the club failed to win a single game away from home during the 1933–34 league campaign, combining with the last two away fixtures of the previous season and the first ten of the next in the club's longest league sequence without an away win (33 matches in total). after top scorer ted drake was sold to first division side arsenal for a new southampton club record fee of £6,000 in march 1934, the saints continued to struggle in the bottom six places of the table, dropping as low as 17th after a run of seven games with just one win. three more home wins in april – against blackpool, west ham united and grimsby town – ensured that the club survived relegation to the third division south; southampton finished 14th in the league table with 15 wins (all at home, equalling the club record), eight draws and 19 losses.