Just another face in the crowd

But six months later he was an international pop star.

Nowadays Craig David would not dream of watching a Saints match - he would probably be

mobbed.

But when Everton visited Southampton on May 16, 1999, for the final match of that Premiership season, Craig was an unknown.

But he did catch somebody's eye.

The singer - who has since had hits with Walking Away and Seven Days - was picked out in the Daily Echo's Face in the Crowd competition and won a signed Saints shirt.

Dell regular Andrew Waterhouse was also in the photo.

He bought a copy of the picture, which also featured his 12-year-old son Liam, from the Daily Echo and gave it pride of place on his desk at work.

It was not until a colleague was looking closely at the picture last week that he realised he had been standing two people away from the soon-to-be chart-topper.

Mr Waterhouse, 41, said: "It was a picture that you published where they give away Saints shirts. Someone phoned me up and said I was in it. My little boy was next to me and then there was Craig David's mum and Craig David."

Mr Waterhouse, of Kingswood in Marchwood, said he had noticed Craig at the time.

He added: "He was the only one not in Southampton colours and we were all commenting on it. I thought he was an Everton fan or not really into football and someone had just bought him a couple of tickets because he was really quiet all the match.

"And he won the shirt. I was quite jealous at the time, but I'll let him off now he's a megastar."

Mr Waterhouse said his daughters, 17-year-old Joanne and 15-year-old Nicola, had now kidnapped the photo.

He added: "It's been going round all my daughters' friends. I haven't seen it for a while. At the time they didn't really know him - it's funny how things change."