Printer-friendly pageWednesday, December 26, 2007
Saints adapted their side to suit battling Colchester and the difficult Layer Road pitch by starting with Surman and Viafara out wide and Hammill warming the bench, while Skacel's inability to face two games in a week meant Thomas returning in the full back role.
They certainly seemed better prepared that on last season's visit and were rewarded when John pushed the ball past Gerken for Viafara to run on and put the ball into an empty net. Actually there's more than a suspicion that John's 'pass' was actually a shot gone wrong, but I haven't been able to catch up with any TV evidence yet.
Saints should have pushed on to win the game comfortably, but whether by instinct or under direction they looked more concerned with defending the lead. That plan almost went wrong just before half time when Davis punched more fresh air than ball and had to be rescued by Bennett, but the equaliser wasn't very far away in playing time. It seems that Colchester needed just 80 seconds after the break to restore parity, but even then Saints had forewarning - McLeod's header down from a wide position had caused problems in the first attack of the half, and when he did so again from the second, Platt was able to score. However, Saints looked a different side when they sent on Rasiak for Wright-Phillips and went close on several occasions.
They should have had a penalty when Virgo managed to get not one but both hands to the ball to stop it reaching Rasiak, and you begin to wonder what referees' assistants are for if they can't spot things like that. Then Rasiak was denied by a spectacular save from Gerkin until the ball finally found its way into the net in the 89th minute. It wasn't an easy passage, with Gerkin (again) saving an own goal before Davis crossed back in for Rasiak to 'score': unfortunately the ever alert assistant had spotted an offside first. Southampton's heads dropped understandably and Colchester went close to winning in injury time, but it all in all was a waste of a winning opportunity.
LSSC Man of the Match: Jermaine Wright, despite a switch to left back.
George Burley’s reaction:
"You have to give their goalkeeper Dean Gerken credit. He made two or three world-class saves and we are very disappointed not to win.
"We looked lively early on and scored midway through the first half, then we sat back and they levelled.
"It was never a free-kick because Andrew Davies headed the ball out cleanly, so I have no idea why it was given and they scored from it.
Colchester: Gerken, Duguid, Baldwin, Virgo (Balogh 79), Granville, Yeates, Guttridge, Jackson, McLeod, Platt, Lisbie (Guy 66).
Subs Not Used: Cousins, Sheringham, Wordsworth.
Booked: Guttridge.
Goals: Platt 47.
Southampton: Davis, Davies, Bennett, Thomas, Wright, Viafara (Hammill 85), Surman, Safri, Euell, Wright-Phillips (Rasiak 62), John.
Subs Not Used: Bialkowski, Powell, Vignal.
Booked: Surman, Rasiak.
Goals: Viafara 19.
Att: 6,157.
Ref: Jarnail Singh (Middlesex).
