John Sydenham has spoken of his sadness at the death of fellow Saints legend Ron Davies, but also his great pride in knowing the man.

News of Davies’ passing, just a day short of his 71st birthday, emerged this week, with moving tributes pouring in ever since.

The former Welsh international died on May 24, in a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico – the American state where he lived in a trailer park.

Davies played at Saints from 1966 until 1973, scoring 153 goals in 281 appearances, and establishing himself as one of the greatest front men ever to don the club’s colours.

Along with Sydenham and Terry Paine, he formed part of a famed attacking trio at The Dell in the late 1960s.

Paine and Sydenham, operating on the flanks, would provide much of the service for their imposing and prolific centre forward.

In his first three seasons with Saints, Davies scored 85 goals in 119 top-flight matches. His first campaign saw him net 37 league goals, and 43 across all competitions, to top the country’s scoring charts, ahead of names such as Geoff Hurst, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Tambling and Denis Law.

But, according to Sydenham, it was not just his presence on the field that made him so popular.

“There are so many memories of Ron. But the main thing is that, not only was he a great player, he was a great guy,” he said.

“He was just such a lovely character and I’m really sad. I’m hoping that he ended up happy.

“He was just such a great bloke to know. I’m really proud to have known him and to have been associated with him in that era.”

Davies was brought to The Dell by Ted Bates to lead the line for the club on their arrival in the First Division.

Bates had initially hoped to sign Chelsea’s England international, Tambling, but felt the £80,000 asking price was too high.

Instead, he went to Norwich and paid £55,000 for the services of another 24-year-old forward, Davies.

“Ted obviously saw something in him that nobody else did, and he was just spot on with it,” explained Sydenham.

It didn’t take long to find out just how shrewd Bates had been. Davies scored in ten consecutive league matches, from early September to early November, in his first season.

He became famed for his ability in the air, with the classic pose of him leaping high above opposition defenders to power home a header becoming something of an iconic image in the football club’s history.

Yet Sydenham said the focus on that side of his game meant justice was not always done to the rest of it.

“I think he was very underrated on the ground,” said Sydenham, below, who made 402 appearances for Saints, from 1957 to 1969.

“He was so strong and held the ball up so well. He had a lot of other ability, not just heading the ball.”

That 23 of his 37 league goals in that first season came via his foot underlines the point.