KICK BY KICK, roar by roar, the patients in two Southampton hospitals were able to immerse themselves in the matchday atmosphere of the Dell and cheer on the Saints – and all without leaving the confines of their hospital beds!

Sixty-one years ago, back in October 1952, Leslie Sullivan sat in the crowd at the Dell to watch Southampton play Doncaster Rovers and give the first live radio commentary of the game to listeners in local hospitals.

The commentary service was inaugurated by the Toc-H, of which Mr Sullivan was chairman at the time, and the broadcast was carried by landlines and relayed over the internal systems of the Royal South Hants and the General hospitals in Southampton.

The new service was a godsend to patients like Ronald May, who was tucked up in bed at the Royal South Hants Hospital. Mr May, of Holland Place, Shirley, had followed the Saints every weekend up until he became affected by rheumatism and he was no longer able to make the trip to the Dell to see his side play.

But on that October Saturday of 1952 he was one of hundreds of people who – although not in the thick of the action on the terraces of the Dell – were able to follow the match, which ultimately ended in a draw for the Saints.

According to the Daily Echo’s report of the new service at the time, the standard of the commentating was very high – a statement which Ronald May also endorsed, when he claimed, “They were on top of the game all the time.”

With the roar of the crowd, the occasional isolated shout of encouragement or derision, and the infectious excitement of the commentators during hectic moments, the match was really brought to life. Patients received the commentary on individual “pillowphones” – small speakers contained in sponge squares, which were soft enough for patients to lie on or tuck under their pillows.

Although very comfy, some patients complained that the volume emitted from the pillowphones was not strong enough for the broadcasts to be heard clearly.

However these concerns were short-lived, as reception at the hospitals was improved almost immediately as Mr J Dobie, Southampton manager of Rediffusion, who was responsible for internal systems in both hospitals, promised to have a new amplifier installed to serve the hospitals within a week.

The Saturday broadcasts, which were subsidised by the Southampton Football Club’s directors for the first season, were extremely well received on the first day – especially by the women patients who revealed themselves to be very enthusiastic listeners to the new service.

The commentary commenced with an introduction by the chairman of the club, Mr J R Sarjantson, before handing over the match day commentary duties to Mr Sullivan. During the interval Edith Lady Congleton, MBE, JP, chairman of Southampton Group Hospital Management Committee, expressed thanks to Toc H and all concerned with the scheme. The hospital fans then had something that spectators on the terraces missed – a final word of encouragement from Saints’ manager, George Roughton.