Saints have plenty of food for thought as they aim to cater for every taste at the Friends Provident St Marys Stadium.

A red and white army marches on its stomach so the club are keen to ensure they offer the right kind of refreshment facilities at their new home.

And after weeks of negotiations with several top firms, they are close to being able to announce a major signing.

Chairman Rupert Lowe said: "The contract is just about ready to sign for the catering and pouring rights.

"We are broadly there but there are still a few formalities to be completed but we expect it to progress relatively smoothly.

"We place great importance on this and are keen to improve on what has been offered at The Dell. It is yet another area where the limited room has held us back.

"We have not had the space and facilities to to prepare food and deliver it as we would like.

"We are aiming to provide quality right across the board from the hospitality suites to the concourse refreshment areas which will serve burgers, chips and the usual kinds of fast food.

"We don't want to have a stadium where we serve up a piece of overcooked chicken with some vegetables slammed on the side.

"People here are very demanding in terms of quality on and off the field and we want fans to enjoy watching good football with better food available before and after the game and at half-time.

"The pouring rights issue has been a big one too and we have been in negotiations with several brewer- ies.

We want to be able to offer good quality draught and bottled beer plus other drinks which will compliment the food.

"Ultimately the supporters will be the arbiters of whether we achieve that but that is our aim."