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WEEKEND FOR SAINTS NOSTALGIA

left back by the time he made his debut.Those youthful attacking instincts never

quite came to the fore, though.But few will forget his one and only goal,

which came courtesy of a thumping headeragainst Leicester, at The Dell, in 1997.One of the most committed players ever

to wear the Saints shirt, Benalis careerstarted to come to an end with the emer-gence of Wayne Bridge. But, even after hisretirement in 2004, he remains one of the

most popular ex-players the club hasknown.

Jason Dodd, 1989-2005

Dodd had the right back spot under lockand key for more than a decade, and is oneof only a handful of players to have madeover 400 appearances for Saints

The Bath-born player broke into the first-team in 1989, and enjoyed a memorablestart, with 4-1 wins over QPR and Liverpool

in his first two games.Dodds performances at a young age

earned him international recognition, withthe England Under-21 squad.

His commitment and passion, combinedwith his leadership qualities, meant that hemade for an excellent captain a role hefulfilled so well for many years.

Injuries started to blight his career in hisfinal few seasons with the club, and alsomeant he was unable to play any part in the

2003 FA Cup final.Dodd joined Brighton for a season, after

leaving Saints in 2004, before moving towork at Eastleigh.

Ron Davies, 1966-1973Few people, if any, could head the ball as

well as Davies, but the prolific striker hadfar more attributes than simply being goodin the air.

Ted Bates spent a then-record 55,000 to

sign the forward from Norwich in 1966, andit proved to be a great bit of business.

Davies netted 153 goals in 281 appear-ances for Saints, topping the Division Onescoring charts for two seasons running.

His form was so good that it promptedlegendary Manchester United boss Sir MattBusby to call him the best centre-forwardin Europe at one stage.

The Welshman struck up a wonderfulpartnership with winger Terry Paine, with

Davies immense aerial prowess perfectlycombining with Paines precise crossing.

However, injuries would take their toll onDavies, and he moved to Pompey in 1973.

John Sydenham, 1956-70Another to have made more than400 appearances for Saints,Sydenham formed a spectacularwing pairing with Terry Paine.

The Southampton-born playerhad come through the youth set-up at The Dell, and it was clearwhen he graduated to the firstteam that, like Paine, he was fartoo good for the Third Division.

But Sydenhams ability and

lightning-quick pace wouldhelp Saints climb the leaguesswiftly.

He achieved EnglandUnder-23 honours during the1959-60 season, although his

career was interrupted by National Servicein July 1960. However, he was a key com-ponent in helping Saints achieve promotionto the top flight in 1966.

Sydenhams time at Saints came to anend in 1970, when he joined Aldershot,before eventually moving to Australia,where he headed up the clubs scouting fora while.

Alan Ball, 1976-83

Lawrie McMenemy brought Ball to TheDell in December 1976, as he looked to getSaints promoted back into the top flight.

The 1966 World Cup winners guile andclass in the centre of midfield provedinvaluable to the club, with Ball helpingthem regain their top-flight status in 1978.

The former Everton star would make 234appearances for Saints, scoring 13 goals inhis time at The Dell. He ended his playingcareer at Bristol Rovers, before joiningPompey in a coaching capacity, and even-tually becoming manager.

After a spell in charge at Stoke, hebecame boss at Saints in 1994, with Saintsfinishing tenth in the Premier League thefollowing year.

Ball then moved to Manchester City, andonce again to Pompey, before finally finish-ing his career as a manager.

Ball died in April 2007 a loss mournedby the entire footballing community.

Claus Lundekvam, 1996-2008The Norwegian was signed by Graeme

Souness from SK Brann in 1996, for a dealworth 400,000.

It proved to be an astute piece of busi-ness, with Lundekvam going on to becomeone of the clubs longest-serving players.

Lundekvam was a lynchpin of the sideduring much of Saints Premier Leaguedays. He formed a memorable partnershipwith Michael Svensson a pairing thathelped Saints to the 2003 FA Cup final.

Injuries became more and more difficultfor Lundekvam to overcome as the yearswore on, but he eventually ended his careerin 2008 with more than 400 appearances inall competitions for Saints.

Continued on page 32

ON THEBALL: JoseFonteagainstWalsall.

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