During the campaign, the club bolstered its attacking force by spending just over £2.5 million on strikers Neil Shipperley and Gordon Watson, while players such as Nicky Banger, Iain Dowie and Jeff Kenna were also sold.

The result was a marked improvement on the previous season, as the Saints enjoyed spells of good form both early and later on in the campaign, remaining clear of the relegation zone for the majority of the time.

In the League Cup, Southampton beat Huddersfield Town of the Second Division 5–0 in the second round on aggregate, before facing elimination at the hands of fellow top-flight side Sheffield Wednesday, to whom they lost 0–1.

[4] During the early stages of the campaign, Colin Cramb – who had made just one substitute appearance since being signed ahead of the previous season – was sold to Falkirk,[5] while out-of-favour goalkeeper Ian Andrews moved to Bournemouth for £20,000.

[6] September also saw the arrival of Danish winger Ronnie Ekelund, who joined from Spanish champions Barcelona on loan, with the option for a permanent move for a fee of £500,000.

In October, centre-back Matthew Bound moved to Second Division side Stockport County for £100,000,[8] while striker Nicky Banger was loaned – and subsequently sold, for £250,000 – to FA Premier League strugglers Oldham Athletic.

[10][11] In the new year, Ball spent a club record £1.4 million on 20-year-old Chelsea striker Neil Shipperley,[12] which preceded the sale of Iain Dowie to Crystal Palace for £500,000.

They started their pre-season preparations with a short tour of Northern Ireland, during which they beat Ards 3–1 and Cliftonville 2–1, before losing 1–2 at reigning Irish League champions Linfield.

[20][21] Danish centre-back Ronnie Ekelund, who arrived on loan from Barcelona before the Nottingham game, made his full debut against Coventry and scored in each of the three wins.

[21] It would take another month for Southampton to win again after Arsenal, when a last-minute Le Tissier free kick gave the South Coast side all three points against Aston Villa the week before Christmas.

[23] After three months without a win, the Saints finally picked up their seventh victory of the season when they beat Newcastle United 3–1 at The Dell, scoring all three goals in the last seven minutes of the game (two of which were in injury time) to reverse an early deficit.

[27] This position was confirmed after a 1–2 defeat at Old Trafford by Manchester United, who were chasing a third consecutive league title, and a 2–2 final day draw with Leicester City, who had already been relegated back to the First Division.

[29] Despite dominating the first half, the second-flight hosts conceded first on 53 minutes when Neil Shipperley scored his first goal for the club he had joined just a few weeks earlier, converting a cross from Heaney.

[32] They played FA Premier League rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the third round, losing to a single goal from Chris Bart-Williams early into a second half described by club historians as "one sided".

In April, the club played a friendly against local side New Milton Town which they won 8–0, with Matt Le Tissier scoring five and Jim Magilton adding two.

Two of these – Ekelund[7] and Whiston[1] – also made their last appearances for the Saints during the campaign, as did mid-season departees Nicky Banger,[9] Iain Dowie,[13] and Jeff Kenna,[14] plus one player sold the next season (Paul Allen[11]).