JOE Waters stepped out onto the Blundell Park pitch 22 years after his last visit and remarked: "It feels like home."
The former skipper was back in familiar surroundings having made more than 400 appearances for the Mariners and leading them to successive promotions – including the 1980 Division Three title.
The Irishman has jetted back from his home in the US especially for tonight's reunion event at McMenemy's with former boss George Kerr and his old team-mates.
And having last gone back to his old stomping ground in 1991, his BP return brought back a torrent of memories for the 59-year-old.
He said: "On a game day when I'd be leading the team out, the supporters in the Barrett's would see you coming out of the tunnel and the roar would start from there.
"Then it would spread around and of course the corners were all full in those days as well.
"The hairs on the back of your neck stand up just thinking about it – it was just an amazing feeling.
"When you got to the end of the tunnel and took your first step onto the field there was a crescendo of noise from the whole stadium.
"That's all come flooding back. It's brought a lot of memories back – stuff that you don't think of until you're back where it happened."
Managed by John Newman and then Kerr, Waters captained one of the most successful sides in Town's history, winning the Player of the Year award in 1979.
Sitting in his old spot in the home changing room, he recalled: "This was my corner for all the time I was here – nearly ten years – for training and game day.
"It feels like home. It's been a long time but it brings back memories of the guys that were here.
"Kev Moore used to be here, next to me, on game day because he was number three, and Shaun Mawer used to be just a few yards away.
"So it's bitter-sweet memories, but great to be back here to see it again. For me, it's just like I never left the place."
The man who netted a club record 30 penalties for the Mariners also took the opportunity to try his luck from the spot again.
He said: "I've stood in that position many times and it was nice to remember some of the times when I was out there.
"I had a bit of a reputation for my penalty kicks, towards the end especially.
"I can remember an occasion when we played Huddersfield and in the first two minutes we got two penalties.
"I missed the first one and Drinky (Kevin Drinkell) wanted to take the next one, but I said no way.
"I did the same as I did this time – I hit the post with the first one and with the second one I clipped it off the inside of the post and the ball rolled around the side of the net just like it used to.
"It was good to experience that again all these years on."
Waters, who made 265 consecutive league and cup appearances for Town between 1976-81 – another club record – continued: "Winning the Division Three title in 1980 was the highlight for me.
"On the last day of the season here, on a beautiful sunny day, everything just clicked for us and we played like there was no pressure on us at all.
"We achieved what we wanted and I was determined to do that because I'd had such a bad experience the year before when we let the title slip away.
"We got promotion with three games to go and then we lost the last few games, and I remember getting into a huge argument with my father when Doncaster beat us 4-3 in the final home game.
"That memory stayed with me until the next year – that wasn't going to happen again.
"There was only one team who were going to win it a year later and we played great from the start.
"I can recall the sheer euphoria around this place, during and after that game, and my father was in the stands watching so I got to give it back then!"
Waters will join Kerr, Newman and former team-mates including Drinkell, Tony Ford, Dave Moore, Terry Donovan, Nigel Batch, Kevin Kilmore, Bobby Mitchell and Clive Wiggington at tonight's event.
Organised by the Mariners Trust, the evening will begin with a tribute to another of that squad, Kevin Moore, who passed away last month after a long illness.
Waters added: "I've wanted to come back but there were always things stopping me.
"But then last week I saw online that John (Newman) was coming and that he'd not been well, and that George (Kerr) had not been well during the year.
"And of course what happened with Kev (Moore) brought it all home.
"I thought 'if I don't go now I'll never forgive myself' so I managed to organise it all in two days and I'm here.
"There are going to be a lot of good memories, great stories and plenty of mickey-taking because we lived all the good and bad things together as a team.
"It's going to be a really good night and I'm so looking forward to it."
Tickets for tonight's George Kerr evening at Blundell Park are priced at £20 for Trust members and £25 for non-members. For more information, visit www.marinerstrust.co.uk
