TEN YEARS AGO TODAY...

......I made what for me was something of a pilgrimage.  Now I don`t normally make a habit of going to London;  I know that the last time I went there was just before the 2012 Olympics to attend the dedication of a memorial in Kensall Green cemetery to John McDouall Stuart, unsung hero of Australian exploration - responsible for establishing the route of the telegraph line from south to north on what is now the Stuart Highway.  He was a hero of mine and, as a member of the John McDouall Stuart Society,  I felt privileged to be invited to attend that ceremony in his honour.

Before that, my previous venture to the capital was my pilgrimage to Wembley Stadium to watch other heroes of mine, the Saints of Southampton FC, winning the Johnstone`s Paint Trophy by beating Carlisle United 4-1 in front of a packed stadium which included 44,000 Saints fans.

My journeys to London have always been wracked with uncertainty as they represent a logistical challenge as well as being pitchforked into a culture which is a million miles away from the peace and serenity of the Kentish enclave I call home.  No matter, when the Saints reach a Wembley final, you`ve just got to make the effort.  So I did - and it comprised driving to Watford of all places, getting a train from there to Wembley, grabbing a Greggs `lunch,` meeting up with my crew in the Green Man and taking my seat in the higher reaches of the national stadium.

It was a terrific day out - topped off by the Saints` win with goals from Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Michail Antonio (yes, that one) and Papa Waigo although arguably one of the defining images of the day was seeing the joy on the face of the club`s owner, the late lamented Markus Liebherr, taking a photo on his little camera to capture the moment.    He more than anyone was responsible for rescuing the club from administration and setting it on a course that would see them climb from the bottom of League One (where they were that season) back to the Premier League.

The journey home, after yet more celebrations in the Green Man with the Codgers crew, was simply a return journey back on the train to Watford and then negotiating the M25 back home to Kent and I have only been back to London once since then - not sure I`ve missed much -  but now and again I dig out my collection of Saints matchday programmes where pride of place goes to the one recapturing that memorable day out ten years ago today.

And, of course, when it came to painting my garage floor I had to use Johnstone`s paint.