Wikipedia

1986–87 Southampton F.C. season

The 1986–87 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 86th season of competitive football and their 17th in the First Division of the Football League. The second season with Chris Nicholl as manager, 1986–87 saw the Saints improve only marginally on their previous campaign, finishing 12th in the First Division table – two places higher than the year before. Outside the league, the South Coast club were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round for the first time in four years, reached the League Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1978–79, and made it to the third round of the second annual Full Members' Cup tournament.

Southampton F.C.
1986–87 season
ChairmanAlan Woodford
ManagerChris Nicholl
StadiumThe Dell
First Division12th
FA CupThird round
League CupSemi-finals
Full Members' CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague: Colin Clarke (20)
All: Colin Clarke (22)
Highest home attendance20,452 v Liverpool
(20 September 1986)
Lowest home attendance4,518 v Hull City
(25 November 1986)
Average home league attendance14,948
Biggest win5–0 v Aston Villa
(21 March 1987)
Biggest defeat1–5 v Manchester United
(13 September 1986)
0–4 v Arsenal
(15 November 1986)

Southampton made two key signings in the summer of 1986, making goalkeeper Tim Flowers' loan move permanent and bringing in Scottish striker Colin Clarke. Nicholl also signed three trainees, including midfielder Neil Maddison and striker Alan Shearer, who would go on to be important members of the Saints squad a few years later. Leaving ahead of the 1986–87 season were fringe players Eamonn Collins, Alan Curtis, Stuart McManus, Mark Whitlock and David Puckett, while former top scorer Steve Moran left a few months later. Southampton's league performance was characterised by spells of mixed form, including a run which included just one win in eleven games over the new year period, and a nine-match unbeaten run at the end of the season. The club generally sat in the bottom half of the table throughout.

In the FA Cup, Southampton were eliminated in the third round for the first time since 1982–83, losing 1–2 to previous year's runners-up (and First Division runners-up) Everton. The club fared much better in the League Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the first time since finishing as runners-up in 1978–79. The club picked up wins over Fourth Division side Swindon Town, First Division rivals Manchester United and Aston Villa, and Second Division strugglers Shrewsbury Town en route to the semi-finals, where they lost to defending league champions Liverpool. In the Full Members' Cup – which was held in lieu of European competitions due to the banning of English sides following the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985 – Southampton made it to the third round before being eliminated by Norwich City.

Southampton used 23 players during the 1986–87 season and had 15 different goalscorers. Their top scorer was new signing Clarke, who scored 20 times in the league and twice in the League Cup. George Lawrence was second highest with eleven goals in all competitions, followed closely by Matt Le Tissier in his debut year for the first team, who scored ten times. Glenn Cockerill was the only Saints player to feature in all 53 games during the 1986–87 season, followed by Jimmy Case and Gerry Forrest on 49 and 47 games, respectively. The average league attendance at The Dell during the campaign was 14,948 – the first time it had dipped below 15,000 since 1962. The highest attendance was 20,452 against Liverpool on 20 September 1986; the lowest was 11,508 against Coventry City on 3 February 1987.

Background and transfers

edit
 
Southampton broke their transfer record with the £400,000 signing of striker Colin Clarke from Bournemouth in July 1986.
 
Following a successful loan spell at the end of the last season, Tim Flowers was signed on a permanent basis from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
 
Alan Shearer was one of three trainees signed in the summer of 1986. He would make his first team debut at the end of the next season and go on to score 43 goals in 158 games.

Ahead of the 1986–87 season, Southampton made a club record signing of Colin Clarke, paying local Third Division side Bournemouth £400,000 for the Northern Irish striker.[1] The only other first team signing in the summer was goalkeeper Tim Flowers, who was signed on a permanent basis for £70,000 after having spent the last two months of the previous season at the club on loan.[2] In addition to Clarke and Flowers, manager Chris Nicholl also signed trainees Neil Maddison, Alan Shearer and Steve Davis in the summer of 1986, each of whom signed professional deals over the next couple of years.[3][4][5] Numerous players left the club prior to the start of the season – Eamonn Collins moved to Portsmouth in the Second Division,[6] Alan Curtis was sent to Fourth Division side Cardiff City,[7] Stuart McManus departed for Swedish club Örgryte,[8] and both Mark Whitlock and David Puckett were sent to Bournemouth as part of the deal which brought Clarke to The Dell.[9][10] In September, Steve Moran moved to Leicester City for £300,000.[11]

The only players added to the Southampton squad partway through the season were striker Gordon Hobson, who was brought in for £125,000 from Grimsby Town in November to bolster the club's frontline,[12] and goalkeeper Eric Nixon, who was loaned in for a month from Manchester City in December following injuries to Peter Shilton, Flowers and Phil Kite.[13] Kite and Flowers were both loaned out towards the end of the season, to Gillingham and Swindon Town, respectively.[14][2] Swindon also received midfielder Craig Maskell on loan at the same time, as he had failed to break into the first team.[15] After a disappointing debut season, Joe Jordan was sold to Bristol City in February 1987.[16] The following month, Mark Dennis was released from the club following disputes with Nicholl and the club's directors; he later joined Queens Park Rangers.[17]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Tim Flowers   England GK   Wolverhampton Wanderers June 1986 £70,000 [2]
Colin Clarke   Northern Ireland FW   Bournemouth July 1986 £400,000 [1]
Neil Maddison   England MF none (free agent) July 1986 Free[a] [3]
Alan Shearer   England FW   Wallsend Boys Club July 1986 Free[b] [4]
Steve Davis   England DF none (free agent) August 1986 Free[c] [5]
Matthew Bound   England DF none (free agent) November 1986 Free[d] [18]
Gordon Hobson   England FW   Grimsby Town November 1986 £125,000 [12]
Paul Tisdale   England MF   Bristol Rovers February 1987 Free[e] [19]
Tommy Widdrington   England MF   Wallsend Boys Club February 1987 Free[f] [20]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Eamonn Collins   Republic of Ireland MF   Portsmouth May 1986 Unknown [6]
Alan Curtis   England MF   Cardiff City May 1986 Unknown [7]
Stuart McManus   Scotland FW   Örgryte June 1986 Unknown [8]
Mark Whitlock   England DF   Bournemouth June 1986 Unknown [9]
David Puckett   England FW   Bournemouth July 1986 Unknown [10]
Steve Moran   England FW   Leicester City September 1986 £300,000 [11]
Joe Jordan   Scotland FW   Bristol City February 1987 Unknown [16]

Players loaned in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date from Date to Ref.
Eric Nixon   England GK   Manchester City December 1986 January 1987 [13]

Players loaned out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date from Date to Ref.
Phil Kite   England GK   Gillingham January 1987 End of season [14]
Tim Flowers   England GK   Swindon Town March 1987 End of season [2]
Craig Maskell   England MF   Swindon Town March 1987 End of season [15]

Players released

Name Nationality Pos. Date Details Ref.
Mark Dennis   England DF March 1987 Released after disputes with manager Chris Nicholl [17]

Notes

  1. ^ Neil Maddison initially signed as a trainee in July 1986, before turning professional in April 1988.[3]
  2. ^ Alan Shearer initially signed as a trainee in July 1986, before turning professional in April 1988.[4]
  3. ^ Steve Davis initially signed as a trainee in August 1986, before turning professional in July 1987.[5]
  4. ^ Matthew Bound initially signed as an associate schoolboy in November 1986, before becoming a trainee in July 1989.[18]
  5. ^ Paul Tisdale initially signed as an associate schoolboy in February 1987, before turning professional in June 1991.[19]
  6. ^ Tommy Widdrington initially signed as an associate schoolboy in February 1987, before being a trainee in July 1988.[20]

Pre-season friendlies

edit

Ahead of the 1986–87 league season, Southampton played six pre-season friendlies. First, the club beat Conference side Weymouth 3–1 and lost 0–2 at Portuguese side Benfica, before facing three Fourth Division sides – they drew 1–1 with Exeter City, beat Torquay United 2–1, and drew 1–1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers.[21] A return 4–1 win over Benfica for Nick Holmes' testimonial followed.[21]

2 August 1986 Friendly Weymouth 1–3 Southampton Weymouth
Clarke  
Cockerill  
Maskell  
5 August 1986 Friendly   Benfica 2–0 Southampton Lisbon, Portugal
Stadium: Estádio da Luz
9 August 1986 Friendly Exeter City 1–1 Southampton Exeter
Armstrong   Stadium: St James Park
11 August 1986 Friendly Torquay United 1–2 Southampton Torquay
Blake    Stadium: Plainmoor
13 August 1986 Friendly Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Southampton Wolverhampton
Maskell   Stadium: Molineux Stadium
16 August 1986 Nick Holmes Testimonial Southampton 4–1   Benfica Southampton
Case  
Clarke  
Holmes  
Wallace  		 Stadium: The Dell

First Division

edit
See also: 1986–87 Football League
 
Matt Le Tissier made his professional debut for Southampton in 1986–87.

Southampton kicked off the 1986–87 season in convincing fashion, thrashing Queens Park Rangers 5–1 at The Dell and immediately going to the top of the table.[22] Three of the hosts' goals were scored by debutant Colin Clarke, who had signed from Bournemouth just a month previously – this was the first time a Southampton player had scored a hat-trick on their debut.[1] A disappointing spell followed as the club lost four out of their next five games, with their only victory a 2–0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur which featured Matt Le Tissier's first starting appearance for the team.[23] The spell ended with a 1–5 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United, with goalkeeper Tim Flowers making his debut for the first team.[24] The Saints subsequently made their way back to the top half of the league table again after winning two of three games, including a 2–1 defeat of defending champions Liverpool and a 4–1 win over Newcastle United which saw Clarke score his second hat-trick in only his ninth appearance for the club.[24]

The run-up to the new year brought mixed fortunes for the Saints, who picked up just three wins from twelve games between mid-October and late-December: a hard-fought 3–2 away victory against strugglers Leicester City on 25 October, a 3–1 win on the road against recently promoted Charlton Athletic on 22 November, and a 3–1 victory at home to Watford on 29 November, which saw Gordon Hobson score on his Southampton debut.[25] At the end of 1986, Southampton were just three points above the first automatic relegation spot.[26]

1987 started much the same for the South Coast side, who dropped another two places in the league standings after failing to win a game in January – losing 1–3 to fellow strugglers Oxford United, drawing 1–1 at home to Manchester United, and losing 1–2 at Queens Park Rangers.[27] In March, however, the club won three out of their five fixtures, each while keeping a clean sheet, to fight against the threat of relegation. The first of the wins was a 4–0 home victory over Leicester City, featuring Le Tissier's first hat-trick for the club, despite being played in what he would later describe as "probably the worst conditions I have ever played in".[27] The second was a season-record 5–0 thrashing of Aston Villa, who would finish the season at the bottom of the table.[27] The third win saw the Saints host high-flying Luton Town and win 3–0, moving back up to 16th in the table.[28] In April, Hobson joined Clarke and Le Tissier as a hat-trick scorer, delivering Southampton's first away hat-trick since 1969 in a 4–2 win over Manchester City at Maine Road.[29]

April saw Southampton embarking on an unbeaten run stretching for the last nine games of the league campaign, during which time they climbed from 17th to 12th in the table.[30][31] The run consisted of six draws and three wins – the Manchester City game, a 3–0 home win over Oxford United, and a 1–0 edging of West Ham United on the penultimate day.[29] The club finished 12th in the First Division table – an improvement of two places on the previous campaign – equal on points with Sheffield Wednesday in 13th, Chelsea in 14th and West Ham in 15th, but with the only positive goal difference of the four sides.[32]

List of match results

edit
23 August 1986 1 Southampton 5–1 Queens Park Rangers Southampton
Holmes   10'
Wallace   15'
Clarke   35', 58', 68'		 Allen   70' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,711
26 August 1986 2 Luton Town 2–1 Southampton Luton
Wilson   4'
Stein   50'		 Clarke   72' Stadium: Kenilworth Road
Attendance: 8,777
30 August 1986 3 Norwich City 4–3 Southampton Norwich
Drinkell   47'
Gordon   48'
Williams   69'
Bruce   82'		 Wallace   33'
Blake   42'
Dennis   80'		 Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 15,250
2 September 1986 4 Southampton 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Southampton
Clarke   3'
Wallace   79'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,911
6 September 1986 5 Southampton 1–3 Nottingham Forest Southampton
Clarke   74' Webb   12', 77'
Birtles   78'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,604
13 September 1986 6 Manchester United 5–1 Southampton Manchester
Olsen   23' (pen.)
Davenport   25'
Stapleton   38', 84'
Whiteside   52'		 Clarke   23' Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 40,135
20 September 1986 7 Southampton 2–1 Liverpool Southampton
Armstrong   11'
Cockerill   66'		 McMahon   61' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 20,452
27 September 1986 8 Wimbledon 2–2 Southampton London
Fashanu   27', 89' Lawrence   25'
Cockerill   72'		 Stadium: Plough Lane
Attendance: 7,147
4 October 1986 9 Southampton 4–1 Newcastle United Southampton
Clarke   16', 70', 76'
Dennis   82'		 A. Thomas   13' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,622
11 October 1986 10 Aston Villa 3–1 Southampton Birmingham
Elliott   29', 64'
Evans   49' (pen.)		 Wallace   53' Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 16,211
18 October 1986 11 Southampton 0–2 Everton Southampton
Steven   79' (pen.)
Wilkinson   81'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 18,009
25 October 1986 12 Leicester City 2–3 Southampton Leicester
Osman   7'
McAllister   43'		 Lawrence   8'
Clarke   45'
Wallace   87'		 Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 9,186
1 November 1986 13 Southampton 1–1 Manchester City Southampton
Clarke   17' G. Baker   83' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,352
8 November 1986 14 Sheffield Wednesday 3–1 Southampton Sheffield
Marwood   67' (pen.)
Chapman   71', 77'		 Le Tissier   87' Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium
Attendance: 20,802
15 November 1986 15 Southampton 0–4 Arsenal Southampton
Hayes   60' (pen.)
Anderson   61'
Quinn   64'
Groves   77'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 18,728
22 November 1986 16 Charlton Athletic 1–3 Southampton London
Stuart   60' Lawrence   19'
Clarke   65'
Case   86'		 Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 5,930
29 November 1986 17 Southampton 3–1 Watford Southampton
Wright   7'
Clarke   11'
Hobson   81'		 Terry   77' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,537
6 December 1986 18 West Ham United 3–1 Southampton London
Ince   15'
Devonshire   42'
Cottee   60' (pen.)		 Clarke   19' Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 18,111
20 December 1986 19 Nottingham Forest 0–0 Southampton Nottingham
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 15,394
26 December 1986 20 Southampton 1–2 Chelsea Southampton
Clarke   24' McLaughlin   56'
Bumstead   87'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,709
27 December 1986 21 Arsenal 1–0 Southampton London
Quinn   73' Stadium: Arsenal Stadium
Attendance: 38,138
1 January 1987 22 Oxford United 3–1 Southampton Oxford
Aldridge   32' (pen.)
Whitehurst   36'
Houghton   62'		 Case   48' Stadium: Manor Ground
Attendance: 9,777
3 January 1987 23 Southampton 1–1 Manchester United Southampton
Holmes   4' Olsen   11' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 20,409
24 January 1987 24 Queens Park Rangers 2–1 Southampton London
Byrne   2'
Bannister   81'		 Case   72' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 10,200
3 February 1987 25 Southampton 2–0 Coventry City Southampton
Cockerill   46', 66' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,508
7 February 1987 26 Southampton 1–2 Norwich City Southampton
Cockerill   68' Phelan   55'
Drinkell   79'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,754
14 February 1987 27 Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 Southampton London
Gough   8'
Hodge   61'		 Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 22,066
28 February 1987 28 Liverpool 1–0 Southampton Liverpool
Aldridge   59' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 33,133
7 March 1987 29 Southampton 4–0 Leicester City Southampton
Le Tissier   29', 62', 82'
Hobson   58'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,611
14 March 1987 30 Everton 3–0 Southampton Liverpool
Wright   12' (o.g.)
Power   15'
Watson   55'		 Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 26,564
21 March 1987 31 Southampton 5–0 Aston Villa Southampton
Hobson   1'
Cockerill   3'
Clarke   19', 38'
Wallace   83'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,686
24 March 1987 32 Southampton 3–0 Luton Town Southampton
Townsend   3'
Lawrence   13', 75'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,117
28 March 1987 33 Newcastle United 2–0 Southampton Newcastle upon Tyne
Goddard   23'
Gascoigne   60'		 Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 22,717
7 April 1987 34 Southampton 2–2 Wimbledon Southampton
Gayle   3' (o.g.)
Lawrence   82'		 Fairweather   55'
Joseph   77'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,811
11 April 1987 35 Manchester City 2–4 Southampton Manchester
Stewart   28'
Moulden   89'		 Hobson   43', 68', 81' (pen.)
Wallace   52'		 Stadium: Maine Road
Attendance: 18,193
18 April 1987 36 Southampton 3–0 Oxford United Southampton
Cockerill   70'
Hobson   72'
Wallace   83'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,025
20 April 1987 37 Chelsea 1–1 Southampton London
Nevin   39' Clarke   74' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 11,512
22 April 1987 38 Southampton 1–1 Sheffield Wednesday Southampton
Chapman   31' Le Tissier   74' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,014
25 April 1987 39 Southampton 2–2 Charlton Athletic Southampton
Bond   68'
Lawrence   74'		 Melrose   20'
Lee   78'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,534
2 May 1987 40 Watford 1–1 Southampton Watford
Terry   3' Le Tissier   19' Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 13,067
4 May 1987 41 Southampton 1–0 West Ham United Southampton
Clarke   49' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 16,810
9 May 1987 42 Coventry City 1–1 Southampton Coventry
Kilcline   29' Lawrence   38' Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 22,619

Final league table

edit

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
10 Coventry City[a] 42 17 12 13 50 45 +5 63 Disqualified from the European Cup Winners' Cup
11 Manchester United 42 14 14 14 52 45 +7 56
12 Southampton 42 14 10 18 69 68 +1 52
13 Sheffield Wednesday 42 13 13 16 58 59 −1 52
14 Chelsea 42 13 13 16 53 64 −11 52
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ Coventry City would have qualified as FA Cup winners.

Results by matchday

edit
Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA
ResultWLLWLLWDWLLWDLLWWLDLLLDLWLLLWLWWLDWWDDDDWD
Position17157131614139131513121415131114141616171718161717181717161617161515151515161312
Source: 11v11.com[33]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

edit
See also: 1986–87 FA Cup

Southampton entered the 1986–87 FA Cup in the third round drawn away to Everton, who had finished the previous season as runners-up in both the First Division and the FA Cup. Despite facing such high-calibre opponents away from home, the Saints held their own for much of the first half, before Graeme Sharp opened the scoring for the hosts in the 37th minute, converting a "stupendous pass" from Adrian Heath past returning goalkeeper Peter Shilton.[34] The Toffees came close to doubling their lead on multiple occasions shortly after half-time, but it was the visitors who scored next when Gordon Hobson netted from a Danny Wallace setup.[34] The deadlock lasted only five minutes, however, as Sharp scored his and his team's second with "a header hailed by the press as one of the best seen at Goodison in years".[34] Colin Clarke came close to equalising again for the Saints with two late chances, but Everton ultimately went through to the fourth round, knocking Southampton out at the first hurdle for the first time since 1983.[34]

10 January 1987 Round 3 Everton 2–1 Southampton Liverpool
Sharp   37', 67' Hobson   62' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 32,320

League Cup

edit
See also: 1986–87 Football League Cup

Southampton entered the 1986–87 League Cup in the second round against Third Division promotion hopefuls Swindon Town. In the first leg at home, the First Division side won 3–0 thanks to a first-half brace from George Lawrence and a last-minute tap-in from Joe Jordan.[35] In the return leg at the County Ground two weeks later, Southampton held Swindon to a goalless draw to secure their status in the next round, with goalkeeper Peter Shilton keeping the score down.[35] In the third round, the Saints held out for another goalless draw away, this time at Manchester United, before beating them 4–1 in the replay thanks to goals from Lawrence, Danny Wallace and Matt Le Tissier (two) – this was the last game in charge of United for Ron Atkinson, who was sacked just two days later.[36]

In the fourth round, the Saints again faced First Division rivals, this time hosting relegation-threatened Aston Villa. The hosts won the game 2–1, which was marked by three players (two for Villa) being sent off late on.[36] The fifth round saw Southampton hosting again, this time second-tier side Shrewsbury Town, who they edged out 1–0 thanks to a second-half penalty from Colin Clarke.[36] In the two-legged semi-finals, Southampton faced defending First Division champions Liverpool. The first leg, at home, finished goalless, despite the visitors going one man down early in the second half.[36] The second leg, at Anfield, saw Liverpool break the Saints down in the second half, winning 3–0 thanks to goals in the 66th, 74th and 84th minutes.[36] Liverpool went on to lose the final 1–2 to Arsenal.[37]

23 September 1986 Round 2 Leg 1 Southampton 3–0 Swindon Town Southampton
Lawrence   8', 42'
Jordan   90'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 10,458
8 October 1986 Round 2 Leg 2 Swindon Town 0–0
(0–3 agg.)		 Southampton Swindon
Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 9,453
29 October 1986 Round 3 Manchester United 0–0 Southampton Manchester
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 23,639
4 November 1986 Round 3 Replay Southampton 4–1 Manchester United Southampton
Lawrence   43'
Wallace   71'
Le Tissier   75', 84'		 Davenport   88' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 17,915
18 November 1986 Round 4 Southampton 2–1 Aston Villa Southampton
Case   17'
Clarke   64'		 Evans   67' (pen.) Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 13,402
26 January 1987 Round 5 Southampton 1–0 Shrewsbury Town Southampton
Clarke   68' (pen.) Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 12,940
11 February 1987 Semi-Final Leg 1 Southampton 0–0 Liverpool Southampton
Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 22,818
25 February 1987 Semi-Final Leg 2 Liverpool 3–0
(3–0 agg.)		 Southampton Liverpool
Whelan   66'
Dalglish   74'
Mølby   84'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,481

Full Members' Cup

edit
See also: 1986–87 Full Members' Cup

In 1986–87, Southampton entered the Full Members' Cup for the first time, facing Second Division club Hull City in the second round at The Dell. The Saints beat the Tigers 2–1 thanks to two goals in quick succession from Matt Le Tissier.[38] In the third round, Southampton hosted First Division rivals Norwich City, losing 1–2 after extra time courtesy of a 91st-minute goal from Robert Rosario.[38]

25 November 1986 Round 2 Southampton 2–1 Hull City Southampton
Le Tissier   30', 32' Parker   59' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 4,518
9 December 1986 Round 3 Southampton 1–2 (a.e.t.) Norwich City Southampton
Case   87' (pen.) Biggins   48'
Rosario   91'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 5,745

Other matches

edit

Southampton played four additional matches during 1986–87. The first two were testimonials in October – a 3–1 win over local non-league side Road-Sea Southampton and a 7–1 thrashing of Salisbury the week after.[21] In November, the Saints beat Western League side Melksham Town 3–0; and in April, they drew 2–2 with Taunton Town, also of the Western League, in a testimonial for Jimmy Greene.[21]

14 October 1986 Nick Farmer Testimonial Road-Sea Southampton 1–3 Southampton Southampton
Sylvanus   
Mann  		 Stadium: Road-Sea Park
21 October 1986 Ricky Haysom Testimonial Salisbury 1–7 Southampton Salisbury
Maskell   
Baker  
Case  
Cockerill  
Gittens  
Lawrence  
10 November 1986 Friendly Melksham Town 0–3 Southampton Melksham
Lawrence   
Jordan  		 Stadium: Conigre
28 April 1987 Jimmy Greene Testimonial Taunton Town 2–2 Southampton Taunton
Maskell  
Lawrence  		 Stadium: Wordsworth Drive

Player details

edit

Southampton used 23 different players during the 1986–87 season, 15 of whom scored during the campaign. Midfielder Glenn Cockerill was the only player to feature in all 53 of the club's games, winning the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award at the end of the season.[32] Colin Clarke finished as the season's top goalscorer in his first season at the club, scoring 20 times in the league and twice in the League Cup run. He was followed by George Lawrence and Matt Le Tissier on eleven and ten goals, respectively, in all competitions.[32]

Squad statistics

edit
Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup League Cup FM Cup Total
Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls. Apps. Gls.
David Armstrong MF   22 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 26 1
Steve Baker DF   19(7) 0 0 0 5(1) 0 2 0 26(8) 0
Mark Blake DF   9 1 0 0 0 0 0(2) 0 9(2) 1
Kevin Bond DF   34 1 1 0 5 0 2 0 42 1
Kevan Brown DF   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gary Bull FW   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jimmy Case MF   39 3 0 0 8 1 2 1 49 5
Colin Clarke FW   33 20 1 0 8 2 1 0 43 22
Glenn Cockerill MF   42 7 1 0 8 0 2 0 53 7
Gerry Forrest DF   37(1) 0 1 0 7 0 1 0 46(1) 0
Jon Gittens DF   14 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 19 0
Keith Granger GK   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ian Hamilton MF   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gordon Hobson FW   20 7 1 1 0 0 2 0 23 8
Nick Holmes MF   8(1) 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 11(1) 2
George Lawrence MF   34(2) 8 0 0 6(1) 3 2 0 42(3) 11
Matt Le Tissier MF   12(12) 6 0(1) 0 0(4) 2 1(1) 2 13(18) 10
Eric Nixon GK   4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Phil Parkinson MF   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Peter Shilton GK   29 0 1 0 8 0 2 0 40 0
Allen Tankard DF   2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 0
Andy Townsend MF   11(3) 1 0 0 2(1) 0 0 0 13(4) 1
Danny Wallace FW   31 8 1 0 7 1 1 0 40 9
Mark Wright DF   30 1 1 0 7 0 2 0 40 1
Players with appearances who left before the end of the season
Mark Dennis DF   20 2 1 0 6 0 0 0 27 2
Joe Jordan FW   2 0 0 0 1 1 0(1) 0 3(1) 1
Players with appearances who ended the season out on loan
Tim Flowers GK   9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Craig Maskell FW   2(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2(2) 0

Most appearances

edit
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup League Cup FM Cup Total
Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Total
1 Glenn Cockerill MF 42 0 1 0 8 0 2 0 53 0 53
2 Jimmy Case MF 39 0 0 0 8 0 2 0 49 0 49
3 Gerry Forrest DF 37 1 1 0 7 0 1 0 46 1 47
4 George Lawrence MF 34 2 0 0 6 1 2 0 42 3 45
5 Colin Clarke FW 33 0 1 0 8 0 1 0 43 0 43
6 Kevin Bond DF 34 0 1 0 5 0 2 0 42 0 42
7 Danny Wallace FW 31 0 1 0 7 0 1 0 40 0 40
8 Peter Shilton GK 29 0 1 0 8 0 2 0 40 0 40
Mark Wright DF 30 0 1 0 7 0 2 0 40 0 40
10 Steve Baker DF 19 7 0 0 5 1 2 0 26 8 34

Top goalscorers

edit
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup League Cup FM Cup Total
Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GPG
1 Colin Clarke FW 20 33 0 1 2 8 0 1 22 43 0.51
2 George Lawrence MF 8 36 0 0 3 7 0 2 11 45 0.24
3 Matt Le Tissier MF 6 24 0 1 2 4 2 2 10 31 0.32
4 Danny Wallace FW 8 31 0 1 1 7 0 1 9 40 0.23
5 Gordon Hobson FW 7 20 1 1 0 0 0 2 8 23 0.35
6 Glenn Cockerill MF 7 42 0 1 0 8 0 2 7 53 0.13
7 Jimmy Case MF 3 39 0 0 1 8 1 2 5 49 0.10
8 Nick Holmes MF 2 9 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 12 0.17
Mark Dennis DF 2 20 0 1 0 6 0 0 2 27 0.07
10 Joe Jordan FW 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 4 0.25
Mark Blake DF 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 11 0.09
Andy Townsend MF 1 14 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 17 0.06
David Armstrong MF 1 22 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 26 0.04
Mark Wright DF 1 30 0 1 0 7 0 2 1 40 0.03
Kevin Bond DF 1 34 0 1 0 5 0 2 1 42 0.02

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Colin Clarke". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Tim Flowers". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Neil Maddison". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Alan Shearer". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Steve Davis". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Eamonn Collins". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Alan Curtis". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Stuart McManus". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Mark Whitlock". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Dave Puckett". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Steve Moran". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Gordon Hobson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Eric Nixon". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Phil Kite". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Craig Maskell". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Joe Jordan". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Mark Dennis". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Matthew Bound". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Paul Tisdale". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Tommy Widdrington". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 429
  22. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 23 August 1986". 11v11.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  23. ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 191
  24. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 192
  25. ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 193
  26. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 27 December 1986". 11v11.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  27. ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 194
  28. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 24 March 1987". 11v11.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  29. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 195
  30. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 28 March 1987". 11v11.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  31. ^ "League Division One table after close of play on 9 May 1987". 11v11.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  32. ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 196
  33. ^ "11v11 league table generator". 11v11.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  34. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 386
  35. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 290
  36. ^ a b c d e Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 291
  37. ^ "1986–87 Football League Cup (Littlewoods)". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  38. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 301

Bibliography

edit
  • 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
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1986–87_Southampton_F.C._season&oldid=1249409500"