WHEN Dave Watson realised he wouldn't be able to make it to the Manchester City-Saints game this weekend, he said his farewells to Maine Road at the Easter Monday game against Sunderland.

It was a double-edged split for Watson who achieved heroic status in Sunderland's FA Cup win over Leeds before joining City for £275,000 in 1975 - close on a record fee for a centre-half.

Instead of being there for City's last league game at what will soon be their late, lamented home, Watson will be holidaying in France.

"It was a date the family set some time ago," said Watson, "but if I can't be there at Maine Road in person, I'll certainly be there in spirit.

"I had memorable times at both City and Southampton. Both of them were top six clubs when I played for them and City, in fact, won the League Cup one year and finished second to Liverpool in the league the next.

"We had players like the legendary Colin Bell, Mick Channon, Joe Royle, Asa Hartford and Joe Corrigan, and in those days back in the late 1970's, City were very much the equals of United.

"One of my happiest memories of Maine Road was scoring one of my best ever goals there. And I owed it to Colin Bell who drilled over a corner kick which came at me about eight feet high. I still managed to reach it and powered a header into the corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area. I didn't get many like that in my career.

"We followed in the wake of players like Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee and played in front of massive crowds of around 47,000. But all things change, City went through a few up and down times but under Kevin Keegan they are moving forward again and when they move into the new ground with it's 55,000 capacity next season, they will fill it.

"Kevin was ambitious as a player and he's ambitious as a manager.

"He's improving on the squad all the time and for someone who isn't afraid to spend money, he's at a good club.

"The extra revenue they will generate from the new ground will no doubt lead to bigger and better players joining City.

"And as they start to feel the benefit of the new ground, who is to say they won't start rivalling the side down the road again?"

Former Eng;land star Watson now runs his own sports media company in home-town Nottingham. He says: "One of our biggest jobs is to find radio and TV work for old players and I'm busy with the FA sorting out arrangements for the Cup Final.

"I'll be there along with Mick Mills and a few others flying the flag for Saints who I believe will end up winning it.

"Arsenal have stuttered a bit lately. Their flowing football is not up to the level it was earlier in the season and Saints are so competitive and so together as a team that I fancy them to beat the Gunners. I think it will be a cracking final."

Watson marvelled at the quality of the Saints football when they sent Spurs packing in the fourth round and smiled: "I know Gordon Strachan has generated a tremendous team spirit there, but they played some lovely football that night."

It reminded Watson of the kind of football Saints were renowned for after he joined them from Werder Bremen in 1979. He rec alled: "Lawrie McMenemy tried to sign me from City before I went out to Germany. City were asking £300,000 but dropped the price to £100,000 if I went abroad, which I eventually did.

"But right from the start it didn't work out in Bremen. I was promised a palace of a home but with my wife and three children spent the first month cooped up in an hotel room.

"We eventually went out and bought a place off our own bat, but when I got a 100-day suspension for pushing somebody who was going to head-butt me, I decided enough was enough.

"When Lawrie came back for me, I'd only been in Bremen six months. It was good to get back to England and Southampton at that time were on their way to becoming a top six side with the likes of Keegan, Channon and Ball.

"It'll be nice to bump into a few of them again at Cardiff when hopefully we'll be drinking a toast to the victors."

Before that City and Saints will end their league season amid emotional scenes at Maine Road. "It will be a big day for City while Saints will have half a mind on the FA Cup Final next week " said Watson. "For that reason I think that City might just have the edge."