SAINTS' survival this season has been billed as their biggest Houdini act yet but for Ken Monkou it does not even begin to compare with his own great escape.

That came in June 1989 when he was selected to play for a team of Dutch coloured players in a charity tournament in Surinam.

After much thought he reluctantly turned down the invite - and then learned with horror that the plane had crashed killing 176 people.

And tomorrow he will pay homage to the team which was wiped out when he plays in a special game to mark the 10th anniversary of the disaster.

He has been selected to play for a Dutch coloured side which will also include Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Clarence Seedorf.

The game against his old club Feyenoord in Rotterdam is an annual fixture to raise money for the relatives of the victims but Monkou knows the 10th anniversary will be particularly poignant.

He said: "It will be a good game to play in but of course it will be touched with sadness. And for me it will be especially moving.

"I should have been on that plane. I was all lined up to go but then Feyenoord sold me to Chelsea who were about to go on a club tour to Spain.

"I really wanted to go with the Dutch team because the game was in Surinam. That's where I was born and I had not been back since.

"But in the end I decided I should go with Chelsea. They had paid money for me and I felt I should get to know the lads and try to settle into the club.

"It was the most important decision I have ever made. Something like that really puts football into perspective and ensures you enjoy life and try to make every day work for you."

Monkou could be forgiven for thinking a football survival battle now pales alongside his own brush with death.

But just as he makes the most of every extra day of his life, he also treats each game as though it is his last with the trademark determination which earned him the runners-up spot in the Echo/Courage Player of the Year award.

He said: "That means a lot to me. I have won the Excutive Club Player of the Year award this year but the Echo one is special because it is voted for by the fans who see every game.

"They know when players are giving their all and they give an honest verdict. And we had a great day together on Sunday."

Former Saints striker Kevin Davies could be on his way to Arsenal according to reports today.

Davies, sold by Saints for £7.25 million last June, is out of favour with relegated Blackburn Rovers boss Brian Kidd who appears to be prepared to accept a £5 million loss on the 22-year-old former Dell favourite.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.