Memory Lane Old Photos of Southend United.

[ozzie]

No Ozzie, Workington 7-0 was March 1968 and the 6-1 win against Exeter City was on a Friday in October 1968 and as Tony mentioned 4 days after we smashed those Imps 3-0 when the late Johnny Mac had his leg broken by future England manager the late Graham Taylor.

You was at those two memorable games Bournemouth away(6-1) and Wolves the next round.What was those games like?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think your question was rhetorical, but it piqued my interest! So, looking back from the club's formation in 1906 and including recognised first-team fixtures only (so League (including play-offs), League Cups, The FA Cup, Football League Associate Members Cup, Football League Trophy, The FA Trophy and Anglo Italian Cup), I found out that 1968/69 is the only season in the club's history where we have exceeded 100 goals. That season we scored 78 league goals, 22 in The FA Cup and 6 in the League Cup for a total of 106 from 52 games.

The closest challenger is 1957/58, when we scored 90 goals in Division Three South and eight in five matches in The FA Cup for a total of 98 from 51 games. 1990/91 is third in the list with 67 Division Three goals, 2 in The FA Cup, 5 in the League Cup and 23 in the Associate Members Cup for a total of 97 in 56 matches.

In terms of League goals only, the 1950/51 Division Three South campaign ranks highest, with 92 in 46 matches ahead of the aforementioned 1957/58 with 90 and 1955/56 - our first season at the current Roots Hall - with 88 in 46 games.

In terms of goals per game, the top three campaigns are all from our previous spell in non-league football, with 2.70 in Southern League Division Two in 1911/12 and then - inspired by Harold Halse - 2.65 in 1907/08 and 2.64 in 1906/07. Each of those seasons featured fewer than 30 league games. 1968/69 is the only other season where we have netted more than two goals per game.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, it will come as little surprise that the 2020/21 League Two relegation campaign featured our fewest goals in a completed league season (29 in 46 games) and the lowest goals per game overall (0.67). We've only scored fewer than a goal per game in four seasons (1921/22 in Division Three South, 1996/97 in the second tier and 1948/49 in Division Three South in addition to 2020/21).

As for where our National League campaigns rank on goals per game, from 110 seasons (including those curtailed by war/pandemic), 2023/24 is 40th (1.5), 2024/25 is 48th (1.43), 2022/23 is 71st (1.24) and 2021/22 is 95th (1.08). The last two seasons have been above our overage average goals per game across our history of 1.41.

1990-91 was the most free scoring side of my lifetime, we all but won the L1 title that year and we scored 67 league goals.

That’s actually only 8 more league goals than we scored last season.

But over the second half of last season we scored 11 more goals than the first half. That means essentially that once we’d signed Hopper and Kendall we were scoring at a faster pace than the freest scoring team of my lifetime

 

[Firestorm]

1990-91 was the most free scoring side of my lifetime, we all but won the L1 title that year and we scored 67 league goals.

That’s actually only 8 more league goals than we scored last season.

But over the second half of last season we scored 11 more goals than the first half. That means essentially that once we’d signed Hopper and Kendall we were scoring at a faster pace than the freest scoring team of my lifetime

last season was my 60th season we scored more than 58 goals in 28 of those seasons (which included the freer scoring late 60's early 70,s) However we conceded less than last season only 8 times.....

 

[Stuart W]

I think your question was rhetorical, but it piqued my interest! So, looking back from the club's formation in 1906 and including recognised first-team fixtures only (so League (including play-offs), League Cups, The FA Cup, Football League Associate Members Cup, Football League Trophy, The FA Trophy and Anglo Italian Cup), I found out that 1968/69 is the only season in the club's history where we have exceeded 100 goals. That season we scored 78 league goals, 22 in The FA Cup and 6 in the League Cup for a total of 106 from 52 games.

The closest challenger is 1957/58, when we scored 90 goals in Division Three South and eight in five matches in The FA Cup for a total of 98 from 51 games. 1990/91 is third in the list with 67 Division Three goals, 2 in The FA Cup, 5 in the League Cup and 23 in the Associate Members Cup for a total of 97 in 56 matches.

In terms of League goals only, the 1950/51 Division Three South campaign ranks highest, with 92 in 46 matches ahead of the aforementioned 1957/58 with 90 and 1955/56 - our first season at the current Roots Hall - with 88 in 46 games.

In terms of goals per game, the top three campaigns are all from our previous spell in non-league football, with 2.70 in Southern League Division Two in 1911/12 and then - inspired by Harold Halse - 2.65 in 1907/08 and 2.64 in 1906/07. Each of those seasons featured fewer than 30 league games. 1968/69 is the only other season where we have netted more than two goals per game.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, it will come as little surprise that the 2020/21 League Two relegation campaign featured our fewest goals in a completed league season (29 in 46 games) and the lowest goals per game overall (0.67). We've only scored fewer than a goal per game in four seasons (1921/22 in Division Three South, 1996/97 in the second tier and 1948/49 in Division Three South in addition to 2020/21).

As for where our National League campaigns rank on goals per game, from 110 seasons (including those curtailed by war/pandemic), 2023/24 is 40th (1.5), 2024/25 is 48th (1.43), 2022/23 is 71st (1.24) and 2021/22 is 95th (1.08). The last two seasons have been above our overage average goals per game across our history of 1.41.

In 1968/69 we were the leading league scorers in all of the four divisions of the football league, and at least from Round 1, the leading scorers in the FA Cup.

 

[Whispering Bob]

I found out that 1968/69 is the only season in the club's history where we have exceeded 100 goals. That season we scored 78 league goals, 22 in The FA Cup and 6 in the League Cup for a total of 106 from 52 games.

That was my first season. The ba**ards well and truly suckered me in!

 

[B.B.The Legend Lives On.]

If my memory serves me well, (sadly it doesn't) 14th.April 1969. Southend United 5, Bradford Park Avenue 0. Billy Best (2), Gary Moore (2) & John Baber. Att: 7,525.

 

[bluesince66]

If my memory serves me well, (sadly it doesn't) 14th.April 1969. Southend United 5, Bradford Park Avenue 0. Billy Best (2), Gary Moore (2) & John Baber. Att: 7,525.

And the rain was absolutely belting down!