[3] After a strong second half of the 1947–48 season which saw the club finish third in the league table, Southampton continued with the same squad and brought in just one summer signing, Spanish winger José Gallego.

[7] Partway through the season, George Beattie moved to Gloucester City,[8] and the club signed Bill Heaton from Leeds United to cover the team's outside-left position.

[11] Southampton's third post-war season started strongly, as they picked up four wins from their opening five fixtures to go straight to the top of the league table – the first game of the campaign was a 3–0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, who had just been relegated from the First Division.

[14] The team's form dropped off quickly though, as they won just once (at home to eventual champions Fulham) out of their next six games, in a run which ended in successive losses at Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley, resulting in a descent to sixth in the league table – the lowest they would be all season.

[13] Despite their dominance, Southampton lost their lead at the top of the table with unexpected losses against Bradford Park Avenue, West Ham United and Bury, the latter of which saw a Ted Bates goal controversially disallowed for offside.

[12] This was Southampton's final season with Bill Dodgin as manager, who suddenly left a few weeks into the 1949–50 pre-season to take over at league champions Fulham, and was replaced by his assistant Sid Cann.

[17] Only six minutes later, however, the visitors equalised through a 25-yard shot from Wilf Grant; it remained level going into half-time, after goalkeeper Ian Black made a "sensational" save from a Redfern Froggatt effort.