In 1926–27 he missed only one match as manager Arthur Chadwick settled on his favoured line-up with eleven players featuring in at least 35 of the 42 league games; this included a half back line-up of Bert Shelley, George Harkus and Stan Woodhouse, in front of full-backs Michael Keeping and Hough. In the FA Cup, Southampton had an excellent run reaching the semi-final against Arsenal. The semi-final was played at Stamford Bridge on 26 March 1927; after the Saints had an early penalty appeal turned down by the referee, Arsenal mounted a prolonged pressure on the Southampton goal, resulting in the opening score, when a cross-shot from Joe Hulme was deflected by Hough past Tommy Allen into the Saints' goal. Arsenal went on to win the match 2–1 to reach the final, where they lost 1–0 to Cardiff City.