Printer-friendly pageSaturday, December 22, 2007
After a bit of an unbeaten run the usual seductive messages of optimism were released from St. Mary's. You know the sort of thing: this league is so tight that we could be up there challenging for a place in the play-offs if we win our next six games - starting with X on Saturday, tickets on sale now! I can only assume that those who come up with this tosh never watch the games, but, dammit, even I start believing it.
The latest team X to burst the bubble were Preston, in front of a crowd boosted by special offers to encourage children on the notoriously box office unfriendly last Saturday before Christmas. They didn't pay much but were still ripped off by an awful performance. From being so prolific early in the season, Saints now rarely look like scoring and can't even say they are unlucky in front of goal - even the occasion when Skacel saw his effort beaten off the line had an element of doubt about it - was it a cross or a shot? That was towards the end of a more promising period at the start of the second half, but Preston found time to break out of their defensive strategy to hit the bar with a 30 yard shot from Carter.
Preston's bench featured that invaluable Championship commodity of a big, strong and pacy centre forward. Of course if these guys had the skills to go with those qualities they wouldn't be playing in our league but they can prove more effective than the elegant approach. Sure enough Agyemang came on to set up Neal for an 89th minute winner and play off talk will be on hold again for a few more weeks.
LSSC Man of the Match: Andrew Davies. Yes, a defender - which shows what little the creative players did with their possession.
George Burley’s reaction:
“It was a real sickener. We did not deserve to lose. I thought we played well and did everything right so to go down to a goal right at the end takes a bit of believing.
"It is not as if we played badly but were caught by a sucker punch. We were solid, the effort was there and Preston hardly got in our half.
"We have to take it on the chin and move on. There are plenty more games over Christmas."
Southampton: Davis, Wright, Davies, Bennett, Skacel, Hammill, Safri, Euell, Surman, Wright-Phillips (Saganowski 66), John (Rasiak 82).
Subs Not Used: Bialkowski, Viafara, Thomas.
Preston: Lonergan, Jones, St. Ledger, Chilvers, Hill, Sedgwick (Lewis Neal 80), Davidson, Carter, Whaley, Gallagher (Nicholls 90), Mellor (Agyemang 71).
Subs Not Used: Chris Neal, Hawley.
Goals: Lewis Neal 90.
Att: 23,267
Ref: Rob Shoebridge (Derbyshire).
Full report to follow
