (25) All: Matt Le Tissier (25) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 19,105 vBlackburn Rovers(16 April 1994) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 5,038 vShrewsbury Town(22 September 1993) | |||
| Average home league attendance | 14,751 | |||
| Biggest win | 5–1 vSwindon Town (25 August 1993) | |||
| Biggest defeat | 0–4 vArsenal (19 March 1994) | |||
The1993–94Southampton F.C. season was the club's 93rd season of competitive football, their 24th in the top flight ofEnglish football, and their second in theFA Premier League. The season was another difficult one for the Saints, who finished 18th in the league – the same position as they had managed the year before – and were knocked out of both theFA Cup and theLeague Cup at the first hurdle – the first time this had happened to them in over ten years. It was the last season to feature managerIan Branfoot, who was sacked halfway through the season with the club in the relegation zone.Dave Merrington briefly took over as caretaker manager, beforeAlan Ball was appointed as Branfoot's official replacement and saw out the rest of the campaign.
After buying them in the wake ofAlan Shearer's sale just a year before, Branfoot released bothDavid Speedie andKerry Dixon at the beginning of the 1993–94 season. Other high-profile departures includedTim Flowers, who left in a record deal for a goalkeeper, and long-term midfielderGlenn Cockerill. Signings were made throughout the campaign, with arrivals including left-backSimon Charlton, goalkeeperDave Beasant, and midfielderJim Magilton. Southampton's league performance was disastrous, as they lost eight of their opening nine games and spent most of the first half of the season in the relegation zone. Results improved slightly following Ball's arrival as manager, although the club still struggled and ultimately only survived the drop by a single point.
Southampton's form outside the league was equally poor. For the first time since the 1981–82 season, the club were eliminated from both the FA Cup and the League Cup in the first rounds in which they competed. In the former, they were eliminated in the third round byFootball League Second Division sidePort Vale, who won a home replay 1–0 after holding the Saints to a 1–1 draw atThe Dell (Branfoot's last game as manager of the club), despite a difference of two divisions between the clubs. In the latter, the top-flight side were eliminated in the second round by even lower-ranked opponents, facing a 2–1 aggregate defeat toThird Division sideShrewsbury Town after the Shrews overturned the Saints' narrow 1–0 home win with a 2–0 second leg victory.
Southampton used 31 players during the 1993–94 season and had 11 different goalscorers.Matt Le Tissier finished as the season's top scorer for the second consecutive (and fourth overall) season with 25 goals, all in the FA Premier League – making him the joint-third highest scorer in the division.Neil Maddison made the most appearances during the campaign, playing in all but one of the club's 46 matches (he missed just one league game). Le Tissier won theSouthampton F.C. Player of the Season award for the second time, becoming the third player to do so. The average league attendance at The Dell in 1993–94 was 14,751. The highest attendance was 19,105 againstBlackburn Rovers in April; the lowest was 5,038 againstShrewsbury Town in September.
Ahead of the 1993–94 season, three of Southampton's major signings were released after just a year in the squad – wingerPerry Groves, who had signed fromArsenal for £750,000 the previous August, retired from professional football due to an ongoing Achilles injury, joining youngConference sideDagenham & Redbridge in the summer of 1993;[1] strikerDavid Speedie, who had been "reluctantly" brought in fromBlackburn Rovers for £400,000 and as part-exchange forAlan Shearer, joinedLeicester City in August after several loan spells during 1992–93;[2] andKerry Dixon, another striker who was signed for £575,000 fromChelsea to help replace Shearer but spent much of his debut season out on loan, joinedLuton Town on a free transfer in October after a brief loan spell.[3] Also signed during the summer wereSimon Charlton, who made the step up fromSecond Division clubHuddersfield Town to take over as first-choice left-back;[4] and youngstersColin Cramb andPaul McDonald, who joined for a combined fee of £150,000 from Scottish sideHamilton Academical.[5][6]
ManagerIan Branfoot continued to strengthen Southampton's squad throughout the first half of the season. After failing to re-signDanny Wallace fromManchester United, as well as add right-backTim Breacker and midfielderIan Bishop fromWest Ham United,[7] he eventually signedPaul Allen fromTottenham Hotspur in September for £500,000.[8] Early the next month, the Saints brought in 37-year-old midfielderPeter Reid, who had just been sacked as player-manager atManchester City.[9] In November, after approaches from multiple clubs, the team soldTim Flowers toBlackburn Rovers for £2.4 million – a new world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper.[10] He was replaced the same day in the Southampton squad byDave Beasant, who signed fromChelsea for £300,000.[11] Two weeks before Christmas, veteran midfielderGlenn Cockerill left on a free transfer toLeyton Orient.[12]
Just after the new year, Branfoot was sacked as Southampton manager and replaced by former playerAlan Ball.[13] Reid, who had only been with the club for four months, left on a free transfer forNotts County just after Branfoot's departure.[9] Shortly after his arrival, Ball spent £850,000 on re-signing former Saints apprenticeCraig Maskell fromSwindon Town and adding Northern Irish midfielderJim Magilton fromOxford United.[14][15] He also offloaded several players from Branfoot's era, withPaul Moody sold to Oxford United for £60,000[16] andTerry Hurlock (toMillwall),[17]Micky Adams (toStoke City),[18]Martin Thomas (to Leyton Orient),[19] andLee Powell (to Hamilton Academical)[20] all released on free transfers. The last signing of the season was wingerNeil Heaney, who joined from FA Premier League title challengersArsenal in a £300,000 deal at the end of March.[21]
Players transferred in
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Charlton |  England | DF | Huddersfield Town | 8 June 1993 | £250,000 | [4] |
| Colin Cramb |  Scotland | FW | Hamilton Academical | 8 June 1993 | £150,000 | [5] |
| Paul McDonald | Scotland | MF | [6] | |||
| Matt Oakley | England | MF | Academy | July 1993 | Free[b] | [22] |
| Paul Allen | England | MF | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 September 1993 | £500,000 | [8] |
| Peter Reid | England | MF | Manchester City | 1 October 1993 | Free | [9] |
| Dave Beasant | England | GK | Chelsea | 4 November 1993 | £300,000 | [11] |
| Shayne Bradley | England | FW | Academy | December 1993 | Free[c] | [23] |
| Craig Maskell | England | FW | Swindon Town | 7 February 1994 | £250,000 | [14] |
| Jim Magilton |  Northern Ireland | MF | Oxford United | 11 February 1994 | £600,000 | [15] |
| Neil Heaney | England | MF | Arsenal | 22 March 1994 | £300,000 | [21] |
Players transferred out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry Dixon | England | FW | Luton Town | October 1993 | Free | [3] |
| Tim Flowers | England | GK | Blackburn Rovers | 4 November 1993 | £2,400,000 | [10] |
| Glenn Cockerill | England | MF | Leyton Orient | 10 December 1993 | Free | [12] |
| Peter Reid | England | MF | Notts County | 2 February 1994 | Free | [9] |
| Paul Moody | England | MF | Oxford United | 19 February 1994 | £60,000 | [16] |
| Terry Hurlock | England | MF | Millwall | 25 February 1994 | Free | [17] |
| Micky Adams | England | DF | Stoke City | 24 March 1994 | Free | [18] |
| Martin Thomas | England | MF | Leyton Orient | 24 March 1994 | Free | [19] |
| Lee Powell |  Wales | MF | Hamilton Academical | March 1994 | Free | [20] |
Players loaned out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date from | Date to | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Bound | Wales | DF | Hull City | 27 August 1993 | 27 September 1993 | [24] |
| Kerry Dixon | England | FW | Luton Town | August 1993 | October 1993 | [3] |
Players released
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Date | Subsequent club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Groves | England | MF | Start of season | Dagenham & Redbridge | [1] |
| David Speedie | Scotland | FW | Start of season | Leicester City | [2] |
Players retired
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Date | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Gray | England | MF | November 1993 | Retired due to an ongoing injury, moved into coaching | [25] |
Ahead of the 1993–94 campaign, Southampton played seven pre-seasonfriendlies. Like the previous season, the club started their pre-season preparations with a short tour of Sweden, playing five games against local opposition over the course of eight days. After a 2–3 loss atKalmar, the Saints picked up wins over Vessigebro (5–0, including a goal for new signingPaul McDonald),Örby (9–1, including five goals forNicky Banger and three forPaul Moody),Växjö (2–1), and Bankeryd (4–3).[26] The last two fixtures during the pre-season period were as part of the Memorial Pier Cesare Baretti, an Italian friendly tournament which served as a tribute to sports journalist Pier Cesare Baretti.[27] Southampton lost both matches againstSerie A opponentsJuventus andTorino.[28]
| 21 July 1993Friendly | Kalmar | 3–2 | Southampton | Kalmar,Sweden |
Adams Dowie | Stadium:Fredriksskans |
| 24 July 1993Friendly | Vessigebro | 0–5 | Southampton | Vessigebro,Sweden |
| Banger Dowie Le Tissier McDonald |
| 29 July 1993Friendly | Bankeryd | 3–4 | Southampton | Bankeryd,Sweden |
| Adams Banger Maddison |
| 5 August 1993Trofeo Baretti | Juventus | 3–1 | Southampton | |
| Di Canio 63' Baggio 83'Möller 85' | Maddison 35' |
Southampton had a worse start to the second FA Premier League season than any other team in the division, losing their first three games and dropping to the bottom of the table.[29] After an opening day 0–2 loss at home toEverton described by theSouthern Daily Echo as "humiliating and desperately worrying", the Saints also lost away toIpswich Town (0–1) andQueens Park Rangers (1–2).[7] Despite this poor start, the side then picked up their first win (and biggest of the season) when they beat top-flight newcomersSwindon Town 5–1 atThe Dell, with a first-halfMatt Le Tissier goal followed by four more in the second half courtesy of Le Tissier again,Jeff Kenna,Iain Dowie andNeil Maddison.[7]
The club's time out of the drop zone was short-lived, however, as they soon returned to the relegation spots with a run of five consecutive defeats (for the first time since 1989). The dry spell included three away and two home defeats, during which time the Saints scored just one goal and conceded nine.[7][30] The Saints' one goal during this period came in the first defeat at home to defending league championsManchester United, whenNeil Maddison scored a consolation after two of United's three goals.[7] This was followed by a 0–1 defeat atWimbledon, a 0–2 loss hostingLeeds United, another 0–2 loss atSheffield Wednesday, and a 0–1 defeat at title challengersArsenal.[30] Amongst these fixtures, Southampton fans arranged protests against Ian Branfoot remaining as manager of the club, in response to which chairman Guy Askham assured that he would see out the season.[30]
Following the run of six defeats, Southampton picked up their first point in over a month in a 3–3 draw with fellow strugglersSheffield United. After leading 1–0 at half-time throughKen Monkou, the Saints received another advantage just after the break when the visitors went down to ten men; despite this, however, the hosts sacrificed a 3–1 lead in the last ten minutes of the game, whenJostein Flo scored twice to secure his side a share of the points.[30] A 1–1 draw withCoventry City was followed by the South Coast club's second win of the campaign, 2–1 against high-flyersNewcastle United, in whichMatt Le Tissier scored both goals through "two moments of sheer magic" according to club historians.[30] The club's leading goalscorer picked up another brace a week later, when the Saints lost 2–4 toLiverpool atAnfield, in a game which marked the final appearance ofTim Flowers.[31]
Two more wins in their next three games saw Southampton climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since September. After the Liverpool defeat, the Saints picked up a narrow 1–0 win over a strugglingTottenham Hotspur side, with Maddison scoring the only goal of the game on the hour mark, heading in a chipped assist by Le Tissier.[31] After a 0–2 loss atBlackburn Rovers in which former SaintAlan Shearer scored both goals, the team beatAston Villa by the same scoreline thanks to another pair of goals from Le Tissier.[31] The win over Villa saw Southampton move up to 19th in the table for the first time in almost three months.[32] The club's safety was short-lived, however, as they lost their next five games and dropped back to second-from-bottom in the league table, suffering defeats at the hands of Everton (0–1), Ipswich Town (0–1), Queens Park Rangers (0–1), and bottom-placed Swindon Town (1–2) in the run-up to Christmas.[31] In the days after Christmas, Southampton picked up four points from a possible six, beatingChelsea 3–1 at home and drawing 1–1 withManchester City atMaine Road, withIain Dowie scoring in both games (his first goals in any competition since August).[31]
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After a 0–1 New Year's Day loss at home to top-six sideNorwich City and a poor performance in their openingFA Cup match againstSecond Division sidePort Vale, Southampton parted ways with manager Ian Branfoot on 10 January 1994.[33] Whilst the club looked for a replacement, they were temporarily managed by coachesLew Chatterley andDave Merrington, who oversaw a 1–0 home win over Coventry City decided by a Le Tissier penalty on the stroke of half-time.[34] Rumoured successors for Branfoot's position included formerEngland managerGraham Taylor and former Saints playersAlan Ball andPeter Shilton, who were managing South West sidesExeter City andPlymouth Argyle, respectively, at the time.[33] On 20 January, it was Ball who officially took over the role, while former managerLawrie McMenemy also became the club's "general manager".[13]
Ball's first game in charge of Southampton took place two days after his arrival, as the club (sitting 21st in the table) travelled to face third-placedNewcastle United. After opening the scoring just five minutes in through Maddison, but going into half-time level after anAndy Cole equaliser shortly before the break, the Saints secured a "memorable win" when Le Tissier scored a "stunning free kick" in the 83rd minute.[34] A marginal 1–2 loss against fellow relegation risksOldham Athletic followed, before Southampton faced top side Liverpool in their first home game under Ball. The hosts opened the scoring after just 28 seconds through Le Tissier and were 2–0 up within eight minutes when the returningCraig Maskell scored on his first game since re-signing the previous week.[34] Le Tissier made it 3–0 with a penalty for a foul just before half-time, before repeating the feat again shortly after the break following a handball to complete his hat-trick and extend Southampton's lead to 4–0 – Liverpool would pick up two late consolation goals throughJulian Dicks andIan Rush.[34]
Beating Wimbledon 1–0 two weeks after the Liverpool win saw Southampton rise to 17th in the FA Premier League table – the highest position they would reach all season.[35] After the positive start to Ball's tenure, however, the Saints would not pick up another win in their next seven games. Two "scrappy" draws against Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday preceded the side's heaviest defeat of the season, 0–4 at home to Arsenal, in whichIan Wright scored a hat-trick.[36] They subsequently dropped points against four teams in a row that were also facing the threat of relegation, drawing 0–0 at Sheffield United before losing 1–3 at home to Oldham Athletic, 0–2 at Chelsea and 0–1 at home to Manchester City – a run of results which had seen them drop back to 21st in the table, with only six games left (only two of which were at The Dell).[36]
On 9 April, Southampton faced Norwich City atCarrow Road, coming from behind four times throughout the match to win 5–4; Le Tissier scored a third away hat-trick in the second half, as well as setting up Monkou's last-minute winner with a corner.[34] This was followed by a 3–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers, who were just three points behind Manchester United at the top of the table, which saw the Saints move back up to 19th out of the relegation zone.[37] After a 0–3 loss at fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur, the club moved back up to 17th with a 4–1 home win over Aston Villa in which Le Tissier (who scored twice) was joined on the scoresheet by Monkou and Maddison, both of whom were assisted by the newly-namedPlayer of the Season.[38] The final two games of the season saw Southampton lose 0–2 to Manchester United and draw 3–3 withWest Ham United – the latter enough to secure FA Premier League safety due to results elsewhere.[38] Like the season before, Southampton survived relegation by a single point.[38]
| 14 August 19931 | Southampton | 0–2 | Everton | Southampton |
| Beagrie 10' Ebbrell 45' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,051 Referee:Keith Cooper |
| 17 August 19932 | Ipswich Town | 1–0 | Southampton | Ipswich |
| Marshall 58' | Stadium:Portman Road Attendance: 14,958 Referee:Alan Wilkie |
| 21 August 19933 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | Southampton | London |
| Penrice 13' Wilson 46' (pen.) | Dowie 88' | Stadium:Loftus Road Attendance: 10,613 Referee:Roger Dilkes |
| 25 August 19934 | Southampton | 5–1 | Swindon Town | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 12',50' Kenna 56'Dowie 62'Maddison 79' | Maskell 83' (pen.) | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,505 Referee:Paul Durkin |
| 28 August 19935 | Southampton | 1–3 | Manchester United | Southampton |
| Maddison 12' | Sharpe 5' Cantona 15'Irwin 49' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,189 Referee: Alan Gunn |
| 31 August 19936 | Wimbledon | 1–0 | Southampton | London |
| Barton 34' | Stadium:Selhurst Park Attendance: 6,036 Referee:Keith Hackett |
| 11 September 19937 | Southampton | 0–2 | Leeds United | Southampton |
| Deane 50' Speed 90' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,511 Referee:Keith Burge |
| 18 September 19938 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–0 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Sheridan 58' (pen.) Hirst 80' | Stadium:Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 22,503 Referee:Rodger Gifford |
| 25 September 19939 | Arsenal | 1–0 | Southampton | London |
| Merson 45' | Stadium:Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 26,902 Referee: Kelvin Morton |
| 2 October 199310 | Southampton | 3–3 | Sheffield United | Southampton |
| Monkou 29' Maddison 53'Kenna 77' | Falconer 72' Flo 80',90' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 11,619 Referee:Graham Poll |
| 16 October 199311 | Coventry City | 1–1 | Southampton | Coventry |
| Babb 87' | Charlton 56' | Stadium:Highfield Road Attendance: 9,837 Referee:Joe Worrall |
| 24 October 199312 | Southampton | 2–1 | Newcastle United | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 62',87' | Cole 72' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,804 Referee:Philip Don |
| 30 October 199313 | Liverpool | 4–2 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Fowler 14',29',85' Rush 63' | Le Tissier 40',79' | Stadium:Anfield Attendance: 32,818 Referee:Dermot Gallagher |
| 6 November 199314 | Southampton | 1–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Southampton |
| Maddison 60' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,017 Referee:David Allison |
| 20 November 199315 | Blackburn Rovers | 2–0 | Southampton | Blackburn |
| Shearer 24' (pen.),77' | Stadium:Ewood Park Attendance: 17,434 Referee:Keith Cooper |
| 24 November 199316 | Aston Villa | 0–2 | Southampton | Birmingham |
| Le Tissier 50',62' | Stadium:Villa Park Attendance: 16,180 Referee: Kelvin Morton |
| 29 November 199317 | Southampton | 0–2 | West Ham United | Southampton |
| Morley 30' Chapman 38' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 13,258 Referee:Martin Bodenham |
| 4 December 199318 | Everton | 1–0 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Cottee 35' | Stadium:Goodison Park Attendance: 13,265 Referee:Keith Burge |
| 8 December 199319 | Southampton | 0–1 | Ipswich Town | Southampton |
| Kiwomya 54' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 9,028 Referee:Gerald Ashby |
| 11 December 199320 | Southampton | 0–1 | Queens Park Rangers | Southampton |
| Ferdinand 2' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 11,946 Referee:Keren Barratt |
| 18 December 199321 | Swindon Town | 2–1 | Southampton | Swindon |
| Bodin 11' Scott 65' | Le Tissier 38' | Stadium:County Ground Attendance: 13,565 Referee:David Elleray |
| 27 December 199322 | Southampton | 3–1 | Chelsea | Southampton |
| Widdrington 28' Dowie 65'Bennett 89' | Stein 42' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,221 Referee:Paul Durkin |
| 28 December 199323 | Manchester City | 1–1 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Phelan 29' | Dowie 26' | Stadium:Maine Road Attendance: 24,712 Referee:Alan Wilkie |
| 1 January 199424 | Southampton | 0–1 | Norwich City | Southampton |
| Sutton 45' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,556 Referee:Graham Poll |
| 15 January 199425 | Southampton | 1–0 | Coventry City | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 44' (pen.) | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 12,397 Referee:Philip Don |
| 22 January 199426 | Newcastle United | 1–2 | Southampton | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Cole 38' | Maddison 5' Le Tissier 83' | Stadium:St James' Park Attendance: 32,067 Referee: Alan Gunn |
| 5 February 199427 | Oldham Athletic | 2–1 | Southampton | Oldham |
| McCarthy 33' Bernard 38' | Le Tissier 26' | Stadium:Boundary Park Attendance: 9,982 Referee: Kelvin Morton |
| 14 February 199428 | Southampton | 4–2 | Liverpool | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 1',42' (pen.),50' (pen.) Maskell 6' | Dicks 69' (pen.) Rush 86' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 18,306 Referee:Peter Foakes |
| 26 February 199429 | Southampton | 1–0 | Wimbledon | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 74' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,790 Referee:Dermot Gallagher |
| 5 March 199430 | Leeds United | 0–0 | Southampton | Leeds |
| Stadium:Elland Road Attendance: 30,829 Referee:Robbie Hart |
| 12 March 199431 | Southampton | 1–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | Southampton |
| Monkou 78' | Bart-Williams 67' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,391 Referee:David Crick |
| 19 March 199432 | Southampton | 0–4 | Arsenal | Southampton |
| Wright 12',30',69' (pen.) Campbell 85' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,790 Referee:David Frampton |
| 26 March 199433 | Sheffield United | 0–0 | Southampton | Sheffield |
| Stadium:Bramall Lane Attendance: 19,522 Referee:David Elleray |
| 30 March 199434 | Southampton | 1–3 | Oldham Athletic | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 58' | Sharp 13' Benali 42' (o.g.)Holden 88' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 14,101 Referee:Vic Callow |
| 2 April 199435 | Chelsea | 2–0 | Southampton | London |
| Spencer 45' Johnsen 80' | Stadium:Stamford Bridge Attendance: 19,801 Referee:Mike Reed |
| 4 April 199436 | Southampton | 0–1 | Manchester City | Southampton |
| Karl 88' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 16,377 Referee:Brian Hill |
| 9 April 199437 | Norwich City | 4–5 | Southampton | Norwich |
| Robins 37' Goss 48'Sutton 55',63' | Ullathorne 44' (o.g.) Le Tissier 57',63' (pen.),72'Monkou 90' | Stadium:Carrow Road Attendance: 17,150 Referee:Keith Cooper |
| 16 April 199438 | Southampton | 3–1 | Blackburn Rovers | Southampton |
| Dowie 28' Allen 38'Le Tissier 69' (pen.) | Ripley 48' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 19,105 Referee:Joe Worrall |
| 23 April 199439 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3–0 | Southampton | London |
| Sedgley 4' Samways 66'Anderton 88' | Stadium:White Hart Lane Attendance: 25,959 Referee:Paul Durkin |
| 30 April 199440 | Southampton | 4–1 | Aston Villa | Southampton |
| Le Tissier 19',76' Monkou 31'Maddison 85' | Saunders 57' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 18,803 Referee:Steve Lodge |
| 4 May 199441 | Manchester United | 2–0 | Southampton | Manchester |
| Kanchelskis 60' Hughes 89' | Stadium:Old Trafford Attendance: 44,705 Referee:Terry Holbrook |
| 7 May 199442 | West Ham United | 3–3 | Southampton | London |
| Williamson 11' Allen 62'Chapman 89' | Le Tissier 45',65' (pen.) Maddison 52' | Stadium:Boleyn Ground Attendance: 26,952 Referee:Gerald Ashby |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Manchester City | 42 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 38 | 49 | −11 | 45 | |
| 17 | Everton | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 44 | |
| 18 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 49 | 66 | −17 | 43 | |
| 19 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 35 | 58 | −23 | 43 | |
| 20 | Sheffield United(R) | 42 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 42 | Relegation toFootball League First Division |
Southampton entered the 1993–94 FA Cup, drawn againstSecond Division sidePort Vale. The last game in charge forIan Branfoot, the tie took place atThe Dell but saw the visitors "outplaying" the hosts from early on; in the 14th minute,Andy Porter scored a free kick to put his third-flight side ahead, after goalkeeperDave Beasant made a mistake.[39] Despite failing to increase the pressure in any noticeable fashion, the Saints equalised just before half-time throughIain Dowie, who converted a chance created byTommy Widdrington.[39] The second half brought no goals for either side, forcing a replay ten days later.[40] With caretaker managersLew Chatterley andDave Merrington leading for their second and final game, Southampton were eliminated by a single goal scored in the 18th minute byBernie Slaven.[40]
| 8 January 1994Round 3 | Southampton | 1–1 | Port Vale | Southampton |
| Dowie 43' | Porter 14' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 11,086 |
| 18 January 1994Round 3 replay | Port Vale | 1–0 | Southampton | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Slaven 18' | Stadium:Vale Park Attendance: 12,042 |
Southampton entered the second round of the 1993–94 League Cup againstShrewsbury Town, who were playing in the fourth flight of English football, theThird Division. After winning the first leg 1–0 thanks to a first-half goal fromKevin Moore, the top-flight Saints were eliminated after a 0–2 loss atGay Meadow in the return leg, marking the first time since 1987–88 they had been knocked out at the first hurdle.[41]
| 22 September 1993Round 2 Leg 1 | Southampton | 1–0 | Shrewsbury Town | Southampton |
| Moore 24' | Stadium:The Dell Attendance: 5,038 |
| 6 October 1993Round 2 Leg 2 | Shrewsbury Town | 2–0 | Southampton | Shrewsbury |
| Summerfield 36' Brown 71' | Stadium:Gay Meadow Attendance: 5,247 |
Outside the league, FA Cup and League Cup, the Southampton first team played four additional matches during the 1993–94 season. The first was a 4–0 friendly win over WelshConference sideMerthyr Tydfil in December, which was followed by a 3–0 home win over Swedish sideGöteborg in January and a 2–1 win overSouthend United of theFirst Division in February.[28] The final game of the season came three days after the league's conclusion and saw the Saints face nearby rivalsPortsmouth for the first time since 1988, in a testimonial for goalkeeperAlan Knight.[42] The FA Premier League side won the friendly match 5–1, with first-half goals fromIain Dowie andNeil Maddison followed by second-half additions fromCraig Maskell,Jeff Kenna andDavid Hughes.[42] Knight himself scored Pompey's consolation goal just before being substituted off, converting a penalty given for a foul byFrancis Benali on strikerGuy Whittingham.[42] Late in the game, Southampton managerAlan Ball played a few minutes himself.[42]
Merthyr Tydfil v Southampton| 13 December 1993Friendly | Merthyr Tydfil | 0–4 | Southampton | Merthyr Tydfil,Wales |
| Dowie Hughes Robinson | Stadium:Penydarren Park |
Göteborg| 31 January 1994Friendly | Southampton | 3–0 | Göteborg | Southampton |
| Le Tissier Dowie | Stadium:The Dell |
| 18 February 1994Friendly | Southend United | 1–2 | Southampton | Southend-on-Sea |
| Dowie Le Tissier | Stadium:Roots Hall |
| 10 May 1994Alan Knight Testimonial | Portsmouth | 1–5 | Southampton | Portsmouth |
| Knight (pen.) | Dowie 16' Kenna 65'Maddison Maskell Hughes 80' | Stadium:Fratton Park Attendance: 16,831 Referee: Mick Pierce |
Southampton used 31 players during the 1993–94 season, 11 of whom scored during the campaign.[43] Ten players made their debut appearances for the club, including eight of their nine first team signings (Paul Allen,[8]Dave Beasant,[11]Simon Charlton,[4]Colin Cramb,[5]Neil Heaney,[21]Craig Maskell,[14]Jim Magilton,[15] andPeter Reid[9]), one signing from the previous season (Frankie Bennett[44]), and one player making the step up from youth to the first team (David Hughes[45]). Two of these – Cramb[5] and Reid[9] – also made their last appearances for the Saints during the campaign, as did mid-season departeesMicky Adams,[18]Glenn Cockerill,[12]Tim Flowers,[10]Terry Hurlock,[17]Paul Moody,[16] andLee Powell,[20] plus five more players sold the following season:Ian Andrews,[46]Neal Bartlett,[47]Matthew Bound,[24]Kevin Moore,[48] andSteve Wood.[49] MidfielderNeil Maddison made the most appearances for Southampton during 1993–94, playing in all but one league game during the campaign.[43]Matt Le Tissier was the club's top goalscorer again, with 25 goals in the league.[43] Le Tissier also won theSouthampton F.C. Player of the Season award, becoming the third player (and the first outfield player) to receive the accolade for a second time.[38]
| No. | Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | Discipline | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals | Apps. | Goals |  |  | ||||
| 1 | Dave Beasant | GK | | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Jeff Kenna | DF |  | 40(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42(1) | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | Jim Magilton | MF | | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Richard Hall | DF | | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Ken Monkou | DF |  | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | Matt Le Tissier | MF | | 38 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 25 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | Craig Maskell | FW | | 6(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Iain Dowie | FW | | 39 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| 10 | Neil Maddison | MF | | 41 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | Francis Benali | DF | | 34(3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37(3) | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 12 | Neil Heaney | MF | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Ian Andrews | GK | | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Simon Charlton | DF | | 29(4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31(4) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | Jason Dodd | DF | | 5(5) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7(5) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Nicky Banger | FW | | 4(10) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 4(12) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Kevin Moore | DF | | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Steve Wood | DF | | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 29(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | Paul McDonald | DF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Tommy Widdrington | MF | | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | Matthew Bound | DF | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Neil Hopper | GK | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Frankie Bennett | FW | | 0(8) | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1(9) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Neal Bartlett | MF | | 4(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 4(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Paul Allen | MF | | 29(3) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33(3) | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 29 | David Hughes | MF | | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Colin Cramb | FW | | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Squad members who left before the end of the season | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Tim Flowers | GK | | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Micky Adams | DF | | 17(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | Terry Hurlock | MF | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Glenn Cockerill | MF | | 12(2) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Paul Moody | FW | | 3(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Lee Powell | FW | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Peter Reid | MF | | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | Martin Thomas | MF | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Total | |||
| 1 | Neil Maddison | MF | 41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 45 |
| 2 | Iain Dowie | FW | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 43 |
| Jeff Kenna | DF | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 43 | |
| 4 | Matt Le Tissier | MF | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Francis Benali | DF | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 3 | 40 | |
| 6 | Ken Monkou | DF | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 38 |
| 7 | Paul Allen | MF | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 36 |
| 8 | Simon Charlton | DF | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 4 | 35 |
| 9 | Steve Wood | DF | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 30 |
| 10 | Dave Beasant | GK | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 27 |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | GPG | |||
| 1 | Matt Le Tissier | FW | 25 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 40 | 0.63 |
| 2 | Neil Maddison | MF | 7 | 41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 45 | 0.16 |
| 3 | Iain Dowie | FW | 5 | 39 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 43 | 0.14 |
| 4 | Ken Monkou | DF | 4 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 0.11 |
| 5 | Jeff Kenna | DF | 2 | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 42 | 0.05 |
| 6 | Frankie Bennett | FW | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0.10 |
| Craig Maskell | FW | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0.10 | |
| Tommy Widdrington | MF | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.08 | |
| Kevin Moore | DF | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 0.06 | |
| Simon Charlton | DF | 1 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 0.03 | |
| Paul Allen | MF | 1 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 0.03 | |
