The 1994–95 Southampton
F.C. season was the club's third in the Premier League, and their
25th in the top division of English football. Having narrowly avoided
relegation from the league the previous season, the club were looking
to improve their performances in order to remain in the top flight
for another year. After finishing 18th in the division for two
consecutive seasons, Southampton managed to finish 10th in the
Premier League, their best top-flight finish since 1990. They also
reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, and the third round of the
League Cup. Southampton acted conservatively in the 1994 summer
transfer window, although did make notable signings in the form of
Zimbabwean goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar from Liverpool and Danish
midfielder Ronnie Ekelund from Barcelona. After Christmas the
spending was increased, with strikers Neil Shipperley and Gordon
Watson moving to Southampton from Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday
respectively, both for fees in excess of £1 million. Notable
departures included striker Iain Dowie halfway through the season,
and defender Jeff Kenna near the end of the campaign. At the end of
the season Southampton finished 10th in the Premier League table with
12 wins, 18 draws and 12 losses, although only nine points above the
relegation zone. Matthew Le Tissier was the club's top scorer with 19
goals in the league, making him the seventh best goalscorer in the
league that season. With five other goals in FA Cup and also fove
goals in the League Cup, Le Tissier was the best scorer oh the team
for all season long with 29 units in all competitions. Le Tissier
also won the Southampton Player of the Season award, surpassing Peter
Shilton and Tim Flowers as the first player to win the award a third
time. And Le Tissier - again - won the Match of the Day Goal of the
Season award for his drifting 40-yard lob against Blackburn Rovers,
scoring against his long term friend, and former Southampton keeper,
Tim Flowers.
In FA Premier League,
Southampton's season start to the third Premier League season saw the
Hampshire side pick up just two points from their first four games,
all in August, including a 5–1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle
United. The following month was much more positive for the club, who
picked up four wins out of five games, including a late win at
Tottenham Hotspur and 3–1 wins against Coventry City and Ipswich
Town. The Saints lost their next three games, and won only one of
their November fixtures, a tightly-fought 1–0 victory over Arsenal.
The run-up to Christmas was similarly difficult, with Southampton
picking up only one win from a possible three. Saints hosted
Wimbledon on Boxing Day 1994, and eventually lost 3–2 after a close
match-up between the sides. It took the Saints almost three months to
win a match again, during which time the club dropped to 20th in the
table. Between 28 December 1994 and 18 March 1995, Southampton took
part in an amazing nine draws, including late losses of leads against
Manchester City and Norwich City, and lost their other two matches at
Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest.L uck changed for the Saints after
this poor run of results, as they picked up important victories
against high-profile opponents Newcastle United (in which
Southampton's three goals were scored within the last four minutes)
and Tottenham Hotspur, and later against Chelsea and a number of
other teams. Despite winning only one of their final five fixtures,
the club remained in 10th position in the Premier League come the end
of the season, with just ten points between themselves and the
relegation zone.
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