Fellow Saints legends pitch in to help Ron Davies (From Daily Echo)

Fellow Saints legends pitch in to help Ron Davies

10:33am Saturday 7th October 2006 in Sport By Simon Carter, Sports Editor

TWO of Saints great Ron Davies' fellow Dell legends today back plans to stage a benefit event in Southampton for him.

Terry Paine and Mick Channon told the Daily Echo they would do whatever they could for the man who belted 37 top flight goals for Saints in 1966/67.

And Saints football board chairman Michael Wilde has also admitted the club are likely to get involved in organising the fund-raising.

The Echo exclusively revealed yesterday that Davies, now 64, is still working on a construction site in New Mexico, USA.

The news has delighted his former colleagues, who were concerned as to his whereabouts after losing contact with him almost a decade ago.

Davies' wife, Chris, admits her husband needs a hip op while Davies himself revealed he would like to give up his current job as a tiler and enrol on an art course.

l Have you got any great Ron Davies anecdotes? Do you think Saints should organise a fund-raising event for him? Email your views to echosport@soton-echo.co.uk

Channon said: "Ron was a smashing lad.

"I will do whatever I can. I'll happily support any event that's going to take place.

"I will help in any way I can."

Terry Paine, speaking from his South African home, said: "Absolutely I will do what I can for Ron.

"It's great to hear that he's alive and kicking.

"I was a bit concerned a few years ago when I heard a rumour that he had fallen on hard times.

"I got in touch with John Sydenham but we couldn't find anything out at all.

"Ron was a lovely guy, an absolute pleasure to be with on and off the field.

"He was probably the greatest centre forward in British football of his time - the best header of a ball I have ever seen.

"He made it easy for you - all you had to do was pick him out and he would do the rest.

"Off the pitch, he was outgoing - he loved a drink, as we all did, but first thing the next morning at training he would be giving his all. He used to work like a Trojan in training."

Wilde, who has always said he is keen to promote Saints' history in the form of a St Mary's musuem, added: "It's something the club will surely look sympathetically on.

"I am sure we will get involved with whoever ends up organising something.

"I can't say exactly what we could do, but it would be fairly easy to have a dinner for 500 people in the Mick Channon Suite.

Wilde continued: "Ron Davies was a great player - I was a teenager living in the north west when he played for Saints but he was a very famous name in football.

"I remember him playing for Wales and scoring some great goals."