Moments you like to remember whilst bored...

[derry]

Jan 1960, 3rd round FA Cup, third division Saints at Maine Road winning

5-1 with 10 1/2 men, (Cliff Huxford with a pulled thigh muscle played on) against first division Man City with 18 years old Bob Charles in goal.

 

Terry Paine giving a virtuoso display and Derek Reeves getting 4 against the great Bert Trautmann.

 

Several seasons scoring over a hundred goals in the league.

[Foxstone]

That was absolutely brilliant. My favourite part was Anders Svensson dribbling the ball from the halfway line, the defence backing off and backing off, and anders thinking "ok if you won't tackle me I'll shoot".

 

Indeed !

 

He scored some great goals for us, but that one of his was my particular favourite!

[MbaleSaint]

Early eighties, away to Bobby Robson's very good Ipswich team. Last game of the season, needing a win to qualify for Europe. 3-0 up after 25 minutes - mayhem on the terraces! 3-2 by half time but held out for the win. Also memorable for a Graham Baker volley into the crowd that knocked out a mouthy Tractor Boy on the terrace below us. Quality.

[luvaduck]

This one is a bit obvious but Bobby Stokes winner in 1976

Travelling up on the train from Central Station - reading all the newspapers and hoping that we would not get hammered

Then being behind the goal - the ball seemed to travel in slow motion you knew something would prevent it from going in - either a pigeon would swoop down and puncture the ball or it would hit a divot and be diverted for a Goal Kick

And when it did cross the line - absolute mayhem - finished up halfway down the terracing and missed the next five minutes of the game until we all sorted ourselves out!! Absolute Magic

[rallyboy]

seeing a bloke in a Norwich shirt lying on the ground pretending he's been elbowed, and he looks up briefly to see that the Wembley train is about to pull out of the station without him.

 

Crouchie rolling a penalty past Mr Bean.

 

Moran volleying in at the far post.

 

Mmmmm, happy days.

 

Ricky Lambert hammering a free kick over a wall and into the top corner to win the 2010play off final at Wembley.

[Lets B Avenue]

Early eighties, away to Bobby Robson's very good Ipswich team. Last game of the season, needing a win to qualify for Europe. 3-0 up after 25 minutes - mayhem on the terraces! 3-2 by half time but held out for the win. Also memorable for a Graham Baker volley into the crowd that knocked out a mouthy Tractor Boy on the terrace below us. Quality.

 

Steve Baker's debut and he looked like a good player. How wrong we were.

[Greenridge]

Mine would have to be the FA Cup 4th round in '84 down at Pompey. My Dad had managed to get us two tickets in the seated Pompey season ticket holder section! Being 14 or so most of the game was a blur to me but I remember right at the end when Biley had just blazed over we went straight up the other end for Armstrong to cross to Moran. Right in front of the Saints supporters who not surprisingly went mental, as did I only to be grabbed by the old man and pulled firmly down into my seat lol.

[dellboypete]

It's really odd how these things come around.

 

I've just got back from a boozy christmas lunch reunion with a couple of old friends at the Bree Louise pub near Euston station (real ale mecca - camra members 50p off a pint!! Highly recommended).

 

There we were, three old farts all in our late 50's, one Saints (me), one chester and one swansea fan. Strangely our conversation was not a million miles away from this thread.

 

In my case I mentioned Terry Paines goal at L Orient in 1966 that took us up to the hallowed turf of the 1st division. What a night that was!

 

Our memories then changed and we dwelled on the darkest eras of our clubs. I was at Forest for the last game last season and to see the support for a club that I have followed for well over 40 years brought tears to my eyes - we were relegated but we still had a great and for me a very proud time. Then in June/July of this year I honestly thought, and I mean that, that I would not have a club to support (when I'm bored I remind myself what could have been had Mr Liebherr not been our saviour). I really thought that there was a real chance that we would go out of business - I have never felt so low in my life. What a contrast to the present when along with most saints fans, I haven't enjoyed following our club as much for a long long time.

 

Let's put this into it into perspective - my friend from Chester (Holt to be precise) cannot believe the position they are in. Bankrupt, bottom of the BSP and as he says, there is no future at the moment (this how I felt last summer - but let's make this relative), and he reckons that they will not survive (rumour is that will merge with wrexham). He was telling me of some of the wheeling and dealing behind the scenes which led to their huge points deduction (I was so embarrassed I had to have a pint of the Acorn Brewery 7th Xmas Ale to calm me down)

 

My other old friend is a swans fan (from neath). He reminded me that in 1981 they were top of the old Div 1 and we were second for a short period (I had remembered) - from where they plummeted down to the old 4th. They were on the verge of being relegated out of the league but survived on the last day. he couldn't believe that they were also 5 mins from going out of business - but look at them now.

 

I get back to the office and there are the usual smug Chelsea set - even in their darkest days they haven't experienced anything like saints, chester or swansea. Luckily we also have a Doncaster and a brentford fan in our office.

 

I have enjoyed really good times following saints, but I have also hit the the absolute bottom of the pit. It's great to talk and meet with fans of other clubs who have experienced life as bad or worse than we have.

[MbaleSaint]

Steve Baker's debut and he looked like a good player. How wrong we were.

 

Actually, it was Steve and not Graham that poleaxed the Ipswich fan.

[Crab Lungs]

Surprised this has not come up but then not that many were there:

 

Norwich away, April 94. Saints were dead and buried that season, had already lost 19 games by January when Bally took over. We went into the Easter weekend losing a "must win" game at home. I went to Norwich convinced that we were down.

 

Le Tiss scored a hat-trick. Terrible defending from both teams. We were 3-1 down, got back to 3-3 and they immediately went up the other end to go 4-3 up.

 

But Ken Monkou scored from a corner, in front of our fans, in injury time to win it 5-4. The only time in the whole match we were in front. Our crowd celebrated like we were possessed. I remember how one of our players grabbed the ball and threw into our crowd to waste a few more seconds just to make sure. Mad mad mad day but never to be forgotten. Went on to stay up, of course!

 

Haha, I was 11 then and I remember sitting in my bedroom listening that thinking - no, knowing we'd win! Amazing... I went mental when we scored and punched the bed infront of my ma, who told me off and told me it was 'only a game'

[Crab Lungs]

Looking at the snow outside reminds me of Feb 14th 94??? MLT's volley from the edge of the box as a blizzard suddenly appeared. I think we won 4-1. The gf of the time wasn't best pleased as I was supposed to be at a Valentines ball with her. Needless to say, that relationship went to the wall

 

THE game that got me back into football again after Italia 90. That day I played it at school and thought 'wow, this is good!' and then decided to stay up and watch Saints with my dad.

 

And that's how it all began..

[St Landrew]

Jan 1960, 3rd round FA Cup, third division Saints at Maine Road winning

5-1 with 10 1/2 men, (Cliff Huxford with a pulled thigh muscle played on) against first division Man City with 18 years old Bob Charles in goal.

 

Terry Paine giving a virtuoso display and Derek Reeves getting 4 against the great Bert Trautmann.

 

Several seasons scoring over a hundred goals in the league.

 

Hasn't Trautmann been quoted as saying, to one of our lads, that he had a load of rubbish in front of him [meaning his players]..? And yet he was at fault for 3 of the goals. Can't remember who tells that story - think it was Bob Charles.