It was interesting to see the announcement made by the club this week regarding St Mary's.

There has been a big sense of supporters wanting a safe standing area but any change comes at a cost to the club.

It is exciting stuff and it has been spoken about many times; not giving the away supporters an end behind one of the goals.

When I started my career, it was playing in stadiums that were seated and also had terracing. Things changed in the years after Hillsborough.

The Dell went from having crowds of over 30,000, which seems crazy in some ways, cramming that many people into that ground, to around 15,000.

It is one of those subjects that provokes concerns from a safety perspective but if it is done correctly it could be an advantage to us as a team. 

Another angle the club will be looking at is being able to open up more seats and getting more supporters in the stadium, which is great for them. 

Daily Echo:

I am still away from the country but I will be trying to follow the Swansea game today on my phone - it proved a challenge last week, though.

I had a brilliant signal ahead of the Sheffield Wednesday game but it dropped out just as we were kicking off. 

I just could not get it to work and I missed the game. It sounds like I missed a good one too, but it was great to follow when the goals went in. 

It could be historic to witness this afternoon if we get a result. Thinking back to our best unbeaten runs when I was playing, it was probably about two games!

I am joking - but it was never anything like this, and to go 19 league games unbeaten just gives everyone a huge lift.

It adds to the belief and confidence of everyone. Even just a couple of wins back-to-back made a world of difference to us on the training ground and around the city. 

There was also some sad news in the last week, though. Mel Blyth was a member of the team that did something no other Saints team has ever managed to do.

I have strong recollections of watching the FA Cup final in 1976 and the excitement all over the city and the south as a young boy.

I did not realise that would be the only success of that kind up to this point so it is an indication of how time goes by and how sad it is when anyone passes on.

Mel gave so much joy to so many supporters. Being a young lad who was a striker, I sort of tended to look to the forwards more than the defenders.

Even to this day, the headlines tend to go to the goalscorers and the attack-minded players - but you need a solid base.

I met Mel a couple of times and he was always a nice man to have a brief chat with. I, like so many others, was very sad to hear the news. 

I also wanted to mention someone who has been a real family friend of ours for many years.

Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove announced last year he was set to step down from that role this month, after achieving so much.

I stopped off at the Rose Bowl on my way back to St Mary's during my second endurance challenge and got changed there, had a bit of a chat and a break.

Rod has been an outstanding figure and it will go down in history what he has done with the county’s club.

There has always been that connection between Saints and Hampshire, being so close together and linked by Northlands Road. 

I have known so many players over the years and I love the sport personally - as did so many of my Saints teammates.

A few of us have played five-a-side together in recent years, although we do mix the teams up to give them a bit of a chance in our game! 

Cricketers will be starting to think about their new season coming up now we are into the new year. 

With Rod stepping back, after bringing Ashes cricket to Hampshire, I just wanted to highlight what he has achieved - and know that his legacy will live on.