The club changed its name to simply Southampton at the start of the
1896–97 season, and quickly established themselves as the primary force in football in the South of England, winning the Southern League three times in a row. The club also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1898, losing the replay 2–0 to
Nottingham Forest after a 1–1 draw. The Saints continued to dominate the league into the 20th century, claiming the championship again in 1901, 1903 and 1904, before joining the
Football League Third Division as a founding member in 1920, following the absorption of the Southern League. Southampton were almost instantly promoted to the
Second Division, completing the feat as champions in the
1921–22 season.
Southampton found life in the second flight of English football difficult, as they remained a mid-bottom table side throughout the seasons played before and immediately after the
Second World War, before they were ultimately relegated back to the Third Division in 1953. Promoted as champions again in 1960, Southampton performed well in the following ten years, reaching the quarter-final stage in the newly created
League Cup in 1961 and earning promotion to
Division One in 1966 as division runners-up. The club received its first taste of continental football in the
1969–70 season when they competed in the
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, although were knocked out in the first round. Despite suffering relegation back to Division Two in 1974, Southampton achieved a surprise victory in the
1976 FA Cup Final against
Manchester United to win the trophy for the first and only time in the club's history. This success was topped off two seasons later when the club regained its First Division place.
The
1983–84 season was Southampton's most successful in terms of league position, when the club finished second in the top flight to
Liverpool, missing out on the championship by just three points. In the 1990s, the club largely struggled to get out of the bottom third of the table, although they reached the advanced stages of the FA Cup and League Cup on a number of occasions and also played in the
Full Members Cup final in 1992. The club became founder members of the
Premier League in 1992 but continued their disappointing performances, despite reaching the
2003 FA Cup Final against
Arsenal and losing to a single goal. Southampton were relegated to the
Championship in the
2004–05 season, and were quickly relegated again following off-the-pitch problems in 2009. In their first season in
League One, Southampton won the
League Trophy with an emphatic 4–1 win against
Carlisle United. The following season, Southampton were promoted to the Championship as runners-up in League One.
As of the end of the
2023–24 season, the club have spent 46 seasons in the top division of English football, 40 in the second, and 11 in the third.
The table details their achievements in all national and international
first team competitions, and records their manager, the top goalscorer, the player with the most league appearances and the average home league attendance, for each completed season since their first appearance in the FA Cup in 1891–92.
Competitions
The club has participated in the following leagues:
Top scorer shown in bold when player was also top scorer for the division. Appearance number shown in bold when player played in every league match of the season.
League results shown in italics for abandoned competition.
The club changed its name to simply Southampton at the start of the
1896–97 season, and quickly established themselves as the primary force in football in the South of England, winning the Southern League three times in a row. The club also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1898, losing the replay 2–0 to
Nottingham Forest after a 1–1 draw. The Saints continued to dominate the league into the 20th century, claiming the championship again in 1901, 1903 and 1904, before joining the
Football League Third Division as a founding member in 1920, following the absorption of the Southern League. Southampton were almost instantly promoted to the
Second Division, completing the feat as champions in the
1921–22 season.
Southampton found life in the second flight of English football difficult, as they remained a mid-bottom table side throughout the seasons played before and immediately after the
Second World War, before they were ultimately relegated back to the Third Division in 1953. Promoted as champions again in 1960, Southampton performed well in the following ten years, reaching the quarter-final stage in the newly created
League Cup in 1961 and earning promotion to
Division One in 1966 as division runners-up. The club received its first taste of continental football in the
1969–70 season when they competed in the
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, although were knocked out in the first round. Despite suffering relegation back to Division Two in 1974, Southampton achieved a surprise victory in the
1976 FA Cup Final against
Manchester United to win the trophy for the first and only time in the club's history. This success was topped off two seasons later when the club regained its First Division place.
The
1983–84 season was Southampton's most successful in terms of league position, when the club finished second in the top flight to
Liverpool, missing out on the championship by just three points. In the 1990s, the club largely struggled to get out of the bottom third of the table, although they reached the advanced stages of the FA Cup and League Cup on a number of occasions and also played in the
Full Members Cup final in 1992. The club became founder members of the
Premier League in 1992 but continued their disappointing performances, despite reaching the
2003 FA Cup Final against
Arsenal and losing to a single goal. Southampton were relegated to the
Championship in the
2004–05 season, and were quickly relegated again following off-the-pitch problems in 2009. In their first season in
League One, Southampton won the
League Trophy with an emphatic 4–1 win against
Carlisle United. The following season, Southampton were promoted to the Championship as runners-up in League One.
As of the end of the
2023–24 season, the club have spent 46 seasons in the top division of English football, 40 in the second, and 11 in the third.
The table details their achievements in all national and international
first team competitions, and records their manager, the top goalscorer, the player with the most league appearances and the average home league attendance, for each completed season since their first appearance in the FA Cup in 1891–92.
Competitions
The club has participated in the following leagues:
Top scorer shown in bold when player was also top scorer for the division. Appearance number shown in bold when player played in every league match of the season.
League results shown in italics for abandoned competition.