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I remember having a ST in the lower west stand but was lucky enough to sit in every stand in some cup games. Always remember the managers having to walk the touchline in front of me to the dugout. Certain managers (our own and opposition managers) didn't half get some stick. What an atmosphere that place created. I can still hear the fans singing in the two pubs before games, just outside the Dell.
How many sat in each incarnation of each stand, I stood/sat in six different stands behind the goals 3 in the Milton & 3 in the Archers .
I sat in both upper side stands . underneath terraces on both sides, bench seats on both sides and finally red plastic seats on both sides, I dont think any other ground than the Dell has had so many variations
Satisfying The Bloodlust Of The Masses In Peacetime
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20 years since the Dell on 21:42 - May 20 with 1941 views
20 years since the Dell on 21:13 - May 20 by SaintNick
How many sat in each incarnation of each stand, I stood/sat in six different stands behind the goals 3 in the Milton & 3 in the Archers .
I sat in both upper side stands . underneath terraces on both sides, bench seats on both sides and finally red plastic seats on both sides, I dont think any other ground than the Dell has had so many variations
I still have the red plastic back of my seat from that final game against Brighton and in good nick, although it got relegated to the back garden a few years ago by order! A bit faded now though
I don't think i ever watched a game from the Archers although def did all others and started off in the boy's (chocolate) boxes in the Milton. Ended up regular spot being under the West Stand
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20 years since the Dell on 21:48 - May 20 with 1935 views
20 years since the Dell on 21:42 - May 20 by kingslandstand1
I still have the red plastic back of my seat from that final game against Brighton and in good nick, although it got relegated to the back garden a few years ago by order! A bit faded now though
I don't think i ever watched a game from the Archers although def did all others and started off in the boy's (chocolate) boxes in the Milton. Ended up regular spot being under the West Stand
I started watching in the Milton Road End and then moved to be under the West Stand. I loved the character of the Dell,and it certainly had a few characters that frequented it.
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20 years since the Dell on 21:49 - May 20 with 1933 views
20 years since the Dell on 21:48 - May 20 by grumpy
I started watching in the Milton Road End and then moved to be under the West Stand. I loved the character of the Dell,and it certainly had a few characters that frequented it.
There were so many characters back then you used to see on the terraces
Satisfying The Bloodlust Of The Masses In Peacetime
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20 years since the Dell on 22:02 - May 20 with 1919 views
20 years since the Dell on 21:13 - May 20 by SaintNick
How many sat in each incarnation of each stand, I stood/sat in six different stands behind the goals 3 in the Milton & 3 in the Archers .
I sat in both upper side stands . underneath terraces on both sides, bench seats on both sides and finally red plastic seats on both sides, I dont think any other ground than the Dell has had so many variations
Milton Rd - Terrace in front of Choc Boxes, Upper Family Centre Terrace, Lower Terrace, Seats when all seater.
Archers Rd - Terrace (2 different sections), Bike Shed Seats.
West Stand - Upper Seats, Lower Benches, Lower Terrace, Lower Seats
East Stand - Upper Seats, Lower Benches, Lower Terrace, Lower Seats (season ticket once we became all seater)
Bonus Section - Tiny terrace area between East and Milton. Didn't have a ticket for an all ticket game and my programme seller mate managed to blag entry for me and a mate.
Been to all stands in St Mary's, including the away end (for a few of our youth games when it was used for home fans) and have done 2 different match day hospitality suites and an evening birthday party in the Matt Le Tiss Suite.
TimSaint
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20 years since the Dell on 22:34 - May 20 with 1881 views
I managed to either sit or stand in every stand during my many years of attending the Dell though I never stood in the chocolate boxes. Milton Road was generally my default position though.
The closeness to the pitch and the players and even the managers made the place feel more intimate and atmospheric. St Marys for me has never really felt anything like the same but that is probably aged nostalgia for a person of my age.
The away fans also moved from the Archers Road to the east stand. Was much better to have our fans behind the goal. Some occasional agro in the east stand where one metal fence / pole separated supporters, especially in the lower tier. Remember one game against Leeds where fans were having a punch up over that slim barrier. If only they could have had a double tiered Archers road and or triple tiered West stand. There was talk of redeveloping the west stand at one point.
I made my wife come to the game against Spurs over Christmas that final season as she was 5 months pregnant with my eldest at the time just so I could tell him he’d been to the dell when Saints had played.
Block 13; Curva Itchen Sud
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20 years since the Dell on 07:14 - May 21 with 1751 views
20 years since the Dell on 23:20 - May 20 by MytchettSaint
I made my wife come to the game against Spurs over Christmas that final season as she was 5 months pregnant with my eldest at the time just so I could tell him he’d been to the dell when Saints had played.
First went to The Dell in 82, so have now been going to SMS for longer than I went to The Dell, which is quite sobering. Stood or sat everywhere in that time, but has a season ticket from 94 onwards in the Lower East right next to the away fans, and yeh, that Leeds game was fun. As was being sat where I could see Westwood in the game against the Skates in 96. Thankfully I wasn't downwind
My eldest lad was born in 2000 and later that year we wrote to the club asking if we could take him to have a look round so he could say he went there, so we have pictures of him in various stands, crawling along the dressing room floor, coming out the tunnel and sat with me in the dug out
[Post edited 21 May 2021 7:15]
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20 years since the Dell on 08:00 - May 21 with 1716 views
20 years since the Dell on 07:14 - May 21 by Wints76
First went to The Dell in 82, so have now been going to SMS for longer than I went to The Dell, which is quite sobering. Stood or sat everywhere in that time, but has a season ticket from 94 onwards in the Lower East right next to the away fans, and yeh, that Leeds game was fun. As was being sat where I could see Westwood in the game against the Skates in 96. Thankfully I wasn't downwind
My eldest lad was born in 2000 and later that year we wrote to the club asking if we could take him to have a look round so he could say he went there, so we have pictures of him in various stands, crawling along the dressing room floor, coming out the tunnel and sat with me in the dug out
[Post edited 21 May 2021 7:15]
I hadn't appreciated St Marys was that old now either, time has flown by! I remember doing a pre-opening tour with a few people including TCM from here.
I'm also still pleased my last game at the Dell was the Arsenal one and my lasting memory was the place going mental for Le Tiss' goal. I didn't want to do the last match, was that against Brighton? Thought it would taint it for me.
One of my other favourite memories is the 'Great Escape' final couple of matches there, the Everton one in particular.
20 years since the Dell on 22:02 - May 20 by grumpy
Dougal Rhino Redpath Millwall Tony To name just a few, many others.
Jimmy Redpath. He lived on my estate, and was a bit older than me. I’ll be eternally grateful to him for getting me in a taxi when all the Thornhill psychos wanted to rip my head off one night. Rhino was a mate of my dad’s. Still see him every now and then. Loves his fishing.
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20 years since the Dell on 09:32 - May 21 with 1666 views
I hadn't appreciated St Marys was that old now either, time has flown by! I remember doing a pre-opening tour with a few people including TCM from here.
I'm also still pleased my last game at the Dell was the Arsenal one and my lasting memory was the place going mental for Le Tiss' goal. I didn't want to do the last match, was that against Brighton? Thought it would taint it for me.
One of my other favourite memories is the 'Great Escape' final couple of matches there, the Everton one in particular.
There were some cracking great escape matches at the Dell. The Everton game was full of colour and celebration but in the same season I think, Leicester was a must win when Frannie scored. The 3 3 draw against Blackburn was also touch and go whether the point was enough. And that nil nil against Wimbledon when Dave Merrington was manager: now that was tense!
20 years since the Dell on 09:32 - May 21 by Saintsforeverj
There were some cracking great escape matches at the Dell. The Everton game was full of colour and celebration but in the same season I think, Leicester was a must win when Frannie scored. The 3 3 draw against Blackburn was also touch and go whether the point was enough. And that nil nil against Wimbledon when Dave Merrington was manager: now that was tense!
That Blackburn 3-3 ... that was incredibly tense. I think the most tense I've felt since was the 1-0 against Leeds in the promotion season.
My first game was 84 against Coventry, for those of you old enough you'll be aware it wasn't a bad first game to go to in the slightest...
Stood on the Archers terrace that day, next to the east stand, then moved around a fair bit before "settling" on the milton, the right side under the roof.
Moved to the Bikeshed when it became the home end, starting in block 3 then later on block 5 up the back.
I absolutely loved (and still miss) The Dell, i made mates for life on the terraces and would take it back in a heartbeat even if it meant we weren't in the top flight.
St Mary's just isn't the same for me, yeah it's bigger and arguably more impressive but it's never had the soul of the Dell and has always felt bland and corporate.
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20 years since the Dell on 14:37 - May 21 with 1526 views
20 years since the Dell on 13:34 - May 21 by franniesTache
My first game was 84 against Coventry, for those of you old enough you'll be aware it wasn't a bad first game to go to in the slightest...
Stood on the Archers terrace that day, next to the east stand, then moved around a fair bit before "settling" on the milton, the right side under the roof.
Moved to the Bikeshed when it became the home end, starting in block 3 then later on block 5 up the back.
I absolutely loved (and still miss) The Dell, i made mates for life on the terraces and would take it back in a heartbeat even if it meant we weren't in the top flight.
St Mary's just isn't the same for me, yeah it's bigger and arguably more impressive but it's never had the soul of the Dell and has always felt bland and corporate.
Archers Rd for me on the odd occasion remember Shearers debut hat trick and the united 6-3 game and a 0-0 with united in the cup when Flowers won us the replay
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20 years since the Dell on 19:54 - May 21 with 1345 views
20 years since the Dell on 18:51 - May 21 by saint22
Archers Rd for me on the odd occasion remember Shearers debut hat trick and the united 6-3 game and a 0-0 with united in the cup when Flowers won us the replay
Got to mention boys enclosure where I got addicted to the Saints, Terry Paine et al
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20 years since the Dell on 20:45 - May 21 with 1323 views
I stood on all 4 sides but sitting in the upper west and east stands never appealed to me..
The best atmosphere at the Dell ever, undoubtedly, was in the late 70s. All four sides of the ground singing was inspirational for our team and intimidating for the opposition. Obviously, the Mick Channon Testimonial was incredible but for me the one that stands out as the moment when the Dell atmosphere reached its zenith was the FA Cup replay v Nottingham Forest in 1977. That was when the Dell was truly intimidating.
The late 70s ritual of meeting up in the public bar of the Fizhugh before games, downing far too may pints and leaving it to the absolute last minute to get into the ground would never have worked in the late 60s and early 70s, when we had to start queueing 2 hours before big games to be sure of getting in. Even doing that, I still didn't get in for one of the Man United games until 10 minutes before the end when they opened the gates to let the crowd out.
The most important result? Beating Leeds in the League Cup Semi-Final 2nd leg. That was the noisiest set of away fans ever to visit the Dell but we beat them and I still remember celebrating with our Man of the Match, Terry Gennoe, after the game in my local pub.
20 years since the Dell on 20:45 - May 21 by dirk_doone
I stood on all 4 sides but sitting in the upper west and east stands never appealed to me..
The best atmosphere at the Dell ever, undoubtedly, was in the late 70s. All four sides of the ground singing was inspirational for our team and intimidating for the opposition. Obviously, the Mick Channon Testimonial was incredible but for me the one that stands out as the moment when the Dell atmosphere reached its zenith was the FA Cup replay v Nottingham Forest in 1977. That was when the Dell was truly intimidating.
The late 70s ritual of meeting up in the public bar of the Fizhugh before games, downing far too may pints and leaving it to the absolute last minute to get into the ground would never have worked in the late 60s and early 70s, when we had to start queueing 2 hours before big games to be sure of getting in. Even doing that, I still didn't get in for one of the Man United games until 10 minutes before the end when they opened the gates to let the crowd out.
The most important result? Beating Leeds in the League Cup Semi-Final 2nd leg. That was the noisiest set of away fans ever to visit the Dell but we beat them and I still remember celebrating with our Man of the Match, Terry Gennoe, after the game in my local pub.
[Post edited 22 May 2021 10:30]
Great stuff Dirk, wish I was going in the 70’s, the 80’s were good fun but nowhere near the mass crowds, noise and excitement of the 70’s when you listen to the tales from back then
I do remember a Millwall fan having a piss on our fans from above the west stand.
There was something magical seeing the Millwall blokes in surgical masks at Central station, Chelsea lunatics in their hordes and the likes of Birmingham running up and down Hill Lane
Siting with a coke in Hulse road club getting excited about the match while the men had a skinful
The half time dog shows and a wagon wheel, then moving on to going with your mates in the Milton leading onto away travel on the trains
20 years since the Dell on 22:27 - May 21 by Bicester_North
Great stuff Dirk, wish I was going in the 70’s, the 80’s were good fun but nowhere near the mass crowds, noise and excitement of the 70’s when you listen to the tales from back then
I do remember a Millwall fan having a piss on our fans from above the west stand.
There was something magical seeing the Millwall blokes in surgical masks at Central station, Chelsea lunatics in their hordes and the likes of Birmingham running up and down Hill Lane
Siting with a coke in Hulse road club getting excited about the match while the men had a skinful
The half time dog shows and a wagon wheel, then moving on to going with your mates in the Milton leading onto away travel on the trains
It felt like you’d entered a whole new universe
[Post edited 21 May 2021 22:33]
How many dog shows were there? I remember there were a lot of them. As I recall, the RAF alsatians seemed to appear a lot. The bloke in the balaclava who was chased by the dog was a real star.
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