Debut 1: I was ten years-old when my pestering paid off. “I’ll take you to see them play The Wolves,” Dad said. Wolves had just been relegated from the First Division, but still had England’s Ron Flowers playing for them.

A bus ride to Eastleigh Station, a train to Southampton and a long walk up Hill Lane until we reached the rosette and programme-sellers outside the Catholic School. Dad bought me a rosette and the programme cost sixpence. I went into the boys’ gate, which cost one-and-sixpence.

Dad had to push the turnstile, which was too heavy for me. He went in the four shillings and met me on the inside. There we were in the Milton Road end, halfway up behind the goal, exactly the position I was in for the last match at The Dell.

Dad lifted me up to sit on the crash barrier, legs dangling; other boys with their freshly painted red-and-white rattles, bobble hats and newly-knitted scarves; Woodbine smoke thick in the air; and not a replica shirt in sight. I remember cringing at seeing an almost bald player in our team called Jimmy Melia… We’d signed him from Wolves… A goal in the first minute! – our centre-half scores an own goal!

Can’t remember much about the match but the goals just flowed: Chivers four, Paine and Sydenham two each, O’Brien one. Their goalkeeper, Dave MacLaren? We signed him a year later.

Leon Burton, Horton Heath