spyinthesky

Interesting I was in the lower Chocolate Box that day and when Martin Chivers got hold of the ball on the right wing, I was fairly certain the ball was over the line but he went onto to cross for Terry Paine to score. If we had drawn that game we would probably not have been promoted and where we would be now?

First phase opened in 1971 but recollect we may have had to negotiate the dual carriageway thro Hockley in 1976 en route to the Cup Final

Perhaps we can now add the 6 Southern league titles we won prior to entering the Football League in 1921 It is a bummer that Pompey do have more trophies to boast about than we do (despite all bar one being inaccurately described) However Saints have the much better head to head record and higher average attendances and have finished above Pompey in the Football league for 53 of the 89 years of competition since 1921 and for 15 years out of 22 in the Southern league

I was at that game too. Lost 5-3 after Ron Davies put us 1-0 up It would be very difficult to judge away followings at the time as I am pretty sure that almost all entrance to the ground (perhaps excluding stand tickets) were pay at the gate so there were few if any means of recording the number of away supporters However I do agree that it was fairly crushed on the terraces behind the goal where we stood

The 1966 promotion season burns brightly in my mind Went away to Norwich on the coach (Shamrock and Rambler - orange coaches. Offices next to the Bedford Place coach station) Won 4-3 Bolton (by myself as we were away on half term holiday in the N west) Won 3-2 Cardiff (coach with no heating - very cold. Trouble at the game. I got hit in the face with a hot pie thrown in to the crowd. Couldn't get the smell out of the new reefer jacket I had as a Christmas present) Won 5-3 Pompey Won 5-2 (our reserve CF Norman Dean scored a hat trick) Wolves (Saints about 10th at the time. Dave Webb made his debut at RB and scored with an overhead kick and we then went 12 games undefeated) Drew 1-1 Bristol City (went down to Bristol on the Special train. Lots of toilet paper thrown out of the carriage windows going through the viaduct at Bath and then someone setting fire to it) Won 1-0 Plymouth (as at Bristol lots of Saints fans there. No real segregation in those days. Bloke near us bottled after an argument. Not sure if the victim was a Saints fan) Won 3-2 Leyton Orient (I organised a coach from school and think the party included our rather corpulent History master. Must have been at least 10,000 Saints fans at Brisbane Road. Big pitch invasion when we all thought the game had finished. Remember a copper trying to stem the tide and got trampled on. However still a few minutes to play and we all had to return to the terraces so I went to 8 away League games and didn't see us lose once We also went to Orient earlier in the season but the game was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch and our coach driver took us to Griffin park to see Brentford lose to Hull in a 3rd Division fixture A gang of us also went up to Hull for the FA Cup 3rd Rd tie travelling overnight on a Special Train form the old Docks station. Really cold and foggy and we lost 1-0 against a decent Hull side Didn't arrive home until the early hours of Sunday morning and I have to be up at 0700 to do my Sunday paper round in the pouring rain Happy Days!!!

Not that common I think as most people supported their local club and the only options for away travel was train or coach as not many people could travel independently by car. My first away game was at Selhurst Park with my Dad in the early 60's, I think by special train We certainly took big followings away on our cup run in 1963 but cup games always seemed to attract good support which was in contrast to League games I remember being at Burden Park in our first promotion season in 1965/66 and not seeing another Saints fan (won 3-2 I think)

I was at that game too Didn't the Blackpool fans have a duck or chicken as a mascot at the time which was paraded on the pitch before the game bedecked in orange and white favours A few teams had animals as mascots as I recollect and then, later, there were the regular police dog display teams to keep us entertained

Thanks for this Did Clive Mendoca play for Charlton at the time? Who could imagine losing 5-0 at the Valley these days? Mind you I was at the Valley the season after we won the cup and we got beat 6-2 to go bottom of Div 2 We bought tickets in their small main stand and found some people (Charlton fans I think) sat in our seats. By the time we had finished arguing over this we were two or three down and beyond caring Could have been Ted MacDougalls first game for Saints

Duncan A bit off topic but do you remember the Brown and Harrisons dairy at the bottom of Milton Road/Hill lane and the horse drawn dairy floats Also the fish and chip shop by the cut through to St Marks Church? We lived at 55 Milton Road for a while and remember the queues past our house for big games at the Dell in the 1950's

But as a 9 year old I loved the rare opportunity when my Dad would pay for us to sit down undercover rather than stand on a cold and windswept terrace. When I started going to home (and occasional away) games with my mates, first of all we mainly went dressed in our best gear (as this was really the only alternative to school clothes) and I used carry a fairly heavy wooden box which provided space for my sandwiches, decorated rattle, scarf and other odds and ends, plus enable me to actually see on a crowded terrace as I was quite small as a nipper I remember falling off the box at Villa Park in the 1963 Semi final and struggling to get upright. We were actually stood at the Man Utd end at this game (the main body of Saints fans were at the Holte End) but there were no crowd problems in those days as I recollect That was the game were thousands went up to Birmingham in a procession of Special Trains from Central Station

I use a guy who trades under the banner of Fine Lawn Used to be a Greenkeeper at several Golf Clubs and has done consultancy work for a few football clubs He certainly seems to know his stuff and has made a big difference to my, relatively large, lawn. He prefers not to use chemical products if at all possible He is a Sunderland fan but I guess we can forgive him this Charges about £40/50 per visit dependent on what is required

No thanks for that You are probably right about the 1.30 Gate opening time That means we would have only had to wait 30 mins to gain entry to the ground It seemed longer. Certainly can remember for big games the queues seemed to go on for ever Night games used to be special as the smoke from the many cigarette and pipe users was highlighted by the old floodlights on the stand roofs and this mingled with the smell of alcohol which seemed more prevalent on cold winter nights. I can recollect one game in our first season back in Div 2, early 60's, versus Liverpool The club put the boys entry up 50% from 1/- to 1/6d without too much or any prior notice and many of us didn't have the extra money to get in. Fortunately my Dad was a steward at the time and I managed to get a message to him and the stile man let me in for free!! Great as we won 4-1 as I recollect and my Dad and I were at Anfield a few weeks later when we won 1-0. Probably one of the very few Saints fans in the ground as no team really travelled in big numbers in those days but we were in the area on holiday

* Look forward to forthcoming home Div 2/3 game all week. Wonder if we will ever get to Division 1. * Up early on Saturday to do paper round * Scrape ice from bedroom window * No breakfast * Finish paper round. Get warm in front of coal fire. * No TV programmes available at this time. No phone to contact mates. Probably have to listen to the BBC Light programme on the valve radio * Light lunch then off to catch 12.10 bus with mate. * Have to queue at bus stop. Lots of cigarette smoke on top deck of bus. * Arrive Hants & Dorset bus station at 12.50 * Slow walk up to Dell. Arrive just after 13.00 * Join queue for Boys Entrance. Perhaps buy match programme for 1d (old penny) if feeling flush * Turnstiles open at 14.00. Front of queue now populated by older boys who arrive late and push in * Pay 1/- entrance (5p in today's money!!!!!) * Secure favoured place in lower Chocolate Box * Get soaking wet if it rains. * Possibly have to brave very basic toilet in Milton Road end at half time (only 10 mins). Crush and smell are both overpowering and your only pair of shoes now smelling of p*ss. * Only refreshment available is tea, crisps and small selection of chocolate bars from the Tea Bar or the mobile Bovril man in a white coat who can dispense the hot liquid from a tank on his back (but only available to those close to the running track) * Back to the Choccy Box to listen to the Albion Band and throw things at the fund raising sheet which is paraded round the running track whist avoiding the Bovril man. * Running track may also be used by Bill Bray (Saints Cheer leader.. ..2-4-6-8 who do we appreciate etc.....) and occasionally a young lad in washed out Saints kit running round the track with an old air raid rattle. * Generally see Saints win a high scoring entertaining game on a pitch which was devoid of grass through the middle since early October * Leave the ground just after 16.40. No added time * Walk back down towards Bedford Place. Plenty of people on bikes which they had paid to leave in houses around the ground. Corporation Buses are queued in three/four locations around the ground waiting to take local people home. * If feeling flush, and not too wet, may hang around outside the Echo Office awaiting early edition of the Football Echo. * Occasionally invest in a Plesteds Pie *Catch Hants & Dorset bus home * Watch some Black & White TV on our 14" rented Sobell until bed around 10.00 * Up early on Sunday for paper round. Read any report of Saints games * Repeat in two weeks time!! ' In comparison to the experiences of similar aged lads today, my generation led far simpler lives and our expectation level was low so the fortnightly visit to a quite rundown Dell was the highlight of the winter. I would never have dreamed in those austere days that we would be one of the top clubs in England with a number of international stars and playing in a top rate stadium (and also three divisions above Pompey!!)

Who can remember turning up at The Dell to watch Saints live on the 'Big Screen' get routinely hammered in away games with poor quality sound and vision? Seem to remember one game (at Old Trafford?) when David Howells had to go in goal On a separate subject anyone at the Dell in the early 70's when Saints won the Combination Cup in front of a 15,000 odd crowd with a young Mike Channon starring?

Begs the questions 1. Who was the first foreign player in modern times who played for us (think I know the answer to this) 2. Ditto first black player (not sure) 3. Who was our first ever sub (not sure)

Liverpool are also looking for a left back Cue media speculation on Bertrand

I wonder what the Black Box saw in the player? He doesn't seem to have impressed Ronald enough to give him much playing time. When he came on today he contributed very little, got muscled off the ball once and two or three times failed to track back the Sunderland player nearest to him with the ball. It has been suggested on here that he is possibly one for the future, and I really hope that is the case, but so far he is seems to be a less expensive Gaston Ramirez.

And for us really long term/suffering fans this hasn't been a bad season at least in League position terms

Good news for 'The Donald' Piers Morgan reckons that Trump is a 'Great Businessman' Plenty of people out there able to comment on the veracity of this, of course Of course Piers was spot on about the dodgy Saudi guy who was briefly involved with Pompey and, with his great wealth, would take Pompey onto the next level!!!!!!!! #That went well. Fortunately he never got near the nuclear button

Hate to say this but Bournemouth have outplayed us for all of todays game plus 2nd half of the game at St Marys notwithstanding Wanyama's sending off

If Leicester do intend to increase capacity they will join Spurs 61,000, Chelsea 55,000, West Ham 54,000 Liverpool 57,000 who are all increasing capacity with Everton likely to look at new or improved facilities with new owners.

As far as I am aware the two stadiums are of more or less identical construction with very similar capacities However notice that both Saints and Leicester games were 'sold out' but our crowd was about 600 down on Leicester Presumably there is similar segregation etc Were some of our corporate areas not fully occupied?

T ..The Skates are floundering.... Made me smile