 In the event, this deduction occurred in the 2009–10 season, when Southampton began playing in League One, as the club finished 23rd out of 24 at the end of the 2008–09 Championship season.The 2009–10 season represented the first season since 1960 that the club has played at the third tier of English league football.Alan Pardew was appointed as the Saints' new manager and turned their fortunes around, but the points deduction and a mediocre start to the season prevented them from truly mounting a promotion challenge, with the season ending in a seventh-place finish.