The 1938–39 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 44th season of competitive football and 17th season in the Second Division of the Football League. The campaign was another disappointment for the Saints, who finished 19th in the league with 13 wins, nine draws and 20 losses – three positions lower than the previous season and four points above the relegation zone. Due to the uncertain international economic landscape, the club was unable to make many significant signings in the summer, with Welsh full-back Tom Emanuel their most expensive transfer. Several key figures left the South Coast club early in the season, including long-time players Charlie Sillett and Arthur Roberts, both of whom had made over 150 appearances; previous season's top scorer Harry Osman also departed in March 1939.
Southampton entered the 1938–39 FA Cup in the third round against Southern League club Chelmsford City. Despite competing two divisions above the Clarets, the Saints lost 1–4 to the non-league side, marking the fourth season in a row the Saints had failed to make it past their first game in the tournament. Alongside the Second Division and the FA Cup, Southampton played just one friendly match at the beginning of the 1938–39 season, against local rivals Portsmouth as part of the celebrations for the Football League's 50th jubilee. The match was won 4–2 by the First Division side, who overcame an early deficit to win the game at Fratton Park.
The club used 30 different players during the 1938–39 season and had nine different goalscorers. Their top scorer was new inside-forward Fred Briggs, who scored 14 goals in 36 league appearances. Fellow new arrival Reg Tomlinson scored 12 times during the Second Division campaign and once in the FA Cup, while Harry Osman scored nine league goals before his departure before the end of the season. 14 players were signed by the club during the campaign, with ten released and sold to other clubs, while one (John Summers) retired. The average attendance at The Dell during 1938–39 was 14,591. The highest attendance was 23,104 against recently relegated Manchester City on 12 November 1938; the lowest was 4,196 against Burnley in the final home fixture of the campaign on 29 April 1939.
1938–39 was Southampton's last full season of competitive football until 1946. The 1939–40 Football League season was abandoned after just three games due to the outbreak of World War II, which lasted until 1945. At the time of the abandonment, Southampton were 17th in the table with one win and two defeats. The FA Cup was hosted during 1945–46, with the Football League returning the following year. Tom Parker resigned as manager during the war, making the 1938–39 season his last with the club.
Background and transfers
Due to the "uncertain international situation" ahead of the outbreak of World War II, Southampton's directors were reportedly "naturally unwilling to spend money on new players", meaning manager Tom Parker was unable to make significant signings ahead of the 1938–39 season.[1] One of the first signings of the summer was 30-year-old forward Fred Briggs, who made the step up from Third Division South side Reading to the Saints on a free transfer; he went on to play in almost every game of the campaign, playing in all five forward positions and finishing as the club's top scorer.[2] Other successful early signings included Harry Brophy from Arsenal, who scored in each of his first four games when played as a "makeshift centre-forward", before spending the rest of the season at half-back and full-back;[3]Reg Tomlinson from Grimsby Town, who took over the centre-forward position and finished as the club's second highest goalscorer for the season;[4] and Tom Emanuel from Swansea Town, who replaced the outgoing Charlie Sillett at left-back.[5]
Several players left the Southampton squad in the summer of 1938. Wing-half Alf Day, inside-forward Jimmy Woolf and centre-forward Billy Dunn all left the club after arriving only a year earlier, having made a total of 38 appearances combined between them.[6][7][8] Long-time squad members Charlie Sillett and Arthur Roberts, both of whom were approaching the latter years of their playing careers, also left in the summer – Sillett, who made just shy of 200 appearances for the Saints in all competitions, joined Guildford City in the Southern League;[9] while Arthur Roberts, who had played over 150 games for the club, moved to league rivals Swansea Town.[10] Winger John Summers, who had been a regular in 1936–37, his debut season with the club, was forced to retire from football due to an injury.[11] Right-back Frank Perfect arrived from Tranmere Rovers in January 1939,[12] while Harry Osman – the previous season's top goalscorer – departed Southampton in March for Millwall, who paid £3,500 for the winger.[13]
Southampton faced a tough start to their 1938–39 Second Division campaign, with their first four fixtures against sides that had all finished in the top ten the previous season. The result was four consecutive defeats – 1–2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur, 1–2 at Burnley, 2–5 at Bury and 0–3 at Coventry City – which left the Saints at the bottom of the league table.[27] New signing Harry Brophy scored in each of the first three games playing at centre-forward, before he played the rest of the season in various positions across the half-back line (and a handful of times at left full-back).[28] After their first win, the Saints' form improved throughout the autumn, with the side picking up four wins and going on a four-game unbeaten run during October and November, including a 2–1 win over the recently relegated West Bromwich Albion, a hard-fought 4–3 win over Sheffield Wednesday, and the season's first away win over Millwall.[28] Four defeats in five games between 12 November and 10 December (including a 1–6 thrashing at Chesterfield) ensured the team never made it above 16th place in the table before the new year.[28] The side's one win in this period was their biggest of the season, 4–1 over fellow strugglers Swansea Town.[28]
1939 began in much the same way, with Southampton picking up just one point from their first three games of the calendar year; during February, however, the club picked up another handful of wins (three from four matches, including 2–0 away against Nottingham Forest) to ensure they remained safe above the relegation zone.[28] After the March departure of Harry Osman, who had scored nine of the club's league goals up to that point, the Saints began to struggle even more – they lost four of their seven fixtures in April, including 2–6 and 0–4 thrashings at the hands of Luton Town, a 0–3 defeat by eventual champions Blackburn Rovers, and a 2–0 loss at home to mid-table West Ham United.[28] The team's final points came in the form of a close 2–1 win over Burnley, with the final game of the season seeing Plymouth Argyle return their early defeat with a 2–0 win over the South Coast side.[28] Southampton finished the season in 18th position in the Second Division league table – three positions lower than the previous campaign – with 13 wins, nine draws and 20 losses (their highest number of losses in over ten years).[28] They finished four points above Norwich City in 21st position, the first Third Division relegation place.[28]
Southampton entered the 1938–39 FA Cup in the third round against Southern League side Chelmsford City. Despite competing two divisions below the Saints, the Clarets defeated the Second Division side 4–1 in the first fixture of 1939, dominating most of the game to eliminate the South Coast club at the first hurdle for the fourth season in a row.[1]
Outside the league and the FA Cup, Southampton played just one additional game during the 1938–39 season, against local rivals Portsmouth (then struggling in the First Division) as part of the Football League's 50th jubilee celebrations.[30] The visiting Saints opened the scoring through Billy Bevis in the first minute, before Pompey took control and equalised before half-time.[30] The hosts began to dominate after the break, scoring three goals in quick succession to secure the win comfortably, before Reg Tomlinson scored a consolation late on for Southampton.[30]
Southampton used 30 different players during the 1938–39 season, nine of whom scored during the campaign. The team played in a 2–3–5 formation throughout, using two full-backs, three half-backs, two outside forwards, two inside forwards and a centre-forward.[28] Goalkeeper Sam Warhurst, outside-right Billy Bevis and wing-half Harry Brophy featured in more games than any other Southampton player, with all three playing in 37 league games and the FA Cup tie.[28] New inside-forward Fred Briggs finished as the season's top goalscorer with 14 goals in the league, followed by Reg Tomlinson with 12 league and one FA Cup goal.[28]
Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (10 August 1987), A Complete Record of Southampton Football Club: 1885–1987, Derby, England: Breedon Books, ISBN978-0907969228
Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (28 November 2013), All the Saints: A Complete Who's Who of Southampton FC, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN978-0992686406
Juson, Dave; Aldworth, Clay; Bendel, Barry; Bull, David; Chalk, Gary (10 November 2004), Saints v Pompey: A History of Unrelenting Rivalry, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN978-0953447459
