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1997–98 Southampton F.C. season

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Southampton F.C.
1997–98 season
ChairmanRupert Lowe
ManagerDave Jones
StadiumThe Dell
FA Premier League12th
FA CupThird round
League CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Matt Le Tissier (11)
Egil Østenstad (11)
All: Matt Le Tissier (14)
Highest home attendance15,255 v Tottenham
Hotspur (25 October 1997)
Lowest home attendance8,004 v Brentford
(17 September 1997)
Average home league attendance15,159
Biggest win3–0 v West Ham
United (4 October 1997)
4–1 v Barnsley
(8 November 1997)
3–0 v Blackburn
Rovers (21 February 1998)
Biggest defeat0–4 v Derby County
(27 September 1997)

The 1997–98 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 97th season of competitive football, their 28th (and 20th consecutive) in the top flight of English football, and their sixth in the FA Premier League. It was the first season to feature Dave Jones as the club's manager – the first appointed by new chairman Rupert Lowe, who took over from Guy Askham at the end of 1996–97. The campaign was the Saints' best in the league since 1994–95, as the club finished 12th in the table after two seasons in which they avoided relegation by a single point. Outside the league, however, the club faired less positively – they were eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round after just one game, and only made it to the fourth round of the League Cup.

After taking over from Graeme Souness in June, Jones added two players from his former Stockport County squad: goalkeeper Paul Jones and left-back Lee Todd. He would continue to add new players throughout the campaign, including breaking the club's transfer record with the £2 million signing of striker David Hirst, as well as selling numerous players – many from Souness' tenure. After a poor start to the league campaign which saw them drop into the relegation zone almost immediately, Southampton's form began to pick up following Hirst's arrival in October. As a result, they picked up a number of key wins over high-profile opposition and climbed the table, briefly making it into the top half before finishing in 12th place, eight points clear of the drop zone.

Outside the league, Southampton were eliminated from the FA Cup at the first hurdle for the second season in a row, losing their third round tie to FA Premier League rivals Derby County 0–2 at Pride Park Stadium. In the League Cup, the Saints beat Brentford in both legs of their second round tie, progressing 5–1 on aggregate over a side who would be relegated to the Third Division that season. In the third round they won 2–1 against Barnsley, who had just been promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history (but would be relegated again at the end of the year). The club were eliminated in the fourth round after extra time by Chelsea, who would go on to win the competition after beating First Division promotees Middlesbrough in the final.

Southampton used 31 players during the 1997–98 season and had 11 different goalscorers. Matt Le Tissier finished as the club's top goalscorer for a second season in a row (and seventh and last time overall) with 14 goals in all competitions. Kevin Davies and Egil Østenstad finished just behind Le Tissier on 12 and 11 goals, respectively. New goalkeeper Paul Jones made the most appearances for the club during the campaign and won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award at the end of the year. The average league attendance at The Dell during 1997–98 was 15,159. The highest attendance was 15,255 against Tottenham Hotspur in the league in October and the lowest was 8,004 against Brentford in the League Cup in September.

Background and transfers

[edit]

Ahead of the 1997–98 season, Southampton changed managers for the fourth time in just three years, when Graeme Souness resigned on 24 May 1997 due to disagreements with the club's new chairman Rupert Lowe related to potential spending in the summer transfer window.[1] On the same day, the club's director of football Lawrie McMenemy also left, claiming that he "shared the frustrations" of Souness, while on-loan midfielder Eyal Berkovic – who was set to sign a permanent deal for the Saints – explained that he did not want to stay at the club without Souness.[1] The next day, the Southampton Independent Supporters Association launched a campaign calling for Souness to be reinstated as manager and the new board, led by Lowe, to resign.[2] A month after Souness' resignation, the club announced that Dave Jones, who had just helped Stockport County achieve promotion to the First Division and reach the semi-finals of the League Cup,[3] would be taking over as Southampton manager.[4]

Two games into the season, centre-back Ulrich van Gobbel moved to Dutch side Feyenoord.
Jim Magilton left the Saints after three seasons in September, sold for £1.6 million to Sheffield Wednesday.
Maik Taylor was sold to Fulham in November after less than a year at the club.
Maik Taylor was sold to Fulham in November after less than a year at the club.

Jones brought two players with him from Stockport County to sign for Southampton: goalkeeper Paul Jones, who had just played every game in Stockport's promotion-winning season, for £900,000,[5] and left-back Lee Todd, who had also been a prominent part of the same team, for £850,000.[6] His only other signing prior to the season starting was Norwegian striker Stig Johansen, who joined from Bodø/Glimt at the beginning of August for £600,000.[7] The next week, Jones made his first sale as Dutch centre-back Ulrich van Gobbel (who had signed for Souness' side just ten months earlier) was sold for £800,000 to club Feyenoord – a loss of £500,000 on his signing less than a year previously.[8]

Squad changes continued throughout the season. In September and October, respectively, midfielders Jim Magilton and Neil Maddison left the club after making over 350 appearances between them – Magilton rejected a new contract and moved to Sheffield Wednesday for £1.6 million,[9] while Maddison moved to Middlesbrough for £300,000, helping them to achieve promotion back to the FA Premier League.[10] The pair were replaced by two new signings: Kevin Richardson from Coventry City for £150,000[11] and Carlton Palmer from Leeds United for £1 million.[12] Similarly, up front, David Hirst came to Southampton in a club-record £2 million deal from Sheffield Wednesday,[13] replacing Mickey Evans who moved to West Bromwich Albion for £750,000 after just seven months at the club.[14] Further sales before Christmas saw midfielder Christer Warren sold for £50,000 to Bournemouth,[15] goalkeeper Dave Beasant loaned, then sent for free, to Nottingham Forest,[16] and Maik Taylor and Alan Neilson moving to Fulham for £800,000 and £250,000, respectively.[17][18]

In the new year, left-back Simon Charlton – having lost his place in the team to new arrival Todd and in-form Francis Benali – was sold to Birmingham City in the First Division after a month-long loan spell, for a fee of £200,000.[19] John Beresford was signed as his replacement from Newcastle United a month later, with Jones paying £1.5 million for him – a new club record fee for a defender.[20] Later in February, another left-back, Matthew Robinson, moved to local rivals Portsmouth for £50,000, having made just 17 appearances over a four-season career in the Southampton first team.[21] On transfer deadline day in March, Australian midfielder Robbie Slater joined Wolverhampton Wanderers for £75,000,[22] and the Saints signed Italian midfielder Cosimo Sarli from Torino, although he failed to make an appearance for the first team and was released the following February.[23]

Players transferred in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Paul Jones  Wales GK England Stockport County 1 July 1997 £900,000 [5]
Lee Todd  England DF England Stockport County 1 July 1997 £850,000 [6]
Stig Johansen  Norway FW Norway Bodø/Glimt 6 August 1997 £600,000 [7]
Kevin Richardson  England MF England Coventry City 9 September 1997 £150,000 [11]
Carlton Palmer  England MF England Leeds United 23 September 1997 £1,000,000 [12]
David Hirst  England FW England Sheffield Wednesday 17 October 1997 £2,000,000 [13]
John Beresford  England DF England Newcastle United 6 February 1998 £1,500,000 [20]
Cosimo Sarli  Italy MF Italy Torino 26 March 1998 Free [23]

Players transferred out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date Fee Ref.
Ulrich van Gobbel  Netherlands DF Netherlands Feyenoord 14 August 1997 £800,000 [8]
Jim Magilton  Northern Ireland MF England Sheffield Wednesday 9 September 1997 £1,600,000 [9]
Christer Warren  England MF England Bournemouth 10 October 1997 £50,000 [15]
Mickey Evans  Republic of Ireland FW England West Bromwich Albion 24 October 1997 £750,000 [14]
Neil Maddison  England MF England Middlesbrough 28 October 1997 £300,000 [10]
Dave Beasant  England GK England Nottingham Forest 3 November 1997 Free [16]
Maik Taylor  Northern Ireland GK England Fulham 14 November 1997 £800,000 [17]
Alan Neilson  Wales DF England Fulham 26 November 1997 £250,000 [18]
Simon Charlton  England DF England Birmingham City 8 January 1998 £200,000 [19]
Matthew Robinson  England DF England Portsmouth 20 February 1998 £50,000 [21]
Robbie Slater  Australia MF England Wolverhampton Wanderers 26 March 1998 £75,000 [22]

Players loaned in

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date from Date to Ref.
Jason Bowen  Wales FW England Birmingham City 2 September 1997 29 September 1997 [24]

Players loaned out

Name Nationality Pos. Club Date from Date to Ref.
Dave Beasant  England GK England Nottingham Forest 21 August 1997 2 November 1997 [16]
Simon Charlton  England DF England Birmingham City 5 December 1997 5 January 1998 [19]
Steve Basham  England FW Wales Wrexham 5 February 1998 26 March 1998 [25]
Stig Johansen  Norway FW England Bristol City 12 February 1998 6 March 1998 [7]

Pre-season friendlies

[edit]

Ahead of the 1997–98 campaign, Southampton played eight pre-season friendlies. They started their pre-season preparations with a short German tour beginning in mid-July, during which they played five games against local opposition. After a 1–3 loss at Carl Zeiss Jena and a 1–1 draw with Ansbach, the Saints picked up two 2–0 wins over Niederauerbach (in which goals were scored by Jason Dodd and Ulrich van Gobbel) and Idar-Oberstein (in which goals were scored by Steve Basham and trialist Dirk Hebel), before losing the final match 2–4 against Kaiserslautern (Kevin Davies and Egil Østenstad scored for the visitors).[26] Back in England, the FA Premier League side lost 0–1 to First Division side Reading, before beating Luton Town of the Second Division 3–0 and Swindon Town of the First Division 1–0, with Østenstad scoring in both games.[26]

13 July 1997 Friendly Germany Carl Zeiss Jena 3–1 Southampton Jena, Germany
Le Tissier Stadium: Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld
16 July 1997 Friendly Germany Ansbach 1–1 Southampton Ansbach, Germany
Maddison Stadium: Sportpark Ansbach
20 July 1997 Friendly Germany Niederauerbach 0–2 Southampton Zweibrücken, Germany
Dodd
van Gobbel 		Stadium: Westpfalzstadion
23 July 1997 Friendly Germany Idar-Oberstein 0–2 Southampton Idar-Oberstein, Germany
Basham
Hebel 		Stadium: Sportgelände Im Haag
25 July 1997 Friendly Germany Kaiserslautern 4–2 Southampton Kaiserslautern, Germany
Davies
Østenstad 		Stadium: Fritz-Walter-Stadion
28 July 1997 Friendly Reading 1–0 Southampton Reading
Stadium: Elm Park
29 July 1997 Friendly Luton Town 0–3 Southampton Luton
Evans
Maddison
Østenstad 		Stadium: Kenilworth Road
2 August 1997 Friendly Swindon Town 0–1 Southampton Swindon
Østenstad Stadium: County Ground

FA Premier League

[edit]
Kevin Davies joined the club just before the end of the 1996–97 season, debuting in the opening game of 1997–98.
See also: 1997–98 FA Premier League

Southampton had a poor opening start to the 1997–98 FA Premier League campaign, losing their first two games against recently promoted Bolton Wanderers and reigning champions Manchester United and failing to score in either game.[27] After another loss, 1–3 at home to title challengers Arsenal, the Saints won their first match of the season when they beat Crystal Palace (another team recently promoted from the First Division) 1–0 at The Dell, with Kevin Davies scoring his first goal for the club.[27] Defeats at Chelsea and Coventry City saw the club drop to the bottom of the league table by mid-September.[28] After securing only their fourth point of the campaign with a 1–1 draw at home to Liverpool, the Saints lost 0–2 at home to Leeds United, before suffering their heaviest defeat of the campaign when Derby County – in their new Pride Park Stadium – thrashed the South Coast side 4–0, scoring all four goals in the last 15 minutes of the tie.[29] By the end of September, the club were still bottom of the table, already four points away from safety.[30]

The Saints picked up one of their season's three 3-goal wins at the beginning of October, beating West Ham United 3–0 at The Dell, with goals from Egil Østenstad, Davies and Jason Dodd coming in a single 15-minute spell early in the second half.[29] Another 0–1 loss at Blackburn Rovers followed, before the side fought back twice from trailing positions to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–2, with new striker David Hirst scoring twice on only his second appearance since joining the previous week.[29] This started a short winning run of three games, which included a 2–0 away victory over Everton, who were also struggling in the bottom quarter of the table, and a 4–1 home win over Barnsley, who had been recently promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history.[29] Following these three consecutive wins, Southampton had risen from 19th to 14th place in the league table.[31] Three marginal defeats followed, however, as the Saints succumbed 1–2 at Newcastle United, 2–3 to Sheffield Wednesday, and 0–1 at Wimbledon.[29][32]

Mid-December saw Southampton beat Leicester City 2–1 at The Dell, with a 2nd-minute Matt Le Tissier opener followed by full-back Francis Benali scoring the first and only senior goal of his career, heading in a free kick from Le Tissier.[32] A 1–1 draw at Aston Villa followed just before Christmas, during which a late goal from a Le Tissier free kick was disallowed after being taken from the wrong position.[32] The Saints ended 1997 with another 1–1 draw, at Crystal Palace, followed by a 1–0 win over Chelsea,[32] after which they had climbed up to 13th in the FA Premier League standings.[33] This was followed at the beginning of 1998 by a repeat of the first two fixtures of the season – a goalless draw at Bolton Wanderers, in which the Saints played with ten men for almost an hour following Benali's dismissal, was followed by a 1–0 home win over back-to-back title hopefuls Manchester United.[32] Another convincing defeat at Arsenal was followed by a hard-fought 3–2 win over Liverpool in which Østenstad and Hirst both scored in the last six minutes to give the club their first win at Anfield since 1981.[32][34]

Securing their place around the mid-table area, Southampton secured another run of three consecutive wins starting in late-February: first, they beat top-four side Blackburn Rovers 3–0 at home, with Østenstad scoring twice; the next week, they beat another top-half side, Leeds United, 1–0 at Elland Road; and finally, they won 2–1 against Everton despite Ken Monkou being sent off after just 36 minutes.[35] After losing 3–4 at Barnsley, who were fighting for survival from relegation, the Saints picked up their penultimate win of the campaign over Newcastle United, winning 2–1 at The Dell thanks to a late Le Tissier penalty given for handball.[35] The side's form suffered during April, as they picked up just one point from four games in a "pulsating and totally absorbing" 3–3 draw at Leicester City, losing against Sheffield Wednesday, Wimbledon and Aston Villa in the other three games.[35] A final 4–2 win over West Ham United was followed by a 0–2 loss at home to Derby County and a final day 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.[35] Southampton finished the season in 12th place with 14 wins, six draws and 18 defeats, marking their highest finish in the league since 10th in the 1994–95 season under manager Alan Ball.[35]

List of match results

[edit]
9 August 1997 1 Southampton 0–1 Bolton Wanderers Southampton
15:00 BST Oakley Yellow card Report Blake 43'
Frandsen Yellow card
Thompson Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,206
Referee: Martin Bodenham
13 August 1997 2 Manchester United 1–0 Southampton Manchester
20:00 BST Beckham 78'
Irwin Yellow card
Keane Yellow card
P. Neville Yellow card		 Report Johansen Yellow card Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 55,008
Referee: Graham Barber
23 August 1997 3 Southampton 1–3 Arsenal Southampton
15:00 BST Maddison 25'
Monkou Yellow card		 Report Overmars 20'
Bergkamp 57', 79', Yellow card
Bould Yellow card
Wright Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,246
Referee: David Elleray
27 August 1997 4 Southampton 1–0 Crystal Palace Southampton
19:45 BST Davies 57'
Magilton Yellow card
Todd Yellow card		 Report Edworthy Yellow card
Roberts Yellow card
Warhurst Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,032
Referee: Jeff Winter
30 August 1997 5 Chelsea 4–2 Southampton London
15:00 BST Petrescu 7'
Lebouef 28'
Hughes 31'
Wise 34'
Sinclair Red card 78'		 Report Davies 25'
Monkou 59', Yellow card
Hughes Yellow card
Neilson Yellow card
Williams Yellow card		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 30,008
Referee: Alan Wilkie
13 September 1997 6 Coventry City 1–0 Southampton Coventry
15:00 BST Soltvedt 65', Yellow card
Williams Yellow card		 Report Lundekvam Yellow card Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 18,659
Referee: Uriah Rennie
20 September 1997 7 Southampton 1–1 Liverpool Southampton
15:00 BST Davies 48'
Benali Yellow card
Le Tissier Yellow card		 Report Riedle 37'
Kvarme Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,252
Referee: Peter Jones
24 September 1997 8 Southampton 0–2 Leeds United Southampton
19:45 BST Davies Yellow card Report Molenaar 36'
Rod Wallace 55'
Halle Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,102
Referee: Stephen Lodge
27 September 1997 9 Derby County 4–0 Southampton Derby
15:00 BST Eranio 76' (pen.)
Wanchope 79'
Baiano 82'
Carsley 83'		 Report Davies Yellow card
Dryden Yellow card
Neilson Yellow card		 Stadium: Pride Park Stadium
Attendance: 25,625
Referee: Keith Burge
4 October 1997 10 Southampton 3–0 West Ham United Southampton
15:00 BST Østenstad 54'
Davies 65'
Dodd 68'
Richardson Yellow card		 Report Breacker Yellow card
Pearce Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,212
Referee: Mike Riley
18 October 1997 11 Blackburn Rovers 1–0 Southampton Blackburn
15:00 BST Sherwood 26' Report Monkou Yellow card Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 24,130
Referee: Gary Willard
25 October 1997 12 Southampton 3–2 Tottenham Hotspur Southampton
15:00 BST Campbell 54' (o.g.)
Hirst 67', 80'
Palmer Yellow card
Slater Yellow card		 Report Dominguez 42', Yellow card
Ginola 65'
Vega Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,255
Referee: Neale Barry
2 November 1997 13 Everton 0–2 Southampton Liverpool
16:00 GMT Phelan Yellow card
Short Yellow card
Watson Yellow card		 Report Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 29,565
Referee: Alan Wilkie
8 November 1997 14 Southampton 4–1 Barnsley Southampton
15:00 GMT Le Tissier 3' (pen.), Yellow card
Palmer 5'
Davies 35'
Hirst 54'
Monkou Yellow card		 Report Bosančić 37' (pen.), Yellow card
de Zeeuw Yellow card
Moses Yellow card
Tinkler Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,018
Referee: Gerald Ashby
22 November 1997 15 Newcastle United 2–1 Southampton Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 GMT Barnes 55', 75'
Albert Yellow card		 Report Davies 5'
Hirst Yellow card
Lundekvam Yellow card		 Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 36,759
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
29 November 1997 16 Southampton 2–3 Sheffield Wednesday Southampton
15:00 GMT Hirst 48'
Palmer 55'
Davies Yellow card		 Report Atherton 28'
Collins 69'
Di Canio 84'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,244
Referee: Steve Dunn
7 December 1997 17 Wimbledon 1–0 Southampton London
16:00 GMT Earle 17' Report Palmer Yellow card Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 12,009
Referee: Mike Reed
13 December 1997 18 Southampton 2–1 Leicester City Southampton
15:00 GMT Le Tissier 1'
Benali 53'
Østenstad Yellow card		 Report Savage 84'
Keller Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,121
Referee: Stephen Lodge
20 December 1997 19 Aston Villa 1–1 Southampton Birmingham
15:00 GMT Taylor 64' Report Østenstad 72' Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 29,343
Referee: David Elleray
26 December 1997 20 Crystal Palace 1–1 Southampton London
12:00 GMT Shipperley 62'
Fullarton Yellow card		 Report Oakley 39'
Benali Yellow card
Hirst Yellow card
Lundekvam Yellow card		 Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 22,853
Referee: Paul Alcock
29 December 1997 21 Southampton 1–0 Chelsea Southampton
20:00 GMT Davies 16'
Palmer Yellow card		 Report Le Saux Yellow card Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,231
Referee: Martin Bodenham
10 January 1998 22 Bolton Wanderers 0–0 Southampton Bolton
15:00 GMT Report Benali Red card 30'
Davies Yellow card
Dryden Yellow card
Palmer Yellow card		 Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium
Attendance: 23,333
Referee: Gary Willard
19 January 1998 23 Southampton 1–0 Manchester United Southampton
20:00 GMT Davies 3'
Dodd Yellow card
Le Tissier Yellow card		 Report Beckham Yellow card
Butt Yellow card
Giggs Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,241
Referee: Mike Riley
31 January 1998 24 Arsenal 3–0 Southampton London
15:00 GMT Bergkamp 62'
Adams 67', Yellow card
Anelka 68'
Platt Yellow card		 Report Dodd Yellow card
Hirst Yellow card
Monkou Yellow card
Richardson Yellow card		 Stadium: Arsenal Stadium
Attendance: 38,056
Referee: Peter Jones
7 February 1998 25 Liverpool 2–3 Southampton Liverpool
15:00 GMT Owen 24', 90'
Fowler Yellow card
James Yellow card		 Report Hirst 8' (pen.), 90'
Østenstad 85'
Hughes Yellow card
Monkou Yellow card
Williams Yellow card		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,550
Referee: Jeff Winter
18 February 1998 26 Southampton 1–2 Coventry City Southampton
19:45 GMT Le Tissier 79' (pen.) Report Whelan 14'
Huckerby 29'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,091
Referee: Paul Alcock
21 February 1998 27 Southampton 3–0 Blackburn Rovers Southampton
15:00 GMT Østenstad 19', 88'
Hirst 78'
Oakley Yellow card		 Report Broomes Yellow card
Hendry Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,162
Referee: Uriah Rennie
28 February 1998 28 Leeds United 0–1 Southampton Leeds
15:00 GMT Report Palmer Yellow card Yellow-red card 76'
Le Tissier Yellow card		 Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 28,791
Referee: Keith Burge
7 March 1998 29 Southampton 2–1 Everton Southampton
15:00 GMT Monkou Red card 36'
Le Tissier 69' (pen.)
Østenstad 86'		 Report Bilić Red card 68'
Tiler 89', Yellow card
Hutchison Yellow card
Madar Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,102
Referee: David Elleray
14 March 1998 30 Barnsley 4–3 Southampton Barnsley
15:00 GMT Ward 17'
Jones 32'
Fjørtoft 42'
Redfearn 57' (pen.)		 Report Østenstad 25'
Le Tissier 41', 71'
Lundekvam Yellow card		 Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 18,368
Referee: Gerald Ashby
28 March 1998 31 Southampton 2–1 Newcastle United Southampton
15:00 GMT Pearce 69' (o.g.)
Le Tissier 85' (pen.), Yellow card
Lundekvam Yellow card
Oakley Yellow card
Palmer Yellow card		 Report Lee 46'
Pistone Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,251
Referee: Graham Barber
4 April 1998 32 Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 Southampton Sheffield
15:00 BST Carbone 78' Report Lundekvam Yellow card Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium
Attendance: 29,677
Referee: Peter Jones
11 April 1998 33 Southampton 0–1 Wimbledon Southampton
15:00 BST Lundekvam Yellow card Report Leaburn 38' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 14,815
Referee: Mike Reed
14 April 1998 34 Leicester City 3–3 Southampton Leicester
19:45 BST Lennon 18'
Elliott 52'
Parker 90' (pen.)		 Report Østenstad 17', 27', Yellow card
Hirst 49'
Lundekvam Yellow card		 Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 20,708
Referee: Graham Poll
18 April 1998 35 Southampton 1–2 Aston Villa Southampton
15:00 BST Le Tissier 19' Report Hendrie 6'
Yorke 60'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,238
Referee: Alan Wilkie
25 April 1998 36 West Ham United 2–4 Southampton London
15:00 BST Sinclair 42'
Lomas 82'		 Report Le Tissier 40'
Østenstad 63', 86', Yellow card
Palmer 80'		 Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 25,878
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
2 May 1998 37 Southampton 0–2 Derby County Southampton
15:00 BST Benali Red card 54'
Le Tissier Yellow card		 Report Dailly 50'
Sturridge 88'. Yellow card
Carsley Yellow card
Kozluk Yellow card
Laursen Yellow card
Wanchope Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,202
Referee: Mike Riley
10 May 1998 38 Tottenham Hotspur 1–1 Southampton London
16:00 BST Klinsmann 27'
Campbell Yellow card		 Report Le Tissier 21'
Palmer Yellow card		 Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 35,995
Referee: Peter Jones

Final league table

[edit]
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
10 Leicester City 38 13 14 11 51 41 +10 53
11 Coventry City 38 12 16 10 46 44 +2 52
12 Southampton 38 14 6 18 50 55 −5 48
13 Newcastle United 38 11 11 16 35 44 −9 44 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
14 Tottenham Hotspur 38 11 11 16 44 56 −12 44
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ As Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their Cup Winners' Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.

Results by matchday

[edit]
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
ResultLLLWLLDLLWLWWWLLLWDDWDWLWLWWWLWLLDLWLD
Position1817191618202020201919171614151617161515131312121112111110111011121212111212
Source: 11v11.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

[edit]
See also: 1997–98 FA Cup

Southampton entered the 1997–98 FA Cup in an away tie against fellow FA Premier League side Derby County, just over three months after a 0–4 loss at the new Pride Park Stadium in the league.[36] Kevin Davies created a couple of chances to score in the first half, but it was the hosts who came closest to breaking the deadlock through Francesco Baiano and others.[36] It took until the 68th minute for the first goal, when Baiano converted a penalty given for a foul on him by Carlton Palmer – Southampton club historians claim that Palmer "had not even attempted a tackle and no contact was made", crediting Baiano's "amateur dramatics" for gaining the spot kick.[36] Five minutes later, Chris Powell scored a second to put Derby through to the fourth round and eliminate the Saints at the first hurdle.[36]

3 January 1998 Round 3 Derby County 2–0 Southampton Derby
Baiano 68' (pen.)
C. Powell 73'
D. Powell Yellow card		 Benali Yellow card Stadium: Pride Park Stadium
Attendance: 27,992
Referee: Gerald Ashby

League Cup

[edit]
See also: 1997–98 Football League Cup

Southampton entered the 1997–98 League Cup in the second round against Brentford, who were struggling in the lower regions of the Second Division table. In the first game at The Dell, the FA Premier League hosts eased past the third tier side 3–1, with Ken Monkou, Kevin Davies and Micky Evans all on the scoresheet.[37] A 2–0 win in the return leg at Griffin Park – both goals scored in the first half by Matt Le Tissier – saw the club through.[37] An all-Premier League affair in the third round saw Southampton beat recent promotees Barnsley 2–1 at Oakwell, with Davies scoring a winner in the final two minutes after the game had been level for over an hour.[37] Another top-flight side, Chelsea, hosted the Saints in the fourth round. Davies opened the scoring shortly after the half-time break, but Tore André Flo equalised just ten minutes later.[37] With replays having recently been abandoned in the tournament, the tie went to extra time, when Jody Morris scored just before the end of the second period to put Chelsea through.[37]

17 September 1997 Round 2 Leg 1 Southampton 3–1 Brentford Southampton
Monkou 37'
Davies 60'
Evans 69'
Richardson Yellow card		 Taylor 66'
Hurdle Yellow card		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 8,004
Referee: Gary Willard
30 September 1997 Round 2 Leg 2 Brentford 0–2
(1–5 agg.)		 Southampton London
McGhee Yellow card Le Tissier 31', 44', Yellow card
Davies Yellow card		 Stadium: Griffin Park
Attendance: 3,957
Referee: Paul Taylor
14 October 1997 Round 3 Barnsley 1–2 Southampton Barnsley
Liddell 26' Le Tissier 15'
Davies 88'
Lundekvam Yellow card		 Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 9,019
Referee: Jeff Winter
19 November 1997 Round 4 Chelsea 2–1 (a.e.t.) Southampton London
Flo 61'
Morris 118'		 Davies 52', Yellow card
Palmer Yellow card		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 20,968
Referee: David Elleray

Other matches

[edit]

Outside the league and cup competitions, Southampton played three additional matches during the second half of the 1997–98 season. The first was a friendly against Conference side Woking in January, which ended in a 1–1 draw (Kevin Davies scored for the visitors).[26] A second friendly, at Southern League side Dorchester Town, ended in a 2–0 win for the Saints through a David Hirst brace.[26] The final match took place two days after the end of the league season, against recently-crowned La Liga champions FC Barcelona. The Spanish hosts won the tie 4–0, with two goals from Iván de la Peña in the first half followed by second-half goals from Mario Rosas and Luis Cembranos.[38]

23 January 1998 Friendly Woking 1–1 Southampton Woking
Davies Stadium: Kingfield Stadium
20 March 1998 Friendly Dorchester Town 0–2 Southampton Dorchester
Hirst Stadium: The Avenue Stadium
12 May 1998 Friendly Spain Barcelona 4–0 Southampton Barcelona, Spain
de la Peña 23', 39'
Rosas 59'
Cembranos 82'		 Stadium: Camp Nou

Player details

[edit]

Southampton used 31 players during the 1997–98 season, 11 of whom scored during the campaign.[39] 13 players made their debut appearances for the club, including eight of their nine first team signings (John Beresford,[20] Jason Bowen,[24] David Hirst,[13] Stig Johansen,[7] Paul Jones,[5] Carlton Palmer,[12] Kevin Richardson,[11] and Lee Todd[6]), one signing from the previous season (Kevin Davies[40]), and four players making the step up from youth to the first team (Kevin Gibbens,[41] Duncan Spedding,[42] Phil Warner,[43] and Andy Williams[44]). Five of these – Bowen,[24] Johansen,[7] Richardson,[11] Spedding,[42] and Todd[6] – also made their last appearances for the Saints during the campaign, as did mid-season departees Simon Charlton,[19] Mickey Evans,[14] Neil Maddison,[10] Jim Magilton,[9] Alan Neilson,[18] Matthew Robinson,[21] Robbie Slater,[22] and Ulrich van Gobbel.[8] New goalkeeper Jones made the most appearances for Southampton during the season, playing in all 43 games across all three competitions.[39] Matt Le Tissier finished as the club's top goalscorer for the seventh time in the last nine seasons, with 11 goals in the league and three in the League Cup.[39] Jones won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award in the 1997–98 season.[35]

Squad statistics

[edit]
No. Name Pos. Nat. League FA Cup League Cup Total Discipline
Apps. Goals Apps. Goals Apps. Goals Apps. Goals
1 Paul Jones GK Wales 38 0 1 0 4 0 43 0 0 0
2 Jason Dodd DF England 36 1 1 0 3 0 40 1 2 0
3 Lee Todd DF England 9(1) 0 0 0 1 0 10(1) 0 1 0
4 Carlton Palmer MF England 26 3 1 0 3 0 30 3 8 1
5 Ken Monkou DF Netherlands 30(2) 1 1 0 3 1 34(2) 2 6 1
6 Claus Lundekvam DF Norway 31 0 0 0 4 0 35 0 9 0
7 Matt Le Tissier MF England 25(1) 11 1 0 3 3 29(1) 14 7 0
8 Matt Oakley MF England 32(1) 1 1 0 4 0 37(1) 1 3 0
10 Egil Østenstad FW Norway 21(8) 11 0(1) 0 1 0 22(9) 11 3 0
12 Richard Dryden DF England 11(2) 0 0 0 1 0 12(2) 0 2 0
13 Neil Moss GK England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 John Beresford DF England 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0
15 Francis Benali DF England 32(1) 1 1 0 2(1) 0 35(2) 1 3 2
16 Kevin Davies FW England 20(5) 9 1 0 3(1) 3 24(6) 12 6 0
17 Cosimo Sarli FW Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 Kevin Richardson MF England 25(3) 0 1 0 4 0 30(3) 0 3 0
20 Darryl Flahavan GK England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
21 Andy Williams MF Wales 3(17) 0 0(1) 0 1(2) 0 4(20) 0 2 0
23 Duncan Spedding DF England 4(3) 0 0 0 0(1) 0 4(4) 0 0 0
24 Steve Basham FW England 0(9) 0 0 0 0 0 0(9) 0 0 0
25 Stig Johansen FW Norway 3(3) 0 0 0 1(1) 0 4(4) 0 1 0
26 David Hughes MF England 6(7) 0 1 0 0 0 7(7) 0 2 0
27 David Hirst FW England 28 9 1 0 1 0 30 9 3 0
28 Kevin Gibbens MF England 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
29 Phil Warner DF England 0(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0
Squad members who left before the end of the season
4 Jim Magilton MF Northern Ireland 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0
9 Mickey Evans FW Republic of Ireland 6(4) 0 0 0 2(1) 1 8(5) 1 0 0
11 Robbie Slater MF Australia 3(8) 0 0 0 0(1) 0 3(9) 0 1 0
13 Maik Taylor GK Northern Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Neil Maddison MF England 5(1) 1 0 0 0 0 5(1) 1 0 0
17 Simon Charlton DF England 2(1) 0 0 0 1(1) 0 3(2) 0 0 0
18 Ulrich van Gobbel DF Netherlands 1(1) 0 0 0 0 0 1(1) 0 0 0
19 Alan Neilson DF Wales 3(5) 0 0 0 2 0 5(5) 0 2 0
20 Dave Beasant GK England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22 Matthew Robinson DF England 0(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0
28 Jason Bowen FW Wales 1(2) 0 0 0 0 0 1(2) 0 0 0

Most appearances

[edit]
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup League Cup Total
Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Starts Subs Total
1 Paul Jones GK 38 0 1 0 4 0 43 0 43
2 Jason Dodd DF 36 0 1 0 3 0 40 1 41
3 Matt Oakley MF 32 1 1 0 4 0 37 1 38
4 Francis Benali DF 32 1 1 0 2 1 35 2 37
5 Ken Monkou DF 30 2 1 0 3 0 34 2 36
6 Claus Lundekvam DF 31 0 0 0 4 0 35 0 35
7 Kevin Richardson MF 25 3 1 0 4 0 30 3 33
8 Egil Østenstad FW 21 8 0 1 1 0 22 9 31
9 David Hirst FW 28 0 1 0 1 0 30 0 30
Carlton Palmer MF 26 0 1 0 3 0 30 0 30
Matt Le Tissier MF 25 1 1 0 3 0 29 1 30
Kevin Davies FW 20 5 1 0 3 1 24 6 30

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Name Pos. League FA Cup League Cup Total
Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GPG
1 Matt Le Tissier MF 11 26 0 1 3 3 14 30 0.47
2 Kevin Davies FW 9 25 0 1 3 4 12 30 0.40
3 Egil Østenstad FW 11 29 0 1 0 1 11 31 0.35
4 David Hirst FW 9 28 0 1 0 1 9 30 0.30
5 Carlton Palmer MF 3 26 0 1 0 3 3 30 0.10
6 Ken Monkou DF 1 32 0 1 1 3 2 36 0.06
7 Neil Maddison MF 1 6 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.17
Mickey Evans FW 0 10 0 0 1 3 1 13 0.08
Francis Benali DF 1 33 0 1 0 3 1 37 0.03
Matt Oakley MF 1 33 0 1 0 4 1 38 0.03
Jason Dodd DF 1 36 0 1 0 3 1 40 0.03

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Metcalf, Rupert (24 May 1997). "Football: Exit Souness with McMenemy in tow". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  2. ^ Nixon, Alan (25 May 1997). "'Souness must stay' say Southampton supporters". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  3. ^ Harris, Nick; Nixon, Alan (20 June 1997). "Football: Southampton to tempt Jones from Stockport". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  4. ^ Nixon, Alan; Metcalf, Rupert (23 June 1997). "Football: Gray shocks Everton by rejecting job". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Paul Jones". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Lee Todd". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Stig Johansen". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Ulrich van Gobbel". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Jim Magilton". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Neil Maddison". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d "Kevin Richardson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Carlton Palmer". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "David Hirst". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Micky Evans". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Christer Warren". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "Dave Beasant". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Maik Taylor". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  18. ^ a b c "Alan Neilson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d "Simon Charlton". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  20. ^ a b c "John Beresford". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "Matthew Robinson". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  22. ^ a b c "Robbie Slater". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Cosimo Sarli". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  24. ^ a b c "Jason Bowen". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Steve Basham". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 431
  27. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 251
  28. ^ "Premier League table after close of play on 13 September 1997". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d e Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 252
  30. ^ "Premier League table after close of play on 27 September 1997". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  31. ^ "Premier League table after close of play on 08 November 1997". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  32. ^ a b c d e f Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 253
  33. ^ "Premier League table after close of play on 26 December 1997". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Liverpool football club: record v Southampton". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  35. ^ a b c d e f Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 254
  36. ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 406
  37. ^ a b c d e Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 295
  38. ^ "Barcelona – Southampton (4–0) – Friendly – 12/05/1998". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  39. ^ a b c Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 255, 295, 406
  40. ^ "Kevin Davies". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  41. ^ "Kevin Gibbins". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Duncan Spedding". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  43. ^ "Phil Warner". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  44. ^ "Andy Williams". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2024.

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]
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