Saint Etienne

With a band named after a football club, Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley takes a walk down memory lane.

With a band named after a French football club, Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley talks Sky Sports through life as a Hendon fan

Having been seduced by the romance of Saint Etienne's run to the European Cup final in 1976, Bob Stanley decided to name his band after the French football club. The group are much-loved stalwarts of the 1990's indie scene and are now back, with new album 'Words and Music by Saint Etienne' set to be released in late May. And so Sky Sports was pleased to talk to Stanley about a life as a Non-League football fan.

Hendon

I grew up in the middle of Surrey and nowhere near a League club, so I grew up with Non-League football and it has just stuck. Twenty-two years ago, I moved to Tufnell Park and I could just get on a bus and go to Hendon. They have got a big history and have won the Amateur Cup a few times. Their ground is now demolished and they are ground-sharing with Wembley. It is an absolute pig for me to get to, it takes about two hours! I do not go as often as I used to.

Redhill v Wembley

Kids at school were really impressed that I had been to see Wembley, even when I explained it was a club name and had nothing to do with the stadium. It would have been about 1974, I guess. It was an Athenian League game and I cannot remember the score or anything about it.

Bobby Charlton

Just because he looked so odd and would score thunderbolt goals from 30 yards out, which are probably still my favourite type of goal. As a kid, it is obviously the most exciting goal that you can score. He was the first player I was really aware of.

Mark Dennis

It is probably not the most original name to come up with. But when we first started recording, Ian Catt, who produced all our early records, said he went to school with Mark Dennis and that he was every bit as horrible as you would think - a real bully. He was a nasty piece of work.

Leicester v Leatherhead

Leatherhead got to the fourth round of the 1974/75 FA Cup and were playing at Leicester. Leatherhead were 2-0 up at half-time. I was not at the game, but I was watching the wrestling on TV and it had the scores flashing up at the bottom as Leicester came back and won 3-2.
Words and Music by Saint Etienne" - Brand new LP released on 21st May on Universal