Keith Southern
Encyclopedia
Keith William Southern is an English professional footballer who plays for Blackpool
. He is a central midfielder
and is the longest-serving player currently at Bloomfield Road
.
, Tyne and Wear
, Keith Southern started his career at Everton
where in the 2001–02 season he captained the club's reserve team. After playing in the Toffees pre-season friendlies against Wrexham and Shrewsbury Town
, on 6 August 2002 he was signed by then Blackpool manager Steve McMahon
, initially on loan for one month at the start of the 2002–03 season. He made his league
debut four days later in a 2–0 defeat to Bristol City
at Ashton Gate
. He scored his first goal on 7 September in a 3–0 victory over Tranmere Rovers
at Bloomfield Road.
He made a total of sixteen appearances during a three-month loan spell. Then in early November, Blackpool tried to sign him on a season-long loan deal, however, Everton blocked the move, preferring it to be made permanent.
at Edgeley Park
and missed the rest of the season. He had an operation on his right knee in April, then on 1 May he was named the Blackpool Gazette
Player of the Year, jointly with Martin Bullock
.
He returned to action on 13 September in a 2–0 defeat to Bournemouth
. On 9 December in a Football League Trophy
match against Stockport County, Southern collapsed midway through the second half and he needed keyhole surgery on his knee later that month which revealed he had a slight tear in the medial cartilage, which was removed. He returned to action on 31 January 2004 as a 68th minute substitute in a 2–2 draw with Swindon Town
at Bloomfield Road. When Blackpool won the Football League Trophy at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
on 21 March, Southern was left out of the squad by Steve McMahon, who chose his son, Stephen, ahead of him.
Later that year he needed another operation on his knee after going down in the warm up before a pre-season friendly against Ballymena United
in Northern Ireland
in July. He returned to action on 2 November in a 6–3 win over Huddersfield Town
in the Football League Trophy.
After scoring seven goals in the 2004–05 season, including both goals in a 2–1 win over Brentford
on 22 March, in April 2005 Southern signed a two-year extension to his contract with the Seasiders.
On 21 April 2007, Southern scored an 85th-minute winning goal as Blackpool beat Cheltenham Town
2–1 to guarantee the club a play-off position in League One in the 2006–07 season.
On 28 April he was named the Professional Footballers' Association
(PFA) Player of the Year for League One
in an online poll voted for by supporters.
Under the management of Simon Grayson
, he also scored in the second leg of the play-off semi-final as Blackpool beat Oldham Athletic 3–1 at Bloomfield Road on 19 May. He played in the play-off final at Wembley
as Blackpool beat Yeovil Town
2–0 to secure promotion to the Championship
.
Southern scored Blackpool's winning goal on 11 August 2007 in their first match back in the second tier of English football for 29 years as they beat Leicester City
1–0 at the Walkers Stadium
on the opening day of the 2007–08 season. On 1 December Southern suffered ankle ligament damage in a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers
at Bloomfield Road, and had an operation later in the month.
He was out for two months, returning on 12 February 2008 in a 0–0 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers
.
Southern signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool on 6 April 2009. He made his 200th league start for the Seasiders in their first home match of the 2009–10 season
, a 1–1 draw with Cardiff City
on 15 August 2009 at Bloomfield Road
. In his 300th career appearance, on 23 January 2010, he scored as Blackpool beat Watford
3–2 at home. On 22 May 2010 he was named Man of the Match in the 2010 Football League Championship play-off Final
at Wembley
as Blackpool defeated Cardiff City
3–2 to secure promotion to the Premier League.
After suffering a knee injury which ruled him out of the first round of Premier League fixtures, upon his return Southern found himself being used as mainly as a substitute. He made his first start against his former club, Everton, on 6 November 2010.
||2002–03||rowspan="9"|Blackpool
||rowspan="2"|Second Division
||38||1||2||0||1||0||42||1
|-
|2003–04||28||2||2||1||2||1||36||5
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|League One
||27||6||3||1||colspan="2"|-||32||7
|-
|2005–06||42||2||1||0||1||0||46||3
|-
|2006–07||39||5||5||0||1||0||48||6
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="3"|Championship
||30||3||colspan="2"|-||2||0||32||3
|-
|2008–09
||35||3||1||0||1||0||37||3
|-
|2009–10
||45||2||1||0||1||0||50||3
|-
|2010–11||Premier League||21||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||20||0
|-
299||24||15||2||9||1||326||31
Notes:
a. 3 league play-off appearances for Blackpool in 2007 (included in 2006–07 total)
b. 3 league play-off appearances for Blackpool in 2010 (included in 2009-010 total)
c. All Football League Trophy
results are included in totals
Personal
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. He is a central midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and is the longest-serving player currently at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
.
Early career: Everton and loan move to Blackpool
Born in GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, Keith Southern started his career at Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
where in the 2001–02 season he captained the club's reserve team. After playing in the Toffees pre-season friendlies against Wrexham and Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
, on 6 August 2002 he was signed by then Blackpool manager Steve McMahon
Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...
, initially on loan for one month at the start of the 2002–03 season. He made his league
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
debut four days later in a 2–0 defeat to Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
at Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
. He scored his first goal on 7 September in a 3–0 victory over Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
at Bloomfield Road.
He made a total of sixteen appearances during a three-month loan spell. Then in early November, Blackpool tried to sign him on a season-long loan deal, however, Everton blocked the move, preferring it to be made permanent.
Blackpool
On 8 November Southern signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Seasiders for an undisclosed fee. On 22 March 2003 he was injured five minutes into a 2–2 draw with Stockport CountyStockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
at Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is an association football and rugby union stadium in Stockport, England. The stadium was initially built for the rugby league club Stockport in 1901, but by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and in the same year, Stockport County Football Club, who were looking for a bigger ground,...
and missed the rest of the season. He had an operation on his right knee in April, then on 1 May he was named the Blackpool Gazette
Blackpool Gazette
The Blackpool Gazette is an English evening newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast...
Player of the Year, jointly with Martin Bullock
Martin Bullock
Martin John Bullock is an English football midfielder who plays for New Zealand Premiership champions Waitakere United. He previously played for five league teams over fifteen years, making 452 league appearances. He also won a cap for the England under-21 side in 1996.He began his career at...
.
He returned to action on 13 September in a 2–0 defeat to Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
. On 9 December in a Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
match against Stockport County, Southern collapsed midway through the second half and he needed keyhole surgery on his knee later that month which revealed he had a slight tear in the medial cartilage, which was removed. He returned to action on 31 January 2004 as a 68th minute substitute in a 2–2 draw with Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
at Bloomfield Road. When Blackpool won the Football League Trophy at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
on 21 March, Southern was left out of the squad by Steve McMahon, who chose his son, Stephen, ahead of him.
Later that year he needed another operation on his knee after going down in the warm up before a pre-season friendly against Ballymena United
Ballymena United F.C.
Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in July. He returned to action on 2 November in a 6–3 win over Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
in the Football League Trophy.
After scoring seven goals in the 2004–05 season, including both goals in a 2–1 win over Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
on 22 March, in April 2005 Southern signed a two-year extension to his contract with the Seasiders.
On 21 April 2007, Southern scored an 85th-minute winning goal as Blackpool beat Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
2–1 to guarantee the club a play-off position in League One in the 2006–07 season.
On 28 April he was named the Professional Footballers' Association
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
(PFA) Player of the Year for League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
in an online poll voted for by supporters.
Under the management of Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson is a retired English footballer and current manager of Leeds United. He is the elder brother of cricketer Paul Grayson....
, he also scored in the second leg of the play-off semi-final as Blackpool beat Oldham Athletic 3–1 at Bloomfield Road on 19 May. He played in the play-off final at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
as Blackpool beat Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
2–0 to secure promotion to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
.
Southern scored Blackpool's winning goal on 11 August 2007 in their first match back in the second tier of English football for 29 years as they beat Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
1–0 at the Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
on the opening day of the 2007–08 season. On 1 December Southern suffered ankle ligament damage in a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
at Bloomfield Road, and had an operation later in the month.
He was out for two months, returning on 12 February 2008 in a 0–0 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
.
Southern signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool on 6 April 2009. He made his 200th league start for the Seasiders in their first home match of the 2009–10 season
Blackpool F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was Blackpool F.C.s 103rd season in the Football League. It was also their third consecutive season in The Championship, the second tier of English football. The club won promotion, via the play-offs, to the Premier League for the first time, their 28th overall season in the top...
, a 1–1 draw with Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
on 15 August 2009 at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
. In his 300th career appearance, on 23 January 2010, he scored as Blackpool beat Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
3–2 at home. On 22 May 2010 he was named Man of the Match in the 2010 Football League Championship play-off Final
2010 Football League Championship play-off Final
The 2010 Football League Championship play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium in London on 22 May 2010 to decide the third team to be promoted from The Championship to the Premier League for the 2010–11 season....
at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
as Blackpool defeated Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
3–2 to secure promotion to the Premier League.
After suffering a knee injury which ruled him out of the first round of Premier League fixtures, upon his return Southern found himself being used as mainly as a substitute. He made his first start against his former club, Everton, on 6 November 2010.
Career statistics
|-||2002–03||rowspan="9"|Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
||rowspan="2"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||38||1||2||0||1||0||42||1
|-
|2003–04||28||2||2||1||2||1||36||5
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||27||6||3||1||colspan="2"|-||32||7
|-
|2005–06||42||2||1||0||1||0||46||3
|-
|2006–07||39||5||5||0||1||0||48||6
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="3"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||30||3||colspan="2"|-||2||0||32||3
|-
|2008–09
Blackpool F.C. season 2008–09
The 2008-09 season was Blackpool F.C.s 102nd season in the Football League. It was also their second consecutive season in The Championship, the second tier of English football. They finished sixteenth.D. J...
||35||3||1||0||1||0||37||3
|-
|2009–10
Blackpool F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was Blackpool F.C.s 103rd season in the Football League. It was also their third consecutive season in The Championship, the second tier of English football. The club won promotion, via the play-offs, to the Premier League for the first time, their 28th overall season in the top...
||45||2||1||0||1||0||50||3
|-
|2010–11||Premier League||21||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||20||0
|-
299||24||15||2||9||1||326||31
Notes:
a. 3 league play-off appearances for Blackpool in 2007 (included in 2006–07 total)
b. 3 league play-off appearances for Blackpool in 2010 (included in 2009-010 total)
c. All Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
results are included in totals
Honours
Blackpool- League OneFootball League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-off final winner: 2006–07 - ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
play-off final winner: 2009–10
Personal
- Blackpool Player of The Year 2003/04
- Professional Footballers' AssociationProfessional Footballers' AssociationThe Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
(PFA) Player of the Year for League OneFootball League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
2007-2008
External links
- Keith Southern profile at blackpoolfc.co.uk
- Profile at PlayerHistory.com