AS Saints fans celebrate the 20th anniversary of St Mary's Stadium, the Echo looks back at the first international game to have been played there.
England may have failed to beat Macedonia in the Euro 2004 qualifier – but St Mary's Stadium and the city of Southampton turned out to be the real winners.
As the city took centre stage in front of millions of people, local supporters were in fine form.
The sell-out match at the Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium on October 16, 2002, was watched by an estimated ten million television viewers, with a record 32,000 tickets for the clash sold within two hours.
The Euro 2004 qualifier proved disappointing for England in the end as it ended in a 2-2 draw.
But coverage of the edge-of-the-seat clash provided a welcome publicity boost for the port city and the £32m football stadium, which was in its second season.
Pundits on television all heaped praise on the quality of the Saints' pitch and top-level facilities, as did the England team.
Lyndhurst FC arrive to support England v Macedonia
The game made history for two reasons - it was the first international game in the city in 101 years and more than 300 officers were drafted in, making it the biggest police-related operation ever in Hampshire.
It was estimated that nearly £1m was spent in Southampton alone as fans flocked to the area.
England fans celebrate Beckhams equaliser v Macedonia at the Le Tissier Legs pub.
Supporters splashed out on England merchandise, such as shirts and flags, and in pubs, restaurants, hotels and shops.
Police made just 15 arrests and later gave public credit to fans for being well behaved.
ENGLAND V MACEDONIA STEVEN GERRARD CELEBRATES HIS GOAL dig7795
One of the biggest cheers of the night at the stadium was for former Saints hero, Matt Le Tissier.
He was guest of honour - and got to shake the hands of all the players as they lined up in readiness for the national anthems.
It was indeed a night when some dreams came true – and others were shattered.
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