SAINTS CELEBRATE NEW CLUB NAME WITH BOUNCE BACK TO TOP FLIGHT

A season-long two-way tussle for promotion ended with Southampton Saints edging out Berkhamsted Town by a single point to reach the top flight – from which, in the previous campaign, they had been relegated under their former club name Red Star Southampton.

As Red Star they had been one of the top teams as the Women’s Football Association National League kicked off in 1991/92, finishing that first season as runners-up to Doncaster Belles in both the League and FA Cup. But from that high point they slipped down the table in successive seasons before dropping into the Southern Division. 

With their change of name, however, came a change of fortune under the leadership of former Red Star player Vanessa Raynbird. After retiring from playing the by now 41-year-old ex-defender had successfully managed the club’s reserve side before taking on the senior team role following their relegation. 

And her impact was immediate, Saints emphatically winning their first five Southern Division matches of the 1995/96 season, hitting 16 goals in the process. But Berkhamsted also made a great start and not only also won their opening five fixtures but then won 2-1 at Southampton, putting themselves three points clear at the top of the table.

They were unable to build on their superb early run of success, though. While they collected just 10 points from their following eight outings, Saints lost only one in 10 before travelling to Berkhamsted for the re-match with the title already virtually in their grasp.

It was Town who again came out on top, winning 1-0 to complete the double, and they went on to beat Three Bridges 3-2 in their final game of the season. 

But Southampton had a superior goal difference and, as they went into their last match, only a defeat by at least six goals at home to second bottom Oxford United would hand the title to Berkhamsted. The result: a 1-1 draw and promotion for the Saints.

Returning to the National Division at the first attempt was in particular a triumph for Raynbird, who had assiduously re-invigorated the Saints senior team through the introduction of players that had served her well during her spell in charge of the reserves.

Recalling that 1995/96 campaign, Raynbird said: “There were a lot of players who were really good enough for the first team when I was managing the reserves, but for one reason or another they didn’t want to do that and I’ve got no idea if it was anything to do with me.

“But then when I became first team manager we had quite a big reshuffle and I brought a few players up into the first team. And it obviously worked because it was such a good season for us.”

The following campaign was not so good, Saints suffering immediate relegation back to the Southern Division. But they returned to the top flight at the first attempt, reached the 1999 FA Cup final (lost 2-0 to Arsenal) and were still in the National Division when Raynbird was controversially replaced just before the start of the 2001/02 season.

The women’s team had been taken under the wing of men’s club Southampton FC and John Donoghue, already a full-time employee of the at-the-time Premier League outfit, took over as manager of the women’s team.  

Sadly for the Saints women, they fell out of the National Division two seasons later and in 2005 were jettisoned from the men’s club following their relegation from the Premier League. The women’s side battled on independently but folded in 2019 due to lack of players and finance.

FINAL TABLE

* 1 point deducted for fielding ineligible player 

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIVISION RESULTS 1995-96

3/9/95
Brentford 2-3 Three Bridges
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-4 Southampton Saints
Ipswich Town 3-1 Oxford United
Leyton Orient 3-2 Wimbledon
Town & County 0-4 Berkhamsted Town 

10/9/95
Berkhamsted Town 4-1 Brentford
Oxford United 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Southampton Saints 4-3 Leyton Orient
Three Bridges 1-1 Ipswich Town
Wimbledon 2-1 Town & County

17/9/95
Berkhamsted Town 1-0 Leyton Orient 
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Brentford
Ipswich Town 4-0 Wimbledon
Southampton Saints 2-0 Three Bridges
Town & County 1-3 Oxford United

20/9/95
Three Bridges 1-2 Wimbledon

24/9/95
Ipswich Town 0-2 Berkhamsted Town
Leyton Orient 4-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Oxford United 2-2 Brentford
Town & County 1-4 Southampton Saints

1/10/95
Berkhamsted Town 3-2 Oxford United
Brentford 2-3 Town & County
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 Ipswich Town
Leyton Orient 2-1 Three Bridges
Southampton Saints 2-1 Wimbledon 

8/10/95
Southampton Saints 1-2 Berkhamsted Town
Ipswich 2-1 Leyton Orient
Brentford 1-2 Wimbledon
Three Bridges 2-0 Oxford United
Town & County 2-5 Brighton & Hove Albion

29/10/95
Berkhamsted Town 3-4 Wimbledon
Brentford 1-5 Southampton Saints
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-5 Three Bridges
Oxford United 2-3 Leyton Orient
Town & County 3-2 Ipswich Town

5/11/95
Berkhamsted Town 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Ipswich Town 1-3 Southampton Saints
Leyton Orient 2-6 Brentford
Wimbledon 4-1 Oxford United
Three Bridges 3-0 Town & County

19/11/95
Brentford 5-2 Ipswich Town
Three Bridges 1-2 Berkhamsted Town
Town & County 2-2 Leyton Orient
Wimbledon 3-3 Brighton & Hove Albion

26/11/95
Ipswich Town 2-3 Three Bridges

3/12/95
Wimbledon 7-1 Brentford

10/12/95
Southampton Saints 6-0 Brighton & Hove Albion

17/12/9
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 Oxford United

7/1/96
Leyton Orient 1-3 Berkhamsted Town
Oxford United 0-2 Town & County

14/1/96
Berkhamsted Town 0-2 Ipswich Town
Brentford 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Southampton Saints 1-1 Oxford United
Town & County 1-4 Wimbledon

21/1/96
Brentford 0-0 Oxford United
Southampton Saints 2-1 Town & County
Wimbledon 5-4 Leyton Orient

4/2/96 
Brighton & Hove Albion 5-3 Town & County
Leyton Orient 2-3 Ipswich Town
Oxford United 0-9 Three Bridges

11/2/96 
Ipswich Town 6-0 Town & County
Leyton Orient 1-2 Oxford United 
Wimbledon 4-1 Berkhamsted Town 

18/2/96
Brentford 1-3 Leyton Orient
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Berkhamsted Town
Oxford United 1-4 Wimbledon 

3/3/96
Berkhamsted Town 0-1 Town & Country
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Leyton Orient
Oxford United 2-0 Ipswich Town
Three Bridges 5-2 Brentford
Wimbledon 3-4 Southampton Saints

10/3/96
Brentford 1-3 Berkhamsted Town
Three Bridges 2-1 Southampton Saints
Wimbledon 2-1 Ipswich Town

17/3/96
Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 Wimbledon
Oxford United 3-6 Berkhamsted Town
Southampton Saints 3-1 Ipswich Town
Town & County 3-1 Brentford

24/3/96
Leyton Orient 1-5 Southampton Saints
Wimbledon 2-1 Three Bridges

31/3/9
Berkhamsted Town 1-0 Southampton Saints
Ipswich Town 4-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Three Bridges 2-1 Leyton Orient

7/4/96
Southampton Saints 4-0 Brentford
Town & County 0-3 Three Bridges

10/4/96
Berkhamsted Town 3-2 Three Bridges

14/4/96
Ipswich Town 1-0 Brentford
Three Bridges 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Leyton Orient 0-3 Town & County

21/4/96
Oxford United 1-1 Southampton Saints