By Simon Peach

DEPARTED midfielder Jason Euell almost earned Southampton’s resident poet a prestigious award for the best football chant.

Con Connell who has lived in Southampton for 20 years, was a finalist in the footie chant competition run by Get On, a government adult literacy and numeracy initiative, writes SIMON PEACH.

His Euell-inspired chant, to the tune of Elvis Presley’s You Were Always On My Mind, was one of more than 300 chants that were eventually whittled down to a final six.

And at a top London hotel yesterday, Con and his fellow finalists performed an X-Factor style ‘chant-off’ to decide the winner.

“I saw it on the Internet and thought to myself: ‘I could write some chants’,”

said Saints fan Con.

“I did a few and, in some respects, it’s a shame it was the one about Jason Euell that got to the final!”

Con, who admits his chant was sung with nervousness rather than gusto, unfortunately failed to win the competition, losing out to the Southend entry.

It also meant he missed out on the star prize – the chance to record the chant in a studio with ex-England international John Barnes, who along with Ian McMillan, poet-in-residence at Barnsley, fronted the campaign.

Despite losing the chance to sing with Barnes, Con will continue to write as Southampton’s poet-in-residence, a role he had held for two seasons.

“I’ve been writing for 30 years,” said Con. “I try and make sure the poetry is accessible, to make sure it has a rhythm, or rhymes in some way.

“And I try to make them topical. They have to be upbeat, especially with a terrible season, like the last one.”

Con writes poems, or the occasional chant, for each matchday programme.

But when times are tough, how does he keep things upbeat?

“There is always good things happening around the club, not necessarily on the pitch,” he said.

“The supporters keep themselves really bright despite things going very badly.

“There’s always a positive outlook in what I write.”

The competition was organised by Get On, who aim to improve literacy and numeracy skills.

“It’s a very admirable initiative,”

said Con. “A wonderful campaign.”

To find out more information about attending free classes at your local community colleges, call Get On 0800 66 0800.

EUELL IS ALWAYS ON MY MIND

Maybe he doesn’t score them quite as often as he used to.

Maybe he doesn’t shine now quite as often as his shoes do.

Little things that he still does with style – like the tackle from behind – Euell is always on our mind, Euell is always on our mind.

(to the tune of ‘You Were Always On My Mind’)