Printer-friendly pageFriday, January 5, 2007
Sheffield Wednesday 3, Saints 3 (23/12/06)
Sheffield Wednesday had enjoyed a good run since dispensing with the services of Paul Sturrock, but the league table suggested that the visit to Hillsborough offered the possibility of a 5th away win.
Rasiak set us on the way with a fine finish, and then Jones underlined his physical dominance over the home defence by heading home a corner. The two goal cushion didn't last long as Whelan immediately ran through a huge gap, but admittedly his finish was rather good.
Injuries forced two critical half time substitutions: Jones had been outstanding up front and we know how much a sometimes dodgy defence needs Lundekvam. However when Wright fed Rasiak to set up an easy chance for sub Wright-Phillips, the win looked very likely again.
An even better finish than the first from Whelan set the alarm bells ringing, but Saints were happily playing out time in the corner when the referee inexplicably gave a free kick. Wednesday moved the ball quickly to force a corner at the other end, and Crossley fatefully made his way upfield. Unlike Peter Shilton all those years ago, at least Crossley was in our penalty area when he scored. In fact he was pretty well in our 6 yard box when he headed home, which raises the old question of whether Davis ought to come for a few more crosses. Had he caught this one, or had Lundekvam been there to clear, a surprisingly good natured journey home would have been far better.
Man of the Match: Jermaine Wright, for workrate and a good assist.
Saints 1, Palace 1 (26/12/06)
Beats me why SFC think lunchtime bank holiday kick offs are popular, but a 30,000 crowd for the visit of Crystal Palace won't change their opinion. The fans saw a fine performance by the Saints, but again only one point to show for it - this time there was an excuse, playing two thirds of the match after Jones's dismissal. More anon.
It is well known that many find it more difficult to play against 10 men, but another perversity of the game is how the team reduced to ten can actually begin to perform better. Saints were just a bit pedestrian leading up to the sending off, but they then proceeded to cause Palace problems throughout. In fact the imbalance could only have lasted a few minutes, had goalkeeper Flinders been given harsher punishment than a caution for handball outside the area. More of that later, too. He had managed, by fair means or foul, to block a break by Skacel and then could only watch as Bale clipped the free kick onto the bar.
Dominant Saints had to wait until the start of the second half for a breakthrough, with Baird glancing a corner home from the near post. Within 10 minutes Baird had turned from hero to zero as he was badly caught in possession and McAnuff equalised. Naturally things became more difficult for the 10 men, and you sensed that they were running out of steam at the end, although remaining generally on top.
Post match talk was whether Flinders should also have walked for his handball. Referee Beeby did not immediately give a free kick, although better placed than the flagging linesman - there was some doubt whether it was hands, and also if it was outside the area. Evidently both were true, and TV confirms that. The opinion of the officials was also that Skacel was not denied a clear scoring opportunity, and on reflection I have to agree. Jones, though, was unlucky. Hudson did not make a meal of a hefty push in the chest, but plenty of his team-mates took exception to it, and gave Jones a few more heavy shoves back in return. A typical footballers' fight really, but only Jones was punished for something far less violent than an incident from the same day's fixture at Stoke which only produced yellow cards.
Man of the Match: Pele. All the midfield worked hard to make up for the missing man, and he was the pick of them.
Saints 2, Leicester 0 (30/12/06)
Heavy rain caused a 45 minute delay before the home game with Leicester could start. It was as if the referee picked the perfect weather window as blue skies appeared just before the 3:45 kick off, and not long after the end we had more heavy and prolonged rain that surely would have caused an abandonment. Saints would have been well ahead under Duckworth Lewis rules, but I'm not sure the Championship works like that. In fact there was little contest throughout, and by the time we reached 4:30, it still seemed as though the Leicester attack hadn't arrived: zero shots on goal and no corners.
Southampton had taken the lead through an opportunistic (or fortuitous) backheader from Pele but we had lost Dyer with what may be another long term injury. Saints upped their game after the break and Skacel shot too close to the keeper while Rasiak aimed just wide before Prutton forced home a Wright-Phillips cross at the far post.
Conditions (wind more than pitch) were not making it easy for either side, but Southampton remained in control despite Leicester sending centre back McAuley up front. We should have recorded a scoreline to reflect the pattern of play, but forwards didn't concentrate on springing an enthusiastic offside trap, while Henderson stopped well from Wright-Phillips and substitute McGoldrick.
Man of the Match: Jermaine Wright, who is enjoying a good run of form.
Plymouth 1, Saints 1 (1/1/07)
A thunder and hail storm of apocalyptic proportions hit Plymouth at lunchtime and caused doubts about the game, but gallons of water flowing down the drains alongside paths leading to Home Park's hilltop site showed how the pitch was able to cope. Saints were grateful that the match started when after just 5 minutes Skacel was again denied by the keeper when running through. Unlike his Crystal Palace counterpart, Larrieu kept his hands clear, but he did make a complete Horlicks of his clearance, and Rasiak was able to poke the ball home from 20 yards.
The pitch was certainly heavy, but nothing that would have been unusual for January in years gone by; climate change and better maintenance have produced a generation of pro players unused to such conditions, and Southampton's squad seemed less able to cope than Plymouth's. The Saints defence were under desperate pressure at times, and also had to be rescued by Davis when the offside trap failed.
At half time, substitutions and tactical changes too complicated to detail here produced a team that looked more capable, but the second half still followed a similar pattern to the first. Davis was booked when through an error of judgement he caught a long through ball outside his area.
After an hour, Wright's cross produced a chance for Wright-Phillips - he made good headed contact but the ball went past the post for a crucial miss. Plymouth broke through soon after via Hayles, although his shot was deflected past Davis by one of our beleaguered defence. They soon had the ball in the net a second time, but an early flag meant few concerns for visiting fans. In the end the tide could have turned, as Hayles exhausted referee Wright's patience and was sent off for a second caution after 3 or 4 potentially bookable offences - however, with less than 10 minutes to play, Saints could not take advantage, or were not disposed to risk throwing away their hard work.
Man of the Match: Claus Lundekvam. Not a flawless performance by any means, but it was a day when we needed a dominant figure at the back.
