A big culture shock for Saints fans as they found themselves back in the second division for the first time in 8 years.
A year earlier Saints fans had been filled with optimism but the stark reality despite some big spending had been relegation and that was hammered home by the fact that the opening home fixture was the very untrendy (at the time) Hull City at the Dell.
Saints though were one of the favourites for promotion straight back, especially because they had held on to Mike Channon and Peter Osgood, although the increasingly under fire from the fans McMenemy had already realised a change was needed.
But on a sunny 1th August day if the 16,730 in the crowd thought that this would be a formality they were soon to be brought straight back down to earth.
The first things supporters noticed as the teams ran out was the socks, Lawrie McMenemy had won promotion with Grimsby wearing white socks and now employed a little bit of psycology in switching Saints, the club also had a brand new badge, designed by a supporter who had won a competition to do so, but the badge didnt appear on the kit in the official pre season photo, however it was certainly on the shirts for the opening day and also the collar design of the shirts had altered slightly, with the enclosed v neck now open.
In team news Jim Steele was suspended and replaced by Bill Beaney who would make his second and sadly last start for the club, on the pitch though things didnt go to plan, Grimes scored for the visitors after only 6 minutes and it would remain that way after the break, if the first half was sparse on goals, Saints fans would be treated to a feast in the second half when shortly after the restart Paul Gilchrist equalised, but that if Saints thought that would be the cue for the home side to display their class and Hull would lay down and die, they were wrong, within 3 mins they were ahead again through Wagstaff.
Saints hopes were raised again on 56 minutes when Hawley was sent off, surely now they would brush aside the unfancied City side, on 76 minutes Peter Osgood equalised with a diving header, but as Saints players and the crowd prepared for a grandstand finish, within sixty seconds Wagstaff had restored the visitors lead, Hull then dug in deep and it would be the final minute before Saints would at least salvage a point and it was Gilchrist again for Saints with another header that sent the crowd home, not exactly happy but at least feeling that they had had their money's worth.
History as we know shows we fell far short of promotion that season and that things would get a whole lot worse and that Lawrie McMenemy would become public enemy number one with the home crowd for a long while, but changes would be made and a new side built and although this opening day would be far removed from a year earlier and a point now seen as poor compared to the point won at QPR the previous August the good times were ahead, there was just a lot of pain to go through first.