After three years of reserve-team football, he spent the 1898–99 season with Northamptonshire club Wellingborough playing in the Midland League.
Arthur once again spent most of his time at Ewood Park playing in Rovers' reserve team while keeping fit by voluntarily working on the renovation of a church,[2] and only managed two first-team appearances in the 1899–1900 season.
In May 1900, Blackburn was persuaded to move to the south coast to join Southampton in the Southern League.
Blackburn Rovers were reluctant to part company with him, but the financial inducements offered by Southampton persuaded him to try his luck in the south.
[3] Blackburn was unable to regain his place and in the summer of 1901 he returned to his home-town club where he made two further appearances in the 1901–02 season.