- Thanks, as ever, to our Saint-in-Residence, David Breach
Since his football career ended, Francis Benali has had a second life raising money for cancer research, undertaking a series of gruelling runs around the United Kingdom.
His autobiography outlines just how much effort is required for such feats, both mentally and physically. It is an honest tome and there is also a little squad numbers vignette.
Benali outlines how, in 1997, he was left disappointed with David Jones’s man-management skills after his number 3 shirt was given to new arrival Lee Todd, with no prior warning.
Todd only lasted a season at the Dell but Benali stuck with number 15 for the remainder of his time at the club, retiring at the end of 2003-04.
Prior to 3 and 15, though, Benali had another squad number for Southampton, the one he was given when the new system came into being for the 1993-94 season – but it was an unusual one for a left-back.
Essentially, it seemed to be a question of seniority – Micky Adams had, barring a few exceptions, held the number 3 shirt at The Dell since his arrival in 1988 but was often pushed into midfield and Benali slotted in at left-back wearing 11.
1992-93 final game
1992-93 final game, 1993-94 squad numbers
1993-94 opening game
It had been the number he wore most often during 1992-93 – he was occasionally 3 and even once wore 8, too. While he was absent from the last game of a 1992-93 – a 4-3 loss to Oldham Athletic, who just survived in the top flight at the expense of Crystal Palace – and also the 1993-94 opener, a 2-0 defeat at home to Everton, there was no doubting his first-choice status.
Nicky Banger (‘bayn-jer’, rather than a firework, sausage or clapped-out old car) had worn 11 for the last few games of 1992-93 and was allocated 16. Otherwise, there was little out of the ordinary, bar the fact that no gaps in the original list meant that veterans Paul Allen and Peter Reid had to wear 27 and 28 respectively when they arrived (and left, in Reid’s case) during the season.
Midfielders Terry Hurlock (4) and Glenn Cockerill (8) took their Def Leppard tribute away from the south coast mid-campaign too, with Jim Magilton a good fit in 4 while attacker Craig Maskell took 8, having had 11 at Swindon Town.
Adams’ departure allowed Benali to switch to 3 in the summer of 1994, albeit only for three years as related above.
Meanwhile, the 1-11 number that went the longest without changing was Matthew Le Tissier’s 7, the talented playmaker retiring at the end of 2001-02, the first season at the new St Mary’s Stadium. Makes you think.
The squad in full was:
