1995–96 Southampton F.C. season

In a low-scoring season, striker Neil Shipperley finished as the club's top goalscorer with just 12 goals in all competitions, including a joint-high (with Matt Le Tissier) seven in the league.[3][4] The last transfer of the calendar year saw 20-year-old goalkeeper Neil Moss arrive from local Second Division club Bournemouth just before Christmas – the Saints paid £200,000 for the player, which rose to £250,000 based on appearances.[7] In February, Scottish winger Paul McDonald – who had spent most of the season on loan at Burnley – was sold to another Second Division side, Brighton & Hove Albion (who were then managed by former Saints midfielder Jimmy Case), for a fee of £40,000 rising to £75,000 based on appearances.[12] Whilst in the Netherlands, the Saints concluded their pre-season preparations by taking part in the Paling Cup, a friendly tournament consisting of 45-minute games – they drew 0–0 with IJsselmeervogels before beating Spakenburg 3–1.[13] The end-to-end game finished 4–3 in favour of the visitors, with all three goals for the hosts scored by Matt Le Tissier – two from penalties given for fouls against him, one in the last ten minutes from a free kick.[15] After spending a few weeks in the bottom three of the table, the Saints picked up two crucial victories when they beat Wimbledon 2–1 (thanks to a Neil Shipperley double) and Queens Park Rangers 2–0, with both games featuring dismissals for the opposition.[17] Another loss against Aston Villa was followed by another upset as the Saints beat league leaders (and eventual champions) Manchester United 3–1 at home, scoring all three of their goals in the first half (including Le Tissier's first in open play since the beginning of the season).[20] The top-flight hosts dominated the early exchanges against their First Division opponents and opened the scoring in the 12th minute, when Jim Magilton "bundled the ball in" after Pompey goalkeeper Alan Knight had saved a header by Neil Heaney from a Gordon Watson cross.[22] In response, the Premier League hosts created a number of opportunities to equalise, with Magilton, Shipperley, Richard Hall and Mark Walters all coming close to scoring in the run-up to half time.[22] The Saints eventually drew level just after the hour mark, when Le Tissier "curl[ed] a delightful shot into the top corner" from a setup by Neil Maddison.[23] Dominating the second half just as they had the first, the Saints eventually equalised with just over ten minutes left to play, when Watson headed in a corner from Le Tissier to make it 1–1 and force another replay.[24] The visitors responded well and almost equalised not long after, but it was the Saints who struck again before the 90 minutes were up through Shipperley, who scored from inside the box from a setup by Magilton not dealt with by Swindon goalkeeper Fraser Digby.The hosts began strong, dominating possession and creating chances on goal, with Eric Cantona and Andy Cole coming close to breaking the deadlock up front.