Having come through Cheshire football to a Second Division Bury, Stan Woodhouse played in a quarter of their games in the promotion season of 1923-24. He was denied Division I football however.

Instead he was transferred – in the deal that took Bill Turner to Gigg Lane – to Southampton, who had finished three points behind Bury. Used spasmodically in 1924-25, mainly at inside-left, Stan became the established left-half, the following season, in a half-back line with Bert Shelley and George Harkus, and seldom missed a game over the next four seasons. He had the occasional patchier season in the 1930s, thanks to a combination of injuries and, after 1931, the form of Bill Luckett.

And yet, by the time of his last game in March 1936, he had made 383 appearances in the first team, an inter-war record bettered only by Shelley.

After a brief spell with Basingstoke in the Hampshire League, Stan became the licensee of the Brickmaker’s Arms. He returned to The Dell in 1951 and coached the youngsters who were playing in the “A” and “B” side sin the Hampshire league. He later became the steward at Romsey Golf Club.

Stan had an elder brother, Alf who was a tough-tackling full-back (photo in the scrapbook section). Just before the Great War broke out he was courted by quite a few top clubs, including it was said Manchester United. However his parents frowned upon a footballing career. After the war a troublesome knee injury prevented him from rekindling his professional ambitions.