A season which had promised so much for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic lasted just three games due to the outbreak of World War II.
Today marks the 82nd anniversary of a club record which never saw the light of day – the Cherries’ record 10-0 win over Northampton Town.
Hopes were high around the club for a successful 1939/40 campaign after some shrewd recruitment and a strong finish to the previous season had seen the Cherries pull clear of relegation trouble.
Manager Charlie Bell had bolstered his resources by signing goalkeeper Ken Bird, centre-forward Jack Kirkham and inside-forward Tommy Paton, the trio starring during the second half of 1938/39 having arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In March 1939, Bird, Fred Marsden, Joe Sanaghan and Fred Wilson, another Wolves old boy, played together for the first time and kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against Clapton Orient.
The quartet would go on to become a formidable defence for the Cherries during the post-war years and all featured in the 1946 Division Three (South) Cup triumph, the club’s first piece of silverware since it joined the Football League in 1923.
Sadly, however, manager Bell passed away following illness in June 1939 and his replacement was Harry Kinghorn, who had previously managed the club between 1923 and 1925.
Kinghorn further strengthened the squad with the signings of Welsh wing-half Dai Woodward, versatile right-half Ernie Tagg and outside-left Jack McDonald.
Although the new-look Cherries had been expected to challenge for promotion, they made an inauspicious start, losing at Nott County and drawing 2-2 with QPR in their first two games.
But it all changed on September 2nd 1939 when the floodgates well and truly opened at Dean Court with the Cobblers on the receiving end of a double-figure drubbing.
Kirkham led the rout by plundering a hat-trick, Bob Redfern and Paddy Gallacher both netted doubles, while Marsden, Paton and Bill Tunnicliffe were also on the scoresheet.
However, just hours after Adolf Hitler’s troops had invaded Poland, Britain declared war on Germany and the football season was subsequently abandoned with all results expunged.
Until Eddie Howe’s team put eight past Birmingham without reply in 2014, the Cherries’ record win in the Football League was the 7-0 victory against Swindon Town in 1956.
