Southampton Programme.

[Southampton Hake]

This year Southampton celebrates the 60th anniversary of gaining City status.
On 22nd October 1961 I attended the Argyle v Southampton game at Home Park and have the programme from that day. The front page reads
Plymouth Argyle v Southampton Town.
This date is 2.5 years before becoming a city and to the best of my knowledge, and that of the Southampton supporters I know, Town has never been part of the club name. Does anyone have an Argyle v Southampton `Town' programme from another match, or is this just an error?

 

[Argyle Archive]

Looking at the fixtures the only time we played Southampton on October 22nd was the year before, 1960. I've been through all the programmes for the 50s and 60s and none have Town on. I'd be keen to see the cover of yours as it's obviously a big error.

 

[smudja]

Southampton Town sticks in my head, never remembered them dropping the town, or when they did

 

[Southampton Hake]

Thanks smudja I mistakenly put the year as 1961 not 1960. It was the 60/61 season, I will dig out the programme in the next few days and copy it onto this thread.

 

[cheshiregreen]

Interesting discussion.

I started my football watching towards end of the 60s. Remember Swansea was a "Town" back then.

Must be few more name changes of football teams though I can only think of these - it was always Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic previously. Plus Orient have dropped and reinstated the Leyton part.

Any others?

 

[The Pasty Kid]

Hartlepools dropped the 's'

 

[X Isle]

Funny innit, they've always seemed a bit 'village' to me 🤷🏻

😆

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Stoke City were just Stoke FC for about 40 odd years.

 

[Southampton Hake]

Here is the Southampton Town programme, not from the 60/61 season as I believed.
This is from 65/66 some two years after City status was granted to Southampton. It was also their promotion season into the top division for the first time.
The printer must have had an off day as the previous season/s do not include the Town title.
smudga: Either you have a copy of this programme or you may have seen it on the GOS match report, thanks for your help.

 

[Brussels Bureaucrat]

Stevenage were known as Stevenage Borough when they were a non-league team.

 

[memory man]

I had never seen them referred to as Town. I would think that this is a mistake by Argyle/the printer. I am very friendly with their historian Duncan Holley and I will see if he has heard this. He will certainly be interested in seeing that programme photograph. Would you mind if I forwarded it to him?

 

[memory man]

Here is the Southampton Town programme, not from the 60/61 season as I believed.
This is from 65/66 some two years after City status was granted to Southampton. It was also their promotion season into the top division for the first time.
The printer must have had an off day as the previous season/s do not include the Town title.
smudga: Either you have a copy of this programme or you may have seen it on the GOS match report, thanks for your help.

Update from Duncan Holley, the highly respected Saints historian. "Definitely and error."

 

[Southampton Hake]

Update from Duncan Holley, the highly respected Saints historian. "Definitely and error."

Thank you Steve and Duncan for looking into this for me. No issues with using the photo.