# 1983–84 Southampton F.C. season

The 1983–84 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 83rd season of competitive football and their 14th in the First Division of the Football League. The campaign saw the Saints enjoy their most successful league performance of all-time, finishing second in the top flight behind champions Liverpool, who were winning their third consecutive title. Outside the league, the South Coast side also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the third round of the League Cup.
Despite a disappointing previous season in which the club finished 12th in the First Division, Southampton only made a handful of signings in the summer before the start of the 1983–84 campaign, bringing in centre-back Ken Armstrong to replace the outgoing Chris Nicholl and striker Frank Worthington to bolster their forward line. Later in the season, the club signed striker Alan Curtis and left-back Mark Dennis, while right-back Ivan Golac returned for the last few months of the campaign. Southampton enjoyed numerous unbeaten spells throughout the campaign to ensure they were always in the running for a high finish, including the opening six and final ten games of the season. The latter run included an 8–2 win over Coventry City, which would remain their biggest win in the top flight until the 2014–15 season.
As a First Division side, Southampton entered the 1983–84 FA Cup in the third round. The club made it to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since winning the trophy in 1976, picking up narrow away victories over Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers to get there. After thrashing Second Division side Sheffield Wednesday in a sixth round replay after a goalless draw, the Saints faced league rivals Everton in the penultimate round, eventually succumbing to the Toffees thanks to a single goal in extra time. Everton went on to win the cup. In the 1983–84 League Cup, Southampton beat Second Division side Carlisle United 3–2 on aggregate in the second round, before suffering defeat at the hands of Rotherham United of the Third Division to exit the tournament at the second hurdle.
Southampton used 22 players during the 1983–84 season and had 12 different goalscorers. Their top scorer was Steve Moran, who scored 25 goals in all competitions – 21 in the league and four in the FA Cup. Midfielder David Armstrong was the second-highest goalscorer with 19 goals across all three competitions, followed by the previous season's top scorer Danny Wallace on 11 league goals. Armstrong and fellow midfielder Nick Holmes played in all 51 competitive games during the season, with Armstrong picking up the club's Player of the Season award. The average attendance at The Dell during 1983–84 was 18,051. The highest home attendance was 21,141 for the 5–0 league win over Tottenham Hotspur on 7 May 1984 and the lowest was 15,009 for a 0–2 defeat against Notts County on 19 November 1983.

## Background and transfers

Ahead of the 1983–84 season, Southampton manager Lawrie McMenemy released seven players from his squad – this included five youth players, striker Bob Lee (who had failed to make an appearance) and goalkeeper Peter Wells, who had been on loan at Millwall since February 1983 and was signed on a permanent basis. Centre-back Chris Nicholl, who had made over 250 appearances for the Saints over a six-season spell, moved to a player-assistant manager role at Grimsby Town. He spent two years with the Mariners, after which he would return to Southampton and take over as first team manager, following Lawrie McMenemy's departure. Following Nicholl's move, the Saints brought in Ken Armstrong from Scottish side Kilmarnock as his replacement; the fee for his signing has been disputed, with sources claiming the club paid either £25,000, £50,000 or £60,000 for his services. Also signed in the summer was striker Frank Worthington from league rivals Sunderland, who joined in June for a reported fee of £25,000.
Shortly after the start of the league season, centre-back Malcolm Waldron made a £100,000 move to Third Division side Burnley, following a frustrating season in which he made only three league appearances after a serious knee injury. In November 1983, after a string of results which included the club's first four defeats, the club made two more signings, bringing in Alan Curtis from Swansea City and Mark Dennis from Birmingham City. At the same time, striker Ian Baird was sent out on a five-month loan to Cardiff City, having struggled to break into the first team ahead of Worthington. The final change in personnel came in March 1984, when Yugoslavian right-back Ivan Golac – who had previously played for the club between 1978 and 1982, before leaving after a "dispute with McMenemy over terms" – returned to Southampton for the final run of games.
Players transferred in
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee |
| Ken Armstrong | England | DF | Kilmarnock | June 1983 | £50,000 |
| Frank Worthington | England | FW | Sunderland | June 1983 | £25,000 |
| Ian Straw | England | DF | none (free agent) | July 1983 | Free |
| Dennis Wise | England | MF | none (free agent) | July 1983 | Free |
| Alan Curtis | Wales | FW | Swansea City | November 1983 | £80,000 |
| Mark Dennis | England | DF | Birmingham City | November 1983 | Unknown |
| Ivan Golac | Yugoslavia | DF | Belasica | March 1984 | Unknown |
Players transferred out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date | Fee |
| Peter Wells | England | GK | Millwall | May 1983 | Unknown |
| Bob Lee | England | FW | Darlington | August 1983 | Free |
| David Madden | England | MF | Arsenal | August 1983 | Free |
| Chris Nicholl | England | DF | Grimsby Town | August 1983 | Unknown |
| Malcolm Waldron | England | DF | Burnley | September 1983 | £100,000 |
Players loaned out
| Name | Nationality | Pos. | Club | Date from | Date to |
| David Puckett | England | FW | Nottingham Forest | October 1983 | November 1983 |
| Ian Baird | England | FW | Cardiff City | November 1983 | March 1984 |
| Ken Armstrong | England | DF | Notts County | March 1984 | End of season |
| Martin Foyle | England | FW | Blackburn Rovers | March 1984 | April 1984 |
| Ian Juryeff | England | FW | Munkfors | March 1984 | April 1984 |
| Ian Juryeff | England | FW | Mansfield Town | April 1984 | End of season |

## Pre-season friendlies

Ahead of the 1983–84 league campaign, Southampton played seven pre-season friendlies. At the beginning of August, the club completed a short tour of Ireland which included two fixtures – they beat Drogheda United 3–2 and Cobh Ramblers 4–0, with Steve Moran scoring three goals across the two games. Three domestic friendlies followed, with the Saints edging out Third Division side Oxford United at the Manor Ground, before drawing 1–1 with both Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, also away. A week before the start of the league season, the club travelled to Spain to compete in the annual Trofeo Cidade de Vigo, a pre-season friendly tournament. The English side won the trophy after beating Romanian club Dinamo București on penalties and drawing 1–1 with hosts Celta Vigo.

## First Division

Southampton opened their 1983–84 league campaign in fine form, going unbeaten in their first six fixtures to establish themselves as a contender for the top of the table early on. Victories included an opening day 1–0 win at Nottingham Forest, who had finished the previous season in fifth place; a 1–0 home win over frequent title challengers Arsenal; and a convincing 3–0 win over Manchester United, who had finished the year before at third in the table. The Saints had also managed to hold defending champions Liverpool to a 1–1 draw at Anfield, with a late Mick Mills goal cancelling out Ian Rush's opener. After suffering their first defeat at the hands of Aston Villa after seeing Frank Worthington sent off, the team's good form became more sporadic and they dropped as low as ninth in the league table. During this period, the Saints picked up narrow victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town and West Bromwich Albion, but lost points at the hands of struggling sides Luton Town, Norwich City and Notts County. The home loss to Notts County, who would go on to be relegated at the end of the season, is often cited by commentators as a crucial result which set back Southampton's hopes for winning the league.
Moving into December, Southampton sat ninth in the First Division table. They picked up four wins from five games to move up to third in the table towards the end of the month, including a 3–1 victory over Stoke City, narrow 1–0 wins against West Ham United and Watford, and a 2–1 victory over Birmingham City in which the travelling Blues scored two own goals. The club's form suffered again over the new year, as they picked up just two points from four games in successive 2–2 draws with Arsenal and Aston Villa, which were followed by narrow defeats at the hands of fellow high-flyers Manchester United (2–3) and Nottingham Forest (0–1), leaving Southampton sixth in the table. Another unbeaten run followed, as Southampton picked up 16 of a possible 18 points between 4 February and 16 March, moving back up to fourth place. The final fixture in this run was the first match at The Dell to be broadcast live on television, against league leaders and defending champions Liverpool. The hosts won the game 2–0, with winger Danny Wallace scoring "two sublime strikes" according to club historian Dave Juson. March ended with 0–4 and 0–1 defeats at Queens Park Rangers and Everton, respectively.
Southampton went unbeaten for the last ten games of the 1983–84 season, climbing from fifth place in the table to their final finishing position in second. The first win in the run was a 3–1 victory at home to Everton, who had knocked the Saints out of the FA Cup semi-finals just three days previously. The third win of the run was an 8–2 thrashing of visiting Coventry City, who were fighting against the risk of relegation. Among the home side's eight goals were hat-tricks for two players – Steve Moran and Danny Wallace – which marked the first time this had happened for the club since 1964. The result set a new club record for biggest winning margin in the top flight, which remained in place until they beat Sunderland 8–0 in the Premier League in 2014. The Saints also beat Tottenham Hotspur – who finished fourth the previous year – 5–0, although the visitors were later fined £7,500 by UEFA for purposely "fielding a weakened side" ahead of the first leg of their UEFA Cup final two days later.
In their last two fixtures, Southampton picked up away victories over West Bromwich Albion (2–0) and Notts County (3–1) to leapfrog Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester United into the runners-up position in the table. The club finished the First Division campaign on 77 points, three ahead of Forest and United, with 22 wins, 11 draws and nine defeats; their tally of just 38 goals conceded was the first time the club had let in less than a goal per game in the top flight. The club's points total of 77 was the highest they had achieved in the Football League to date, and would remain the club record until their promotion-winning 2010–11 season (which featured 46 matches – four more than in 1983–84). Due to their final league position, Southampton qualified for the 1984–85 UEFA Cup.

### Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 22 | 14 | 6 | 73 | 32 | +41 | 80 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Southampton | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 66 | 38 | +28 | 77 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 76 | 45 | +31 | 74 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Manchester United | 42 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 71 | 41 | +30 | 74 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 67 | 37 | +30 | 73 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |

### Results by matchday

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 |
| Ground | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A |
| Result | W | D | W | D | W | W | L | W | L | W | L | W | L | D | L | W | D | W | W | W | D | D | L | L | W | D | W | W | W | W | L | L | D | W | W | D | W | D | W | D | W | W |
| Position | 9 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 |

## FA Cup

Southampton entered the 1983–84 FA Cup in the third round, facing fellow First Division side Nottingham Forest. The Saints won the fixture at the City Ground 2–1, with Steve Moran scoring both goals in the last 15 minutes of the match, either side of a single goal from the hosts. In the fourth round, the team travelled to local rivals Portsmouth, who had recently been promoted back to the Second Division as champions of the Third Division, for the first FA Cup meeting between the clubs since 1906. In a "frantic" fixture, the hosts looked closest to opening the scoring in the first half, with Southampton's Moran unable to challenge the Pompey back line. Around 15 minutes after the break, Saints defender Mark Dennis was struck by an object thrown by one of the home fans; play was delayed for a few minutes, but Dennis continued. It was during time added on for this incident that Southampton scored the only goal of the game, with Moran converting a half-volley from a David Armstrong cross to send them into the fifth round for the first time since 1981.
In the fifth round, Southampton travelled to another Second Division side, Blackburn Rovers, who were unbeaten in 16 games and had only lost once at home in the season to date. The hosts almost went ahead in the first half through Simon Garner, but centre-back Reuben Agboola made a "miraculous clearance" off the goal line to keep the Saints in the game. Shortly after the hour mark, David Armstrong scored the only goal of the game to send Southampton through to the sixth round of the competition. In their first FA Cup quarter-final since 1979, Southampton were again drawn away to a Second Division side, this time eventual promotees Sheffield Wednesday. Despite periods of domination and plenty of opportunities for both sides, the game ended in a goalless draw and went to a replay. In the rematch at The Dell, the Saints came back from an early deficit to lead 2–1 at half-time, with Steve Williams scoring a free-kick and Mick Mills causing Gavin Oliver to score an own goal, both just before the break. Despite the difficult first 45 minutes, the hosts quickly added to their tally, with Mark Wright making it 3–1 in the 52nd minute, David Armstrong adding a fourth after 80 minutes, and Moran finishing off the scoring two minutes later.
Southampton faced league rivals Everton in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1976, to whom they had lost 0–1 just two weeks earlier. The first half at Arsenal Stadium was relatively equal, with both sides coming close to breaking the deadlock – Everton through Andy Gray early on and Peter Reid shortly before the break; Southampton through Moran multiple times during the period. The second half was largely dominated by the Toffees, with Adrian Heath and Trevor Steven both coming close on multiple occasions, testing Peter Shilton and the Saints defence. The fixture went to extra time, with Everton continuing to enjoy the majority of chances on goal; just three minutes from the end, Heath finally scored the only goal of the game, heading in from a free-kick to take the Merseyside team through to their eighth FA Cup final. Blame for the loss was directed by some, including players Frank Worthington and Ivan Golac, at manager Lawrie McMenemy, who had chosen to include Steve Williams in the starting lineup despite a recent injury – Worthington later described this as "the most costly piece of mismanagement it has ever been my misfortune to witness".

## League Cup

Southampton entered the 1983–84 League Cup in the second round against Second Division side Carlisle United. After losing the first leg 0–2 at Brunton Park, the top-flight Saints won the second leg 3–2 after extra time to advance to the third round, with David Armstrong's fourth-minute opener followed by two goals from substitute Martin Foyle. In the third round, the South Coast side faced Rotherham United of the Third Division; despite "dominating the play", they struggled to create chances and suffered a 2–1 defeat with all three goals scored in the first half.

## Other matches

During the 1983–84 season, the Southampton first team played an additional two friendlies. Both games took place in October and saw the Saints hosted by a side representing Kuwait and Jordan-based club Al-Ramtha, which ended in a 1–2 loss and goalless draw, respectively.

## Player details

Southampton used 22 different players during the 1983–84 season, 12 of whom scored during the campaign. Midfielders David Armstrong and Nick Holmes played in all 51 games – 42 in the league, six in the FA Cup and three in the League Cup; goalkeeper Peter Shilton and winger Danny Wallace missed just one game each – Shilton in the League Cup, Wallace in the First Division. Steve Moran finished as the season's top goalscorer with 21 goals in the league and four in the FA Cup, followed by Armstrong on 19 goals (15 in the league and two in each cup) and Wallace on 11 goals (all in the league).

### Squad statistics

| Name | Pos. | Nat. | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| Name | Pos. | Nat. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. | Apps. | Gls. |
| Reuben Agboola | DF | | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| David Armstrong | MF | | 42 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 51 | 19 |
| Ian Baird | FW | | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Steve Baker | DF | | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Alan Curtis | FW | | 8(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8(1) | 1 |
| Mark Dennis | DF | | 20 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Martin Foyle | FW | | 2(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 2 | 2(5) | 2 |
| Ivan Golac | DF | | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Nick Holmes | MF | | 42 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 3 |
| Mick Mills | DF | | 34 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 2 |
| Steve Moran | FW | | 33(1) | 21 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 42(1) | 25 |
| David Puckett | FW | | 7(11) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7(11) | 3 |
| Dennis Rofe | DF | | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 |
| Peter Shilton | GK | | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| Alistair Sperring | GK | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Danny Wallace | MF | | 41 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 11 |
| Mark Whitlock | DF | | 13(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14(1) | 0 |
| Steve Williams | MF | | 27 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 4 |
| Frank Worthington | FW | | 34 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 4 |
| Mark Wright | DF | | 31 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 2 |
| Players with appearances who ended the season out on loan |||||||||||
| Ken Armstrong | DF | | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Ian Juryeff | FW | | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 |

### Most appearances

| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Starts | Subs | Total |
| 1 | David Armstrong | MF | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 51 |
| 1 | Nick Holmes | MF | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 51 |
| 3 | Peter Shilton | GK | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 |
| 3 | Danny Wallace | MF | 41 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 |
| 5 | Steve Moran | FW | 33 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 43 |
| 6 | Reuben Agboola | DF | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| 6 | Frank Worthington | FW | 34 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| 8 | Mick Mills | DF | 34 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 41 |
| 9 | Mark Wright | DF | 31 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| 10 | Steve Williams | MF | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 35 |

### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Name | Pos. | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| Rank | Name | Pos. | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | GPG |
| 1 | Steve Moran | FW | 21 | 34 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 43 | 0.58 |
| 2 | David Armstrong | MF | 15 | 42 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 51 | 0.37 |
| 3 | Danny Wallace | MF | 11 | 41 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 50 | 0.22 |
| 4 | Steve Williams | MF | 3 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 0.11 |
| 4 | Frank Worthington | FW | 4 | 34 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 42 | 0.10 |
| 6 | David Puckett | FW | 3 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0.17 |
| 6 | Nick Holmes | MF | 3 | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 51 | 0.06 |
| 8 | Martin Foyle | FW | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0.29 |
| 8 | Mark Wright | DF | 1 | 31 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 40 | 0.05 |
| 8 | Mick Mills | DF | 2 | 34 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 0.04 |

## Footnotes

* ↑ The fee paid for Ken Armstrong has been disputed, with sources citing either £25,000, £50,000 or £60,000 for his transfer to Southampton.