Neil Ruddock, Jon Gittens and Barry Horne also left in the summer, with Branfoot signing David Speedie, Kerry Dixon, Ken Monkou and Perry Groves to replace them.

Southampton's inaugural FA Premier League campaign started in much the same form as their final First Division season had gone, with the club sitting in or just above the relegation zone for much of the first half of the year.

A stronger run of form after Christmas saw the Saints climb as high as ninth in the table, which ultimately saved them from the drop ahead of six defeats from their last eight games.

Ahead of the 1992–93 season, Southampton received numerous offers for striker Alan Shearer, who had finished the last year as the club's top scorer and recently made his debut (and scored) for the England national team.

[8] The final addition of the summer came in the form of Arsenal winger Perry Groves, who joined a few days after Monkou for the same fee, despite "nursing an Achilles problem" which would ultimately end his professional playing career within a year.

[9] Despite only joining in the summer, Speedie was put up for transfer by Southampton during the early stages of the season, after reportedly falling out with Branfoot, as well as teammates including Glenn Cockerill and Terry Hurlock.

[13] Alloa Athletic midfielder Paul Sheerin, Halesowen Town striker Frankie Bennett and Ayr United defender Derek Allan all joined Southampton during the course of the 1992–93 season for small fees.

[1] After a late 1–0 loss at Manchester United courtesy of a penultimate-minute goal from new signing Dion Dublin, the Saints picked up their first win of the season at home to Middlesbrough, who had been recently promoted to the FA Premier League after finishing as runners-up in the Second Division; all three goals in the 2–1 affair were scored in the last 15 minutes of the game, with a Matt Le Tissier penalty and a Nicky Banger header securing the hosts' first victory of the campaign.

[14] The next week's 2–0 loss at Sheffield United marked the final appearance of summer signing David Speedie, who had fallen out with Branfoot and other players, and was subsequently loaned out to various clubs during the rest of the season.

[14] February brought a pair of wins over Norwich City, who were still challenging for the title, and Liverpool, which was followed by a narrow defeat at league leaders Manchester United.

[26] The final game of the season gave the Latics a win which secured their FA Premier League status, as they equalled Crystal Palace's points tally and had a superior goal difference, while also featuring Le Tissier's second away hat-trick and first from open play.

The visiting Saints opened the scoring in the 14th minute, when Matt Le Tissier headed in a corner from Micky Adams flicked on by Glenn Cockerill.

[28] Forest responded with a run of chances on goal, denied by Southampton goalkeeper Tim Flowers, before they eventually equalised a minute before half-time when Roy Keane headed in from a corner.

[28] In the second half, Le Tissier came close to equalising on multiple occasions, including hitting the crossbar just a minute after the break, while Kerry Dixon saw his "powerful header" saved by Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley.

[17] The last friendly, which took place in between the penultimate and final games in the league, saw Southampton beat local Second Division side Bournemouth 2–0 at Dean Court for Paul Morrell's testimonial.

Four of these new signings (Allan,[16] Dixon,[7] Groves,[9] and Speedie[10]) also made their last appearances for the Saints during the campaign, as did striker David Lee, who left the following summer.