SAINTS legend Lawrie McMenemy can do "a fantastic job" in his third spell at the club.

That's the verdict delivered by his former Dell captain Alan Ball, the man who also worked under McMenemy as Saints boss between January 1994 and May 1995.

McMenemy was at St Mary's yesterday for his first official football club board meeting since Michael Wilde invited him back to the club.

He sat alongside Wilde, Jim Hone, Lee Hoos, Leon Crouch, Mary Corbett and David Jones for the five-hour meeting.

And Ball is urging Wilde to make sure the club utilise McMenemy's vast experience.

"If he's been invited on to the Southampton board as an active director and not just a figurehead, the club will soon be going places," said Ball.

"The appointment of Lawrie is the first decision made by the new board that has really pleased me."

Ball added: "He's got so much experience and if the manager, the chairman and the rest of the board do not use him, they have to be daft.

"Lawrie might have turned 70 last week but he's still full of enthusiasm and has so much to offer."

For the full Alan Ball interview, don't miss his column in tomorrow's Pink.