450: Francis Benali, Southampton, Merlin’s Premier League 95 Sticker Collection

Emlyn Shepherdson-Jones takes on a request post for Mark Smith about a man who impressed on and off the pitch on the South Coast. Today’s subject has been on the blog’s longlist for a while but it’s fitting he gets his moment in the sun in light of his club’s struggles last season. That and Mark deserves a request following his sublime physical comedy exploits on Cardiff’s Queen Street during Emlyn’s stag last year. Over to Emlyn. Prior to an evening game of cricket at the Oval a few weeks ago, I was sat at a pub table catching up with my good friend Mark. Mark is a massive Southampton fan, so definitely deserves some sympathy for the season just gone by. My team, Reading , have shared a number of players with the Saints over the years, but haven't played each other often of late, so we've been unable to enjoy a matchup between the two sides. Sadly I was yet to meet Mark in 2012, and so Reading's late surge to usurp the Saints from the top of the Championship table was a m...