1990–91 Southampton F.C. season

The 1990–91 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 90th season of competitive football and their 21st in the First Division of the Football League. The season was a disappointing one for the Saints, who finished 14th in the league, marking Chris Nicholl's joint worst result as manager. Outside the First Division, the Saints reached the fifth round of both the FA Cup and the League Cup (the same as the season before), and the third round of the Full Members' Cup. 1990–91 was Southampton's final season to feature Nicholl as manager – he was sacked upon the season's end in June 1991.

Southampton F.C.
1990–91 season
ChairmanGuy Askham
ManagerChris Nicholl
StadiumThe Dell
First Division14th
FA CupFifth round
League CupFifth round
Full Members' CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague: Matt Le Tissier (19)
All: Matt Le Tissier (23)
Highest home attendance21,405 v Tottenham
Hotspur
(29 December 1990)
Lowest home attendance5,071 v Queens Park
Rangers
(20 November 1990)
Average home league attendance15,413
Biggest win5–0 v Rochdale
(25 September 1990)
Biggest defeat0–4 v Arsenal
(17 November 1990)
2–6 v Derby County
(4 May 1991)

Like the previous season, Southampton did not make any signings in the transfer window ahead of the 1990–91 campaign, although Graham Baker, Mark Blake and Gerry Forrest all left the club. Partway through the season, however, Nicholl did bolster the squad with the additions of Sergey Gotsmanov, Alan McLoughlin, Richard Hall, and the returning Jon Gittens. Southampton's league form was poor throughout most of the campaign, with the side generally remaining in the mid-table area and rarely threatening the higher positions. Their worst spell came between November and December, when they failed to pick up a win in six games, including suffering five defeats. A few key wins towards season end kept the Saints safe from the risk of relegation.

In the FA Cup, Southampton edged past Second Division side Ipswich Town in the third round and overcame top-flight rivals Coventry City in the fourth round after a replay. They were knocked out in the fifth round by Nottingham Forest, another First Division club, who went on to reach the final of the tournament (before losing in extra time). In the League Cup, they thrashed Rochdale of the Fourth Division in the second round, followed by wins over Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace, but faced elimination in the fifth round at the hands of Manchester United, who – like Forest in the FA Cup – went on to reach the final of the tournament. In their return to the Full Members' Cup, the Saints beat Queens Park Rangers before losing to Norwich City in the third round.

Southampton used 27 players during the 1990–91 season and had 12 different goalscorers. Like the previous season, their top two scorers were Matt Le Tissier and Rod Wallace, who scored 23 and 19 goals, respectively, in all competitions. Midfielder Barry Horne was the only Saints player to feature in all 51 games across the four competitions. Striker Alan Shearer, who finished third in the goal rankings with 14, won the 1990–91 Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award. The average league attendance at The Dell during 1990–91 was 15,413. The highest attendance was 21,405 against Tottenham Hotspur on 29 December 1990 and the lowest was 5,071 against Queens Park Rangers in the Full Members' Cup on 20 November 1990.

Background and transfers

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Having made just three substitute appearances since his arrival in January, Sammy Lee left on a free transfer to Bolton Wanderers at the beginning of the 1990–91 season.

Having led Southampton to their highest league finish since his arrival as manager, Chris Nicholl opted not to make any new signings during the summer 1990 transfer window.[1] However, there were several players who left the club ahead of the 1990–91 campaign, all moving to Third Division sides in August 1990: centre-back Mark Blake, who had been with the club since 1984 but struggled to establish his place in the first team, was sold to Shrewsbury Town for a fee of £100,000;[2] midfielder Graham Baker, who had made just shy of 200 appearances for the Saints over two tenures totalling nine years, left on a free transfer for Fulham;[3] and right-back Gerry Forrest, who had lost his place in the team following a serious injury in 1989, moved back to his former club Rotherham United on a free transfer.[4] Sammy Lee was released to Bolton Wanderers in October.[5]

Shortly after the start of the season, Nicholl made his first signing of the season, bringing in Soviet attacking midfielder Sergey Gotsmanov from Brighton & Hove Albion for £150,000.[6] He was followed in December by another attacking midfielder, Republic of Ireland international Alan McLoughlin, who joined from Swindon Town in the Second Division for a Saints record fee of £1 million.[7] The additions continued into the second half of the season – in February, promising young centre-back Richard Hall was signed from Fourth Division side Scunthorpe United for £200,000;[8] in March, Jon Gittens returned from Swindon Town – to whom the Saints had sold the defender just under four years earlier – for a fee of £400,000;[9] and the same month, Welsh midfielder David Hughes arrived from non-league side Weymouth as a trainee (he would turn professional at the beginning of the next season).[10] Steve Davis and Paul Rideout spent the final few months of the season out on loan, at Notts County and Swindon Town, respectively (both would leave in the summer).[11][12]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Neal Bartlett   England MF none (free agent) June 1990 Free[a] [13]
Sergey Gotsmanov   Soviet Union MF   Brighton & Hove Albion September 1990 £150,000 [6]
Alan McLoughlin   Republic of Ireland MF   Swindon Town December 1990 £1,000,000 [7]
Richard Hall   England DF   Scunthorpe United February 1991 £200,000 [8]
Jon Gittens   England DF   Swindon Town March 1991 £400,000 [9]
David Hughes   Wales MF   Weymouth March 1991 Free[b] [10]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Graham Baker   England MF   Fulham August 1990 Free [3]
Mark Blake   England DF   Shrewsbury Town August 1990 £100,000 [2]
Gerry Forrest   England DF   Rotherham United August 1990 Free [4]
Sammy Lee   England MF   Bolton Wanderers October 1990 Free [5]

Players loaned in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date from Date to Ref.
Keith Granger   England GK   Basingstoke Town November 1990 December 1990 [14]

Players loaned out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date from Date to Ref.
Steve Davis   England DF   Notts County March 1991 End of season [11]
Paul Rideout   England FW   Swindon Town March 1991 End of season [12]

Notes

  1. ^ Neal Bartlett initially signed as an associate schoolboy in June 1990, before becoming a trainee in June 1991 and turning professional in July 1993.[13]
  2. ^ David Hughes initially signed as a trainee in March 1991, before turning professional that August.[10]

Pre-season friendlies

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Ahead of the 1990–91 league campaign, Southampton played seven pre-season friendlies. The first of these was a 6–0 win over Weymouth of the Southern League in which Alan Shearer scored a hat-trick, which was played on the same day as an alternate squad won 8–1 over Slough Town of the Conference (Paul Rideout scored five times in this game).[15] A few days later, the club completed a short tour of Norway which included a goalless draw against Tromsø and a 2–3 defeat at Rosenborg (who went on to win the Eliteserien that year).[15] Back in England, Southampton's final three pre-season friendlies saw them beat Conference side Wycombe Wanderers 1–0, draw 0–0 with Southern League side Bashley, and lose 0–2 to Second Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers.[15]

4 August 1990 Friendly Weymouth 0–6 Southampton Weymouth
Shearer    
Maddison   
Ray Wallace  
Stadium: Wessex Stadium
4 August 1990 Friendly Slough Town 1–8 Southampton Slough
Rideout      
Le Tissier  
Moore  
Rowland  
Stadium: Wexham Park Stadium
7 August 1990 Friendly   Tromsø 0–0 Southampton Tromsø, Norway
Stadium: Alfheim Stadion
9 August 1990 Friendly   Rosenborg 3–2 Southampton Trondheim, Norway
Case  
Le Tissier  
Stadium: Lerkendal Stadion
11 August 1990 Friendly Wycombe Wanderers 0–1 Southampton High Wycombe
Rod Wallace   Stadium: Adams Park
11 August 1990 Friendly Bashley 0–0 Southampton Bashley
Stadium: Bashley Road
17 August 1990 Friendly Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 Southampton Wolverhampton
Stadium: Molineux Stadium

First Division

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Alan Shearer played 36 of Southampton's 38 league games in 1990–91, picking up the Player of the Season award at the end of the year.

Southampton started the 1990–91 league campaign slowly, picking up one draw (at last season's runners-up Aston Villa), one win (a narrow 1–0 victory over Norwich City) and two losses (against Luton Town and Nottingham Forest) in their first four fixtures.[1] A 2–0 win over recently promoted Sheffield United was followed by two more losses on the road – at Manchester United and Everton – after which the Saints sat 15th in the First Division table.[16] October brought similarly mixed fortunes – the month began with a "hectic, full-blooded" match at home to Chelsea, which ended in a 3–3 draw. This was followed by a 2–1 win over Coventry City and a 0–1 defeat at home to Derby County, who had only avoided relegation the season before by three points, after which Nicholl claimed that no one besides goalkeeper Tim Flowers "justified their place [in the team] or their wage packet".[17]

After a 1–1 draw at Wimbledon and a "comfortable" 3–1 win over Queens Park Rangers, the Saints lost four games in a row and dropped as low as 17th in the league table.[18] The first game in the spell saw the club suffer its heaviest defeat of the season, losing 0–4 to eventual title winners Arsenal.[17] This was followed by a 2–3 home defeat to in-form Crystal Palace, a 1–2 loss at Leeds United in which the hosts scored two in first ten minutes of the game, and finally a 1–3 loss away to Norwich City.[17][19] A home draw with Aston Villa in which record signing Alan McLoughlin debuted was followed by another away defeat, this time a 2–3 loss at defending champions Liverpool.[19] 1990 ended with Southampton's first two wins in a row of the season, as they beat Manchester City 2–1 at home thanks to a late winner from Matt Le Tissier, and a few days later beat top-three side Tottenham Hotspur at The Dell in which Le Tissier scored a brace.[19] Having picked up key points following their spell of four consecutive losses, the Saints ended the year 13th in the table.[20]

1991 started with a defeat at Sunderland, which was followed by a hard-fought 4–3 win away at Luton Town, in which top scorers Le Tissier and Rod Wallace shared the goals equally.[19] More poor form followed, as the team won just one of their next seven games (at home to Leeds United), and as a result dropped into the relegation zone for the first time.[21] The Saints fought back in late March, picking up a 2–0 away win at Chelsea and responding three times to pick up a point at Manchester City.[22] On 1 April, they unexpectedly beat back-to-back title hopefuls Liverpool 1–0 at home, with Le Tissier scoring the only goal of the game in just the fourth minute, which club historians report "knocked a massive dent in Liverpool's championship hopes".[22] After a 0–2 loss at Tottenham Hotspur, the Saints held champions-elect Arsenal to a 1–1 draw at The Dell.[22]

The last four First Division fixtures for Southampton included two home wins, over strugglers Sunderland and Coventry City, as the club pulled themselves free from any risk of relegation.[22] In the penultimate game of the season, however, the Saints suffered a humiliating 2–6 defeat at Derby County, who had not won a game in over five months and sat bottom of the First Division table.[22][23] The visitors were 0–2 down within 18 minutes and trailed 1–5 with just five minutes left to play, with Paul Williams having scored a first-half hat-trick; this marked the joint heaviest defeat of Southampton's season.[22] The final game of the campaign saw the Hampshire side draw 1–1 with Wimbledon, with Jimmy Case scoring the only goal – his only league goal of the season.[22]

Shortly after the season ended, manager Chris Nicholl was sacked by Southampton's board after six seasons, with first-team coach Dennis Rofe leaving with him.[22]

List of match results

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25 August 1990 1 Aston Villa 1–1 Southampton Birmingham
Cascarino   11' Le Tissier   7' Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 29,542
28 August 1990 2 Southampton 1–0 Norwich City Southampton
Polston   63' (o.g.) Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,206
1 September 1990 3 Southampton 1–2 Luton Town Southampton
Rideout   32' Elstrup   18', 27' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,538
8 September 1990 4 Nottingham Forest 3–1 Southampton Nottingham
Wilson   38'
Jemson   52', 54'
Rod Wallace   24' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 18,559
15 September 1990 5 Southampton 2–0 Sheffield United Southampton
Le Tissier   5'
Rod Wallace   28'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,340
22 September 1990 6 Manchester United 3–2 Southampton Manchester
McClair   20'
Blackmore   61'
Hughes   63'
Rideout   31'
Rod Wallace   66'
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 41,228
29 September 1990 7 Everton 3–0 Southampton Liverpool
Cottee   24', 71'
Ebbrell   31'
Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 23,093
6 October 1990 8 Southampton 3–3 Chelsea Southampton
Shearer   13'
Ruddock   51'
Rod Wallace   62'
Clarke   23'
Wilson   44'
Wise   73' (pen.)
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,911
20 October 1990 9 Coventry City 1–2 Southampton Coventry
Borrows   40' (pen.) Billing   5' (o.g.)
Le Tissier   49'
Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 10,040
27 October 1990 10 Southampton 0–1 Derby County Southampton
Harford   7' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,328
3 November 1990 11 Wimbledon 1–1 Southampton London
Flowers   61' Le Tissier   80' (pen.) Stadium: Plough Lane
Attendance: 5,485
10 November 1990 12 Southampton 3–1 Queens Park Rangers Southampton
Rideout   8'
Le Tissier   74'
Rod Wallace   88'
Falco   41' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,970
17 November 1990 13 Arsenal 4–0 Southampton London
Merson   20'
Limpar   32'
Smith   37', 59'
Stadium: Arsenal Stadium
Attendance: 36,229
24 November 1990 14 Southampton 2–3 Crystal Palace Southampton
Shaw   1' (o.g.)
Rideout   36'
Wright   30', 33'
Bright   53'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,851
1 December 1990 15 Leeds United 2–1 Southampton Leeds
Fairclough   5'
Shutt   10'
Rideout   49' Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 29,341
8 December 1990 16 Norwich City 3–1 Southampton Norwich
Phillips   36'
Ruddock   53' (o.g.)
Bowen   55'
Le Tissier   5' Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 11,705
15 December 1990 17 Southampton 1–1 Aston Villa Southampton
Le Tissier   42' Platt   78' (pen.) Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,604
22 December 1990 18 Liverpool 3–2 Southampton Liverpool
Rosenthal   33', 43'
Houghton   83'
Rod Wallace   18', 49' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 31,894
26 December 1990 19 Southampton 2–1 Manchester City Southampton
Horne   39'
Le Tissier   81'
Quinn   35' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,029
29 December 1990 20 Southampton 3–0 Tottenham Hotspur Southampton
Le Tissier   17', 73'
Rod Wallace   67'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,405
1 January 1991 21 Sunderland 1–0 Southampton Sunderland
Ball   47' (pen.) Stadium: Roker Park
Attendance: 19,757
12 January 1991 22 Luton Town 3–4 Southampton Luton
Elstrup   24'
James   26'
Dreyer   78' (pen.)
Rod Wallace   10', 63'
Le Tissier   28', 46'
Stadium: Kenilworth Road
Attendance: 9,021
19 January 1991 23 Southampton 1–1 Nottingham Forest Southampton
Crossley   31' (o.g.) Clough   41' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,044
2 February 1991 24 Sheffield United 4–1 Southampton Sheffield
Booker   19', 20'
Hodges   29'
Deane   30'
Moore   54' Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 16,887
23 February 1991 25 Queens Park Rangers 2–1 Southampton London
Ferdinand   7', 26' Le Tissier   65' (pen.) Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 11,009
2 March 1991 26 Southampton 2–0 Leeds United Southampton
Rideout   10'
Cockerill   85'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,585
9 March 1991 27 Crystal Palace 2–1 Southampton London
Thomas   66', 68' Cockerill   84' Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 14,529
13 March 1991 28 Southampton 1–1 Manchester United Southampton
Ruddock   13' Ince   57' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,701
16 March 1991 29 Southampton 3–4 Everton Southampton
Ruddock   37'
Newell   65' (o.g.)
Shearer   82'
Watson   31'
Milligan   38'
Newell   74'
Cottee   78'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,410
23 March 1991 30 Chelsea 0–2 Southampton London
Shearer   24'
Le Tissier   57' (pen.)
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 13,391
30 March 1991 31 Manchester City 3–3 Southampton Manchester
Allen   65'
Brennan   73'
White   85'
Le Tissier   47'
Osman   81'
McLoughlin   90'
Stadium: Maine Road
Attendance: 23,163
1 April 1991 32 Southampton 1–0 Liverpool Southampton
Le Tissier   4' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 20,255
6 April 1991 33 Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 Southampton London
Lineker   37', 40' Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 24,291
9 April 1991 34 Southampton 1–1 Arsenal Southampton
Le Tissier   79' Adams   74' (o.g.) Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,200
13 April 1991 35 Southampton 3–1 Sunderland Southampton
Rod Wallace   44'
Le Tissier   81' (pen.)
Shearer   83'
Hauser   24' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,812
20 April 1991 36 Southampton 2–1 Coventry City Southampton
Rod Wallace   27', 31' Gynn   73' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,461
4 May 1991 37 Derby County 6–2 Southampton Derby
P. Williams   5', 18', 42' (pen.)
Saunders   60', 88'
Phillips   85'
Rod Wallace   33'
Le Tissier   87' (pen.)
Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 11,680
11 May 1991 38 Southampton 1–1 Wimbledon Southampton
Case   43' Fashanu   48' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,052

Final league table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
12 Queens Park Rangers 38 12 10 16 44 53 −9 46
13 Sheffield United 38 13 7 18 36 55 −19 46
14 Southampton 38 12 9 17 58 69 −11 45
15 Norwich City 38 13 6 19 41 64 −23 45
16 Coventry City 38 11 11 16 42 49 −7 44
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored

Results by matchday

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Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAAHAHHAAHAHHHAH
ResultDWLLWLLDWLDWLLLLDLWWLWDLLWLDLWDWLDWWLD
Position7610141011151513141581112151714141413151213141413151618161715161515121514
Source: 11v11.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

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Southampton entered the 1990–91 FA Cup in the third round against Second Division side Ipswich Town, with the game drawn at The Dell. The second-flight visitors opened the scoring early on through Jason Dozzell, before Alan Shearer headed in a corner from Matt Le Tissier to equalise.[24] Just before half time, the roles were reversed as Shearer turned provider for Le Tissier, with the Saints going ahead on the stroke of the break.[24] Within 15 minutes of the restart, the hosts were 3–1 up as Le Tissier scored his second of the game, converting a cross from Micky Adams.[24] Shearer almost followed in doubling his personal tally, but it was Ipswich's Dozzell who struck again ten minutes from full-time, although Southampton held on for the win.[24] In the fourth round, the Saints faced First Division opponents Coventry City. After a 1–1 draw at Highfield Road, the Saints progressed with a 2–0 replay win at home, with goals from Jimmy Case and Rod Wallace either side of half time giving them the victory.[25]

The fifth round saw Southampton host Nottingham Forest, who they had failed to beat in the league in both fixtures of the campaign. The Saints went one up after just two minutes, when Neil Ruddock headed in a corner from Le Tissier, and continued to dominate the half when Glenn Cockerill came close twice and a Paul Rideout goal was disallowed due to offside.[26] The home side continued to enjoy chances in the second half, with Cockerill coming close again, before Forest equalised in the 80th minute through Steve Hodge, forcing a replay.[26] In the rematch at City Ground, Southampton came close to opening the scoring in the first few minutes, as Wallace hit the post and Ruddock saw his header cleared off the line by the Forest defence.[26] Wallace did open the scoring in the 14th minute, but at half-time the teams were level after Nigel Jemson converted a penalty awarded for a "dubious" handball decision against Francis Benali.[26] Jemson scored twice more after the break to complete his hat-trick and Southampton's elimination from the cup.[26]

5 January 1991 Round 3 Southampton 3–2 Ipswich Town Southampton
Shearer  
Le Tissier   43', 59'
Dozzell   12', 80' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,101
26 January 1991 Round 4 Coventry City 1–1 Southampton Coventry
Kilcline   Shearer   (pen.) Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 14,013
29 January 1991 Round 4 Replay Southampton 2–0 Coventry City Southampton
Case   37'
Rod Wallace   78'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,001
25 February 1991 Round 5 Southampton 1–1 Nottingham Forest Southampton
Ruddock   2' Hodge   80' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 18,512
4 March 1991 Round 5 Replay Nottingham Forest 3–1 Southampton Nottingham
Jemson   (pen.)   Rod Wallace   14' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 26,633

League Cup

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Southampton entered the 1990–91 League Cup in the second round against Fourth Division side Rochdale. The visiting Saints thrashed the hosts 5–0 in the first leg, with Alan Shearer scoring twice before Barry Horne, Rod Wallace and Neil Ruddock all added to the tally in the last ten minutes of the match.[27] In the second leg at The Dell, the hosts added three more to their winning aggregate score, with Nicky Banger scoring a hat-trick on his debut for the club.[27] Southampton beat Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace 2–0 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, with leading scorers Matt Le Tissier, Rod Wallace and Shearer sharing the goals.[27] In the fifth round, the Saints were held to a 1–1 draw at home by Manchester United, who then won the replay at Old Trafford 3–2 thanks to a second-half Mark Hughes hat-trick.[27]

25 September 1990 Round 2 Leg 1 Rochdale 0–5 Southampton Manchester
Shearer   46', 75'
Horne   82'
Rod Wallace   83'
Ruddock   87'
Stadium: Spotland Stadium
Attendance: 3,855
9 October 1990 Round 2 Leg 2 Southampton 3–0
(8–0 agg.)
Rochdale Southampton
Banger   30', 32', 55' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 6,754
30 October 1990 Round 3 Ipswich Town 0–2 Southampton Ipswich
Le Tissier   20'
Rod Wallace   77'
Stadium: Portman Road
Attendance: 15,573
27 November 1990 Round 4 Southampton 2–0 Crystal Palace Southampton
Le Tissier   42'
Shearer   59'
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,765
16 January 1991 Round 5 Southampton 1–1 Manchester United Southampton
Shearer   71' Hughes   77' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 21,011
23 January 1991 Round 5 Replay Manchester United 3–2 Southampton Manchester
Hughes   51', 61', 77' Shearer   52', 87' (pen.) Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 41,903

Full Members' Cup

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Southampton entered the 1990–91 Full Members' Cup in the second round, where they thrashed Queens Park Rangers 4–0 at home, with goals coming from Alan Shearer (two), Barry Horne and a Brian Law own goal.[28] The Saints lost 1–2 at Norwich City in the third round, with a second-minute Rod Wallace goal cancelled out by two goals in quick succession just before half time.[28]

20 November 1990 Round 2 Southampton 4–0 Queens Park Rangers Southampton
Shearer   14', 44'
Horne   17'
Law   80' (o.g.)
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,071
20 February 1991 Round 3 Norwich City 2–1 Southampton Norwich
Fleck   28'
Goss   40'
Rod Wallace   2' Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 5,920

Other matches

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Southampton played three additional matches during the final weeks of the 1990–91 season. In April, they beat Wessex League side Christchurch 5–0, with a hat-trick for Alan Shearer alongside goals for Matt Le Tissier and Rod Wallace.[15] Two days after the end of the league, the Saints were hosted by Southern League club Poole Town for the testimonial of Tony Funnell, which the visitors won 5–3 thanks to goals from Shearer (two), Jimmy Case, Glenn Cockerill and Ray Wallace.[15] Finally, three days later, they also beat Ryde Sports of the Wessex League 8–1, with goals including a Le Tissier hat-trick.[15]

24 April 1991 Friendly Christchurch 0–5 Southampton Christchurch
Shearer    
Le Tissier  
Rod Wallace  
Stadium: Hurn Bridge Ground
13 May 1991 Tony Funnell Testimonial Poole Town 3–5 Southampton Poole
Shearer   
Case  
Cockerill  
Ray Wallace  
Stadium: Poole Stadium
16 May 1991 Friendly Ryde Sports 1–8 Southampton Ryde
Le Tissier    
Cockerill  
Maddison  
Shearer  
Rod Wallace  
Ray Wallace  
Stadium: Smallbrook Stadium

Player details

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Southampton used 27 players during the 1990–91 season, 12 of whom scored during the campaign.[29] Five players made their debut appearances for the club, including three of their six new signings (Sergey Gotsmanov,[6] Richard Hall,[8] and Alan McLoughlin[7]) and one player making the step up from youth to the first team (Lee Powell).[30] Six players made their final appearances for the Saints during the campaign: Gotsmanov,[6] Jimmy Case,[31] Andy Cook,[32] Steve Davis,[11] Ray Wallace,[33] and Rod Wallace.[34] Midfielder Barry Horne made the most appearances for Southampton during 1990–91, playing in all 51 games across all four competitions; he was followed by goalkeeper Tim Flowers, who missed just one game each in the league and the Full Members' Cup.[29] Matt Le Tissier finished as the season's top goalscorer for the second consecutive season with 23 goals in all competitions, followed by Rod Wallace on 19 goals.[29] Alan Shearer won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award for the 1990–91 season.[22]

Squad statistics

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Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup League Cup FM Cup Total
Apps. Goals Apps. Goals Apps. Goals Apps. Goals Apps. Goals
Micky Adams DF   29(1) 0 2 0 5 0 1 0 37(1) 0
Ian Andrews GK   1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
Nicky Banger FW   0(6) 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 1(6) 3
Francis Benali DF   9(3) 0 2 0 1(2) 0 0(1) 0 12(6) 0
Jimmy Case MF   24(1) 1 3 1 4 0 0 0 31(1) 2
Oleksiy Cherednyk DF   12(3) 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 16(3) 0
Glenn Cockerill MF   28(4) 2 3 0 4(1) 0 2 0 37(5) 2
Andy Cook DF   5(2) 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 9(2) 0
Jason Dodd DF   16(3) 0 4 0 3 0 2 0 25(3) 0
Tim Flowers GK   37 0 5 0 6 0 1 0 49 0
Jon Gittens DF   7(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7(1) 0
Sergey Gotsmanov MF   2(6) 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 8(6) 0
Richard Hall DF   0(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0
Barry Horne MF   38 1 5 0 6 1 2 1 51 3
Jeff Kenna DF   1(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1(1) 0
Matt Le Tissier MF   34(1) 19 3 2 4 2 1 0 42(1) 23
Neil Maddison MF   1(3) 0 0(1) 0 0 0 0 0 1(4) 0
Alan McLoughlin MF   22 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 27 1
Kevin Moore DF   19 1 4 0 3 0 1 0 27 1
Russell Osman DF   17(3) 1 3 0 5 0 1 0 26(3) 1
Lee Powell FW   0 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0(1) 0 0(2) 0
Andy Rowland FW   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neil Ruddock DF   32(3) 3 3 1 4 1 2 0 41(3) 5
Alan Shearer FW   34(2) 4 3(1) 2 6 6 2 2 45(3) 14
Ray Wallace DF   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Rod Wallace FW   35(2) 14 5 2 4(1) 2 1 1 45(3) 19
Tommy Widdrington MF   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Players with appearances who ended the season out on loan
Steve Davis DF   1(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1(1) 0
Paul Rideout FW   14(2) 6 2 0 2 0 1 0 19(2) 6

Most appearances

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Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup League Cup FM Cup Total
Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Total
1 Barry Horne MF 38 0 5 0 6 0 2 0 51 0 51
2 Tim Flowers GK 37 0 5 0 6 0 1 0 49 0 49
3 Alan Shearer FW 34 2 3 1 6 0 2 0 45 3 48
Rod Wallace FW 35 2 5 0 4 1 1 0 45 3 48
5 Neil Ruddock DF 32 3 3 0 4 0 2 0 41 3 44
6 Matt Le Tissier MF 34 1 3 0 4 0 1 0 42 1 43
7 Glenn Cockerill MF 28 4 3 0 4 1 2 0 37 5 42
8 Micky Adams DF 29 1 2 0 5 0 1 0 37 1 38
9 Jimmy Case MF 24 1 3 0 4 0 0 0 31 1 32
10 Russell Osman DF 17 3 3 0 5 0 1 0 26 3 29

Top goalscorers

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Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup League Cup FM Cup Total
Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GPG
1 Matt Le Tissier MF 19 35 2 3 2 4 0 1 23 43 0.53
2 Rod Wallace FW 14 37 2 5 2 5 1 1 19 48 0.40
3 Alan Shearer FW 4 36 2 4 6 6 2 2 14 48 0.29
4 Paul Rideout FW 6 16 0 2 0 2 0 1 6 21 0.29
5 Neil Ruddock DF 3 35 1 3 1 4 0 2 5 44 0.11
6 Nicky Banger FW 0 6 0 0 3 1 0 0 3 7 0.43
Barry Horne MF 1 38 0 5 1 6 1 2 3 51 0.06
8 Jimmy Case MF 1 25 1 3 4 4 0 0 2 32 0.06
Glenn Cockerill MF 2 32 0 3 0 5 0 2 2 43 0.05
10 Alan McLoughlin MF 1 22 0 4 0 0 0 1 1 27 0.04
Kevin Moore DF 1 19 0 4 0 3 0 1 1 27 0.04
Russell Osman DF 1 20 0 3 0 5 0 1 1 29 0.03

References

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  1. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 214
  2. ^ a b "Mark Blake". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Graham Baker". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Gerry Forrest". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Sammy Lee". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Sergey Gotsmanov". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Alan McLoughlin". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Richard Hall". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Jon Gittens". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "David Hughes". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Steve Davis". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Paul Rideout". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Neal Bartlett". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Keith Granger". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 430
  16. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 29 September 1990". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 215
  18. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 8 December 1990". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 216
  20. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 29 December 1990". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  21. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 16 March 1991". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 218
  23. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 4 May 1991". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 391
  25. ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 392
  26. ^ a b c d e Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 393
  27. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 292–293
  28. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 301
  29. ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 219, 292–293, 301, 391–393
  30. ^ "Lee Powell". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Jimmy Case". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Andy Cook". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  33. ^ "Ray Wallace". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Rod Wallace". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2024.

Bibliography

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  • Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003), Bull, David (ed.), In That Number: A Post-War Chronicle of Southampton FC, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN 0-9534474-3-X
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