Southampton haven’t stooped as low as the third tier of English football since 2010, playing the majority of their football in the Premier League in the years after.
In the early months of the 2025/26 season, some fans feared the worst, with the side in and around the mix of sides facing the drop from the Championship, but that’s as close as it’s come in recent years for the football club.
League One is a place where plenty of Southampton players have departed to learn their trade, best seen through academy graduate Dom Ballard last season at Leyton Orient.
This summer, an ex-Southampton goalkeeper has made a permanent signing for a League One club, just two seasons on from playing in the Premier League.
Former Saint completes transfer
Sheffield Wednesday have announced the signing of former Southampton goalkeeper Joe Lumley on a free transfer from Championship side Bristol City.
The Owls originally signed Lumley in October 2025 as an emergency loan player, when Lumley started two second-tier games for the club. Wednesday were clearly pleased with what they saw, and have handed Lumley a two-year contract at Hillsborough.
Upon joining, Lumley said, “I jumped at the chance to come here. I was here last season and just got a feeling within that time of the set-up of the club, how big the club is, how passionate the fans are. It was a no-brainer for me to come here.
“I'm here to serve the team and serve the club, so it's not about me. Obviously, I'm going to put my best performances in that I can, train as hard as I can, week in, week out, every single day.”
It’s a fresh start for Joe Lumley, two years on from the goalkeeper claiming at Southampton that an England call-up remained his dream.
A new opportunity for Lumley
Joe Lumley joined Russell Martin’s Southampton in August 2023 as a back-up option to Gavin Bazunu. The now-31-year-old played 8 times in two seasons, both in the Championship and Premier League.
Following an injury to Aaron Ramsdale in the Saints’ disastrous 2024/25 top-flight effort, Lumley stepped in to concede a whopping 7 goals in three matches before departing for Bristol City at the end of his deal.
Lumley was never the best with his feet, nor at shot-stopping, and a move to the atmospheric League One side Sheffield Wednesday could be a great place to get some games under his belt.
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