THERE was no-one more disappointed than former Saints season-ticket holder Mat Guy when Derby County secured today’s FA Cup fourth-round tie away to his beloved Accrington Stanley.

Mat’s love of football began as a boy watching Saints with his dad and Salisbury City with his grandad.

It is the inspiration for his two books – Another Bloody Saturday: Adventures at the fringes of the beautiful game and Minnows United - and is also the reason he cancelled his St Mary’s season ticket in 2014 so he could devote more time to watching Accrington.

“I started watching Saints in the early eighties,” begins the 46 year-old.

“It was a very exciting time. We were top of the league and getting to cup semi-finals and into Europe was almost an annual thing.

Kevin Keegan and Mick Channon were playing in the first game I went to, so I was a bit spoilt as a kid.

“I absolutely adored going to the Dell and getting up early to queue for a ticket. I miss it terribly.”

Mat, who grew up in Holbury, played in the Southampton Senior League and Wessex Combination for Winchester City and Blackfield & Langley reserves before buying his first St Mary’s season ticket when Saints were relegated into League One eight years ago.

“When the Liebherrs came in it felt like the start of something new. I really wanted to commit to it.

“St Mary’s felt like it had an atmosphere in those League One days and then coming back up the leagues.

“But the fear of relegation from the Premier League seemed to stifle the atmosphere. The fear of going down seemed more tangible than the excitement of trying to win a game.

“I didn’t make a conscious effort not to go. I just stopped going.”

Mauricio Pochettino was about to lead Saints to eighth place, the club’s highest place for a decade, when Mat fell in love with Accrington.

“The summer of 2014 was a low point for me,” he continues. “Salisbury had gone bust, they just disappeared, and the season-ticket prices at Southampton went up to the point where I couldn’t afford to renew.

“Saints were doing really well but I was feeling more and more like a customer. It was getting to the point where I had to decide whether to have a season ticket or take my long-suffering wife on holiday.

“I wanted to get back to experiencing the atmosphere I associated football with. I was a bit lost and wanted to find the feeling I had when I was a young boy going to the Dell.

“Accrington just happened to be one of those grounds I went to in a vain effort to rekindle that passion I had for football. I just needed a footballing shot in the arm.

“I’m not one of those people who like to do the 92 [league grounds], but I’ve always enjoyed going to random grounds and there are certain clubs I like the sound of. Accrington is one of them.

“Like everyone, I remember the milk advert but had no clue who they were until they got back into the Football League in 2006.

“I was fully into seeing Saints play home and away then but there was a weird romance to the name [Accrington Stanley] so I went up for their last game of the 2013/14 season, a meaningless [League Two] match against AFC Wimbledon.

“I just fell in love with the place, completely by accident.

“They were so friendly and welcoming. I probably met five or six people that first game.

“James Beattie was the manager at the time and offered to show people around the stadium an hour and a half before the match. It was that kind of club.

“Recognising programme sellers every week and the same people in the same seats reminded me of Salisbury’s Victoria Ground and The Dell when I was a boy.

“At the time they just aimed to survive in League Two, but straight away it connected with me. The more games I went to the more people I met. I started writing a blog about them, made loads of friends and whenever I go up there I bump into at least four or five people who stop and chat.

“It’s weird, it feels like home even though I don’t have any family in Lancashire and had never been to Accrington before that game.

“It just feels like a bygone era in the present day - and they play good football.

“Because of the atmosphere it felt right. So instead of going to every home and away Saints game I go to about ten Accrington games a season; some home, some away.

“The cost isn’t far removed from a Saints season ticket, but it’s rekindled my love for the game.”

Mat has not seen Saints play since they exited the Europa League after a 1-1 draw against Hapoel Be’er Sheva in December 2016.

“I still care for the team greatly and hopefully I’ll get back into it and get positive feelings again from seeing Saints play,” he continued.

“But for the time being following Accrington is a nice way to keep my footballing past and footballing present together.

“It’s really nice just to be able to buy a ticket on the day and stand on the terrace. It’s a long tiring day but those small pieces of joy combine to make it a worthwhile trip.”

Accrington last hosted Saints in October 1959, when John Page and Derek Reeves scored for the visitors in a 2-2 draw.

It may be many more years before the clubs meet again, following Saints’ FA Cup exit last week.

“It would have been an experience,” he smiles.

“There are lower-league grounds. And then there’s Accrington.

Daily Echo:

The away fans' terrace at Accrington Stanley's Wham Stadium

“When I first went they were literally hanging on week by week.

"Three or four seasons ago, they had to make do with a second-hand sprinkler system. When it was on, the water would stop running in the toilets because there wasn’t enough pressure. So whenever the sprinklers came on you knew you could never wash your hands!

“A lot of those little idiosyncrasies have been ironed out now because Andy Holt, the new owner, has put some money in.

“But the toilets are in a Portakabin and there’s no roof on the terracing.

“It’s a very dismal experience if your team aren’t playing well. But if you win it makes the five-hour trip home that much more special if you’re soaked through!”

Mat was at The Wham Stadium for Accrington’s 1-0 win against Ipswich in the third round and made the trip to The Valley for their 1-0 League One defeat at Charlton last week. But he will not be at today’s game due to work commitments.

“I was going to pull in a lot of favours to swap shifts if Saints had won,” he said.

Mat, who is an assistant manager at Harbour Lights cinema, watched Saints lose their third-round replay at the home he shares with his wife and cat in Ocean Village.

“I couldn’t bear to watch but couldn’t not watch it because I was desperate for Saints to get through so I could experience how excruciating that may have been.

“As soon as it went to extra time you could see where it was going. I still don’t know if I’m upset or relieved but I’m gutted not to be watching two footballing worlds of mine collide.

“It would have been very strange and I think it would have been a good game as Accrington play in a style that Saints don’t enjoy defending against; very full-on, in your face and aggressive.

“Saints don’t thrive in that environment so it would have been interesting to see whether that could have caused them some serious trouble. Fingers crossed, maybe they’ll meet in five years’ time.”