who is the Saints oldest fan. I am 83 and supported from afar when I was 10 and in person when moved to Totton

[rooney]

Dave Webb's son been appointed manager at Yeovil I remember seeing Dave play at the Dell for Leyton Orient ad we signed him later that season. He was 19 at the time!

[rooney]

3 minutes ago, rooney said:

Dave Webb's son been appointed manager at Yeovil I remember seeing Dave play at the Dell for Leyton Orient ad we signed him later that season. He was 19 at the time!

Forgot to mention this was circa 1966 and I was 15 at the  time.

[Taxi Boy]

On 17/09/2025 at 16:02, Verwood Saint said:

First game Jan 1967 (birthday treat aged 11) 4-4 draw with Leicester

Ron Davies hattrick and one for Martin Chivers - Gordon Banks was in goal for them and Peter Rodrigues was playing full back.  Great way to get started eh?!

 

October 67 v Leicester was my debut at the Dell

Lost 5-1 (should have been a clue lol) Peter Shilton scored for Leicester past Campbell Forsyth

[Wade Garrett]

I’m 55.  Nowhere near the oldest though.  There’s a bloke that sits behind me who I reckon is 60.

[Nordic Saint]

43 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

I’m 55.  Nowhere near the oldest though.  There’s a bloke that sits behind me who I reckon is 60.

We need more posts like this.

[Badger]

7 hours ago, Weston Saint said:

1948/49 season. As you say Charlie Wayman injured (or was he dropped under pressure from the board!) and we drew at home to WBA. We  then lost to Chesterfield away and missed out on promotion by two points. Fulham and WBA went up. 

Bill Dodgin was our Manager and he left to join Fulham!!! 

Older relatives told me about this, and there was an underlying hint that Dodgin had in some way got Saints to ease up a bit. Then of course he joined Fulham who had been promoted.

Do you recall any suggestions or stories at the time hinting at wrongdoing ? 

Edited 17 hours ago by Badger

[die Mannyschaft]

On 18/09/2025 at 07:46, LiberalCommunist said:

The last seven seasons have felt like a hundred years for me. Does that count?

Some of the players look like thier 100 years old. Be difficult to take a pen with a zimner frame.  

[Badger]

20 hours ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

Memory doesn’t serve me well that far back 😉 but a quick Google helps…

The 1972 Leeds United team that won the FA Cup against Arsenal featured key players like Billy Bremner, Allan Clarke, Johnny Giles, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton, Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray, Mick Jones, and David Harvey. This legendary side, managed by Don Revie, secured the trophy by beating Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley

I liked Lorimer too - renowned for the fastest/strongest shot on account that he used to toe punt shots I believe.

There is a danger of this becoming a love fest for 1960’s/early 70’s Leeds. 

Just to balance this, I’ll add that I detested them at the time. Derby and the big mouth Clough just as bad. (Clough did mellow in the mid80’s, but a horrible loudmouth and arrogant bastard at Derby).

One if the most puke inducing things in the 70’s was Leeds and those bastard  ridiculous number tags on their socks. Then seeing them running to the crowd on MOTD to give them to fans after a match. Complete with Barry Davies or Coleman salivating over it all. 

[Badger]

6 hours ago, 64saint said:

You're just a mere youngster Badger 

. 😉👍

Thanks. Don’t feel like it though. Think I’ve been watching Saints too much, it’s worn me down 

[Tommy Mulgrew]

22 minutes ago, Badger said:

There is a danger of this becoming a love fest for 1960’s/early 70’s Leeds. 

Just to balance this, I’ll add that I detested them at the time. Derby and the big mouth Clough just as bad. (Clough did mellow in the mid80’s, but a horrible loudmouth and arrogant bastard at Derby).

One if the most puke inducing things in the 70’s was Leeds and those bastard  ridiculous number tags on their socks. Then seeing them running to the crowd on MOTD to give them to fans after a match. Complete with Barry Davies or Coleman salivating over it all. 

Fully agree with that.  One of the most satisfying games at the Dell in that era was when (I forget which year it was) we roughed up Leeds and kicked them all over the place.  Couldn’t have happened to a nicer team!  We were a load of hard nuts in those days, as alluded to by the name of ale house brawlers.  
 

I’d love it if we showed now the same grit and determination as back then.  (Obviously, making allowances for today’s different attitude to violence on the pitch.)   We have tended to be a team of pussycats for several years now and I hope that our ginger alleycat boss can put that to rights.  

“Hi there, TC.  Are you listening?  Get it done.”

😈  😺 👮‍♂️

[Badger]

3 minutes ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

as alluded to by the name of ale house brawlers pussycats for several years now and I hope that our ginger alleycat boss can put that to rights.

“Hi there, TC.  Are you listening?  Get it done.”

😈  😺 👮‍♂️

The Alehouse Team. Legends.

If you could set up a football match from two teams from different eras, our Alehouse v Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang would be great viewing.

You mention TC. That’s something from a 1960’s childhood.But do you realise that he was really designed as Sgt Bilko for kids ? 

[Winnersaint]

Certainly not the oldest, but first game was in October 1963 v Don Revie’s dirty Leeds. Collins, Bremner, Giles etc. Was 5, sat on my dad’s shoulders on Archer’s Rd. Saints team was Reynolds, Williams, Traynor, Wimshurst, Knapp, Huxford, Paine, O'Brien, Burnside Sydenham.

[LGTL]

My old Grandad went to his first game in 1946 and was obsessed with Charlie Wayman. They even named their cat after him. ‘Up the middle for Charlie’ was still his favourite phrase when watching us some 70 years later. I remember as a kid pre internet I was certain he’d just made him up. 

Dementia robbed him of his love of Saints last year, and he sadly passed away in January at 87. But he’d have loved a read of this thread.

[Football Special]

33 minutes ago, LGTL said:

My old Grandad went to his first game in 1946 and was obsessed with Charlie Wayman. They even named their cat after him. ‘Up the middle for Charlie’ was still his favourite phrase when watching us some 70 years later. I remember as a kid pre internet I was certain he’d just made him up. 

Dementia robbed him of his love of Saints last year, and he sadly passed away in January at 87. But he’d have loved a read of this thread.

Hopefully he'd seen this video, lots of footage from that era and familiar names 

 

[Tamesaint]

At the Preston match there will be 4 generations of Tamesaints. With my 93 year old father and 14 month old granddaughter we could have the youngest and oldest supporters in thr stadium. 

[Badger]

19 hours ago, Totton Saint said:

No mention of John McGrath yet, The man mountain of a player. Gabrial and Fisher were his partners in crime. I was behind the goal when Fisher sustained a broken leg courtesy of the onrushing Arsenal goalie.

 

 

The best Saints game I remember was when Ball played a blinder in the mud at the Dell (in a cup round?) as did Rodrigues.

I think it was v Man City.  Shannon was playing for `Man City and missed a sitter or two. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John McGrath was one of my earliest Saints heroes. 
 

The game you mention might have been the League Cup match (quarter final ) in December 1978. Ball was with Saints at the time but Rodrigues had moved on (and was at his pub - near you of course - King Rufus in Eling). 

[Totton Saint]

59 minutes ago, Badger said:

John McGrath was one of my earliest Saints heroes. 
 

The game you mention might have been the League Cup match (quarter final ) in December 1978. Ball was with Saints at the time but Rodrigues had moved on (and was at his pub - near you of course - King Rufus in Eling). 

Yes, I was almost certain it was a league up game but did not like to be too cocksure.

Thanks for giving me the date of the game. I was living in Winchester at the time but at Totton in the late fifties.

Edited 3 hours ago by Totton Saint

[Katalinic]

19 hours ago, rooney said:

Forgot to mention this was circa 1966 and I was 15 at the  time.

25 you mean 😉. You must be one of the oldest posters on here I would imagine.

[Football Special]

3 hours ago, Tamesaint said:

At the Preston match there will be 4 generations of Tamesaints. With my 93 year old father and 14 month old granddaughter we could have the youngest and oldest supporters in thr stadium. 

4 generations is amazing. Should give you a mention in the match programme, although watch out club are a bit funny about u2s attending games so might need to claim the little'un is 24 months already! 

[West Dean FC Legend]

I had to check, my first game was April 24th 1971, so 54 years ago, I was 9 and my late brother who was about 16 at the time, took me along with my parents' permission. I had never been to a professional football game in my life and wasn't that interested. It was Mick Jones' birthday, he scored two goals but we missed the last one as I had to go to the toilet and my brother then walked us back to the coach stop. We were from East Dean (Hants/Wilts border) so like away supporters we caught a coach to watch games every week (Buddens' two-bob coach).

After that I never really went regularly until Saints were in Division Two and then I went every weekend with my mates. I was so jammy, I kept all the vouchers you got in the programmes (most people threw them away), so I saw the FA Cup semi-final and the Final. My brother couldn't get tickets and was fuming!

I didn't go so regularly when I finally started playing football, playing on Saturdays and Sundays, I only went to midweek games or when we didn't have a game. I was crap and never won anything or played a good standard.

Later on my mates all started getting serious with girls so stopped going so much and I didn't enjoy going on my own, saw a few games for free as one of my friend's late dad was a doorman on the players' entrance!

Then when I met a woman whose judgment was as bad as her eyesight I moved to Swindon and really stopped going at all by then. 

When we moved to the Scottish Highlands three years ago that was it. So it's just telly for me - but at least I can turn it off and forget about some of the stuff you see.

[Saint Fan CaM]

17 hours ago, Badger said:

There is a danger of this becoming a love fest for 1960’s/early 70’s Leeds. 

Just to balance this, I’ll add that I detested them at the time. Derby and the big mouth Clough just as bad. (Clough did mellow in the mid80’s, but a horrible loudmouth and arrogant bastard at Derby).

One if the most puke inducing things in the 70’s was Leeds and those bastard  ridiculous number tags on their socks. Then seeing them running to the crowd on MOTD to give them to fans after a match. Complete with Barry Davies or Coleman salivating over it all. 

Ah, simpler times Badger. When I first got interested in pro footie teams me and my group of friends were not particularly interested in inter-club rivalry - if players were great in our eyes, then that was all that mattered. All that changed when I started supporting Saints of course and particularly in my mid-teens when any Pompey louts were in town for a bit of aggro. It wasn’t really until the infamous and distressing 3-4 capitulation against Leeds at SMS that I developed a loathing of the club.

[West Dean FC Legend]

9 minutes ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

Ah, simpler times Badger. When I first got interested in pro footie teams me and my group of friends were not particularly interested in inter-club rivalry - if players were great in our eyes, then that was all that mattered. All that changed when I started supporting Saints of course and particularly in my mid-teens when any Pompey louts were in town for a bit of aggro. It wasn’t really until the infamous and distressing 3-4 capitulation against Leeds at SMS that I developed a loathing of the club.

I went to Stockbridge Secondary School (later Test Valley Comprehensive) deep in Hampshire, 80% of the kids sounded like 'Farmer Giles' but in the 70s nearly every 'sports bag' was Leeds United, I remember lads wearing Leeds football kits as their PE gear, including at least two lads, who are old men now, who support Saints and have for years. My mate Bob and I were the weirdos, we used to go and watch Saints!

Edited 21 minutes ago by West Dean FC Legend