The 1987–88 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 87th season of competitive football and their 18th in the First Division of the Football League. The season was a difficult one for the Saints, who finished in the same league position as the previous campaign (12th), and were eliminated from all other tournaments in the early stages – they only progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup, and were eliminated from both the League Cup and the Full Members' Cup at the first hurdle.
Southampton had a busy summer transfer window in 1987. Leaving the club were several first-team starters, including two-time Player of the Season winner Peter Shilton, 15-year veteran Nick Holmes and key centre-back Mark Wright. Additions to the squad included returning midfielder Graham Baker, new first-choice goalkeeper John Burridge and left-back Derek Statham. The team struggled in the First Division throughout the campaign, picking up only a few wins now and then to ensure they kept clear of the relegation zone. 1987–88 was Southampton's last season with chairman Alan Woodford, who died in February 1988; he was succeeded by Guy Askham.
Outside the league, Southampton had a disappointing season. In the FA Cup, the club edged past Second Division strugglers Reading in the third round, before suffering elimination at the hands of top-flight rivals Luton Town in the fourth. In the League Cup, the Saints were knocked out by local Second Division side Bournemouth; and in the Full Members' Cup, they faced elimination in their opening second round match against Bradford City, another second-tier club. The 1987–88 season included the first league matches between Southampton and Portsmouth since 1976, with a 2–2 draw at Fratton Park followed by a Pompey away win later in the season.
Southampton used 20 players during the 1987–88 season and had 14 different goalscorers. Their top scorer was again Colin Clarke, who scored 16 times in the league and once in the FA Cup. Danny Wallace was second on seven goals. Clarke also made the most appearances (44), followed by Derek Statham and Glenn Cockerill on 43 each – Statham won the club's Player of the Season award at the end of the year. The average league attendance at The Dell during the campaign was 14,532. The highest attendance was 21,214 in the opening day tie against Manchester United and the lowest was 11,890 in a 3–0 win over Chelsea on 24 October 1987.
Background and transfers
During the 1987 close season, Southampton faced a number of changes amidst rumours of "dressing room unrest" sparked by the public dismissal of Mark Dennis late the previous season. Following the departure of third-choice goalkeeper Phil Kite in May, who made his loan move to Third Division outfit Gillingham permanent, the Saints also lost first-choice goalkeeper and two-time Player of the Season award winner Peter Shilton, who left for Derby County following their promotion to the top flight as Second Division champions. Also released in the summer were David Armstrong, who had been a mainstay for the team for six years, but moved on a free transfer to Bournemouth for their first season in the Second Division; Jon Gittens, who had struggled to break into the Saints first team and moved on a free transfer to Swindon Town, another new arrival in the second flight; and George Lawrence, who ended his second spell at The Dell to join Millwall a division below for a fee of £160,000.
To replace the outgoing players, Chris Nicholl's Saints made a number of signings ahead of the 1987–88 campaign. First to arrive was midfielder Graham Baker, who had previously played for the South Coast side between 1977 and 1982, before spending five years with Manchester City. In July, centre-back Kevin Moore made the step up from Second Division side Oldham Athletic in a deal worth £150,000, and in August the club signed goalkeeper John Burridge from Sheffield United and left-back Derek Statham from West Bromwich Albion. The same month, centre-back Mark Wright was sold to Derby County for £750,000. Also signed in the summer were two youth players – Nicky Banger and Jeff Kenna – with striker Kevin Phillips added in October. Also in October, Saints veteran Nick Holmes left the club for a year with East Cowes Victoria Athletic, although he would later return as reserve team manager. Keith Granger moved to Darlington in March 1988, after a short emergency loan spell with the Fourth Division side.
Players transferred out NameNationalityClubDateFeeRef.Graham Baker Manchester CityMay 1987FreeNicky Banger Bassett CometsJuly 1987FreeJeff Kenna Palmerston RangersJuly 1987FreeKevin Moore Oldham AthleticJuly 1987£150,000John Burridge Sheffield UnitedAugust 1987UnknownDerek Statham West Bromwich AlbionAugust 1987£100,000Kevin Phillipsnone (free agent)October 1987FreeLee Powellnone (free agent)December 1987Free
Players transferred out NameNationalityClubDateFeeRef.Phil Kite GillinghamMay 1987FreePeter Shilton Derby CountyJune 1987UnknownDavid Armstrong BournemouthJuly 1987FreeJon Gittens Swindon TownJuly 1987FreeGeorge Lawrence MillwallJuly 1987£160,000Mark Wright Derby CountyAugust 1987£750,000Nick Holmes East Cowes Victoria AthleticOctober 1987FreeKeith Granger DarlingtonMarch 1988UnknownPhil Parkinson BuryMarch 1988Unknown
Players loaned out NameNationalityClubDate fromDate toRef.Tim Flowers Swindon TownNovember 1987December 1987Keith Granger DarlingtonDecember 1987March 1988
Notes
Pre-season friendlies Ahead of the 1987–88 league campaign, Southampton played eight pre-season friendlies. In May, they competed in the Epson Cup in Singapore, beating Australian side Perth Azzurri 4–1, drawing 0–0 with Scottish side St Mirren, and losing 0–1 to Mexican side Universidad Autónoma. Back in the UK, the Saints beat local Southern League side Gosport Borough 1–0 thanks to new arrival Graham Baker, beat Third Division side Bristol City 4–2, beat St Mirren 2–1 and drew 1–1 with another Scottish side, Dumbarton. The last pre-season game was a 3–0 testimonial win over Bournemouth a week before the league's opening fixture.
First Division
Southampton started the 1987–88 league campaign with a 2–2 draw against Manchester United (both goals scored by Danny Wallace), followed by a 1–0 away win over Norwich City, which put them in the top six of the table. The club's third game of the season was their first league meeting with local rivals Portsmouth since 1976, and their first game ever against one another in the top flight of the Football League. The game at Fratton Park ended as a 2–2 draw, with Southampton's top scorer of the previous season Colin Clarke scoring a brace for the visitors. After these first three games, the Saints picked up just two points from their next six matches, which saw them drop all the way down to 18th place in the First Division table. The spell included a disappointing 0–1 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers, who had only narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, 1–2 defeats at Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, and the club's biggest defeat of the campaign, 0–4 at home to defending champions Everton.
October saw the Saints' fortunes turn around, as they won three games in a row to return to the top half of the table. First, Wallace scored the only goal of the game to help Southampton edge past Watford for their first home win of the season; second, they overcame an early two-goal deficit to win 3–2 over mid-table side Coventry City (their first win at Highfield Road since 1949); and finally, they easily beat strugglers Chelsea 3–0 at The Dell. Two more wins in mid-November kept the Hampshire side in contention for a top-half place coming towards the halfway point of the season. A 3–0 home win over Oxford United (who eventually finished bottom of the First Division) during this period was followed by a "deserved" 1–0 victory over Arsenal at their own ground, after the Gunners had won ten games in a row and established their place at the top of the table. Southampton subsequently dropped points against relegation-threatened sides Derby County and West Ham United, although they did take a point away from their home tie against Liverpool and ended the year beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 on Boxing Day. Come the end of 1987, the club were ninth in the table with seven wins, seven draws, seven defeats, and a goal difference of 0.
The club started 1988 poorly with two defeats against Queens Park Rangers and Portsmouth, during which they failed to score, although this was followed by a 2–0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. They were unable to pick up any momentum, however, and by mid-February after two more draws and a loss, they had started dropping down into the bottom half of the league table. After a 1–1 draw with Nottingham Forest on 13 February 1988, it was announced that Southampton chairman Alan Woodford had died; he was replaced in early March by Guy Askham. The club's poor home and better away record continued through March, as they won two games on the road (1–0 over both Watford and Chelsea) and lost two games at The Dell (1–2 against Coventry City and 0–1 against Charlton Athletic).
On 9 April 1988, Southampton hosted Arsenal, who were on an eight-game unbeaten run. With regular starter Danny Wallace injured, young striker Alan Shearer made his full debut for the club and scored three of the hosts' goals to secure a 4–2 win – by scoring a hat-trick on his full debut, he broke a 30-year-old record held by Jimmy Greaves for the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the top flight of English football, as well as becoming the first debutant to score three in one game since 1967 (in the Second Division). Southampton's final four games of the campaign saw them losing 0–2 to Derby County, all but securing their survival in the division; beating West Ham United 2–1; and drawing 1–1 with both Liverpool (who had just secured the championship) and Luton Town. The Saints finished 12th in the league table, the same position as the previous season.
List of match results
Final league table
Results by matchday
FA Cup
Southampton entered the 1987–88 FA Cup in the third round against Second Division strugglers Reading. The first half was relatively evenly matched between the two sides, but it was the First Division visitors who struck first just before the break, when Matt Le Tissier scored his first FA Cup goal after an assist from Colin Clarke. The hosts "dominated" the second half, but were unable to respond to Southampton's opener and ultimately succumbed to a 0–1 defeat. In the fourth round, Southampton travelled to face First Division rivals Luton Town. After an uneventful first half, the break made way for a flurry of activity late on – Clarke opened the scoring in the 71st minute, before a Derek Statham own goal and a Brian Stein close-range effort within a minute of one another put an end to Southampton's hopes of progressing to the fifth round.
League Cup
In the League Cup, Southampton faced local Second Division side Bournemouth. The first leg, at Dean Court, ended in a 1–0 victory for the hosts, and the Saints could only manage a 2–2 draw in the return leg at The Dell, meaning they were eliminated at the first hurdle in the competition.
Full Members' Cup
Like in the League Cup, Southampton faced Second Division opponents in the second round of the 1987–88 Full Members' Cup, travelling to promotion hopefuls Bradford City. Despite "battling hard all the way", the top-flight side lost 0–1 to the Bantams and were eliminated from the tournament.
Other matches