It's now the 1970's and the relegation battles begin, read on to remember or even find out about what went on in the dark and sometimes not so distant past.

In 1972 Saints went into the last four games needing just one point to guarantee safety, but the first of these games was at Old Trafford, followed by Chelsea and Spurs at home, all three sides flare sides with their 60's stars still in place, capable of beating anyone on their day but a little erratic, no one was counting their chickens.

Saints started the game without Terry Paine and Jimmy Gabriel, John McGrath coming back into the side.

George Best opened the scoring on 26 minutes with a penalty after a Jim Steele hand ball and by half time it was 3-0 .

It looked like a drubbing was on the cards, but Saints found a bit of spirit shortly after half time when Ron Davies scored, then on 86 minutes the Welshman scored again, but although a now rampant Saints surged forward and McGrath and Brian O'Neil went close, United held out and Saints hadn't got that point.

But news came through from elsewhere, they didn't need it, Huddersfield had lost and now couldn't catch them and Forest although they had 3 games left could only get on level points and with a far worse goal difference.

But if we escaped in 1972, two years later our luck ran out, we hosted West Ham in the third of the Easter programme games and the previous two had yield zero points, including a 4-1 defeat at Upton Park.

Quite simply we had to beat the Hammers, on the stroke of half time Clyde Best put the visitors ahead and although Bobby Stokes equalised just after the break that was how the game ended, truth was that we were a side on a slide having won only twice in 4 months, our confidence was shot. This result was one of several that if we had got another goal we would have stayed up.

1977/78 was happier times as we surged towards promotion, but it was tight at the top,Oldham were a solid mid table side and from that perspective should have been a simple task, the crowd of 25,788 was 11,000 more than had seen the same game 51 weeks earlier, I can't remember seeing an Oldham fan at either.

Just before half time Oldham took a shock lead to absolute silence in the ground, if there were any Oldham fans, they weren't in the normal away part of the Archers Road and they were keeping silent, that's the way it stayed until the 70th minute when Nick Holmes scored and you could certainly here the roar then.

Surely this was the cue for a Saints onslaught, but no Oldham scored again within 3 minutes, but Saints were level again on 78 minutes and it was a controversial moment, Tony Funnell collided with the goalkeeper and put the ball into the net, strangely the referee didn't give a free kick and the goal stood.

That's the way the game stayed and even Lawrie McMenemy admitted afterwards that we got more than we deserved, it was now going to be tense, nervous but exciting.

It was happier times again in 1994/95, we had played free flowing football under Alan Ball and although we had had amid season blip we were now back on track and moving up the league table, Queens Park Rangers were the visitors on this day, Neil Shipperley's header from a Le Tissier corner gave us the lead just after half time and although Les Ferdinand equalised Gordon Watson hit the winner, both had been signed since the New Year and both would play a part in not only this season but the next.

Under Glenn Hoddle we had pulled clear of relegation in 1999/00, bottom of the table Watford were the visitors and goals from Kevin Davies and Marian Pahars gave us a 2-0 win.

Last up today is three years ago when we were heading for another 8th place finish under Claude Puel although some supporters were claiming they weren't being entertained, I would still say that Puel was unlucky in losing both Van Dijk and Fonte meaning that he had to revert to a defensive line up in the later part of the season, this could have been so different a season without the sulking of Fonte or the injury to Van Dijk.

Manchester City arrived and pulled our defence to shreds, it was even at the break but goals from Vincent Kompany 55 mins Leroy Sané 77 mins Sergio Agüero 80 mins sent the crowd heading to the exits.

Photo: Action Images

huelinsaint added 10:45 - Apr 16 That Oldham game in 1978 ,I was stood on the Milton Terrace and saw about six Oldham fans cheering at the back of the West Stand seats when they scored which surprised me because i thought they were season ticket holders only up there.
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