READERS would have probably noticed at the beginning of the week the sad news that Trevor Mitchell had died.

He was the hairdresser who had a shop in Bedford Place, which was only a short walk away from The Dell.

My connection with Trevor was that I knew him and his family.

He had two sons, Jeff and Christopher, who went to the same school as our two boys.

They both played football with our two sons for St Mary’s Colts which was a team run by Trevor and made up of players from the school.

He used to amuse them all because he would drop my name in whilst they were on the pitch or training as if he were a professional coach, simply because he used to cut my hair!

But the thing that really put him on the football map was the fact that when I signed big names he would give them privacy.

He took them in through a side door which led to his office and that’s where he would cut their hair.

Kevin Keegan, for instance, as older readers will remember, had a curly mop of hair which is a style Trevor would take the credit for.

But Trevor’s also an international in his own right, after not only winning competitions such as Golden Scissors but also representing England in other competitions around the world.

He felt more than comfortable with the likes of Keegan, Peter Shilton, Alan Ball and many more.

I know he kept in touch with Kevin and his family right until the end.

He was a good family man and sadly, like some of our ex-players and staff, suffered from dementia.

Our thoughts and feelings are with his wife Doreen and their boys, Jeff and Christopher.

We will all miss him.

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I SUPPOSE we can say that football is back!

Television, because of the virus, has been so important in recent months - but there will be even more watchers in the weeks to come, as all the remaining Premier League games are going to be screened live by different broadcasters.

I’m sure the Echo will keep us up to date, particularly with Saints, who will be one of the first games to be shown on TV when they play Norwich on Friday, 19 June.

The key difference, of course, is that the only way we can see any football being played in the weeks to come is by watching it on TV because until this virus goes fans won’t be allowed in the grounds.

Players and staff will have to adjust but looking at Saints’ matches, four of our nine games are against teams in the top six.

They’ll have to play sides like Manchester City and Manchester United, but four of the matches are against clubs battling relegation.

However, I would urge supporters not to think these will be easy.

All clubs have had three months to get fit and it’s also given managers time to talk to their players about what each club requires over the remaining games.

Sometimes, at this stage of the season, games are coming so quick there isn’t time for things to sink in.

Whilst Norwich and Watford, our first two away games, are fighting relegation, let me say, they will possibly be harder to beat than other clubs who have nothing to play for.

Their manager and coaches will have hammered into them the fact that losing these games will take them out of the top flight and change their careers and upset their supporters.

Everyone expected Norwich to get relegated but, before the break, they were showing signs of a comeback and I’m sure we will see a team battling away on the pitch.

We have to bear in mind that after playing Norwich, we will play Arsenal at St Mary’s which is never an easy fixture.

Arsenal also need to get the points to finish where everyone expects them to be and then we have to play Watford - who are managed by former Saints boss Nigel Pearson - which is another Norwich-type fixture.

If you look at the table now, you’ll see they are only in the relegation zone because of goal difference.

The first three games will tell us what the future holds for Saints.

But when you look beyond that, it doesn’t get any easier.

We’ll have to play both Bournemouth and Brighton which are like mini derby matches.

I’m pleased the suggestion to finish the league was scrapped because it means Bournemouth would’ve been relegated.

Looking ahead though, if Saints do pick up the points that keep us clear of the relegation zone then it will be a bonus for everyone involved.

It will give manager Ralph, who is now going to be with us for the next four years, the chance to experiment with things like systems, young players and players coming to the end of their contracts.

We’ll also be boosted by the return of Nathan Redmond who was injured before the break and it’s always good for the manager to have a bigger squad.

There is going to be a lot of interest when the Premier League returns and I, for one, can’t wait.

Bring it on!