Southampton Football Club is an English association football club based in Southampton, Hampshire. Founded in 1885 as St Mary's YMA, they became a professional club in 1891 and co-founded the Southern Football League in 1894. Southampton won the Southern League Premier Division championship six times between 1896 and 1904, and were later elected to the Football League Third Division in 1920. The Saints finished as runners-up in their first Football League season, and the following year received promotion to the Second Division as Third Division South champions. The club first entered the First Division in 1966, and currently play in its modern-day counterpart, the Premier League. Southampton won the FA Cup in 1976, reached the final of the League Cup in 1979 and 2017, and won the League Trophy in 2010. Since the club's formation, a total of 220 players have made 100 or more appearances for Southampton. Winger Terry Paine holds the record for the highest number of appearances for the Saints, having played 816 times for the club between 1957 and 1974, while ten other players have made more than 400 appearances for Southampton. The club's top goalscorer is Mick Channon, who scored 228 goals in all competitions in two spells with the club, between 1966 and 1977, and from 1979 to 1982. Matt Le Tissier is the only player to have won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award three times, while six other players (Peter Shilton, Tim Flowers, James Beattie, Rickie Lambert, José Fonte and James Ward-Prowse) have received the accolade twice. Le Tissier is also the only player besides Channon to have scored over 200 goals for Southampton.

Key

Nationality: Unless otherwise noted, the nationality of a player is determined by the country for which he has played, or if he has not played international football, his country of birth. Position: Playing positions are listed according to the tactical formations that were employed at the time. The change in the names of defensive and midfield positions reflects the tactical evolution that occurred from the 1960s onwards. Club career: Club career is defined as the first and last calendar years in which the player appeared for the club in any of the competitions listed below. Total appearances and Total goals: Total appearances and goals comprise those in the Southern League, Wessex League, Football League, Premier League, Southern Alliance, Southern District Combination, United League, FA Cup, League/EFL Cup, FA Charity/Community Shield, League/EFL Trophy, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Southern Floodlit Cup, Southern Charity Cup, Texaco Cup, Full Members Cup, Hampshire Senior Cup, Hampshire Junior Cup, Hampshire Benevolent Cup, Hampshire County Cricket Club Charity Cup, Portsmouth Cup, Rowland Hospital Cup and Victory Cup. Wartime competitions are excluded.

Players

Footnotes