Francis Benali

Age : 31                                        Date of birth : 30.12.1968

Place of birth : Southampton            Nationality : English  

Position : Defender                Squad number : 15

Height : 5ft 10ins                            Weight : 10st 13lb

Signed : 30.12.1986 from trainee

       The long-serving Saint has been at The Dell for 13 years since joining as an apprentice in January 1987, and has been a pivotal figure in the club's continued presence in the top flight. Equally at home at left-back or central defence, this one-club man had made 338 appearances before the dawn of this season, although he had only one goal to show for his mammoth total of matches. His place looked under threat last season following the arrival of Patrick Colleter, and a broken arm in December seriously jeopardised his position, but Benali came back better than ever. This campaign, he has not only got the threat of Colleter to contend with, but also the young pretender to the left-back crown, Wayne Bridge. Bridge through seems to have taken this spot more than ever but Benali will still be on call if anything goes wrong to provide his service but things do not look good for next season.