THE long-awaited statue of Saints legend Ted Bates won't be unveiled until November 2006 - the third anniversary of his death.
Though supporters have so far raised over £30,000 towards the cost of a statue to be mounted somewhere at St Mary's, they are still some way off their target.
The fans want to raise £50,000 by themselves with Saints chairman Rupert Lowe having agreed to match whatever the supporters raise.
When plans were first unveiled for a statue, the idea was to get it ready for the second anniversary of Bates' death in 2003.
A dinner at St Mary's in April raised over £20,000 but a bucket collection at the home match against Arsenal last season only made about £6,000.
Ted Bates Trust committee member Dave Ford, who helped organise the dinner along with Jan Formby, said: "We've raised £30,848 but we still want to raise another £20,000."
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