For the first opening day in a while Saints fans were firmly behind their manager and optimistic for the coming season a rarity in itself.

Alan Ball had arrived at The Dell in January and concentrated on getting Saints playing football again rather than the hoofball that had been employed under the previous manager, I wont try and dress it up and say that it was an entirely successful few months under him, but despite a hick up in the last month, ultimately we stayed up, albeit on our first last day escape of the nineties.

But Ball had done enough to suggest that with a few months in the summer to regroup and work with the players that he might just turn Saints around and make them a club looking upwards in the league table instead of nervously over their shoulders. Ball was part of the so called "Dream Team" where he concentrated on the footballing side leaving Lawrie McMenemy, effectively the director of football to do the off the field dealings with the board etc.  

Ball's philosophy was simple, get the ball to Le Tiss at every opportunity and give him the chance to use it, he would either create or score himself.

The Dell was changing too, the last bit of terracing disapeared, the unique two tiered Milton Road end went under the demolition ball and was replaced by the wedge shaped structure that would see us through for the next seven years till the move to St Mary's.

On the pitch we lost two centre backs, Kevin Moore to Fulham and Steve Wood to Oxford, incoming the big news was Bruce Grobbelaar overshadowing Peter Whiston from Exeter, but perhaps the biggest signing was Matthew Le Tissier who signed a new three year deal, ending several years of doubt whether he would survive at the club under Branfoot, or indeed want to.

Visitors on the opening day were last seasons runners up Blackburn Rovers, who of course were looking to win the title this season (they did) and included Alan Shearer and Tim Flowers in their line up, who both received less than friendly welcomes on their return to their old stomping ground.

The crowd was 14,209, five thousand less than had packed the Dell for the opening day two years previously and indeed five thousand short of the number that had watched the corresponding fixture at the Dell some four months earlier, but the most of the empty seats where in the away section, the capacity now being reduced to 15,200 with the rebuilt Milton Road end now seats.

Saints fans didnt have long to wait for the first goal of the season, on 15 minutes Le Tiss put a pin point 50 yard pass that split the Rover's defence and left Nicky Banger through on goal, he smashed the ball past Flowers and the ground erupted finally daring to hope that perhaps they were now going to start watching football again.

On the half hour, the visitors had a penalty but it was the Saints supporters that were jumping up and down as Grobbelaar saved from pantomime villain Alan Shearer.

In the second half lackburn came on strong, on the hour mark Shearer attoned for his earlier indiscretion and pulled Rovers level.

That would be it for the scoring and Saints were probably the happier with the point, they had held the Champions in waiting whereas Blackburn knew that if they were to win titles then they had to beat sides like Saints on their own patch.

But all the talk after was about the Saints goal, the quality of the pass and the quality of the finish, if Le Tissier could keep laying on balls like this then surely the good times would be back and despite the odd hiccup mid season, the truth is they where, Saints played some great football, Le Tissier who was now dubbed Le God, hit 20 goals (he also scored 10 more in the cups), playing in all but one of the league games, for perhaps his greatest ever season, which Saints themselves finished in a credible tenth, above the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City to name but three.

But sadly as we will find out in the next in the series, this would be a false dawn and turmoil would be just around the corner for Saints               

Photo: Action Images

Hollandaway93 added 12:37 - Aug 4 Sadly got so drunk that when we scored i jumped on the pitch. Got nicked and spent the next week begging the police not to take away my season Ticket. Thank you Officer Crabtree
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