Reflecting on the Saints' recent triumph, The Daily Echo takes a nostalgic journey back in time to revisit the century-old record they recently broke - by going on an unbeaten run in the league for 20 matches!

Kicking off their second Football League season on August 27, 1921, Southampton faced Gillingham at the Dell.

In a display of true dominance, the home team emerged victorious with a resounding 2-0 win. The two top scorers of the last campaign, Arthur Dominy and Bill Rawlings, both found the back of the net.

In spite of their impressive beginning, the Saints struggled to find their rhythm in the following matches. They were held to a goalless draw at Luton Town and lost 2–0 in the return fixture at Gillingham.

In a surprising turn of events, the team's luck took a swift turn as they commenced an unprecedented undefeated streak of 19 matches in the league.

This remarkable run started with a triumphant 2-1 victory against Luton at The Dell and stretched all the way into the following January, lasting for an impressive four months.

Daily Echo: The Saints team in 1921.

During their impressive streak, the team secured multiple resounding victories, such as a commanding 6–0 triumph over Charlton Athletic in November, during which Bill Rawlings showcased his undeniable talent with a remarkable hat-trick.

A Daily Echo report from the time read: "Not only did Southampton pile up their highest score so far this season in the match against Charlton Athletic at the Dell on Satirday, but the forwards gave a fine exhibition of penetrative football.

"Big scores are not very frequent at the Dell."

"There was endless incident around the goal mouth. The Saints started scoring six minutes after the start and the six goals were spread equally over the halves, the last goal being netted by Dominy just before the close of the game.

"These six goals, together with Allen’s very fine save from Mitchell’s penalty kick, and his equally brilliant clearances from Bailey and Cox later in the game gave the spectators a great deal to enthuse over.

"Rawlings carried off honours by netting three goals, two from very hard shots, and his best point was his third, when he drove the ball from twenty yards range at a terrific rate."

 In December, Saints thumped Northampton Town in a resounding 8-0 victory, with Rawlings impressively netting half of the goals.

The result against Northampton Town remained the club's single-highest league win until October 2014, when it was equalled with a result of the same scoreline against Sunderland in the Premier League.

Daily Echo: The Dell in 1928.

A Daily Echo reporter wrote: “Southampton’s forwards were in a happy holiday mood, and their eight-to-nil victory over Northampton was very much to the liking of the crowd.

“One might be tempted to write that the Saints, having no record to break, decided to set up a new one, and so totted up the highest score of the season in the Third Division

“Rawlings showed a clean pair of heels to Hewson the whole afternoon and I have seldom seen the Saint’s forwards in better form.

“As a line they were irresistible and the Cobblers defence never once exerted control over the home attack.”

On January 14, 1922, the club's impressive unbeaten streak was abruptly halted. It was a fateful day when they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat, with mid-table Brentford securing a solitary goal.

A report stated: “Southampton ran up against a snag when Brentford, winning by one goal to nil deprived the Saints of the top position in the League table.”

“Disappointment at this defeat should not, however, obscure the very performance of the Saints of running from September 3 to January 14 without defeat between those dates.

“The team set up a sequence of 19 League matches without reverse.

“Defeat must come sooner or later, A team cannot go for ever avoiding reverse.”

Daily Echo: Bill Rawlings

The following week, when the Saints went head to head against Millwall, Rawlings replicated his exceptional performance by securing four goals once again, making him the first Southampton player to do so three times.

With a final tally of 61 points, earned through a combination of 23 victories, 15 draws, and only four losses, the club's performance in the season was commendable. Their defensive prowess was evident, with a mere 21 goals conceded throughout the campaign, a record low for a Football League season until Liverpool surpassed it with just 16 goals in the 1978–79 season.

Out of the 41 goals scored during those glorious four months for the Saints, Bill Rawlings scored 20.

He scored another 10 in the league the rest of the season, making him the highest goal scorer for Saints that season.