Southampton suffered a heavy defeat at home to Crystal Palace on the opening day of the 2007/08 season.
With the new season fast approaching, some Southampton fans may be recalling some of the best and worst opening days the club have endured and enjoyed in recent times.
The Saints have enjoyed a rapid rise over the last few years, and just how quick a rise it has been is perhaps best highlighted by the fact that as they prepared for the opening day 10 years ago, they still had to go through a dramatic escape from relegation, relegation from the Championship, administration, and a points deduction in League One before they got back to being the mainstays in the Premier League that they are today.
To commemorate a scarcely-believable decade for the Saints, HITC Sport has taken a look at the XI that started on the opening day of the 2007/08 season.
And while some curtain-raisers offer some teams false hope about the season ahead, there is no question that Southampton knew exactly what kind of campaign they were in for as they lost 4-1 at home to Crystal Palace.
Here is that XI…
Bartosz Bialkowski
Despite keeping future club legend Kelvin Davis on the bench for this game, Bartosz Bialkowski never realised his full potential with the Saints. In 2009, he was loaned out to Ipswich Town and Barnsley, before leaving the club permanently for Notts County in 2012. After two years there, the 30-year-old returned to Ipswich where he remains today.
Bartosz Bialkowski
Alexander Ostlund
Alexander Ostlund was a popular figure amongst Saints fans and given the nickname Jesus during his time at St Mary’s. In 2008, the former Sweden international was released and ultimately joined Esbjerg. After two injury-plagued years, he retired in 2010.
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett had joined the Saints on a six-month loan from Reading and was making his debut in the clash with Crystal Palace. He would go on to play for Brentford, Wycombe, Cheltenham and Wimbledon, before rejoining first club Cork City in 2015 where he continues to play.
Chris Makin
Sadly, Chris Makin was coming towards the end of his professional career in 2007, making just a handful of further appearances before retiring due to injury in 2008.
Gregory Vignal
Gregory Vignal was probably not the most popular signing Southampton ever made when he signed on loan from Lens in 2007, having spent one season at Portsmouth earlier in his career. After his loan with the Saints ended, he joined Birmingham City. He is now playing the fourth tier of French football with Beziers after short spells with Atromitos and Dundee United.
Jermaine Wright
The versatile midfielder Jermaine Wright remained with the Saints until 2008, when he joined Blackpool for an injury-plagued spell. He dropped into the non-league game with Croydon and Lewes before retiring in 2011.
Jhon Viafara
Like Vignal, Jhon Viafara arrived at Southampton with a spell at Pompey on his CV – however, his transfer saw him move directly from one bitter rival to the other. The enterprising midfielder spent just over two seasons at St Mary’s before returning to Colombia in 2008. Before his retirement in 2015, he managed to play for seven different Colombian sides across eight spells.
Youssef Safri
Youssef Safri spent one season with the Saints before departing for Qatar Sports Club in 2008. He would retire after five years with the side in 2013.
Andrew Surman
Andrew Surman
Andrew Surman was being backed for big things when he burst onto the scene at St Mary’s, but unfortunately the direction the club were heading in meant that he had to realise his Premier League ambition elsewhere. After one season in the top flight with Wolves, he joined Norwich in 2010, staying until 2014 when Bournemouth brought the former loanee back in on a permanent basis. He remains an important player for Eddie Howe’s men.
Marek Saganowski
On the opening day back in 2007, it was Marek Saganowski who handed the Saints a lifeline at half-time, making the score 2-1 just before the break before Palace scored twice more in the second-half. He had joined permanently that summer, but was ultimately unable to replicate the stunning form he enjoyed during his loan spell. He left for AaB on loan in 2008, playing for the Danish side in the Champions League. He enjoyed one season spells with Atromitos and LKS Lodz before finishing his career with a four year stay with former club Legia Warsaw.
Grzegorz Rasiak
Grzegorz Rasiak stayed with Southampton until 2009 – though he had been loaned out to Bolton and Watford before his exit – ultimately joining Reading. After some time in Cyprus with Limassol, he joined Jagiellonia Bialystok, Lechia Gdansk and Warta Poznan. He retired in 2014.
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