Southend United Football Club, an English association football club based in Southend, Essex, was founded in 1906. The club's first team won the Southern League Second Division championship in their first season. Southend had to apply for election alongside the two bottom First Division teams who were applying for re-election, and were unsuccessful.[1] Southend won the title again the following year, and this time, with more places available after two clubs had joined the Football League, they were elected.[2] By 1910–11, the Southern League had adopted automatic promotion and relegation, and Southend were relegated. They returned to the top tier as runners-up in 1912–13, and remained at that level until 1920, when the Football League added a Third Division made up almost entirely of the Southern League First Division teams. That same season, Southend reached the third round (last 16) of the FA Cup; they have progressed to the last 16 four times since, but have gone no further.[3]

Southend remained in the Third Division for the next 39 seasons. The closest they came to a change were via two successful application for re-election, in 1921–22, their second season as a Football League club, and then in 1934–35,[4] and two third-place finishes, in 1931–32 and 1949–50, at a time when only the divisional champions were promoted. In 1965–66, they were relegated to the Fourth Division, and spent the next 25 years oscillating between the two.[3] Southend's first trophy in the Football League came in 1980–81, courtesy of a strong defence and a particularly strong home record, as they won the Fourth Division title by a two-point margin.[5] Eight years later, they were again promoted from the fourth tier, this time in third place,[3] and the following season, a final-day defeat deprived Southend of the title but they were still sure of the runners-up spot that gained promotion to the second tier for the first time in the club's history.[6] Southend spent six seasons at the higher level, during which time they lost a penalty shoot-out to Notts County in the semi-final of the 1993–94 Anglo-Italian Cup, before two consecutive relegations took them back whence they came.

In 2006–07, again after consecutive promotions, they played one more season in the Championship – the Football League's divisions had been rebranded two years earlier[7] – and produced their best League Cup performance, eliminating Manchester United in the fourth round before losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final via an arguably offside goal scored five minutes from the end of extra time.[8] Southend reached the final of the Football League Trophy, a cup competition open to teams in the lower divisions of the Football League, in both 2004 and 2005. Both finals were played at the Millennium Stadium while the new Wembley Stadium was under construction, and both ended in defeat by two goals to nil, to Blackpool in 2004 and Wrexham the following year.[9] They repeated the procedure in 2013, albeit this time at the new Wembley, losing 2–0 to Crewe Alexandra and equalling Brentford's record of three final appearances without winning.[10] Financial issues mounted in the 2019–20 season: against a background of non-payment of wages, unpaid taxes, winding-up orders and a transfer embargo meant Southend were unable to avoid relegation to League Two,[11][12] and even when the tax bill was paid after the sale of the stadium for housing, a 23rd-place finish in 2020–21 meant that Southend United dropped out of the League after 101 years' continuous membership.[13][14]

As of the end of the 2020–21 season, the team have spent 26 seasons in the fourth tier of the English football league system, 61 in the third, and 7 in the second.[3] The table details the team's achievements and the top goalscorer in senior first-team competitions from their debut season in the Southern League in 1906–07 to the end of the most recently completed season.

Key

Details of the abandoned 1939–40 season are shown in italics and appropriately footnoted.

Seasons

List of seasons, including league division and statistics, cup results, and top scorer(s)
Season League[3][15] FA Cup[16] League Cup[3][17][a] Other[3][17][19][20] Top scorer(s)[b]
Division[c] P W D L F A Pts Pos Competition Result Name Goals
1906–07 South 2 22 14 5 3 58 23 33 1st — — — — Not known —
1907–08 South 2 ↑ 18 13 3 2 47 16 29 1st QR4 — — — Not known —
1908–09 South 1 40 14 10 16 52 54 38 12th QR5 — — — Not known —
1909–10 South 1 42 12 9 21 51 90 33 20th R2 — — — Not known —
1910–11 South 1 ↓ 38 10 9 19 47 64 29 19th R1 — — — Not known —
1911–12 South 2 26 16 1 9 73 24 33 4th QR5 — — — Not known —
1912–13 South 2 ↑ 24 14 6 4 43 23 34 2nd R1 — — — Not known —
1913–14 South 1 38 10 12 16 41 66 32 16th R1 — — — Not known —
1914–15 South 1 38 10 8 20 44 64 28 18th R2 — — — Not known —
1915–19
The Southern League and FA Cup were suspended until after the First World War.
1919–20 South 1 42 13 17 12 46 48 43 11th R1 — — — Not known —
1920–21 Div 3 42 14 8 20 44 61 36 17th R3 — — — Albert Fairclough 15
1921–22 Div 3S 42 8 11 23 34 74 27 22nd[d] R2 — — — Jimmy Evans[e] 10
1922–23 Div 3S 42 12 13 17 49 54 37 15th QR5 — — — Billy Goodwin 22
1923–24 Div 3S 42 12 10 20 53 84 34 19th QR6 — — — Billy Goodwin 11
1924–25 Div 3S 42 19 5 18 51 61 43 10th QR5 — — — Jimmy McClelland 21
1925–26 Div 3S 42 19 4 19 78 73 42 11th R5 — — — William Shaw 21
1926–27 Div 3S 42 14 6 22 64 77 34 19th R2 — — — Billy Hick 29
1927–28 Div 3S 42 20 6 16 80 64 46 7th R2 — — — Billy Hick 26
1928–29 Div 3S 42 15 11 16 80 75 41 12th R1 — — — Jimmy Shankly 35
1929–30 Div 3S 42 15 13 14 69 59 43 11th R2 — — — Fred Baron 22
1930–31 Div 3S 42 22 5 15 76 60 49 5th R1 — — — Jimmy Shankly 28
1931–32 Div 3S 42 21 11 10 77 53 53 3rd R2 — — — Jimmy Shankly 20
1932–33 Div 3S 42 15 11 16 65 82 41 13th R4 — — — Jack Morfitt 21
1933–34 Div 3S 42 12 10 20 51 74 34 16th R3 — Third Division South Cup R2 Leo Stevens 21
1934–35 Div 3S 42 11 9 22 65 78 31 21st[d] R3 — Third Division South Cup R1 Harry Johnson 22
1935–36 Div 3S 42 13 10 19 61 62 36 18th R3 — Third Division South Cup QF Harry Lane 17
1936–37 Div 3S 42 17 11 14 78 67 45 10th R2 — Third Division South Cup R2 Billy Dickinson 19
1937–38 Div 3S 42 15 10 17 70 68 40 12th R3 — Third Division South Cup R1 Tudor Martin 18
1938–39 Div 3S 42 16 9 17 61 64 41 12th R4 — Third Division South Cup R1 Alf Smirk 18
1939–40 Div 3S 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 —[f] — — — —
1
1939–45
The Football League and FA Cup were suspended until after the Second World War.
1945–46 — — — — — — — — — R1[g] — — — Alf Smirk 1
1946–47 Div 3S 42 17 10 15 71 60 44 8th R3 — — — Cyril Thompson 27
1947–48 Div 3S 42 15 13 14 51 58 43 9th R1 — — — Cyril Thompson 14
1948–49 Div 3S 42 9 16 17 41 46 34 18th R1 — — — Frank Dudley 12
1949–50 Div 3S 42 19 13 10 66 48 51 3rd R3 — — — Albert Wakefield 28
1950–51 Div 3S 46 21 10 15 92 69 52 7th R1 — — — Les Stubbs 19
1951–52 Div 3S 46 19 10 17 75 66 48 9th R5 — — — Albert Wakefield 21
1952–53 Div 3S 46 18 13 15 69 74 49 8th R1 — — — Cyril Grant 13
1953–54 Div 3S 46 18 7 21 69 71 43 16th R2 — — — Ken Bainbridge 12
1954–55 Div 3S 46 17 12 17 83 80 46 10th R3 — — — Roy Hollis 32
1955–56 Div 3S 46 21 11 14 88 80 53 4th R4 — — — Roy Hollis 26
1956–57 Div 3S 46 18 12 16 73 65 48 7th R4 — — — Roy Hollis 20
1957–58 Div 3S[h] 46 21 12 13 90 58 54 7th R3 — — — Sammy McCrory[i] 33 ♦
1958–59 Div 3 46 21 8 17 85 80 50 8th R1 — — — Bud Houghton 20
1959–60 Div 3 46 19 8 19 76 74 46 12th R2 — — — Dudley Price 29
1960–61 Div 3 46 14 11 21 60 76 39 20th R2 R2 — —
16
1961–62 Div 3 46 13 16 17 57 69 42 16th R1 R1 — — Ken Jones 13
1962–63 Div 3 46 19 12 15 75 77 50 8th R2 R2 — — Ken Jones 19
1963–64 Div 3 46 15 15 16 77 78 45 14th R1 R3 — — Mike Beesley 13
1964–65 Div 3 46 19 8 19 78 71 46 12th R1 R3 — — Bobby Gilfillan 23
1965–66 Div 3 ↓ 46 16 4 26 54 83 36 21st R3 R2 — — Eddie Firmani 20
1966–67 Div 4 46 22 9 15 70 49 53 6th R1 R1 — — Ray Smith 19
1967–68 Div 4 46 20 14 12 77 58 54 6th R1 R2 — —
17
1968–69 Div 4 46 19 13 14 78 61 51 7th R4 R2 — — Billy Best 31
1969–70 Div 4 46 15 10 21 59 85 40 17th R1 R3 — — Billy Best 24
1970–71 Div 4 46 14 15 17 53 66 43 18th R3 R1 — — Billy Best 22
1971–72 Div 4 ↑ 46 24 12 10 81 55 60 2nd R2 R1 — — Bill Garner 26
1972–73 Div 3 46 17 10 19 61 54 44 14th R1 R2 — — Chris Guthrie 15
1973–74 Div 3 46 16 14 16 62 62 46 12th R3 R1 — — Stuart Brace 20
1974–75 Div 3 46 13 16 17 46 51 42 18th R3 R2 — — Chris Guthrie 17
1975–76 Div 3 ↓ 46 12 13 21 65 75 37 23rd R5 R1 — — Peter Silvester 23
1976–77 Div 4 46 15 19 12 52 45 49 10th R3 R1 — — Stuart Parker 16
1977–78 Div 4 ↑ 46 25 10 11 66 39 60 2nd R3 R1 — — Derrick Parker 23
1978–79 Div 3 46 15 15 16 51 49 45 13th R3 R1 — — Derrick Parker 12
1979–80 Div 3 ↓ 46 14 10 22 47 58 38 22nd R2 R3 — — Derrick Parker 10
1980–81 Div 4 ↑ 46 30 7 9 79 31 67 1st R1 R1 — — Derek Spence 21
1981–82 Div 3 46 18 15 13 63 51 69[j] 7th R1 R1 Football League Group Cup Group Keith Mercer 13
1982–83 Div 3 46 15 14 17 66 65 59 15th R3 R1 Football League Group Cup Group Steve Phillips 20
1983–84 Div 3 ↓ 46 10 14 22 55 76 44 22nd R1 R1 Associate Members' Cup QF(S) Steve Phillips 17
1984–85 Div 4 46 13 11 22 58 83 50 20th R1 R1 Associate Members' Cup R1(S) Steve Phillips 23
1985–86 Div 4 46 18 10 18 69 67 64 9th R1 R1 Associate Members' Cup Group Richard Cadette[24] 25 ♦
1986–87 Div 4 ↑ 46 25 5 16 68 55 80 3rd R2 R2 Associate Members' Cup R1(S) Richard Cadette 30
1987–88 Div 3 46 14 13 19 65 83 55 17th R1 R3 Associate Members' Cup R1(S) David Crown 17
1988–89 Div 3 ↓ 46 13 15 18 56 75 54 21st R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup R1(S) David Crown[k] 29 ♦
1989–90 Div 4 ↑ 46 22 9 15 61 48 75 3rd R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup QF(S) David Crown 23
1990–91 Div 3 ↑ 46 26 7 13 67 51 85 2nd[l] R1 R2 Associate Members' Cup SF(S) Brett Angell 26
1991–92 Div 2 46 17 11 18 63 63 62 12th R3 R1 Full Members' Cup R2(S) Brett Angell 23
1992–93 Div 1[m] 46 13 13 20 54 64 52 18th R5 R1 Anglo-Italian Cup Prelim Stan Collymore 18
1993–94 Div 1 46 17 8 21 63 67 59 15th R3 R2 Anglo-Italian Cup SF Ricky Otto 15
1994–95 Div 1 46 18 8 20 54 73 62 13th R3 R1 — —
11
1995–96 Div 1 46 15 14 17 52 61 59 14th R3 R2 Anglo-Italian Cup Group Dave Regis 9
1996–97 Div 1 ↓ 46 8 15 23 42 86 39 24th R3 R1 — — Andy Rammell 10
1997–98 Div 2 ↓ 46 11 10 25 47 79 43 24th R2 R2 Football League Trophy R1(S) Jeroen Boere 14
1998–99 Div 3 46 14 12 20 52 58 54 18th R1 R2 Football League Trophy R2(S) Rob Newman 8
1999–2000 Div 3 46 15 11 20 53 61 56 16th R1 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Martin Carruthers 19
2000–01 Div 3 46 15 18 13 55 53 63 11th R3 R1 Football League Trophy F(S)
10
2001–02 Div 3 46 15 13 18 51 54 58 12th R3 R1 Football League Trophy R2(S) Tes Bramble 13
2002–03 Div 3 46 17 3 26 47 59 54 17th R2 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Mark Rawle 12
2003–04 Div 3 46 14 12 20 51 63 54 17th R3 R1 Football League Trophy F Leon Constantine 25
2004–05 League 2[n] ↑ 46 22 12 12 65 46 78 4th[o] R1 R1 Football League Trophy F Freddy Eastwood 24
2005–06 League 1 ↑ 46 23 13 10 72 43 82 1st R2 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Freddy Eastwood 25
2006–07 Champ ↓ 46 10 12 24 47 80 42 22nd R4 QF[p] — — Freddy Eastwood 16
2007–08 League 1 46 22 10 14 70 55 76 6th[q] R4 R3 Football League Trophy R1(S) Nicky Bailey 12
2008–09 League 1 46 21 8 17 58 61 71 8th R3 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Lee Barnard 11
2009–10 League 1 ↓ 46 10 13 23 51 72 43 23rd R1 R2 Football League Trophy R2(S) Lee Barnard 17
2010–11 League 2 46 16 13 17 62 56 61 13th R1 R2 Football League Trophy QF(S) Barry Corr 21
2011–12 League 2 46 25 8 13 77 48 83 4th[r] R2 R1 Football League Trophy SF(S) Ryan Hall 14
2012–13 League 2 46 16 13 17 61 55 61 11th R3 R1 Football League Trophy F
16
2013–14 League 2 46 19 15 12 56 39 72 5th[s] R4 R1 Football League Trophy R2(S) Barry Corr 13
2014–15 League 2 ↑ 46 24 12 10 54 38 84 5th[t] R1 R1 Football League Trophy R1(S) Barry Corr 16
2015–16 League 1 46 16 11 19 58 64 59 14th R1 R1 Football League Trophy QF(S) Jack Payne 9
2016–17 League 1 46 20 12 14 70 53 72 7th R1 R1 EFL Trophy R2(S) Simon Cox 16
2017–18 League 1 46 17 12 17 58 62 63 10th R1 R1 EFL Trophy R2(S) Simon Cox 10
2018–19 League 1 46 14 8 24 55 68 50 19th R2 R1 EFL Trophy R3(S) Simon Cox 15
2019–20 League 1 ↓ 35 4 7 24 39 85 19 22nd[u] R1 R2 EFL Trophy Group(S) Charlie Kelman 7
2020–21 League 2 ↓ 46 10 15 21 29 58 45 23rd[v] R1 R1 EFL Trophy Group(S)
3
2021–22 National 44 16 10 18 45 61 58 13th R1 — FA Trophy R4 Sam Dalby 10
2022–23 National 46 20 9 17 57 45 69 8th QR4 — FA Trophy R5 Jack Bridge 13

Notes

  1. ^ The League Cup competition started in the 1960–61 season.[18]
  2. ^ Includes goals scored in all nationally organised competitions, i.e. the Football League, including play-offs, National League, FA Cup, Football League Cup, Third Division South Cup, Football League Group Cup, Associate Members' Cup / Football League Trophy / EFL Trophy, Full Members' Cup, Anglo-Italian Cup and FA Trophy. For seasons from 1920–21 to 2009–10, sourced to the English National Football Archive;[21] Football League seasons thereafter, to Soccerbase;[22] for National League season, to Soccerway.[23]
  3. ^ From the 1920–21 Football League season onwards, divisions are sorted according to their level within the English football league system, and separately from the pre-Football League divisions.
  4. ^ a b Successfully applied for re-election to the Football League.[4]
  5. ^ All of Evans' goals were penalty kicks.
  6. ^ The 1939–40 Football League season was abandoned with three matches played when the Second World War began.[3]
  7. ^ Although the Football League did not resume until the 1946–47 season, the FA Cup was contested in 1945–46. From the first round proper to the sixth round (quarter-final), results were determined on aggregate score over two legs.[16][3]
  8. ^ Southend's top-half finish meant they were placed in the Football League Third Division when the regional sections were amalgamated into national Third and Fourth Divisions for the 1958–59 season.[18]
  9. ^ Scored 31 goals in the Third Division South.[24]
  10. ^ The 1981–82 season saw the introduction of three points for a win instead of two.[18]
  11. ^ Scored 26 goals in the Third Division.[24]
  12. ^ Promoted to the second tier for the first time.
  13. ^ The newly formed FA Premier League split from the Football League, and the remaining divisions of the Football League were renumbered upwards.[18]
  14. ^ From the 2004–05 season, the Football League divisions were rebranded: Division One was renamed the Football League Championship, and Divisions Two and Three became Football League One and Football League Two respectively.[7]
  15. ^ Promoted to League One via the play-offs, beating Northampton Town 1–0 on aggregate in the semi-final and Lincoln City 2–0 after extra time in the final.[3][25]
  16. ^ Southend's best performance in the League Cup. They eliminated Manchester United in the fourth round before losing narrowly to Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final.[8]
  17. ^ Lost 5–1 on aggregate to Doncaster Rovers in the play-off semi-final.[26]
  18. ^ Lost 3–2 on aggregate to Crewe Alexandra in the play-off semi-final.[27]
  19. ^ Lost 3–2 on aggregate to Burton Albion in the play-off semi-final.[28]
  20. ^ Promoted to League One via the play-offs, beating Stevenage 4–2 on aggregate in the semi-final[29] and Wycombe Wanderers on penalties in the final.[30]
  21. ^ The 2019–20 football season was disrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EFL was suspended in March 2020 and in June, the League One clubs voted to end the regular season programme early. Teams had not all played the same number of matches, so it was agreed to construct final league tables on a points-per-game basis. Southend United's 23.89 points per game placed them 22nd.[31][32]
  22. ^ Relegated from the League after 101 years continuous membership.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Southern League Annual Meeting". Daily Mirror. London. 31 May 1907. p. 14. The retiring clubs, last on the tournament list—Crystal Palace and Northampton Town—both appealed for re-election, and Southend United (the head of the Second Division) and Croydon Town were also applicants for positions in the League. On a vote being taken, Crystal Palace (thirty-three votes) and Northampton (thirty) were re-elected, Croydon receiving two votes and Southend one.
  2. ^ "'Spurs and Rangers left on the rocks". Daily Mirror. London. 30 May 1908. p. 14.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Southend United". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Southend United". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  5. ^ Miles, Peter (19 May 2016). "Blues history: the eighties". Southend United F.C. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  6. ^ Miles, Peter (19 May 2016). "Blues history: the nineties". Southend United F.C. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b "League gets revamp". BBC Sport. 10 June 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  8. ^ a b Moore, Glenn (8 November 2006). "Southend United 1 Manchester United 0: Eastwood inspires humbling of United". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
    Leach, Conrad (21 December 2006). "Tottenham Hotspur 1 Southend United 0 (after extra time): Defoe strikes in extra time to break Southend". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
    Burnton, Simon (21 December 2006). "Defoe strikes in extra-time to finish Southend". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Blackpool 2–0 Southend". BBC Sport. 21 March 2004. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
    Lloyd, Grahame (11 April 2005). "Wrexham see silver lining in first prize". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  10. ^ Osborne, Chris (7 April 2013). "Johnstone's Paint Trophy final: Crewe 2–0 Southend". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
    "Football League Trophy". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  11. ^ Speller, Glenn (9 January 2020). "Southend United players to meet with PFA over unpaid wages". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Southend United: Chairman Ron Martin confirms club under transfer embargo". BBC Sport. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Southend United pay up £493,991 tax bill as winding-up petition dismissed". BBC Sport. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Barrow 1–2 Southend United". BBC Sport. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Southend United league performance history". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 7 July 2022. Individual seasons accessed via dropdown menu.
  16. ^ a b "Past Results". The Football Association. Retrieved 7 July 2022. Individual seasons accessed via dropdown menu.
  17. ^ a b "Southend United football club complete match record". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d "History of the Football League". The Football League. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011.
  19. ^ For Football League Group Cup: "Football League Group Cup". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  20. ^ For Third Division South Cup: "South Cup Summary – Contents". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  21. ^ "Clubs". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 3 March 2020. Select season required via dropdown menu, and "Season players" tab for goals.
  22. ^ "Southend: Player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2022. Select season required via dropdown menu.
  23. ^ "Southend United FC Squad". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 7 July 2022. Select season and competition required via dropdown menu.
  24. ^ a b c Ross, James M. (25 June 2015). "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 29 May 2016. Covers up to 2006–07 season.
  25. ^ Leach, Conrad (28 May 2005). "League Two play-off final: Freddy turns the dream into reality". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  26. ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (16 May 2008). "Doncaster 5–1 Southend (Agg 5–1)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  27. ^ "Crewe reach League Two play-off final after draw at Southend". The Guardian. London. Press Association. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  28. ^ "Southend 2–2 Burton Albion (agg 2–3)". BBC Sport. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  29. ^ Garry, Tom (14 May 2015). "Southend United 3–1 Stevenage (agg 4–2)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  30. ^ "Southend 1–1 Wycombe (Southend win 7–6 on pens): Daniel Bentley stars in win". Sky Sports. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  31. ^ "League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early". BBC Sport. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  32. ^ "Sky Bet League One". English Football League. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

External links

Southend United Football Club
Lists of English men's football seasons by club
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